Gong Yao

Biodata

Player Ratings

Gong Yao is described as the player universally acknowledged to be the strongest in the Death Instance world 30.

• Zhang Qin’s investigation finds nothing abnormal in his player data, despite Li Qing’s interest in the P001 system designation 22.
• The provided records show his existing ratings, not a sequence of rank advancements 22.

Appearance

Gong Yao is tall and muscular, with a sharply defined face and black hair that curls slightly at the ends 23 49.

• Eyes: Golden left eye and black right eye; his fringe often conceals the left 13 23 30.
• Build: Broad, well-built frame and conspicuously long legs 5 30 49.
• Clothing: Wears a black glove during his first encounter with Li Qing, a black leather jacket and sunglasses at the film shoot, and a black tank top with cargo pants and ankle boots when arriving at the hospital 3 23 49.

Personality

Gong Yao presents himself as courteous, sociable, and flirtatious. He offers handshakes, bows, and reassuring smiles even in dangerous instances. His confidence in his own attractiveness can become comic vanity: he initially considers Wu Nianfang abnormal because she ignores his offered hand, only for Li Qing to question that criterion when she responds warmly to Wan Yingjun 3 6 7 8.

His friendliness does not mean unquestioning trust. When he insists on accompanying Li Qing to search for missing players, his real concern is that the administrator might disappear and cause trouble without supervision. He also notices the connection between Li Qing’s left-hand movements and his administrative abilities 7 18.

Despite his strength, Gong Yao dislikes watching people die and objects to players treating others as playthings. He mourns apparent casualties he barely knew, becomes visibly angry at the village chiefs’ abductions, and chooses to help people trapped in a fire rather than simply escape 10 13 20 45.

With Li Qing, he is persistent, teasing, and sometimes openly needy. He jokes about being abandoned as a wedding partner, asks for comfort after conflict on the film set, and unsuccessfully hints that Li Qing should feed him while his arm is broken 18 36 43.

Abilities & Skills

Strength and Reflexes

Gong Yao retains exceptional physical ability even when an instance suppresses his memories of being a player 32.

• Rapid reactions: Catches Li Qing’s wrist before he can interrupt the livestream and shields him when a prop car explodes 5 28.
• Door-forcing strength: Pries open elevator doors with a dagger, then escapes through the shaft with the cameraman 32.
• Acrobatic recovery: Reverses his momentum after jumping from a speeding car, narrowly avoiding a dump truck 43.
• Limits: The truck escape fractures his arm; surviving an attack does not leave him uninjured 43.

Swordsmanship

Gong Yao uses black blades whose edges or surfaces emit a faint golden glow 3 14.

• Shield-breaking attacks: His strikes grow stronger during his clash with Li Qing and eventually destroy the administrator’s shield 3.
• Precise restraint: Stops his blade an inch from Li Qing’s forehead rather than kill him 3.
• Defense against ghosts: Blocks Wu Nianfang’s attack after she transforms into a Ghost Bride 14.
• Environmental use: Drives a broad sword into a building’s exterior to slow his fall, then uses a slender sword to break through a thirteenth-floor window 45.

Investigation and Tactical Judgment

Gong Yao combines player experience with close observation of people and instance rules 5 18.

• Rule knowledge: Shares the groom’s restrictions and assesses when the group has likely survived the night’s immediate danger 5.
• Boat trial tactics: Identifies how blindfolded partners could sabotage one another and secretly alters his boat’s course; the method is not specified 9.
• Anomaly detection: Identifies dead participants among the apparent players and reports hearing a villager address Wan Yingjun as “Boss” 18.
• Human motives: Suspects He Li tampered with An Ya’s coffee after observing his hostility and guilty behavior 30.
• Memory-loss limitations: While playing the actor role in B0021, his judgment becomes inconsistent, although his instincts continue directing him toward Li Qing 26 29 32.

Leadership and Reassurance

Gong Yao remains calm during emergencies and gives others concrete actions to follow 10 42 45.

• Encourages Zhou Qing to consider available preparations instead of surrendering to fear 10.
• Guides An Ya through jumping from a car with failed brakes, using reassurance and a countdown 42.
• Secures Li Qing’s help during the banquet fire and coordinates the effort to reopen the fire-control valves 45.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black Longswords — Golden-glowing weapons used against Li Qing’s shield and the Ghost Bride. During the fire rescue, he produces two swords—a broad blade and a slender blade—and uses them to descend the building 3 14 45.
• Black dagger — A sturdy blade carried even while his player memories are suppressed; used to force open the malfunctioning elevator’s doors 32.
• Wooden Token — Matchmaking item whose number determines his final wedding partner in Fortune Star Village 18 20.

Relationships

• Li Qing — Administrator, recurring partner, and the person Gong Yao calls “little admin” and “Qing.” Gong Yao protects his identity, completes an instance wedding with him, and repeatedly seeks his company. Their wedding is part of the dungeon’s exit ritual; the provided context does not establish a romantic relationship 5 18 20 26 45.
• Nine Luminaries — His player mutual-aid organization. He offers a favor from the group in exchange for Li Qing’s assistance rescuing people from the banquet fire 45.
• Wu Nianfang — Fortune Star Village participant revealed as a Ghost Bride. Gong Yao helps find her, later blocks her attack, and subsequently spends a safe night beside her and Li Qing 7 14 15.
• Wan Yingjun — Rival who resents Gong Yao’s popularity. Gong Yao’s observation of Wan Yingjun’s authority over a villager helps Li Qing identify suspicious NPC interactions 6 10 18.
• Yu Xiaohe — Fellow participant in the film instance. His assigned role directs his attention toward her; she later joins his rescue effort and resolves to preserve her kindness, citing his example 26 32 45.
• An Ya — His co-star and his character’s girlfriend in B0021. He rescues her from Bai Cha’s assault and helps her escape the runaway car; she later admits involvement in the scandal targeting him 35 42 43.
• Bai Cha — Film-instance NPC attached to the character assigned to Gong Yao. That character’s warmth had deeply affected him; he becomes hostile toward Li Qing and is implicated in the scandal against Gong Yao 33 43 46.
• Tao Lele — Film-instance participant who helps separate Bai Cha and An Ya, supports suspending the shoot, and follows Gong Yao’s instructions during the fire rescue 36 39 45.

Background / History

Roller Coaster Encounter

Gong Yao first meets Li Qing in the roller coaster control room after cutting the ride’s power to save its occupants. He asks Li Qing to help destroy it, but Li Qing insists on repairing the instance. Their disagreement becomes a fight, with Gong Yao breaking the administrator’s shield as the system restarts 3.

He stops his blade just short of Li Qing’s forehead. Since Li Qing has already restored the ride, Gong Yao decides that killing him would be meaningless slaughter and leaves 3.

Fortune Star Matchmaking

Reunited with Li Qing in Fortune Star Village, Gong Yao promises not to reveal his administrator identity and shares the groom’s rules. They partner through the lake trial, survive a Water Monkey boarding their boat, and reach shore first after independently manipulating their course 5 9.

Gong Yao helps locate missing participants and reacts angrily when Li Qing exposes the village chiefs’ use of the Fortune Lady legend to conceal abductions. His observations about dead players and Wan Yingjun’s unusual standing among villagers contribute to Li Qing’s investigation 7 13 18.

He and Li Qing complete the wedding ritual by exchanging blood-mixed wine. Gong Yao then explains that he entered the instance to investigate the disappearance of a couple from his team. He invites Li Qing to work with him again, but Li Qing exits early while he is still speaking 20.

The King of Hell Came and Went

In B0021, Gong Yao assumes the role of a celebrated actor and loses his memories of being a player. He initially fails to recognize Li Qing, yet repeatedly gravitates toward him and describes an internal urge to watch him closely 23 24 26.

During the shoot, he shields Li Qing from an explosion, escapes a plunging elevator with a cameraman, stops Bai Cha from strangling An Ya, and challenges the production’s attempts to cover up deaths 28 32 35 39.

The final road-trip scene becomes another death trap when the car’s brakes fail. Gong Yao helps An Ya jump clear and narrowly avoids a dump truck, fracturing his arm. At the wrap party, a photograph of him standing close to Li Qing becomes a scandal; Li Qing exposes An Ya and Bai Cha’s involvement 42 43.

By the banquet fire, Gong Yao has recovered his memories. Rather than leave the trapped people behind, he persuades Li Qing to repair the fire suppression system and joins Tao Lele and Yu Xiaohe in reopening its valves 45.

Miraculous Healing

Gong Yao later arrives at D0129 with Chen Mo and Yan Ming. Assigned the night shift in Room 201, he becomes visibly cheerful when he notices Li Qing’s name on the day-shift schedule 49 50.

He asks to share Li Qing’s dormitory room and proposes exchanging information. When Li Qing says he has cleared the instance before, Gong Yao denies it and appears genuinely confused 50.

Notable Quotes

“Never mind. You've already achieved your goal. Anything more would just be meaningless slaughter.” 3

“I just... don't like seeing people die in front of me. That goes for you, too.” 10

“Time to show off. It'd be a bit of a shame if you missed it.” 45

Trivia

• His livestream reaches the top of the popularity rankings, and he is widely recognized by viewers 5 15.
• He normally switches his stream off before sleeping, but the livestream system automatically reactivates it after four hours 6 15.
• His romance advice gives Li Qing a “Secret Crush Guide” containing seventy-seven entries. He attributes his supposed expertise to acting in idol dramas rather than claiming a personal romantic history 34.