Zhang Ze

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhang Ze (张泽)
Alias(es)	Nightmare New Star; Nightmare Messenger; “Heavenly Eye Zhang Ze”; Little Crow 7 88 123 152
Species/Race	Formerly human; now an undead Fierce Ghost formed from multiple supernatural components 17 61 125
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Owner of a Haunted House at New Century Amusement Park, Hanjiang City 17 31
Occupation/Role	Haunted House owner; self-described “gravedigger”; controller of the World in the Painting 17 31
Status	Active; died in the World in the Painting and returned to reality by borrowing a corpse after taking control of Lingling’s power 17
First Appearance	Earliest provided appearance: Chapter 3 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Nightmare New Star	7	Already carries a title that makes him irresistible to vengeful ghosts; he initially has no means to confront a complete Red-Clothed ghost directly. 7
Partial Door authority / Ghost Hands	15–17	Has Old Zhou sever his hands and attach Ghost Hands, gaining enhanced sight and control over Lingling’s crows; he subsequently gains control over the door itself. 15 16 17
Horror Art Talent / full control of the World in the Painting	31	Can paint objects into existence, remove unwanted elements, alter the Door-After World, and locate everyone inside it. 31
Red-Clothed Vengeful Ghost-level	37	His strength is stated to be fully at the level of a Red-Clothed Vengeful Ghost, backed by complete control of a door. 37
Top-Tier Red-Clothed	82	Fuses Qiu Mei’s power into himself and absorbs Sadako, reaching Top-Tier Red-Clothed strength. 82
Unified ghost body	125	Obtains the Headless Ghost Shadow; Lingling’s hand and his Ghost Eyes cease functioning as scattered parts and become one complete, independent ghost. 125

Background / History

Before transmigrating, Zhang Ze was an ordinary college student with no experience dealing with women or ghosts. After arriving in Hanjiang City, he investigates the cursed Murderous Painting connected to the Zhou family and enters its Door-After World despite knowing that a Red-Clothed ghost may be inside. 7 14

Inside the World in the Painting, Zhang Ze encounters Little Zhou, Old Zhou, and Li Yang. Lingling kills him after rejecting his attempt at peaceful negotiation, but his resurrection point and a message left in his bag allow him to continue his plan after losing his memories. He has Old Zhou cut off his hands and attach Ghost Hands, turning Lingling’s crows against her. 8 14 15 16

After defeating Lingling, Zhang Ze converts the World in the Painting into Crow’s Nest, the first map of his Haunted House. Old Zhou, Li Yang, Lingling, Little Bear, and Bald Strong are assigned roles as its NPCs. Zhang Ze then returns to reality despite having been declared dead by the police. 16 17

He expands his Haunted House through supernatural locations and Lost Media, establishing scenarios including Midnight Police Station, The Ring, and the Second Ward. His escalating use of ghosts, stolen powers, and manipulated employees places him in both rivalry and uneasy cooperation with Chen Ge. 47 82 105 119

Appearance

Zhang Ze can present as a normal young man, but his body has corpse-like skin and becomes increasingly unnatural as he incorporates supernatural entities into himself. 66 125

• His left eye is bloodshot and occasionally twitches unnaturally. 84
• His right eye carries deathly stillness and resentment after receiving Qiu Mei’s Right Eye. 84 90
• He often wears Little Door’s scorched straw hat, with Crow resting on top of it. 61
• He can disperse into crows for travel and reconnaissance. 57 70
• His shadow can take on a headless form after acquiring the Headless Ghost Shadow. 125

Personality

Zhang Ze is highly strategic, pragmatic, and willing to endure or inflict extreme harm for an advantage. When Lingling kills him, he adapts immediately upon reviving: he follows his own prepared instructions, has his hands removed, and uses the Door-After World’s healing properties to gain power. 15

He prefers planning several moves ahead. He manipulates Chen Ge by claiming knowledge of Chen Ge’s parents, drives Zhang Peng insane to turn him into an NPC, and stages Xu Wan’s abduction to draw the Ghost Story Association into Chen Ge’s Haunted House. 57 119

Despite this ruthlessness, Zhang Ze can be patient and compassionate toward victims of supernatural harm. He helps Little Door confront his obsession, teaches Xiaolin to speak, protects Sanjiu Yinyu from Doctor Gao, and uses his crows to save civilians across Hanjiang City. 60 71 87 94

His methods sharply conflict with Chen Ge’s. Zhang Ze treats hostile ghosts as resources, employees, or pieces of a larger strategy, while Chen Ge believes ghosts must be offered trust and a home. 119

Abilities & Skills

Door Authority and Horror Art

Zhang Ze controls the World in the Painting, also used as the foundation of his Haunted House.

• Can create objects by painting them into existence. 31
• Can alter paths, rooms, surveillance footage, and other features of the Door-After World. 31 49
• Can remove unwanted creations and sense the locations of people inside the world. 31
• Uses painted surveillance footage to conceal supernatural incidents and pressure Yue Pan into promoting his Haunted House. 31

Crow Manipulation

Lingling’s crows serve as Zhang Ze’s primary surveillance, transport, and combat force.

• Commands the crows throughout the World in the Painting after attaching the Ghost Hands. 16
• Uses crows to observe every part of his Haunted House without blind spots. 53
• Can turn into crows to travel rapidly. 57 70
• Uses them to patrol Hanjiang City’s western outskirts and rescue civilians from supernatural threats. 71
• Can shift his consciousness into a flock to investigate dangerous locations. 94

Ghost Hands and Undead Resilience

Zhang Ze replaced his hands with Ghost Hands after his death inside the World in the Painting.

• The hands grant him access to Lingling’s supernatural power and crow control. 15 16
• His death inside dreams does not kill him in reality; it wakes him from the dream. 61
• His return to reality after Lingling killed him was achieved by mastering her power and borrowing a corpse. 17

Ghost Eyes

Zhang Ze possesses supernatural eyes taken from Ghost Face and Qiu Mei.

• Ghost Face’s eye allows him to see and interact with ghosts. 47
• Qiu Mei’s Right Eye can implant memories and create false images in ordinary people under specific conditions. 90
• His altered eyes visibly reflect the separate supernatural powers contained within him. 84

Black Water

Zhang Ze can use Black Water as a concealed movement and infiltration method.

• Escapes Chen Ge by transforming the Black Water into a crawling mass. 116
• Maintains hidden Black Water pools throughout Hanjiang City as a contingency plan. 116
• Leaves identifiable traces when abducting or moving people. 116

Make Nightmare Dreams Come True

This ability is gained after Zhang Ze kills Xiong Qing to fulfill Little Door’s revenge.

• Connects different worlds through dreams and can encounter special visitors. 119
• Requires usage attempts obtained through roulette draws. 119
• Restricts Zhang Ze to an ordinary human identity within the dream instance. 122
• Prevents him from using Lingling, Sadako, Qiu Mei’s Right Eye, or his other real-world abilities inside the dream. 122
• Has location boundaries; he cannot leave the designated dream setting. 122

Headless Ghost Shadow

Zhang Ze gains control of the Headless Ghost Shadow by becoming a Ghost Slave of Yang Jian’s Ghost Eye and deliberately triggering the Shadow’s killing pattern. 124

• Can dismember and reassemble his own body or another person’s body. 125
• Can remove body parts while keeping the victim conscious. 125
• Integrates his previously separate supernatural components into one whole ghost body. 125

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Scorched Straw Hat — allows outsiders to enter Little Door’s dreams; Zhang Ze uses it to access dream worlds. 59 88
• Future Souvenir — consumable item that can ask future Zhang Ya to complete two tasks that do not violate her wishes. 87
• Sadako’s Videotape / Lost Media No. 033 — recovered by Zhang Ze; completing the mission unlocks The Ring scenario. 84
• Ghost Hands — severed supernatural hands attached in place of his original hands. 15
• Crow’s Nest — his first Haunted House map, built from the World in the Painting. 16

Relationships

• Chen Ge — competitor, manipulated ally, and ideological opposite. Zhang Ze initially presents himself as an experienced “big brother,” later provokes Chen Ge into fighting the Ghost Story Association, and challenges him to prove that his path is superior. 57 119
• Lingling — former owner of the World in the Painting. She kills Zhang Ze after rejecting his attempt at friendship; he defeats her, takes control of her crows, and makes her Crow’s Nest’s butcher NPC. 14 16 57
• Little Door — Zhang Ze patiently earns his trust, avenges him by killing Xiong Qing, and reaches 100 favorability with him. Little Door’s favorability unlocks Make Nightmare Dreams Come True. 60 119 120
• Qiu Mei — initially joins Zhang Ze to pursue revenge. Zhang Ze forcibly takes her Right Eye to become strong enough to defeat Sadako, destroying her trust; he later vows to return her eyes and avenge her. 76 82 119
• Sadako / Xiaolin — absorbed into Zhang Ze’s Haunted House after their confrontation. Zhang Ze later tries to teach her speech and social interaction, though she mostly remains obedient only to orders. 82 87
• Old Zhou and Li Yang — survivors from the World in the Painting who become Haunted House NPCs after Zhang Ze takes control of the map. 16
• Zhang Peng — murderer repeatedly killed and revived by Zhang Ze until he loses his sanity; later serves as Midnight Police Station’s butcher. 36 57
• Shen Yue — living Haunted House employee with 80 favorability toward Zhang Ze, earned through stable and suitable work. 61
• Kuai Liang — police contact who assists with investigations and handles scenes Zhang Ze leaves behind. 87 105
• Doctor Gao — cautiously cooperates with Zhang Ze against Chen Ge, though each attempts to manipulate the other. 114 115

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Murderous Painting / Crow’s Nest — enters the World in the Painting, survives Lingling, takes control of the door, and builds his first Haunted House scenario. 7 15 16
• Haunted House Rivalry — establishes Crow’s Nest and Midnight Police Station as direct competition to Chen Ge’s Haunted House. 17 55
• Lost Media and the Supernatural Research Company — investigates Donghai Road Film and Television Base, confronts Yue Pan, and absorbs Sadako after reaching Top-Tier Red-Clothed strength. 65 76 82 83
• Second Ward — investigates the abandoned psychiatric hospital, protects its survivors, and gains a new Haunted House scenario. 94 105
• Ghost Story Association Conflict — engineers a confrontation between Chen Ge and the Ghost Story Association, then becomes Chen Ge’s uneasy ally against the organization. 114 119
• Nightmare Dream Instances — uses Make Nightmare Dreams Come True to enter Furen Mall, cooperate with Yang Jian, and obtain the Headless Ghost Shadow. 122 124 125
• Underground Morgue — enters the Morgue’s core area after defeating several ghosts in Little Crow form and rescuing Gao Ruxue. 152

Notable Quotes

“I’m that haunted house’s gravedigger.” 17

“Your level is too low.” 57

“In Hanjiang City, only you and I can truly be called Lords of Ghost Stories.” 119

Trivia

• Zhang Ze identifies himself as a transmigrator and exploits his knowledge of events and characters to outmaneuver others. 57 114
• He once considered becoming a prop-maker for Chen Ge’s Haunted House because Horror Art can turn anything he draws into reality. 54
• His first employee with the highest documented favorability is not a ghost, but Shen Yue. 61
• He can be called “Heavenly Eye Zhang Ze” because of his inexplicable knowledge of Yang Jian’s past and supernatural methods. 123