Bagnell

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Jody Bagnell; 巴格内尔 246
Alias(es)	“That wolf”; “Old Ba,” used by Chen Mu 566 583
Gender	Male 246
Age	Middle-aged at his introduction; visibly aging near the end of the story 250 621 622
Affiliation	Black Hibiscus Card Adept Corps, formerly; Chen Mu’s organization, Snow Silk Worm Card Adept Corps, and East Guard 581 588 620
Occupation/Role	Military commander, strategist, instructor, and Chen Mu’s head of security; co-founder of the Black Hibiscus Card Adept Corps 261 581
Status	Alive; announces his intention to retire after Black King’s death 621 622
First Appearance	Chapter 246, “Restoration” 246

Background / History

Black Hibiscus Card Adept Corps

More than ten years before entering the Gray Layer with Chen Mu, Bagnell founded the Black Hibiscus Card Adept Corps with four close companions: Black King, Draw Blade, Scent-Seeking Civet, and his wife Zhifei, also known as Celia. Black King led the corps, whose victories included defeats inflicted on military forces. Bagnell later became renowned throughout the Federation as “that wolf” 566 579 581 621.

The corps discovered a Path Window in Fanasi District and entered the Gray Layer. After surviving several sandstorms, its members encountered an unprecedented Frost Crystal Storm that collapsed their shelter and scattered them. Bagnell survived in a cave with a broken leg, then found the mangled bodies of companions and a shuttlecraft carrying food. He eventually escaped through the Path Window, believing his old comrades lost 581.

Destitution and return to work

When Fatty introduced him to Chen Mu, Bagnell was impoverished and carried a badly damaged three-star Illusion Card containing his wedding recording. He refused a free repair, insisting that his friendship with Fatty did not make his dealings with Chen Mu charity. Instead, he agreed to work for Chen Mu at a salary of 100 million Odi per year. Chen Mu restored the card in just over half an hour; watching the wedding memories reduced Bagnell to tears 246.

Appearance

• Initial condition: Tattered clothes, an unkempt beard, a pungent odor, and a slightly stooped back 246 247.
• Facial features: Deep-set eyes, a lean face, and a beard likened to iron spikes 247.
• Commanding bearing: His back straightens and his gaze becomes piercing when he asserts himself, despite his extremely weak perception fluctuations 246 247.
• After joining Chen Mu: Short hair, a shaved face with bluish stubble, and the outward appearance of an ordinary, mild-mannered middle-aged man 250.
• Later years: Returns from the Vivi escort mission weather-beaten and stubbled; shows increasingly visible signs of age after Black King’s death 358 621 622.

Personality

Bagnell is fiercely proud and unwilling to accept pity. Even without money, he insists on paying for Chen Mu’s services through employment rather than charity. His pride also extends to his usefulness: when Chen Mu and Xi Ping solve the corps’ financial crisis through purple glimmer extraction, he privately resents having contributed nothing to the breakthrough 246 338.

His casual manner conceals a severe commander. He jokes with Xi Ping, makes lecherous remarks, and sometimes appears lazy, but becomes decisive and calculating when danger arises. Chen Mu considers him deeply experienced beneath his careless exterior; his opponents face a commander described as cunning as a wolf 334 358 475 579.

Bagnell values his soldiers’ lives above profit, refusing a lucrative commission when he suspects they will be used as disposable troops. That concern does not make him gentle: his training is punishing, his battlefield orders can be ruthless, and his methods include deception, traps, and poison. Memories of his lost companions remain painful, while Chen Mu’s disappearance leaves him burdened with guilt and anxiety 337 358 484 507 620.

Abilities & Skills

Battlefield command

Bagnell is neither a Card Adept nor a Card Crafter; his principal strength is commanding others. He is identified as one of the Federation’s few supreme commanders, and his battlefield command surpasses Chen Mu’s 261 590 613.

• Coordinates attacks precisely enough for Jiao Si to call him the finest commander he has seen 276.
• Recognizes feints, enemy delaying tactics, and weaknesses in large-scale formations 276 521 620.
• Conserves limited forces instead of pursuing retreating enemies unnecessarily 278.
• Leaves an apparent escape route to prevent cornered enemies from fighting desperately, then destroys them in a second ambush 530.
• Waits for the right moment to strike rather than turning a favorable position into a prolonged stalemate 620.

Deterrence and political strategy

Bagnell’s security theory rests on making coercion expensive, not on immediately matching the Six Great Academies’ strength 247.

• Uses recruitment and investment to increase the losses an enemy would face, making cooperation more attractive than capture 247.
• Plans to expose Faya’s presence to rival academies rather than attack it directly after Fatty’s death 279.
• Identifies the risk that Tang Hanpei could use Zhongda Academy’s hostility to force Chen Mu into his camp 323.
• Warns that publicly demonstrating revolutionary weapons will attract factions seeking to seize them 483.
• Works with Xi Ping on misinformation to conceal Chen Mu’s whereabouts and the purpose of his fungus search 387.

Combo-card combat doctrine

Bagnell recognizes that Chen Mu’s design ability can do more than supply powerful individual cards. He proposes dividing an attack among specialists—energy-structure adjustment, targeting, and firing—so weaker Card Adepts can collectively perform tasks normally requiring stronger fighters 261.

• The first successful prototype produces a damage value of 998, approximately four-star-card power 264.
• Organizes combat units around teams of three and develops coordinated formations for them 266.
• Tests new sets with Jiang Liang and adapts tactics to their costs, firing rates, and defensive limitations 367 368.
• Recognizes that specialized battlefield sets cannot replace ordinary attack cards, requiring standard four-star cards for individual use 368.
• Devises most of the 189 tactical regulations later used by Chen Mu’s forces; Chen Mu treats them as rules to test and revise in combat 527.

Card set	Bagnell’s tactical assessment	Limitations
Threaded Sniper Shuttle	Suited to eliminating enemy experts and commanders; cross-perception targeting offers three times the accuracy of an ordinary perception lock 366 484 620.	Requires specialist training and has a slow firing rate; conventional snipers retain advantages in mobility, flexibility, and range 366 368 484.
Odi Burner	Powerful area suppression that persistently attacks Energy Shields; Bagnell uses it to rout the Mohadi forces 367 620.	Extremely expensive to train with and operate; one Three-Star Energy Card supports one full attack, while a Four-Star supports four 367 368.
Stasis Ring	Strong positional protection against energy constructs 367 368.	Cannot stop physical attacks or move after activation, leaving it ineffective against Uncard Flow attacks 368.
Folded Shape Blast	Delivers explosive attacks that can be concealed among Odi Burner’s similarly colored constructs 368.	Firing rate and accuracy are serviceable rather than exceptional 368.

Recruitment and training

Bagnell builds effective units through discipline, financial incentives, and repeated practice rather than relying exclusively on individual talent 265 266 290.

• Recruits twenty experienced experts from several cities, including old acquaintances who already respect him 250.
• Divides 405 Card Adepts into five squads of twenty-five three-person units, with ten additional units forming an Elite Group under his direct command 266.
• Ties compensation to performance and makes Elite Group membership competitive rather than permanent 266.
• Uses collective penalties, demanding target practice, squad competitions, and food rewards or penalties 265 290 358.
• Adjusts training when Chen Mu upgrades the veterans’ cards, allowing time to master the altered equipment before demanding coordination 260.
• Trains Jiang Liang through explanations, increasing responsibility, and independent command assignments 382 521 530.

Fortification and wilderness operations

Bagnell combines conventional defenses, card machinery, environmental hazards, and reconnaissance 250 257 507.

• Establishes an Eagle Eye reconnaissance system capable of detecting activity within roughly two kilometers 250.
• Supervises construction of a seven-story, 0.7-square-kilometer metal base in less than three days, with independent oxygen and three backup power systems 257.
• Stocks its moat with energy-draining suckerfish and Bloodstripe Crocodiles 257.
• Conceals directional blasting machinery capable of breaking a Three-Star Energy Shield at the center of its blast 258.
• Navigates wilderness terrain without equipment and knows where to find water and caves 305.
• Uses swamps, Bloodsucking Vines, beasts, and perception-reducing poison against the Blood Hammer Division 507.
• Recognizes Gray Layer storm hazards from experience, while acknowledging the danger of exceptional Frost Crystal Storms 580 581.

Equipment / Items

• Wedding Illusion Card — A three-star card preserving Bagnell and Celia’s wedding celebration. Its restoration is the immediate reason he enters Chen Mu’s service 246 581.
• Initial Money Card — Chen Mu entrusts him with 350 million Odi: 100 million as his payment and 250 million for building the protection force 247.

Relationships

• Chen Mu — Employer, trusted leader, and the technical partner behind Bagnell’s combo-card doctrine. Chen Mu risks his life to save him during a Frost Crystal Storm; Bagnell continues believing he is alive during his prolonged absence 261 583 590.
• Celia / Zhifei — His deceased wife and a co-founder of Black Hibiscus. Her wedding recording remains a treasured connection to their life together 246 581.
• Black King — Former leader and Bagnell’s former boss. Initially believed lost with the old corps, he is revealed to be the golden-masked King and Tang Hanpei’s older brother. Bagnell personally buries him after Wei’a kills him 581 620 621.
• Draw Blade — Black Hibiscus co-founder; remembered as hot-tempered and troublesome, but afraid of Celia 581.
• Scent-Seeking Civet — Black Hibiscus co-founder; remembered as a resourceful, stingy tracker and comic companion 581.
• Tang Hanpei — One of Bagnell’s former students and Black King’s younger brother. Bagnell’s unwillingness to fight him contributes to his decision to retire 621.
• Jiang Liang — Deputy and prized pupil. Bagnell values his careful, orthodox judgment, teaches him command, and teases him with the nickname “Little Ginger” 358 507 530 622.
• Xi Ping — Fellow chief manager and frequent strategic collaborator. Their joking arguments over military spending coexist with close cooperation on intelligence and security 338 382 387.
• Fatty — Old friend who brings the destitute Bagnell to Chen Mu. After Fatty’s death, Bagnell channels his anger into a plan against Faya 246 279.
• Lu Xiaoru — Initially assigned to protect him and follow his orders. He later recommends her and One-Brow to oversee the new Gray Layer base 247 580.
• Hughes and Xiao Liqian — Hughes was an old acquaintance; that connection wins Xiao Liqian’s assistance. Bagnell delivers five of Chen Mu’s cards to help her hire experts and agrees to watch over Xiao Bo 310 318.
• Miss Vivi — Escort client whose mission establishes ties with the Luo Family. Bagnell later rejects her recruitment offer and refuses to authorize a sale of combo-card technology 358 555.
• Wei’a — A powerful ally whose abilities initially astonish Bagnell. Although Wei’a kills Black King, Bagnell does not blame him, recognizing his reasons for revenge 252 621.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Building Chen Mu’s defenses

Bagnell turns Chen Mu’s money into a disciplined twenty-person protection team. The unit detects and ambushes Yu Guo’s approaching Faya group, killing three Card Adepts and forcing the survivors to retreat. Bagnell then expands the estate into a fortified base and develops his three-person combat concept with Chen Mu 250 251 255 257 261 264.

During the battle for Luoyou City, Jiao Si places his experienced fighters under Bagnell’s command. Bagnell counters coordinated attacks, recognizes an attempt to use civilians as cover, and declines to pursue retreating enemies at the expense of his limited force 276 278.

Wilderness migration and Snow Silk Worm Valley

Bagnell leads the group through the wilderness, using combat reviews to improve the squads as their casualty rate falls. His connection to Hughes secures help at Riegel Base. Later, his warning about Tang Hanpei’s political maneuvering prompts the group to leave for the remote Skal Region 305 310 323.

In the valley, he helps plan reconstruction, argues against selling the purple glimmer ore discovery, and proposes forming a Card Adept Corps to gain experience and income. After initially refusing a suspicious commission, he accepts Vivi’s escort assignment once fuller terms are disclosed. The mission earns 200 million Odi plus a 100-million bonus, but only forty of the eighty newer recruits he took return alive 325 334 337 340 358.

War against the Blood Card Adept Corps

Facing the superior Blood Hammer Division, Bagnell rejects a static defense and breaks into the jungle, where the terrain undermines the enemy’s numerical advantage and communications. Environmental hazards, poison, and the enemy’s inadequate medical supplies help destroy the pursuing division, although its level-seven experts and self-detonating wounded inflict serious losses 475 493 507 519.

He subsequently delegates an assault to Jiang Liang and uses staged ambushes against another enemy force. With direct communication to Chen Mu lost, he directs the corps toward Thousand Lakes City, deliberately making its movements public so Chen Mu can find them 521 530 548.

Thousand Lakes City and the Gray Layer

At Thousand Lakes City, Bagnell deflects Vivi’s political inquiries and refuses a tactical position at Frostmoon Cold Isle. After reuniting with Chen Mu, he helps coordinate the escape through Snowridge Valley by exploiting a five-minute patrol gap 555 567.

Entering the Gray Layer brings back memories of Black Hibiscus. His warnings influence the construction of a stronger base, but a later Frost Crystal Storm again catches the group outside secure shelter. Chen Mu saves him from collapsing rock, then carries the Devil Woman into the storm to give Bagnell a chance to survive 579 581 582 583.

Great Rift defense and retirement

During Chen Mu’s absence, Bagnell defends the Great Rift Base and refuses to surrender its Path Window. He uses reconnaissance and raiding squads to delay the much larger Mohadi Coalition Army while awaiting reinforcements 589 590 613.

When Chen Mu returns, Bagnell executes a concealed flank attack with Odi Burner, followed by sniper fire against enemy commanders. The victory is followed by the revelation that the King killed by Wei’a is Black King. His former leader’s death, and his reluctance to fight Tang Hanpei, lead Bagnell to announce his retirement plans. He nevertheless gives Jiang Liang final advice and expresses confidence in Chen Mu’s chances in a life-or-death confrontation 620 621 622.

Notable Quotes

“What we need to do is increase the cost of their investment, raise the risks, and make the returns less certain. Then you'll be safe!” 247

“I care more about my team members' lives. Money can be earned again. Once someone dies, they can't come back to life.” 337

“Commanders are forged in battle.” 622

Trivia

• Bagnell names Odi Burner out of resentment toward its enormous energy costs 367.
• His trainees become so stern and sharp-eyed that they resemble replicas of him in his serious moments 290.
• He jokingly claims familiarity with both theft and kidnapping when discussing how Chen Mu might obtain the Golden-Spotted Soft Jelly Fungus 369.