Dai Yong'an

Biodata

Background / History

Research career and political backing

Dai Yong'an had worked for the Anomaly Containment Facility for ten years by the Site 108 incident. His obsessive pursuit of knowledge sustained him through extreme workloads, while his willingness to risk both others’ lives and his own earned him a reputation as a research maniac 42.

As anomalous incidents and hostile organizations became harder to manage, Dai accepted backing from the “Kings” supporting cross-anomaly experimentation and anomaly weaponization. He understood that failure could make him a casualty of the struggle between Radicals and Conservatives, but considered the expanded research access worth that risk 15.

Following an experimental accident, the higher-ups closed the case and approved his nomination for promotion. His growing influence made him a perceived contender for Site-17’s next director, though no appointment is documented 15 21.

Selection of D-87465

Dai and Kane monitored Zhou Ze’s survival during the escalating light-screen experiment. When an alarm sounded, both hurried to respond 4.

Dai later investigated the incident despite being chiefly responsible for it. He questioned Major Lu Fei about his unusual interest in Zhou Ze, designated D-87465, but rejected the idea that Lu Fei had deliberately engineered mass casualties. When Lu Fei criticized the immediate erasure of Zhou Ze’s memory, Dai stated that the order had not been his 10.

He offered Lu Fei opportunities to interact with Zhou Ze in exchange for objective psychological assessments. Favorable reports from Lu Fei and Supervisor Wang Lei helped establish Zhou Ze as an emotionally resilient, adaptable candidate for contact with SCP-239 11 17.

SCP-239 weaponization project

Dai and two colleagues, whom he called “Poker Face” and “Liar,” designed an experiment that awakened SCP-239, also known as Alice. Dai stated that the O5 Council had approved the proposal. His goal was to use her reality-altering abilities to capture and contain other anomalies 15.

The plan required an emotionally stable Class-D participant who did not understand Alice’s powers. Dai believed an informed participant might exploit her abilities for personal gain or reveal the truth to her. He selected Zhou Ze and used a fantasy setting to guide Alice’s self-restraint, presenting himself as the Light Knight 17 20 32.

Before the experiment, Dai briefly felt that proceeding might be a mistake and questioned whether cognitive distortion was involved. He and Kane reviewed the documentation, then concluded that the plan was sound 17.

Control proved less reliable than expected. When Zhou Ze began telling Alice stories, Dai’s attempts to intervene failed alongside the communications equipment. He feared that her response to a Santa Claus story might create a new magical anomaly. During a later visit, he instructed Zhou Ze to teach her the distinction between good and evil, preferably through stories without supernatural powers 20 31.

Item-408 dispute

Dai had helped contain Item-408, the intelligent Illusion Butterflies. He favored a permissive approach to their containment and obtained a change to their chamber’s access clearance 28.

During their escape, the butterflies impersonated Dai, distorted the containment area’s apparent layout, and assumed the forms of other anomalies. The Dai whom Zhou Ze encountered trapped inside a chamber was therefore an impersonation, not their first genuine face-to-face meeting 21 28 33.

Dai described the escape as a minor accident caused by hunger. Wang Lei challenged his favoritism, inadequate suppression measures, and apparent disclosure of restricted visual material concerning Item-682 28.

Dai focused instead on why the normally docile butterflies had imitated such a powerful creature. He reasoned that they had perceived an extraordinary threat and suspected Wang Lei had discovered something about Zhou Ze. Even after she briefly strangled him with smoke, he continued pressing for her findings. She refused to assist, and he resolved to uncover Zhou Ze’s secrets himself 29.

Extreme-hazard experiment and death

After another visit to Alice, Dai ordered Zhou Ze to swallow a mud-like ball that he called a “digestive tablet.” Old Yang later identified it as a gen+3-generation nanobot bomb synchronized with Dai’s heartbeat 33 36 37.

Jack Bright independently tested Zhou Ze and reported that his Hume levels remained stable during emotional fluctuations, arguing that he was not a reality bender. Dai shot Bright’s occupied body in the forehead during their office confrontation 35.

Dr. Gears then challenged Dai’s use of Zhou Ze in high-risk experiments, citing protections for Class-D personnel recruited through nonstandard channels. Dai argued that Zhou Ze’s repeated improbable survival suggested probability manipulation or causal interference. He reframed the proposed test as an Anomalous Interaction Experiment involving a potential threat entity, and Gears requested a revised application 36.

At Site 108, Dai directed an experiment requiring Class-D subjects to collect secretions from Number-075. The encounter led to Zhou Ze’s monstrous transformation and a destructive containment breach. Detection of immense Akiva radiation made Dai conclude that Zhou Ze had been divine all along, rather than merely receiving an unusually powerful gift from Alice 39 40 42.

Dai tried to escape the surveillance room, but Zhou Ze broke through the ceiling, impaled his heart with a tentacle, and tore him in half. Zhou Ze’s transformed body froze and began collapsing almost immediately after Dai’s heart stopped 42.

During the subsequent anomalous reversal, tentacles merged with Dai’s torn remains and vanished while the damaged building began reassembling. His resurrection is not confirmed. At Site-17, Kane took over his duties after his disappearance 43 44.

Appearance

Dai is a scholarly-looking, middle-aged man 10.

• Hair: Neatly trimmed, short brown hair 33.
• Eyes: Dark brown 33.
• Glasses: Gold-rimmed 33.
• Clothing: A white lab coat, frequently rumpled or badly wrinkled 28 33.
• Facial hair: Stubble on his chin 29.

Personality

Dai prioritizes research over personal safety, institutional politics, and conventional morality. He openly acknowledges his ruthlessness and judges people by their usefulness rather than their position or past. His stated view is that an exceptional Class-D subject should be employed, while an uncontrollably dangerous one should be contained or considered as a weapon 15 36.

He usually maintains a calm smile under threats and uses insinuation, selective disclosure, and offers of cooperation to secure what he needs. Lu Fei’s intimidation and Wang Lei’s physical retaliation fail to dissuade him from pursuing information 10 11 29.

That composure breaks when he loses control of an experiment or deals with Jack Bright. He erupts in anger when Alice’s surveillance fails and shoots Bright with little visible hesitation 20 33 35.

The narration describes him as having an antisocial personality, but his final thoughts emphasize an enduring desire to understand the unknown rather than fear of death 42.

Abilities & Skills

Anomaly research and experimental design

Dai designs cross-anomaly experiments and builds hypotheses from unusual survival patterns and containment behavior 15 29 36.

• Uses psychological assessments to select experimental participants 11 17.
• Recognizes that the butterflies’ imitation of Item-682 implies a threat beyond ordinary animals 29.
• Proposes controlled, extreme conditions to test suspected probability manipulation or causal interference 36 42.
• Interprets immense Akiva radiation as evidence of a divine-level entity 42.
• His planning fails to account for Zhou Ze’s underlying divinity 42.

Cognitive guidance of SCP-239

Dai applies cognitive psychology and neuroscience to Alice’s reality-altering powers, using stories and assigned identities to encourage self-restraint 17 20 32.

• Directs Zhou Ze to teach moral distinctions through storytelling 31 33.
• Understands that imagined experiences may activate processes capable of changing reality 20.
• Cannot reliably predict Alice’s deeper interpretations or prevent her wishes from interfering with monitoring equipment 20 33.

Institutional maneuvering

Dai uses political sponsorship, research partnerships, and procedural arguments to maintain access to controversial projects 11 15 36.

• Exchanges research access for Lu Fei’s psychological reports 11.
• Obtains altered access requirements for Item-408’s containment chamber 28.
• Reframes Zhou Ze as a potential threat entity to justify an Anomalous Interaction Experiment 36.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Handgun — Used to shoot Jack Bright’s occupied body in Dai’s office 35.
• Gen+3-generation nanobot bomb — Administered to Zhou Ze as a supposed digestive tablet. Old Yang identifies it as technology outside the Facility’s own systems; the nanorobots enter Zhou Ze’s blood and are synchronized with Dai’s heart 33 36 37.
  • Old Yang states that they will destroy Zhou Ze if Dai’s heart stops for more than three minutes 37.
  • In the Site 108 incident, Zhou Ze’s transformed body instead begins collapsing almost immediately after Dai’s death 42.
• Insulated mug / thermos — Regularly used for coffee during paperwork, interviews, and experimental monitoring 10 17 20.
• Mechanical wristwatch — Worn during his office encounter with Bright 35.

Relationships

• Kane — Longtime friend and research colleague. Their habitual procedure reviews reflect years of collaboration, although Kane strongly opposes the risks of SCP-239’s weaponization 4 15 17.
• Zhou Ze / D-87465 — Experimental subject whose composure and improbable survival attract Dai’s attention. The nanobot bomb provokes Zhou Ze’s intense hatred; Zhou Ze later kills him 15 36 42.
• Lu Fei — Uneasy research partner who provides psychological assessments while remaining concerned for Zhou Ze’s welfare 10 11 17.
• Alice / SCP-239 — Central subject of Dai’s weaponization project. Within her fantasy setting, she knows him as the Light Knight 15 32.
• Wang Lei — Site director and adversarial colleague. Their agreement prevents her from interfering with his research but does not require her assistance 28 29.
• Dr. Gears — Colleague who challenges Dai on behalf of the Ethics Committee. Dai identifies him with the Conservatives and resents his interference 35 36.
• Jack Bright — Antagonistic colleague who tests Zhou Ze without Dai’s invitation and provokes Dai into shooting his current body 35.
• Item-408, the Illusion Butterflies — Anomalous organisms Dai helped contain and openly favors, prompting accusations that he has compromised proper research and containment standards 28.

Notable Quotes

“You know me. I've always cared only about the research itself. Since they're willing to open every door for me, I have no reason to refuse.” 15

“Whether they're researchers or Class-D Personnel, I see only two kinds of people: useful and useless.” 36

“Teacher, if we live in a giant's dream, what will happen to us when the giant wakes up?” — A childhood question recalled as he dies 42

Trivia

• Dai describes himself as face-blind; he recognizes Bright’s unfamiliar body after noticing the red mark on its neck 35.
• His defense of the Illusion Butterflies includes a complaint that neglected feeding has left him using low-calorie sweetener in his morning coffee 28.