Chen Tao

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Tao (陳濤)
Alias(es)	Old Chen; Fatty Chen; Chen Fatty
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Linjiang City Special Affairs Bureau, Field Operations
Occupation/Role	Field operative; liaison and logistical support for Fang Gang
Status	Deceased; later described as having sacrificed himself before the events of Chapter 58 58
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Appearance

Chen Tao is a slightly overweight, round-built man whose appearance is often disheveled during field work.

• Wears a black Special Affairs Bureau combat uniform and carries yellow talismans 5.
• Has a chubby face; at the chemical plant, he wears glasses that become crooked amid the fighting 15.
• Is described as having greasy hair while working at the Bureau 16.

Personality

Chen Tao is excitable, expressive, and easily overwhelmed by Fang Gang's displays of strength. His fear does not stop him from responding to supernatural incidents, supporting his team, or repeatedly seeking Fang Gang's help against threats beyond the Bureau's capabilities 5 21 26.

He is pragmatic about Fang Gang's value, quickly recognizing that the body refiner is an extraordinary asset. He arranges consultant privileges, shares intelligence, secures difficult cases for him, and actively pursues recognition for his accomplishments 7 13 16.

Despite his flattery and comedic reactions, Chen Tao is attentive to his comrades. He worries about Fang Gang's curse and safety, helps evacuate and treat incapacitated Bureau agents, and remembers Fang Gang's unusual request for scalp-care products 7 12 26.

Abilities & Skills

Talisman Use

Chen Tao carries and attempts to use talismans during supernatural operations.

• Holds an Evil Warding Talisman while confronting the Green Zombie, though Fang Gang's physical strength renders it unnecessary 5.
• Reaches for a talisman when a Blood-Clad Fierce Ghost appears, but Fang Gang defeats it before Chen Tao can intervene 8.
• Recognizes that talismans and conventional firearms are less effective against the mental contamination at Linjiang University's old dormitory 21.

Field Operations and Incident Response

As a Special Affairs Bureau operative, Chen Tao helps coordinate containment, investigation, transport, and cleanup.

• Responds to the funeral-home incident after informant Uncle Wang goes missing 5.
• Drives a modified off-road vehicle to the funeral home and relays dangerous energy readings to the Bureau 8 9.
• Distributes high-risk anomalous-case files to Fang Gang and organizes surveillance around assigned locations 16.
• Directs the rescue and medical evacuation of six unconscious Bureau agents after the Lost Alley ghost domain is destroyed 26.

Intelligence and Recruitment

Chen Tao uses Bureau resources to support Fang Gang's hunting of supernatural entities.

• Identifies Fang Gang's arm mark as a Soul Devouring Yin Line and the nascent form of a Grudge Pupil 6.
• Explains that the Grudge Pupil Seed is a high-level Nightmare Holy Cult curse that can turn its bearer into a vessel or nourishment 12.
• Offers Fang Gang a temporary consultant badge, encrypted satellite phone, incident-platform access, bonuses, and resource priority 7.
• Repeatedly contacts Fang Gang when the Bureau cannot handle an escalating incident, including the old dormitory crisis and Lost Alley ghost domain 21 25.

Equipment / Items

• Yellow talismans — including an Evil Warding Talisman used during field operations 5.
• Special Affairs Bureau combat uniform — black uniform bearing the Bureau badge 5.
• Modified off-road vehicle — used to transport Fang Gang to emergency incidents 8 9.
• Special communicator — used to report incidents and coordinate with Bureau personnel 5 16.
• Special lead box — used to contain the resentment-tainted music box recovered from Lost Alley 26.
• Ginger-extract shampoo — a gift intended for Fang Gang, remembered after Chen Tao's sacrifice 58.

Relationships

• Fang Gang — Initially attempts to recruit him after witnessing him kill a Green Zombie; later becomes his Bureau contact, driver, intelligence source, and enthusiastic supporter 5 7 16.
• Captain Zhang — Fellow Special Affairs Bureau operative who assists in the funeral-home and chemical-plant incidents 10 14.
• Uncle Wang — A Bureau-registered informant whose disappearance prompts the funeral-home investigation; Chen Tao identifies his recovered ID and explains his role 5.
• Skinny Chen — Chen Tao's younger brother, who later states that he must protect his brother's legacy 61.
• Ling Shuang — Chen Tao is visibly wary of her when she appears after the old dormitory incident 24.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Funeral Home Incident

Chen Tao arrives during Fang Gang's confrontation with a Green Zombie, armed with a talisman and initially stunned by Fang Gang's ability to block the zombie's axe barehanded 5. He identifies himself as a Special Affairs Bureau field operative, confirms Uncle Wang's role as an informant, and first offers Fang Gang a position in the Bureau 5.

After recognizing the Soul Devouring Yin Line and nascent Grudge Pupil on Fang Gang's arm, Chen Tao warns that the Red Wedding Dress is likely the source of the mark 6. He later secures Fang Gang's cooperation as a special consultant by offering intelligence, bonuses, and access to Bureau resources 7.

Red Wedding Dress and Chemical Plant Operations

Chen Tao brings Fang Gang to confront the awakening Red Wedding Dress and drives him to the funeral home as Corpse Puppets overrun the site 8 9. He and Captain Zhang provide support during Fang Gang's battle with the Hair-Combing Woman, though they are largely unable to match the Malevolent Soul-level threat 10.

At the chemical plant, Chen Tao witnesses Fang Gang eliminate a zombie horde, a Grade B Hairy Zombie, and a Grade A Blood Fiend Corpse Puppet. He responds by seeking commendations, including a proposed “Steel Head” or “Human Weapon” medal 13 14.

Bureau Liaison and Emergency Contact

Chen Tao becomes Fang Gang's primary source of high-risk assignments, providing him with anomalous-case files and appreciating his willingness to clear supernatural threats alone 16. He requests Fang Gang's help when agents vanish at Linjiang University's old dormitory and when a mental-type ghost domain traps Bureau teams in Lost Alley 21 25.

Following the Lost Alley operation, Chen Tao oversees the recovery of six unconscious agents and promises to find products that will make Fang Gang's bald head “brighter” and more reflective 26.

Legacy

By Chapter 58, Fang Gang keeps a shampoo bottle from Chen Tao as a memento. The gift is recalled alongside the statement that Chen Tao sacrificed himself before he could give it to Fang Gang 58.

Trivia

• Chen Tao initially compares Fang Gang's body to a talisman, concluding that Fang Gang's muscles are more effective than his Evil Warding Talisman 5.
• He proposes the codename “Ming Wang”—“Bald Ming Wang”—for Fang Gang while reporting his Bone Tempering Realm breakthrough 7.
• Chen Tao frequently reacts to Fang Gang's bald head with disbelief, at one point calling it Linjiang's “anchor's shining bald head” 24.