Lan Xingchen

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Lan Xingchen (蓝星辰)
Alias(es)	Mr. Lan 38
Species/Race	Human 43 53
Gender	Male 38
Affiliation	Player faction in the Happiness Residential Complex game 40 44
Occupation/Role	Veteran Nightmare World player; former company employee who had attained a relatively high position 38 43 46
Status	Alive at the conclusion of the Happiness Residential Complex game; shaken by Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie’s revelations about his obsession 64 65
First Appearance	38

Background / History

Corporate Life and Entry into the Nightmare World

Before becoming a veteran player, Lan Xingchen was an ambitious professional who prioritized promotion and his own interests. Qiu Man, his former colleague and fiancée, remembered him as arrogant and willing to sacrifice her interests to advance his career 38 39 46.

A little over three years before the Happiness Residential Complex game, he entered a mountain-survival game as a newcomer. His abrupt change from a capable professional into someone helpless against supernatural threats made him resent the strength of veterans Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie 46.

The False Mountain God

An evil ghost whispered to Lan Xingchen, claiming to be the Mountain God. It promised him lasting power if he brought Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie to its cave and lit incense. Exploiting his jealousy and desire to surpass the veterans, the ghost persuaded him to guide the group along its chosen route 46 47.

The cave was actually a prison sealed with talismans. Despite the others’ objections, Lan Xingchen lit a fire under the pretext of keeping everyone warm. The ghost spread the flames through the talismans, freed itself, and possessed him. Using his body and its black smoke, it dragged Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie into the cave to assimilate all three 47.

The two veterans cut Lan Xingchen’s face to wake him, but their own bodies had already begun merging with the smoke. Unable to escape, Ning Yan asked Fang Xiujie to kill her; he then took his own life. Lan Xingchen admitted that he could neither save them nor carry out their request to end their suffering. He nevertheless insisted that they died as humans 47.

Survival and Withdrawal

Lan Xingchen stumbled out of the cave and escaped with the other survivors using Fang Xiujie’s route notes. Only after clearing the game did he explain his dealings with the false Mountain God 47.

He was subsequently hospitalized with serious injuries and facial scarring. He told the Relevant Authorities that he had fallen while hiking, quit his company, and lost contact with Qiu Man for three years. During that period, he isolated himself in the Nightmare World and pursued atonement through dangerous rescues 38 46 49.

His rescues became known among other players. Two of Sister Yao’s companions recognized his distinctive hair and reputation as a powerful “lunatic,” while Feng Ling had heard of his willingness to help newcomers at the cost of his own life. She also criticized the dependence of the newcomers he protected, describing them as experienced in events but still unable to do anything for themselves 42 60.

The Souls Bound by His Obsession

After Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie recovered their memories in the Happiness Residential Complex game, they revealed that Lan Xingchen’s guilt and repeated attempts at atonement had bound their dead souls to him. His obsession had prevented them from leaving and denied them rest, rather than satisfying any demand they had made of him 63.

Fang Xiujie told him that his atonement, and even whether he lived or died, had nothing to do with them. Both veterans asked him to abandon his twisted obsession and free them. When the power that made them visible and audible ran out, they remained unrestful rather than truly disappearing. Sister Yao subsequently urged Lan Xingchen to stop avoiding reality and offered to take him to visit their families if he returned from the Nightmare World 64.

By the end of the game, his previously numb gaze had become lost and uncertain. Whether he would actually relinquish his obsession remained unresolved 65.

Appearance

Lan Xingchen is relatively young, but his extensive injuries and lifeless gaze make him appear worn down 39.

• Scars: Cover his face, neck, and body; the veterans cut his face to awaken him during the mountain incident 39 47. The deepest wound on his face is the diagonal cut Ning Yan made three years earlier 62.
• Hair: Normally blue-black; becomes brighter or pale blue when his power is active or returning 41 42 50.
• Eyes: Described by Su Bai as stagnant and lifeless, despite his outward eagerness to help newcomers 39. After the veterans explain the consequences of his obsession, his eyes instead appear lost 65.
• Build: Tall and originally thin; his ability has made him muscular through years of injury and recovery 58 62.
• Skin: Has grown pale after his prolonged stay in the sunless Nightmare World 62.
• Clothing: Entered the Nightmare World wearing a suit and hair wax. By the Happiness Residential Complex game, he has abandoned his former professional appearance in favor of clothing that allows movement and keeps him covered 62.

Personality

Lan Xingchen’s former selfishness has given way to compulsive self-sacrifice. He promises to answer requests for help regardless of whether the person is an acquaintance or a stranger. However, Su Bai recognizes his reckless fighting as self-punishment rather than straightforward kindness: he willingly accepts grievous wounds so that others remain safe 40 41.

His guilt centers on Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie. Hearing their names makes him tremble even after enduring repeated attacks without doing so. Although he speaks of death as desirable, Sister Yao accuses him of fearing an encounter with them after death and using “atonement” to avoid facing his past 40 45 46.

His self-torment also gives him a temporary sense of peace. Sister Yao regards it as a form of self-imprisonment and urges him to live meaningfully, care for the life the veterans saved, and help newcomers become self-reliant 48 49.

When confronted with the returned veterans, he initially hides his face and avoids Ning Yan’s gaze. He expects hatred and murderous intent from them, but Ning Yan instead challenges his belief that they saved him in order to torment him. Their explanation that his obsession has harmed them overturns his understanding of his atonement and leaves him stunned 60 62 63.

The confrontation produces a visible change in his demeanor, but not a confirmed recovery. At the game’s conclusion, he quietly accepts Sister Yao’s continued scolding, his former certainty replaced by confusion 65.

Abilities & Skills

Taunt Shield

An ability developed from his trait, “I don’t want to be a selfish person.” It redirects ghost attacks toward him while enhancing his body 41.

• Target redirection: Ghosts focus exclusively on him when between two and five humans are present 41.
• Physical enhancement: Temporarily strengthens his body, reduces pain, and accelerates wound healing 41.
• Group-size limit: When the lobby’s population increases to seven players, the taunt effect stops working 42.
• Exhaustion: His hair darkens and healing slows as his power wanes; the Butcher Ghost’s strength and regeneration exceed his own 42.
• Recovery: As his strength returns, his hair becomes pale blue and his wounds heal, though new wounds continue appearing for an unexplained reason 50. His accelerated healing continues while he rests against the lobby wall, allowing him to survive wounds that make Ning Yan question whether he is human 53.
• Long-term physical changes: By the time he reunites with the veterans, his ability has changed his formerly thin body into a muscular one 62.

Close-Quarters Combat

Lan Xingchen fights with knives, punches, grappling, and direct interception of attacks 41 42 44.

• Severs the Butcher Ghost’s fingers and takes its weapon despite suffering deep wounds 41.
• Continues shielding the Qiu sisters after losing his taunt effect 42.
• Restrains the Butcher Ghost with his battered arms so Su Bai can deliver the killing blows 44.
• Fights the invading ghost horde alongside Ning Yan and Su Bai, using the Butcher’s Knife to repel lesser ghosts 58.
• Grabs a tough ghost by the neck and uses it as a shield against another ghost’s claws, creating an opening for Ning Yan to decapitate the attacker 58.

Nightmare World Experience

• Knows the expected proportion of novice players in a game 39. He later states that newcomers never make up more than one-third of a game’s players and uses this expectation to dispute Su Bai’s claimed newcomer status 58.
• Identifies the Red Moon as a symbol of the Nightmare World’s power and suggests the gathered ghosts may be performing a memory-restoration ritual 41.
• Rejects the complex’s fabricated memories of a happy family because his scarred body contradicts its ordinary-office-worker identity 50.
• Continues questioning Su Bai’s claim to be a newcomer when Su Bai discusses dead players becoming supernatural beings trapped in false memories 51.

Obsession’s Supernatural Effect

Lan Xingchen’s fixation on atoning has the unintended effect of binding Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie’s dead souls to him. This is distinct from the stated functions of Taunt Shield and is not presented as a deliberately controlled combat ability 63 64.

• Denial of rest: The veterans explain that his continuing obsession has kept them from leaving and resting in peace 63.
• Requested release: Fang Xiujie asks him to relinquish the obsession, rather than perform further acts of atonement for them 64.
• Alternative release: Su Bai concludes that Lan Xingchen’s death would also free them, but observes that they choose to give him another chance to live instead 65.

Power Progression

Stage / Event	Development or Demonstration	Limitations / Outcome	Chapters
Mountain-survival game newcomer	Accepts the false Mountain God’s promise of lasting supernatural power.	The promised power is a deception intended to assimilate him and the veterans; he is possessed rather than shown gaining a controlled ability.	46 47
Veteran use of Taunt Shield	Demonstrates ghost-target redirection, enhanced physical strength, reduced pain, and accelerated healing through his trait, “I don’t want to be a selfish person.”	Redirection requires between two and five humans to be present.	41
Lobby battle exhaustion	Continues fighting and protecting the Qiu sisters after the group expands.	Seven players disable the taunt effect; his power wanes, his hair darkens, and wound healing slows.	42
Recovery after the Butcher Ghost battle	His hair becomes pale blue again and his wounds heal rapidly as his strength returns.	New wounds continue appearing for an unexplained reason; he still needs time to rest.	50 53
Defense against the ghost horde	Recovers sufficiently to fight at the front with Ning Yan and Su Bai, wielding the captured Butcher’s Knife and using a ghost as an improvised shield.	The trio is eventually overwhelmed by the number of attackers; no new named ability is demonstrated.	57 58
Long-term enhancement confirmed	His ability has transformed his former thin professional build into a muscular body.	His body remains covered in scars and recurring wounds.	62
Soul-binding effect revealed	Learns that his obsession has bound Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie’s souls to him for years.	An unintended consequence of his fixation, not a confirmed advancement of Taunt Shield; release remains unresolved at the game’s conclusion.	63 64 65

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black Leather Gloves — Protective items capable of blocking the Butcher’s Knife, though the impact initially forces him backward 41.
• Short Knife / Flexible Short Sword — Used to stab and disarm the Butcher Ghost. Su Bai initially suspects it is the weapon associated with Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie’s final moments 41 47. This is later confirmed when Lan Xingchen gives it to Ning Yan during the lobby’s defense. The weapon wounded his face and ended both veterans’ lives; it has no particularly special abilities but possesses a sharp edge well suited to Ning Yan’s enhanced speed and strength 57 58.
• Butcher’s Knife — Taken from the Butcher Ghost. It carries the Red Moon’s power and an aura of slaughter, but its original owner rapidly heals the wounds it inflicts 41 44. Lan Xingchen later uses it against the invading horde, where merely swinging it can force back some lesser ghosts. He drops it when Ning Yan confronts him about their past 58 62.
• Waist pouch — Holds his gloves and short knife 41 47.
• Room 303 key — Given to Qiu Man as an alternative refuge after the sisters report coughing in Room 101 39.

Relationships

• Qiu Man — Former colleague and fiancée. They reunite after three years; he recognizes the calculations behind her emotional appeals but continues protecting her 38 39. Feng Ling later assigns him to guard her, Qiu Lei, and the other players at the rear 60.
• Qiu Lei — His former prospective sister-in-law. He rescues her alongside Qiu Man, and she defends him when other players hesitate to help 38 42.
• Ning Yan — Veteran whose protection helped him survive the mountain game. His actions contributed to her death, making her one of the central figures in his guilt 46 47. He returns her short sword and fights alongside her before she fully recognizes him 57 58. Once she remembers, she slaps him and rejects his belief that she and Fang Xiujie intended his survival as punishment. She later tells him that his obsession has disturbed them in death 62 63.
• Fang Xiujie — Veteran whose route records enabled his escape. Fang Xiujie’s death alongside Ning Yan drives Lan Xingchen’s continuing attempts at atonement 47 48. After recovering his memories, Fang Xiujie explains that Lan Xingchen’s life, death, and atonement are not obligations to the dead veterans, and asks him to let go of his obsession so they can be free 63 64.
• Sister Yao — Condemns his responsibility for the veterans’ deaths and challenges his self-destructive behavior. Despite her anger, she does not want the life they saved to be wasted 45 48 49. After the veterans become imperceptible again, she urges him to stop running away and offers to take him to visit their families once he leaves the Nightmare World. She continues lecturing him at the game’s conclusion 64 65.
• Su Bai — Temporary companion and combat partner. Initially accepts his newcomer disguise, then doubts it after witnessing his power and knowledge of the dead veterans 39 43 46. They later defend the lobby together alongside Ning Yan 58. Su Bai recognizes that the veterans could secure their freedom through Lan Xingchen’s death but have chosen to spare him, interpreting this as further evidence of their kindness 65. During the Lorimaris Hotel game, Su Bai recalls Lan Xingchen as less loathsome than the maliciously deranged figures surrounding him there 116.
• Feng Ling — Knows his reputation for self-sacrificial rescues and criticizes the helplessness of the newcomers he protects. After joining the battle, she directs him to guard the rear while she and Su Bai hold the front 60.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Happiness Residential Complex

• Rescue attempt: Notices a flashlight distress signal from Building One, saves the Qiu sisters along the way, and leads them and Su Bai across from Building Two 38 39 40.
• Lobby battle: Uses Taunt Shield against the Butcher Ghost and Red-Dressed Hanged Ghost. The arrival of three more players disables his taunt, leaving him badly injured while defending the sisters 41 42.
• Joint victory: After Su Bai defeats the Hanged Ghost, Lan Xingchen helps him kill the Butcher Ghost before it can open the entrance and potentially provoke the ghosts outside 43 44.
• Exposure of his past: Sister Yao recognizes him and recounts the mountain incident. Su Bai connects the two dead veterans to Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie, now residents of the complex with confused memories 45 46 47 48.
• Recovery: Remains with the group in the lobby, where his injuries begin healing and he explains why the complex’s false memories failed to deceive him 49 50.
• Return of the veterans: Reacts to Feng Ling’s mention of Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie by lowering his head and concealing his face. Ning Yan later questions whether his grievously wounded body is human, prompting Su Bai to explain his healing ability 51 52 53.
• Defense against the horde: Stands up with the Butcher’s Knife and gives Ning Yan her former short sword as ghosts breach the entrance. He joins Ning Yan and Su Bai at the front, but the growing horde eventually breaks through their defenses 57 58.
• Rear guard: Following Feng Ling’s arrival, he is ordered to protect the Qiu sisters and the other players behind the front line. When Ning Yan reacts to his name, he retreats sideways to avoid showing her his face 60.
• Confrontation: Ning Yan and Fang Xiujie recognize him as the newcomer from their last game. He drops his weapon and closes his eyes; Ning Yan slaps him and insists that they wanted him to live, not suffer as punishment 61 62.
• Revelation of the binding: As the complex collapses into ruins and then reveals a graveyard, the veterans recover their memories and explain that his obsessive atonement has bound their souls to him. Their words leave him shocked 63.
• Demand for release: Fang Xiujie asks him to abandon his obsession and set them free. After the veterans become invisible and inaudible again, Sister Yao urges him to undertake meaningful action and offers to help him visit their families 64.
• Game conclusion: Survives through the human players’ victory. He quietly accepts Sister Yao’s scolding, visibly disoriented by the collapse of his former worldview; his eventual response to the veterans’ request remains unknown 65.

Notable Quotes

“I am a sinner. Everything I do is to atone for my sins.” 39

“They died as humans.” 47

“If you need a weapon, will this do?” 57

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