Lao San

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Lao San (老三) 49
Alias(es)	Third, Third Brother, Old Third; Ah San; “King of One-on-One” in his former neighborhood; Ghost Knight; member of the Mithril Knights 7 36 47 51 108 120 291
Gender	Male 7
Affiliation	Formerly Pinming Sanlang, also called the “Desperate Trio”; later employed by Nie Yun and active in the SOS Organization as one of the Ghost Knights/Mithril Knights 8 38 108 189 291
Occupation/Role	Former underground cage fighter and kidnapper; later Nie Yun’s subordinate, combat operative, experimental enhancement subject, and Mental Power trainee 8 38 84 155 565
Status	Alive as of Chapter 804; destruction of his remotely operated combat bodies does not constitute his personal death 279 394 397 804
First Appearance	Chapter 7 7

Background and History

Lao San was the third member and strongest fighter of Pinming Sanlang, a group hired to kidnap Chu Xiaoxiao. While the group held her on an island, Nie Yun lured Lao San toward the disguised Sea Wolf, knocked him unconscious with a frying pan, and took his pistol and other belongings 7 8.

After the kidnapping failed, Lao San remained on the island with the group’s leader. Short of food and water, they set out on a raft and eventually reached Nie Yun’s island. Nie Yun offered them work instead of disposing of them; Lao San’s limited education helped him secure a full-time position 36 38.

Nie Yun gave both men Xiaolang-pendant necklaces as employee benefits, then demonstrated that the necklaces could also be used to enforce obedience. He subsequently sent them to Xia City on a reward-based mission 39 42.

Lao San and Lao Da bribed their way aboard the freighter Aquarius. When Nie Yun incapacitated its crew with gas, their backpacks’ gas masks let them remain conscious. Afterward, Nie Yun issued them experimental Heart of the Brave combat suits and tested the suits’ impact resistance by towing the two behind the Sea Wolf 48 49.

Early Life and Combat Background

Before joining Nie Yun, Lao San had fought bare-knuckled in underground bouts. He was initially described as taciturn and was the member of the trio whom Lao Da trusted most. He later claimed that people in his neighborhood had called him the “King of One-on-One” 8 51.

Lao San dropped out of school. During the Izumo mission, a remark from Lao Da reminded him of advice his former homeroom teacher had given him; he reflected that he had nevertheless lost his way after leaving school 110.

Armor Tests and Military Demonstration

After the initial armor test, Nie Yun had machines wash and dry the brothers, assuring them that their bruises were superficial. He then offered a ten-million-yuan reward for defeating him, with no restriction on methods and no penalty for failure. Lao San attacked with boxing techniques, but Nie Yun evaded every strike. When Lao Da suggested that their armor could make the result a draw, Nie Yun revealed his own golden armor and struck both men into a cliff, demonstrating that their protection was far inferior to his strength-amplifying equipment 51.

During a meeting with the military and the Chu Group, Lao San challenged the escort captain, Little Knife, to fight. Little Knife’s punches, attacks on vulnerable points, and grappling failed to overcome the Heart of the Brave armor. Lao San then fired three Type 54 pistol shots into his own chest, remaining completely unharmed. The demonstration impressed Commander Hu with the sophistication of Nie Yun’s protective technology. Nie Yun subsequently criticized Lao San’s recklessness and arrogance, while acknowledging that the display had helped intimidate the military 66 67.

Ghost Waters Operations and Brain Chip Training

Lao San and Lao Da learned to operate jetpacks and Silver Shuttles during their assignments in Ghost Waters. Lao San proposed infiltrating a warship and detonating its ammunition magazine, although he admitted that the idea came from the combat guide displayed in his helmet rather than independent planning 73 74.

While invisibly infiltrating a Neon Country warship, the brothers marked its ammunition magazine for possible later destruction. Lao San accidentally collided with the captain, who mistook him for a ghost; Lao San knocked him unconscious, and the brothers concealed him in a compartment. The ensuing search trapped them in a computer room. After Lao Da rejected Lao San’s suggestions to blow up the magazine or fight their way out, their armor connected to a computer port, allowing Nie Yun to compromise the ship’s systems and make its naval gun fire on a nearby South Korean vessel 76 77.

Following their return, Nie Yun presented an equipment-development scheme organized around attack, defense, speed, intelligence, and constitution. Their armor represented defense, the Silver Shuttle represented speed, and the proposed Blazing Flame sword represented attack. Their immediate reward, the “IQ Recharge Card,” led to the installation of Brain Chips and personal Xiaolang Type-I auxiliary AIs 82 84.

Lao San quickly recognized the instructor AI’s authority after witnessing it punish Lao Da through his Brain Chip. He stood at attention and saluted, earning Xiaolang’s approval. Nie Yun privately admitted that the instructor’s supposedly independent personality was fabricated and that it served as a scapegoat for the coercive control afforded by the chips 84.

The brothers later ambushed the intelligence operative Mouri after he killed Han Yi. Rather than kill Mouri, they took him prisoner, hoping that Nie Yun would use him for dangerous experiments in their place 93.

After several days of harsh training, Xiaolang forced the brothers into an operation against the helicopter carrier Izumo. The ship’s sensors and reflective-foil countermeasures exposed their optical camouflage. Lao San welcomed the opportunity to test his new capabilities, activating his Brain Chip’s Combat Assistance System and fighting alongside Lao Da. The pair incapacitated soldiers, evaded gunfire, intercepted missiles, and brought down helicopters. Their exposed black armor and extraordinary performance led the crew to identify them as the Ghost Captain’s “Ghost Knights” 106 107 108.

Physical Enhancement and Ground Assaults

After Mouri underwent a bodily transformation and lost much of his memory, Nie Yun renamed him Er Mao and assigned Lao Da and Lao San to supervise his care, Brain Chip installation, and further education. The two subsequently brought him along on missions as their junior teammate 120 129.

Nie Yun later replaced the brothers’ bones with aerospace-grade ceramic-alloy Superalloy Skeletons and enhanced their physical strength. He did not use Gene Reversal on them, since they were healthy and its memory-loss side effect remained unresolved. In a training-room spar, Lao San sent Lao Da sliding backward with a punch; Lao Da acknowledged that he still could not match a professional fighter 155.

Lao San, Lao Da, and Er Mao were then deployed from the orbiting Sea Wolf toward separate ground targets in armored Silver Shuttles. Lao San enthusiastically embraced the orbital insertion, which the team understood as a possible test of rapid strikes anywhere on Earth 162.

At a rebel stronghold, Lao San emerged from a fiery impact in black armor, identifying himself as a former boxer who now cleaned up “trash” for his boss. He killed armed captors with precise, unseen sword attacks and ordered imprisoned women and children to escape. The defenders identified him as a Ghost Knight and interpreted his arrival as the legendary “Hellfire” technique 164.

Lao San continued through the base, destroying armored vehicles and shooting down two Apache helicopters. He intercepted the fleeing commander, accepted his bag of gold, and killed him despite offers of intelligence, further payments, and allegiance to the Ghost Captain 165.

By a later meeting at a naval port, Little Knife found Lao San intimidating even without equipment. Lao San attributed his growing fearlessness to the ordeals, experiments, and orbital deployments he had survived, while admitting that Nie Yun and his pet were stronger than him. Lao San and Lao Da also escorted elderly scientists toward the Sea Wolf, using an exaggerated tour-guide routine to organize them 188 189.

Infinite World and Organizational Life

During a period of free time, Lao San joined Lao Da and Er Mao in applying to enter the game that had absorbed other members of the organization. In the Infinite World, their wages from Nie Yun gave them substantial Infinite Coin holdings and the freedom to log out, unlike Smith’s crew, who were still working toward release 201 210.

When Smith’s crew surrounded them after learning that they served the Ghost Captain, Lao Da produced three hundred robots and Lao San threatened to attack the crew whenever they left the safe zone. The confrontation ended in a mining agreement under which Smith’s workers would receive 35% of the proceeds in exchange for operating equipment and robots supplied by Lao Da’s group 210.

At the Earth Base cafeteria, Lao San described witnessing Nie Yun train in an all-silver transformed form. He recounted supersonic movement and punches penetrating approximately twenty centimeters of armor, leaving the assembled researchers and his teammates astonished at the gap between their own improvements and Nie Yun’s power 211.

Battles Against the Sea Race

On Callisto, Lao San acted as bait to draw a Sea Race marine captain out of his base. Faced with the captain’s Powered Armor, Lao San successively dropped his weapons and removed his tactical armor, attempting to persuade his opponent to accept an unarmored fistfight. The captain refused and resumed using his Gravity Hammer 277 278.

Lao San fought in a mass-produced robot body, using his Brain Chip to evade attacks and analyze the enemy’s defenses. He discovered that the captain’s Force Field Shield dropped during attacks, but his own laser weapon could only scorch the faceplate. The Gravity Hammer’s ranged Gravity Shockwave destroyed his right arm, bent his greatsword, and left his chassis near failure. When the captain immobilized him in aerogel for capture, Lao San destroyed his own robot body rather than allow it to be taken 278 279.

Lao San later logged into a new Mithril Knight unit during an infiltration of a Sea Race warship. He defeated the troops near the Main Engine Room and encountered the same captain. This time, his Brain Chip and the Knight’s Auxiliary AI Core allowed him to predict the captain’s aim and evade laser fire. He then stopped the Gravity Hammer with his palm by countering it with the Knight’s force-field systems 289 290.

Using information recorded during their earlier battle, Lao San feinted an electrical attack to draw out the captain’s shield, moved behind him, and attacked as the shield dropped. He wrecked the Powered Armor and knocked the captain unconscious. Over communications, he teased Lao Da’s insistence on heroic special-forces terminology by pointing out that their mission still amounted to kidnapping 291.

Kara Star Operations

Lao San participated in a survival assignment on Kara Star and a subsequent mission to find the Demon Sword’s wielder. His eagerness to attack a Twin Stars patrol exposed the team despite their stealth equipment, drawing a reprimand from Lao Da. The Knights defeated pursuing powered-armored troops, but a landing craft’s Wave Cannon forced them to flee while carrying three Kara guerrillas to safety 361 362 363.

After repairing their damaged bodies through Nie Yun’s Time Reversal system, the trio recruited the guerrillas as guides. At the marked destination, Lao San struck the ground and used sonic feedback to locate a hollow space inside a giant tree. They were then surrounded by more than a hundred Bio-Armor warriors and received a side quest requiring them to defeat the defenders without killing anyone 364.

Lao San volunteered to fight alone. His punches overwhelmed several warriors, but the defenders’ Greenvine Strangling Formation confined him with resilient vines and airborne air-cannon attacks. He activated Peerless Mode, extended energy blades from his Mithril Knight’s joints, and used a spinning Blade Storm to cut through the cage. Princess Rose’s arrival halted the confrontation; she confirmed that Lao San had deliberately held back 365 366.

The Demon Sword presented the trio as powerful summoned creatures and arranged for them to become Rose’s paid bodyguards. Rose led them into an underground cavern and trapped them, intending to study their bodies and obtain the secret of their strength. By a subsequent encounter, the Knights held the advantage over her; Lao San restrained a Hunter creature and covertly collected a genetic sample through a silver needle in his palm 366 368.

During a later pursuit, Lao San used two Phantom Balls to impersonate a three-person flying squad and divert Twin Stars forces while his teammates escaped. Once the deception was exposed and enemy mecha surrounded him, he refused to surrender and triggered a catastrophic overload of his Mithril Knight. His subsequent participation in the team’s communications confirms that the loss was of his remote unit rather than his own life 394 397.

Mental Power Training and Distant Deployment

Lao San studied the Psychic Ability Manual with Lao Da and Er Mao, showing interest in the advanced Mind Interference technique. At that stage, the group had not yet mastered basic Mind Communication, and they treated the manual’s nearly hidden warning about mental disorders as another reason to distrust the safety of Nie Yun’s assignments 466.

With Nie Yun’s support and the Water of Life, the Ghost Knights later developed practical Mental Power abilities. Lao San specialized in improving neural reaction speed and sharpening combat instincts. The trio demonstrated their specialties to Elder Yu in the Phantom Energy Training Class, accepted a mission in a distant civilization, and agreed to help develop training methods suitable for wider use 565.

At the Golden Tooth Pirate Gang’s base, Lao San, Lao Da, and Er Mao emerged from the storage compartment of a captured Phantom Mecha in powerful black Mechanical Insect avatars. They split up to reach the pirate leader and secure the hostage’s release. Lao San took a direct approach, charging toward the largest concentrations of enemies and using the resulting fighting to probe troop deployments and defensive priorities. He eventually joined Lao Da in confronting the gang’s leader 576 577 578.

Lao San continued training with the other Knights, although research showed that his mental specialization did not translate readily into other abilities: Elder Yu’s attempts to teach him Invisibility were unsuccessful 726 781.

Iron Wall Fleet Ambush

During the Iron Wall Fleet’s invasion of the Solar System, searchers recovered a crystallized mecha wreck and attempted to salvage its core. The wreck exploded to reveal Lao San as a silver humanoid mechanical being. He announced a robbery, threw an Engineering Robot across the compartment, and activated his limited-edition Unit 3 Mithril Knight, classified as a Legendary Mini, to overwhelm the security forces 804.

The operation left three search-team warships captured and their crews held hostage. The attackers offered to return the crews after the war but retained the ships as compensation for the invasion. The unexpected appearance of both Legendary Plus and Legendary Mini equipment unsettled Viscount Ironwall, who suspected that the recovered wrecks had been deliberate bait 804.

Personality

Lao San is less guarded than Lao Da. He was pleased with Nie Yun’s food and necklace gifts even as Lao Da suspected an ulterior motive, and he eagerly imagined that the promised Heart of the Brave might make them superhuman 39 48. His excitement returned when he saw the combat suit, before Nie Yun revealed what its testing would involve 49.

Initially taciturn, Lao San becomes increasingly boastful, provocative, and eager for combat. The protection offered by his armor encourages an already impulsive disposition, leading him to challenge military personnel, propose violent solutions, and welcome opportunities to test new upgrades. He nevertheless usually leaves planning to Lao Da and accepts his decisions 8 66 67 74 106 107 155.

His limited education and literal thinking frequently contrast with Nie Yun’s game-like explanations and Lao Da’s schemes. However, he can recognize immediate social danger: after watching Xiaolang punish Lao Da, he promptly salutes the instructor rather than challenging it 82 84 93.

Repeated experiments and dangerous assignments make him wary of Nie Yun’s rewards, even while he remains enthusiastic about the power they provide. He fears the boss’s human experiments and helps capture Mouri partly in the hope of finding a substitute test subject 93 107 129 466.

Lao San develops genuine confidence and greater psychological resilience through combat, experimental trials, and orbital insertion. His boasting does not prevent him from acknowledging stronger beings: he openly admits that Nie Yun’s pet could defeat him and regards Nie Yun himself with admiration and awe 188 211.

His behavior combines loyalty and courage with roughness and dark humor. He rescues captives while impatiently telling them to get out of his way, accepts a rebel commander’s gold before killing him, and later serves as a decoy to protect his teammates. His provocative humor persists even when facing superior enemy forces 164 165 394.

• Food preference — He prefers spicy Sichuan food and complains about Lao Da’s cooking 170.
• Mission preference — He particularly enjoys assignments opening new territory, which he associates with generous pioneering rewards and opportunities to fight 565.

Abilities and Skills

Fighting

• Lao San was a former underground cage fighter and the strongest combatant in Pinming Sanlang 8.
• Nie Yun nevertheless subdued him with a surprise blow while Lao San investigated the Sea Wolf 8.
• His fighting repertoire includes straight punches, hooks, knee strikes, and elbow strikes. Against Nie Yun, he can deliver a sustained, forceful combination, but cannot land a blow against the boss’s superior reactions 51.
• After receiving physical enhancements, he defeats Lao Da in a training-room spar, with Lao Da acknowledging the advantage of his professional fighting background 155.
• He combines close-quarters attacks with sword-based electrical and ranged weapons, using them against infantry, vehicles, helicopters, and incoming missiles 108 164 165.
• His straightforward brawling is vulnerable to coordinated entanglement tactics, as demonstrated by the Greenvine Strangling Formation. He compensates by switching to the Mithril Knight’s energy-blade systems 365.

Brain Chip Combat Assistance

• The Brain Chip supplies stored knowledge and a Combat Assistance System that constructs a three-dimensional battlefield model, tracks opponents and firing trajectories, and evaluates heavy-weapon threat ranges 84 108.
• On the Izumo, full activation increases Lao San’s reflexes and information-processing speed a hundredfold, making the surrounding action appear slowed 108.
• When linked to a Mithril Knight’s Auxiliary AI Core, it predicts an opponent’s aim, allowing Lao San to move before laser shots strike rather than react to beams already in flight 290.
• It records and analyzes enemy equipment performance, producing tactics that exploit previously observed vulnerabilities. Information gathered on Callisto enables him to defeat the Sea Race captain in their rematch 278 291.

Physical Enhancements

• Lao San possesses a Superalloy Skeleton made from aerospace-grade ceramic alloy, selected for high strength and toughness while retaining a weight close to ordinary bone 155.
• The skeleton replacement is combined with physical enhancements comparable to those given to Er Mao. Nie Yun avoids Gene Reversal for Lao San because he is healthy and the procedure’s memory-loss side effect is unresolved 155.
• His enhanced physique and combat experience produce an intimidating presence even when he wears no equipment 188.

Mithril Knight Systems

• His Mithril Knight provides exceptional structural durability, strength, and speed through Mechanical Insect materials. Against the Sea Race captain’s Powered Armor, its enhanced speed and strength exceed the opponent’s by an order of magnitude 291.
• Its force-field systems can disperse impact forces and oppose the Gravity Hammer, allowing Lao San to stop a blow with his hand 290.
• Peerless Mode deploys blue energy blades from joints across the unit. Lao San uses these blades in a spinning Blade Storm to shred an enclosing vine formation 365.
• A ground strike and sonic feedback allow him to detect concealed hollow spaces, including the chamber inside the giant tree on Kara Star 364.
• Remote bodies can be sacrificed to prevent capture. Lao San destroys both a damaged mass-produced robot and a surrounded Mithril Knight while continuing to operate afterward 279 394 397.

Mental Power

• Lao San specializes in using Mental Power to improve neural reaction speed and sharpen instincts, further increasing his individual combat ability 565.
• His Mental Power develops through training supported by Nie Yun and the Water of Life, and permits remote deployment over distances that place considerable strain on the operators 565.
• Studying Mind Interference does not establish mastery of it; when first reading the manual, he and his teammates have not yet learned basic Mind Communication 466.
• Attempts to teach him Invisibility are unsuccessful. Elder Yu’s research associates such differences in aptitude with individual “mental traits,” rather than assuming that every practitioner can learn all Mental Power applications equally 781.

Infiltration, Deception, and Reconnaissance

• Lao San uses optical camouflage for shipboard infiltration and covert ambushes 76 93.
• He operates jetpacks and Silver Shuttles, including armored shuttles used for orbital insertion 73 82 162.
• He uses Phantom Balls to generate convincing visual and electromagnetic duplicates, drawing pursuit away from his actual teammates 394.
• He can covertly collect biological samples through a retractable needle in his mechanical palm 368.
• During the pirate-base assault, his direct attacks also serve reconnaissance purposes by revealing enemy concentrations and defensive priorities 577.

Power Progression

Chapter(s)	Advancement or Milestone	Capabilities and Limitations
8, 51	Underground boxer	Strongest fighter in Pinming Sanlang; experienced in bare-knuckle and close-quarters combat, but far below Nie Yun’s reaction speed 8 51.
49, 51, 67	Heart of the Brave armor	Gains bulletproof protection and impact absorption without auxiliary power. Its weight restricts mobility, and Nie Yun’s superior armor can buckle it with a punch 49 51 67.
73, 76, 82	Mobility and stealth equipment	Learns jetpack operation, uses Silver Shuttles, and infiltrates a warship under optical camouflage 73 76 82.
84	Brain Chip and Xiaolang Type-I	Receives stored knowledge, an auxiliary instructor AI, and chip-mediated assistance; the same interface can also impose pain and coercive control 84.
106, 107, 108	Combat training and full Brain Chip activation	Harsh training prepares him for the Izumo battle; Combat Assistance maps the battlefield and increases reaction and processing speed a hundredfold 106 107 108.
155	Superalloy Skeleton and physical enhancement	Gains aerospace-grade ceramic-alloy bones and enhanced physical strength without undergoing Gene Reversal 155.
162, 164, 165	Orbital deployment and base-assault capability	Operates as a Ghost Knight in an orbital strike and defeats a rebel base’s infantry, vehicles, and helicopters 162 164 165.
277, 278, 279	Mass-produced robot combat body	Uses a remotely operated chassis against Sea Race Powered Armor; survives long enough to gather combat data, but the body is crippled by a Gravity Shockwave and then self-destructed 277 278 279.
289, 290, 291	Mithril Knight unit	Gains a durable, high-performance Mechanical Insect body with AI-linked combat prediction and force-field defense, enabling a decisive victory over the Sea Race captain 289 290 291.
364, 365	Repair, scanning, and Peerless Mode	Uses Time Reversal repairs, sonic detection, ultradense gauntlets, and joint-mounted energy blades; Blade Storm breaks a coordinated vine cage 364 365.
394	Phantom Ball-supported decoy operation	Uses duplicate projections to protect his teammates, then overloads his surrounded Mithril Knight rather than surrender 394.
466	Psychic Ability Manual study	Studies Mind Interference, but has not yet mastered basic Mind Communication at this stage 466.
565	Mental Power specialization	Training and Water of Life develop enhanced neural reactions and sharper combat instincts; becomes suitable for demanding distant remote deployments 565.
576, 577, 578	Advanced Mechanical Insect avatar deployment	Uses an exceptionally durable black avatar during the pirate-base assault, resisting conventional and energy weapons while probing enemy defenses 576 577 578.
781	Mental specialization clarified	Research confirms poor aptitude for Invisibility despite his established reaction-enhancement specialty 781.
804	Unit 3 Mithril Knight — Legendary Mini	Activates a limited-edition compact Legendary-class unit during the Iron Wall Fleet ambush and overwhelms shipboard security 804.

Equipment and Items

• Xiaolang-pendant necklace — Given by Nie Yun as an employee benefit; it concealed a potentially deadly mechanism 39.
• Gas mask — Packed for the Aquarius mission and used when Nie Yun released incapacitating gas aboard the ship 48 49.
• Heart of the Brave — An experimental combat suit made from Mechanical Insects. It stopped pistol shots and absorbed impacts, but provided no auxiliary power 49.
  • Its weight impedes Lao San’s mobility during his fight with Little Knife 67.
  • Its embedded support phrase, “O almighty boss! Please grant me strength!”, automatically notifies Nie Yun when shouted 52.
• Type 54 pistol — Used to fire three shots into his own armored chest during the military demonstration 67.
• Jetpack and flight wings — Helmet-guided flight equipment that Lao San and Lao Da quickly learn to operate 73.
• Silver Shuttle — High-speed transport and combat platform, designated as the “speed” component of Nie Yun’s equipment plan. Armored versions also serve as orbital insertion vehicles 82 162.
• Optical camouflage — Enables near-invisible infiltration, but can be exposed by sensors, reflective foil, and suitable illumination 76 93 107.
• Blazing Flame sword — Nie Yun’s attack-equipment design, initially called “Little Flame.” It combines Mechanical Insect cutting edges with a fusion-powered miniature electromagnetic rifle. The brothers subsequently use longswords for electrical incapacitation and ranged attacks 82 108 164.
• Brain Chip — Provides knowledge storage, combat assistance, and a neural interface for the auxiliary AI; also allows Nie Yun to exert substantial control over the wearer 84 108.
• Xiaolang Type-I auxiliary AI — A virtual military-style instructor installed as a first-top-up bonus. It guides chip use and training while enforcing discipline through artificial nerve signals 84.
• Superalloy Skeleton — An implanted aerospace-grade ceramic-alloy replacement for his natural bones, paired with further physical enhancement 155.
• Mass-produced robot chassis — An expendable remote body used in the first battle against the Sea Race captain 278 279.
• Mithril Knight — A high-performance Mechanical Insect combat body with an Auxiliary AI Core, energy crystal, force-field systems, optical camouflage, and enhanced strength and speed 289 290 291.
  • Ultradense gauntlets are forged from mutated heavy Mechanical Insects and resist ordinary physical attacks 365.
  • Peerless Mode extends energy blades from the unit’s joints 365.
  • Time Reversal repairs restore damaged bodies at a points cost; the Kara Star repairs cost each Knight three hundred points 364.
• Experimental laser pistol — The Knights’ experimental sidearms can penetrate Twin Stars powered-armor shields during the Kara Star fighting 363.
• Retractable sampling needle — Extends from his palm to obtain a Hunter genetic sample without attracting notice 368.
• Phantom Balls — Fist-sized devices using magnetic levitation to follow the original and project matching visual and electromagnetic duplicates. Their rigid behavior can reveal the deception 394.
• Psychic Ability Manual — A read-only guide containing Mind Communication derivatives and warnings about poorly tested abilities 466.
• Unit 3 Mithril Knight — A limited-edition Legendary Mini deployed from recovered wreckage during the Iron Wall Fleet ambush 804.

Relationships

• Lao Da — His fellow former kidnapper and later coworker. Lao San follows his lead, though Lao Da is more suspicious of Nie Yun 36 39 48.
  • Lao Da was the trio’s leader and trusted Lao San more than its other member. Their later partnership retains a division between Lao Da’s planning and Lao San’s eagerness to fight 8 106.
  • Lao Da reprimands his reckless actions and provides remote advice, while Lao San sometimes questions his reasoning or undercuts his theatrical claims 277 278 291 362.
  • Although Lao San commonly defers to him outside combat, he defeats Lao Da in their enhanced-body sparring match 155.
• Nie Yun — Knocked Lao San out during the kidnapping, then hired him and assigned him missions. Lao San addresses him as “Boss” 8 38 42.
  • Nie Yun supplies his armor, Brain Chip, physical enhancements, remote bodies, and Mental Power training, while repeatedly using him as an experimental subject 49 84 155 565.
  • Lao San is wary of the risks concealed in the boss’s rewards and manuals but remains admiring of his strength and willing to accept new missions 129 211 466 565.
• Chu Xiaoxiao — The target of Pinming Sanlang’s kidnapping; Lao San handled her roughly when the group brought her to the island 7.
• Instructor Xiaolang — His Brain Chip’s authoritarian auxiliary instructor. Lao San earns its initial approval by promptly saluting after seeing Lao Da punished, and later undergoes its harsh combat training 84 106.
• Er Mao / Mouri — Originally an enemy intelligence operative whom Lao San and Lao Da capture as a possible substitute experimental subject. After Mouri’s transformation and renaming, Lao San becomes one of his caretakers and seniors; the three subsequently operate together as Ghost Knights and Mithril Knights 93 120 129 291 565.
• Little Knife — A military escort captain who challenges Lao San’s armor and initially considers himself the better fighter. Later encounters leave him increasingly intimidated by Lao San’s personal strength and presence 66 67 88 188.
• Sea Race marine captain — A recurring opponent. The captain cripples Lao San’s mass-produced robot on Callisto, but Lao San uses recorded combat data and a Mithril Knight to defeat him in their rematch 277 278 279 290 291.
• Princess Rose — Recognizes that Lao San held back against her guards. The Demon Sword arranges for the Knights to serve as her bodyguards, but she initially betrays them in an attempt to study their strength 366.
• Kara guerrillas — Local fighters rescued by the Knights from a Wave Cannon strike. They subsequently guide the team through concealed jungle routes to the Demon Sword’s location 363 364.
• Elder Yu — A researcher who observes the Knights’ Mental Power demonstration and works with them on practical training methods. His research also tests Lao San’s ability to learn Invisibility, without success 565 781.
• Smith and his crew — Infinite World workers whom Lao San helps pressure into a mining arrangement through threats of attacks outside the safe zone 210.

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