Dane

Biodata

Appearance

Dane was last seen wearing a baseball cap, linen shirt, and gray fur coat before his disappearance. 6

• Thirty-seven years old at the time of the missing-person notice. 6
• Following his rescue, he is weakened enough that Judy must carry him out of the burning Sinclair Grand Theatre. 25

Background / History

Dane began investigating Glorious Fortress's serial murders after a killer spent six months committing gruesome homicides. He believed he had found a significant lead and left to verify it, but disappeared three days later. Judy, who had last seen him at the newspaper agency, feared that the killer had targeted him. 7

His investigation led him into a trap orchestrated by the North City Police Station's corrupt faction. He was held at the Sinclair Grand Theatre as part of a staged murder ritual, where Captain Ghost intended to ensure that he could never reveal what he knew. 20 21 25

Dane was rescued when Judy shot Ghost and Taylor and Zhou Zhi reached the stage. Despite his own condition, he urged the rescuers to save another captive as well. 25

Personality

Dane is determined to expose wrongdoing despite the personal danger involved. After escaping the theatre, he considers leaving Glorious Fortress for the Old Continent rather than allowing the North City Police Station to silence him or endanger Judy; he still intends to pursue the true culprit from abroad. 26

He is cautious around unexplained power. Learning that Detective Chao collected wish power, Dane initially suspects that the detective is a cultist seeking souls rather than payment. 27 After Kuiqi's death and the rescue of additional victims, however, he accepts that Chaoyang has acted against the police faction and comes to believe that the detective serves a deity called Paradise. 36 37

Story Role / Major Arcs

Serial Murder Investigation and Abduction

• Investigates the serial murders plaguing Glorious Fortress and disappears after discovering a lead. 7
• Judy hires Detective Chao to locate him, offering money and wish power through a contract. 7
• Is discovered alive among the captives at Sinclair Grand Theatre; Chaoyang adds a reward for the Paradise participants to rescue him alive. 20
• Ghost identifies Dane as a person who knows too much and declares that he cannot be allowed to survive. 21
• Judy kills Ghost before he can murder Dane, while Taylor and Zhou Zhi evacuate Dane and another survivor. 25

Recovery and the Truth Behind the Murders

• Recuperates in one of his hidden residences with Judy after the theatre fire. 26
• Concludes that the Jedi Brothers Newspaper cannot safely publish the truth while the North City Police Station remains a threat. 26
• Learns through Chaoyang and a dying Gaotian Mining Company worker that Ghost was only an executor; North City Police Station Chief Kuiqi ordered the enslavement, torture, and killings. 27
• Receives confirmation that Kuiqi is dead and that the City Guard found five additional survivors in the manor dungeon. 36

Alliance with “Paradise”

• Initially distrusts Chaoyang because of the wish-power contract, but acknowledges that the detective exceeded the original agreement by arranging Dane's rescue. 27
• Offers to help Chaoyang obtain fresh, intact bodies for use as vessels, while refusing any implication that they should be acquired through murder. 36 37
• Interprets Chaoyang as an emissary acting for the deity Paradise and provides an unused Emerald Street residence for his temporary lodging. 36 37
• Assists Chaoyang in caring for the injured Elodie and accepts the stated effort to “heal” her rather than kill her. 39
• Meets Jenny of Yenie Holy Hall when she seeks contact with Zhang Zhiyuan, whom she believes to be one of Chaoyang's subordinates. 47

Relationships

• Judy — Close associate and the person who organized the search for him; she hires Detective Chao, kills Ghost to protect Dane, and carries him from the theatre. 7 25
• Chaoyang / Detective Chao — Dane's rescuer and eventual benefactor. Dane first suspects him of being a cultist, then believes he acts for the deity Paradise and agrees to assist him. 27 36 37
• Ghost — Police captain who participated in the conspiracy behind the murders and attempts to kill Dane at Sinclair Grand Theatre. 21 25
• Kuiqi — North City Police Station chief identified as the true authority behind the enslaved-labor scheme and related killings that Dane investigated. 27
• Taylor and Zhou Zhi — Paradise participants who reach the stage during the theatre escape and rescue Dane alongside another survivor. 25
• Jenny — Nun from Yenie Holy Hall who later meets Dane at his residence while seeking information about Zhang Zhiyuan. 47

Residences and Assets

• Hidden residence — Dane keeps at least one concealed three-bedroom residence in an alley, used as a refuge after the theatre fire. 26
• 375 Oak Street — A secret two-story residence disguised as a closed fruit shop. 36
• Emerald Street house — An unused, secluded property Dane lends to Chaoyang for temporary lodging. 37

Notable Quotes

“No one can cover up the truth forever. This debt will eventually be settled with the real culprit.” 26

“I doubted you before, but now I see I was wrong.” 36