Zhang Chiguo

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Zhang Chiguo (张持国)
Alias(es)	Officer Zhang; Chief Zhang; “Uncle Zhang”
Species/Race	Human; contaminated by the Scarlet power
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau; Qinggang Council; former Special Operations Team; Four Heavenly Kings
Occupation/Role	Chief of the Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau; Independent Investigator; former police detective
Status	Active; continues investigating the ancient castle kidnapping case 364
First Appearance	Chapter 15

Background / History

Zhang Chiguo was originally a police detective investigating Han Su’s disappearance in the ancient castle kidnapping case. He collected surveillance data, reconstructed the timeline, and submitted a report supporting the supernatural explanation. His superiors rejected it, demanded that he rewrite it, and forcibly put him on leave when he refused. He continued investigating through personal connections until he was recruited into the newly formed Disaster Management Bureau by Secretary Number 5 46.

Even after the kidnapping case was formally dismissed and classified away from supernatural investigation, Zhang continued pursuing it under the pretext of locating Han Su’s missing mother. Her disappearance had left no records or documentation, which Zhang regarded as inherently suspicious 47.

He became one of Qinggang’s earliest investigators and served on the front lines against grotesque threats. At some point, he and Li Moses, Zhao Brahma, and Wang Buddha became known as the Four Heavenly Kings; all four were contaminated by the Scarlet power during their service 237 240.

For four years, Zhang resisted Scarlet’s influence while refusing to kill anyone, believing that preserving his humanity and will was more important than indulging the power’s violent impulses 240.

Personality

Zhang is stern, disciplined, and deeply committed to responsibility. He is willing to challenge superiors, the Qinggang Council, and entrenched Bureau interests when he believes their decisions endanger civilians or obstruct the truth 46 192 217.

He is also protective—particularly toward Han Su. Zhang initially tries to keep Han away from the kidnapping case, manipulates evaluations to prevent dangerous scrutiny, arranges training through political favors, conceals Han’s spiritual weak point, and repeatedly investigates threats directed at him 16 41 56 60 108.

Outside work, Zhang displays a notably domestic side: he shops for dinner, cooks while wearing an apron, and is pleased when Han Su enjoys his food 45 46. This gentleness contrasts sharply with his uncompromising response when investigators abuse mysterious power or abandon their duties 208.

Abilities & Skills

Scarlet Power

Zhang is contaminated by Scarlet, an anomalous power shared by the Four Heavenly Kings. His unusually complete will allows him to resist its corruption more effectively than the others, but prolonged suppression creates a severe backlash when he finally releases it 240 246.

• Draws a scarlet boundary across the ground that blocks opponents; Zhao Brahma is cut in half after crossing it 240.
• Produces blood threads and tentacles from his wounds, which can consume incoming Scarlet power and pull it into his body 246.
• Maintains combat capability despite devastating injuries, with Scarlet holding his damaged body together 246.
• Can enter a maddened, killing-driven state after releasing too much suppressed Scarlet power 245 246.
• Song Chushi’s All Nothing temporarily suppresses Scarlet within Zhang and restores his clarity 247.

Spiritual Pressure and Pollution Suppression

Zhang’s presence exerts overwhelming spiritual pressure over an area.

• His footsteps can create condensed spiritual-power stakes and force Mother Body Divine Tree pollution out of the surrounding area 194.
• Creates a zone of spiritual emptiness that blocks widespread pollution 194.
• Suppresses and injures activated investigators unintentionally; Red Trench Coat, Night Lamp, and Green Hat suffer bleeding and are unable to raise their heads under his pressure 193.
• His mental model is considered abnormal and destructive enough that Miss Ai estimates a 70% failure chance if he undertakes certain special cleanup missions alone 195.

Close-Quarters Combat

Zhang is an experienced frontline fighter who relies heavily on direct physical force rather than cipher spells or extraordinary items.

• During the Mechanical Ghost crisis, he confronts a swarm with no cipher spells, enhanced items, or visibly unusual mental-vitality trait, concentrating the surrounding wind into a single massive punch 195.
• Protects weaker allies in active combat, physically pulling Black Tiger out of a City-Slaying Sacrifice’s line of fire 250.
• Fights through an entire hostile force before reaching Bai La Mountain, arriving blood-covered with bullets being forced from his wounds by Scarlet 311.
• Rips out the Beast-Eyed Priest’s spine to create an opening for Han Su; together, they kill the Slaughter City Sacrifice 312.

Investigation and Bureau Leadership

Zhang remains an accomplished investigator despite his political conflicts and combat reputation.

• Built Qinggang’s most complete known record on the ancient castle kidnapping case 150.
• Leads cleanup operations and coordinates Bureau personnel during major crises, including the Mother Body Divine Tree and Mechanical Ghost incidents 194 195.
• Uses Bureau procedures and personal favors to secure Han Su’s training while preserving his eventual freedom from a dangerous investigator’s control 56.
• Attempts to reform the Bureau by exposing passive resistance, unsafe training practices, and internal sabotage 150 162 192.

Equipment / Items

• Black briefcase — regularly carried during Bureau operations 194 195.
• Special box — temporarily authorized by the Qinggang Council during the Mother Body Divine Tree crisis; it contains a physical component of Miss Ai that can analyze threats and recommend special missions 192 194.
• Firearms — carries and uses guns during operations, including after the confrontation with Li Moses 247.

Relationships

• Han Su — Former kidnapping-case survivor Zhang once protected; later his subordinate and protégé. Zhang repeatedly arranges Han’s training, shields his secrets, and continues investigating the ancient castle case at Han’s request 16 56 60 364.
• Cui Qiao — His secretary and trusted operational aide. She carries out sensitive assignments for him and supports his efforts to reform the Bureau 44 46 162.
• Song Chushi — Former Special Operations Team colleague whose pursuit of the kidnapping case parallels Zhang’s own. Zhang ultimately breaks the blockade against him, allowing him to leave Qinggang 77 237 240.
• Li Moses — Fellow former Heavenly King and Independent Investigator. Their ideological conflict over Scarlet and killing culminates in Zhang nearly killing Li during a loss of control 240 246 247.
• Zhao Brahma — Fellow Heavenly King. Zhang’s scarlet boundary cuts Zhao in half when Zhao attempts to bypass him 240.
• Wang Buddha — Fellow Heavenly King and former Special Operations Team colleague; they later cooperate under Qinggang Council orders despite their conflict 237 248.
• Miss Ai — Zhang works with her as part of the Disaster Management Bureau but distrusts her hidden capabilities and challenges her decisions when Han Su’s safety is involved 192 195.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Ancient Castle Kidnapping Case

Zhang is the only adult who seriously investigates Han Su’s account after the kidnapping. Though pushed out of the Public Security Bureau and blocked by higher authorities, he persists in collecting evidence and later brings Han into the Disaster Management Bureau as the safest available alternative to cleansing, hypnosis, or detention 18 46 47.

Reforming the Disaster Management Bureau

After taking charge in Qinggang, Zhang confronts internal resistance from investigators and higher authorities. He leverages Han Su’s rapid mission record to break the Bureau’s passive resistance, a move opponents interpret as a calculated scheme to force them into a corner 162 163.

Mother Body Divine Tree Crisis

Zhang confronts the Qinggang Council over its refusal to unlock Miss Ai’s seals and its handling of the Drunk Investigator. When an A+-class threat emerges, the Council gives him a special box and sends him to act; he arrives at the containment center, suppresses pollution, and leads a route-clearing team for Han Su’s special cleanup mission 192 194 195.

Conflict of the Four Heavenly Kings

Ordered to help contain Song Chushi, Zhang chooses to break the blockade instead. He reveals that his restraint of Scarlet has preserved more of his will than the other Heavenly Kings, then fights Zhao Brahma, Wang Buddha, and Li Moses while Scarlet pushes him toward madness 240 245 246.

Bai La Mountain Intervention

When Han Su is trapped in Bai La Mountain, Zhang abandons restraint and fights his way through an army to reach the region. He distracts and weakens the Beast-Eyed Priest, enabling Han Su to kill it; afterward, Han shares crucial Scarlet knowledge with him, calling it “an opportunity” 298 311 312 314.

Continuing Investigation

After Han Su accepts the Knight Errant invitation, Zhang commits to continuing the ancient castle kidnapping investigation and submitting new reports—not only for Han and the victims, but for his own convictions 364.

Notable Quotes

“Once you grasp a bit of mysterious power, do you really stop seeing yourselves as human?” 208

“Only I, in these four years, have not killed a single person!” 240

“I will continue the investigation and continue submitting reports.” 364