Chu Che

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Chu Che (褚澈)
Alias(es)	Captain Chu; “Old Chu,” used by Chen Ye 16 35
Species/Race	Human; Sequence Transcendent 11 41
Gender	Male 14
Affiliation	Fairness Convoy 47 50
Occupation/Role	Convoy leader, navigator, and danger detector 11 12
Sequence	Guide Sequence 11
Status	Alive; leading the convoy at the desert pileup 50
First Appearance	Chapter 7 as the unnamed barefoot convoy leader; named introduction in Chapter 11 7 11

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Guide Sequence 1: Danger Perceiver	16	Confirmed as his existing level; his awakening is not shown. He can sense most anomalies, but humans register far less distinctly.

Background / History

Chu Che escaped from Jiang City, where he found a blood-red animal pelt whose purpose he still did not know when offering it for trade 12.

He is described as having once been an upright, cheerful young man. After acquiring the Eavesdropping Radio, he developed an increasingly strong compulsion to listen to other people’s secrets; the narration presents this as a possible effect of the item rather than a confirmed one 47.

Appearance

• Young and distinguished-looking: Chen Ye describes him as a barefoot young man with a distinguished air and a gentle smile 14.
• Habitually barefoot: Chen Ye has never seen him wear shoes and later wonders whether this is connected to the cost of his Sequence, without establishing an answer 46.
• Calm expression: His outward composure reassures survivors even when he is privately anxious 35 36.
• Temporary injuries: He leaves the radio-planning meeting with two black eyes after a confrontation with Nana 21.

Personality

Chu Che is relaxed and welcoming in ordinary conversation, but firm about survival rules. His definition of fairness requires everyone—including himself—to gather supplies or exchange something of equivalent value. Transcendent status does not entitle someone to free provisions 11 12.

His easygoing manner conceals considerable political skill. When a newcomer objects to women doing the cooking, he calmly assigns the work to men instead. The displaced cooks then blame the protester for costing them paid work, leading Chen Ye to recognize how effectively Chu Che has handled the challenge 17.

He balances concern for individuals against the convoy’s survival, but that calculation can become ruthless. He waits beyond the Longevity Village departure deadline for the missing scavengers, yet secretly treats travelers on foot as expendable decoys who can distract pursuing entities 35 38.

He also bargains aggressively despite his fairness policy. He asks twenty jin of rice for gasoline and offers an unidentified pelt for a sack of rice or two cartons of Chunghwa cigarettes 12 13. Privately, listening to secrets becomes the highlight of his day, contrasting with his respectable public image 47.

Abilities & Skills

Guide Sequence: Danger Perception

Chu Che senses supernatural entities and uses their positions to choose safer routes. His Sequence has no offensive power; its value lies in preventing encounters rather than winning fights 11.

• Earth connection: He establishes a connection with the earth to detect eerie presences, using soil or sand as a medium. He identifies sand as the best medium 15 41.
• Pursuit monitoring: He tracks entities approaching from ahead, behind, and either side of the convoy, adjusting its route and speed accordingly 35 37.
• Safe stopping periods: He estimates how long a location remains safe, setting departure deadlines at Longevity Village and the desert camp 35 41.
• Threat screening: He checks whether refugees have brought anomalies with them and examines the deserted crash site for supernatural threats 16 50.
• Limits: His perception of humans is indistinct. Longevity Village’s barrier blocks most of his sensing, leaving him unable to determine what is happening inside 16 36.

Leadership and Resource Management

Chu Che organizes migration, trading, work opportunities, and expedition shares around the convoy’s fairness rule 12 17 20.

• Conditional assistance: New refugees receive one day of food, then must provide for themselves 16.
• Paid labor: Cooking offers food rewards to survivors who lack supplies 17.
• Agreed allocations: Supplies are divided by predetermined shares; unwanted goods can subsequently be traded privately 20 45.
• Political awareness: He identifies Xu Jiaojiao’s organizing efforts and monitors her attempts to challenge his leadership 19 47.

Knowledge of Sequences and Anomalies

Chu Che explains the Transcendent system to Chen Ye, including the existence of more than a hundred known Sequences, the Mechanic Sequence’s support role, and the distinction between broad pathways such as melee and supernatural 11 49.

• Recognizes the practical value of black dog blood as a limited defense against anomalies 14.
• Questions the Hunchbacked Old Puppet’s unusual behavior and considers Chen Ye’s suggestion that anomalies may be developing intelligence 42.
• Understands that supernatural entities follow traces left by humans, making continual movement necessary 35.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Eavesdropping Radio — Wondrous Item 01257: Gathers information about targets and monitors conversations throughout the convoy. It also records its owner’s remarks and can replay them publicly; covering it with clothing does not stop the broadcast 19 20 22.
  • Supplies information used to plan the Longevity Village expedition, including the warning that the village contains no living people 20 21.
  • Reveals Chu Che’s private judgments of his companions, embarrassing him in front of them 20.
  • Enables secret surveillance of trades, personal affairs, and opposition organizing 47.
• Modified off-road SUV: Leads the convoy and carries a loudspeaker for departure announcements and warnings. Chu Che later paints a red fairness slogan on its body 14 47 49.
• Folding solar charging panel: Among the supplies offered at his trading stall 12.
• Blood-red animal pelt: Found during his escape from Jiang City; its function remains unknown 12.
• Pre-apocalypse pu’er tea: A prized personal supply. Nana drinks the pot dry and even eats the leaves, visibly frustrating him 42.
• Two black dogs: Acquired from survivors for chocolate and sausages after Chen Ye reveals the usefulness of their blood 14.

Relationships

• Chen Ye — Welcomes him as a presumed Mechanic Transcendent and teaches him about Sequences. Their cooperation grows through information trading, emergency fuel assistance, and the Longevity Village expedition; Chu Che becomes friendlier toward him afterward 11 14 36 41.
• Nana — Fellow Transcendent and expedition partner. Their familiarity includes teasing, arguments, her retaliation after the radio exposes his remarks, and her casual consumption of his precious tea. She may suspect his use of walking survivors as decoys, but never questions him about it 20 21 38 42.
• Iron Lion — Combat ally who openly defers to Chu Che’s decisions. His practical haul of food and water earns Chu Che’s visible approval 19 43.
• Uncle Abao — Driver and organizer who helps carry out Chu Che’s instructions, prepares the convoy for departure, and delivers gasoline to Chen Ye 15 35 36.
• Xu Jiaojiao — Internal opponent who gathers supporters and seeks to overturn his leadership. Chu Che counters her initial challenge through work allocation and follows her later activities through the radio 17 19 47.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Escape from Apricot Blossom Town

At the town gate, Chu Che tastes the soil, detects danger, and orders an immediate retreat without waiting for missing survivors. His later explanation establishes that his Guide ability is the principal reason the convoy has avoided supernatural attacks while traveling 7 11.

Recruitment, Trading, and Refugees

Chu Che welcomes Chen Ye into the Transcendent group and proposes an internal trading session. He exchanges gasoline for Chen Ye’s information about black dog blood, then obtains the dogs needed to put that knowledge into practice 11 12 14.

When refugees from fallen Deer City arrive, he checks for pursuing anomalies before admitting them under the convoy’s rules. Their arrival introduces the work dispute and Xu Jiaojiao’s challenge to his authority 16 17 19.

Longevity Village Expedition

Chu Che uses the Eavesdropping Radio to help plan the scavenging operation, remaining outside while Chen Ye, Nana, and Iron Lion enter the village. The agreed division recognizes his navigation and planning as indispensable contributions 20.

Participant	Agreed share
Chu Che	30% 20 42
Nana	30% 20 42
Chen Ye	20% 20 42
Iron Lion	20% 20 42

He initially orders everyone to return by four o’clock, but waits until nearly 4:30 despite sensing a powerful entity approaching from the southwest. The village’s barrier prevents him from assessing the trapped scavengers’ situation 21 35 36.

When the survivors finally emerge, he organizes their evacuation and sends gasoline to Chen Ye so his tricycle can escape with the convoy 36.

Flight to Yan Prefecture

Chu Che accelerates the convoy through heavy rain while monitoring pursuers throughout the night. Travelers without vehicles fall behind and become distractions for the entities—a hidden purpose behind his willingness to keep walking survivors with the group 37 38.

At dawn, he judges the convoy sufficiently safe when the nearest entity is over twenty kilometers away. On reaching Yan Prefecture, he is startled by intense summerlike heat in late November 38.

Desert Camp and Highway Pileup

At the desert camp, Chu Che explains his earth-sensing ability, receives the expedition report, and oversees the agreed supply division. He subsequently paints fairness slogans on convoy vehicles while continuing his private surveillance 41 42 47 49.

At the highway pileup, he senses no supernatural horrors. Xiao Fu’s scouting and Iron Lion’s inspection then allow the convoy to approach the abandoned vehicles cautiously 50.

Notable Quotes

“As long as you can afford the price, you can trade for anything you want.” 11

“Anyone who's unhappy is free to leave at any time.” 19

“Even if I'm in the guide sequence, I'm still human, no different from any of you.” 41