Xiao Hao

Biodata

Power Progression

Xiao Hao spends Spirit Pearls on personal, base, and Guardian upgrades. Guardian levels cannot exceed the Coral Shell Room’s level, and his eight Shadow Seahorses must be upgraded together rather than individually 5.

Background / History

Xiao Hao grew up an orphan without family protection or useful connections. He faced bullying from childhood, worked to pay for school, and dealt with thugs both on and off campus. Qiu Yanan remembered him as the top student in their year and someone who treated classmates respectfully regardless of appearance 6 31.

He entered a top high school but was later forced to drop out. He suspects Jin Chuanfu was involved, although the provided account does not establish that suspicion as fact 33.

Before the Survival Game, he lived in a low-rent apartment and worked in a company where Director Liu pressured him over marketing proposals and overtime. His lack of close relationships meant nobody noticed his two-day disappearance into the game 26.

Appearance

Undying Body transforms Xiao Hao’s physique, giving him pronounced musculature and eight clearly defined abdominal muscles. His improved skin and appearance are noticeable enough that a colleague asks whether he has undergone cosmetic treatment 10 26.

• Smooth skin and muscular build — both become especially noticeable after acquiring Undying Body 10.
• Casual clothing — attends his middle school reunion casually dressed rather than in the formal clothing worn by other guests 34.
• Black-hooded disguise — wears the Shadow Mask during his public confrontation with Flower Eagle, leaving only a mass of shadow visible beneath his hood 38.
• Altered voice while masked — discovers that the Shadow Mask also makes his voice lower and slightly husky 38.

Personality

Xiao Hao’s reserve is a learned defense rather than simple hostility. As an orphan, he kept others at a distance because he could barely protect himself and feared that association with him would expose them to trouble. He rejects the expectation that being admired or loved obliges him to rescue others 6 31.

He is pragmatic, observant, and difficult to manipulate. He bargains for equipment rather than giving away supplies he risked his life to obtain, but freely shares survival advice when doing so costs him nothing. He also controls his expression and apparent fear well enough to frustrate Wang Hegang’s questioning and Qing Feng’s covert test 12 15 29 32.

Despite his guarded outlook, he appreciates genuine kindness. He privately thanks the otherworldly viewers and protects Lin Nanyao because she once defended him. Witnessing soldiers die defending Blue Dragon City moves him to anger: he recognizes that their sacrifices helped make even his difficult life possible 6 35 43 45.

He strongly values independence. Joining the Dragon Transformation Pool would make his actions represent the Dragon Kingdom and potentially constrain retaliation against foreign players. Remaining unaffiliated lets him act without imposing those diplomatic consequences on the country 46.

Abilities & Skills

Viewer-Comment Perception

Xiao Hao can read comments from his otherworldly livestream viewers, who initially believe he cannot see them 4.

• Receives warnings about approaching threats, monster weaknesses, and hidden game mechanics 2 3 18.
• Attracts attention through dancing and prompts viewers by pretending to wonder aloud about game systems 3 4.
• Uses comments to identify blood-binding for the Shadow Seahorse Eggs and pressure loss as the Primordial Snailfish’s weakness 3 18.
• Recognizes that chat should support his judgment rather than become its foundation; its advice is not always useful 18 32.

Shadow Transformation

An inherited Shadow Seahorse skill that converts his body and clothing into shadow and increases movement speed 4.

• Evades lunging attacks and water cannons, conceals him in terrain, and allows covert movement in the real world 5 7 35.
• Floating produces a faster Aurora Shadow than his original ground-bound movement 11.
• Requires stamina; early use leaves him unable to stand, and Undying Body does not make its duration unlimited 4 11.
• Does not make him safe from every enemy: the Deep-Sea Ghost’s scythe attacks still threaten his shadow form 17.

Darkness Erosion

Dark energy continuously drains an enemy’s health. The Shadow Seahorse skill description states that it ignores defense as long as darkness exists in the world 4.

• Wears down durable bosses and entire monster swarms 9 16 20.
• Can rapidly drain fragile human targets, making Xiao Hao dangerous even without summoning Guardians 32.
• His first personal use exhausts him but appears to improve his physical fitness 43.

Darkness Domain and Stacking

Darkness Domain applies Darkness Erosion to every enemy inside it. Stacking increases health-drain speed and expands the domain as additional seahorses coordinate their skills 4.

• Eight seahorses produce eightfold health-draining speed against the Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp swarm 16.
• Xiao Hao funnels ranged enemies into the domain by directing the mantis shrimp to clear surrounding terrain 20.
• His inherited skills reach level 10 with the Shadow Seahorses, allowing a single personal domain to eliminate much weaker real-world snakes 43.
• Guardians cannot sustain their skills indefinitely; he rotates the seahorses’ shifts during prolonged fighting 15.

Undying Body

The passive skill Xiao Hao selects from the Peacock Mantis Shrimp improves recovery and unlocks his body’s potential 10 17.

• Gives him a muscular physique and supports longer, more frequent skill use 10 11.
• Helps him recover quickly after pushing himself beyond his limits 17.
• Does not provide unlimited stamina or prevent exhaustion 11 16.

Jade Armor

Copied from a Guardian through the Retry Gloves, Jade Armor creates weightless protection without restricting movement 12.

• Compensates for his weak defense while his Guardians handle offense 12 16.
• Stops venomous needles during the communications-base-station battle 50.
• Drains stamina according to damage received; he avoids relying on it against the thornfish swarm’s water cannons 20.

Guardian Command and Combat Analysis

Xiao Hao coordinates troop Guardians with a Battle General and searches for exploitable mechanics rather than relying solely on raw strength 9 18 20.

• Turns the Peacock Mantis Shrimp’s attacks against its own antennae during the battle to bind it 9.
• Kills the regenerating Primordial Snailfish by moving its body into the low-pressure Exploration Bubble 18.
• Recognizes that phasing enemies must become solid when attacking and uses sustained Mantis Scythe attacks to pressure them 50.
• Receives emotional danger signals from his seahorses, including warnings during the mantis shrimp fight and Ghost diversion 9 11.

Game Utilities

• Exploration Bubble — surrounds him with an approximately two-meter air bubble underwater; operating it consumes limited magic power 2.
• Synthesis House — crafts weapons, clothing, and household equipment from materials and blueprints 3 23.
• Space Slots — store supplies with time suspended, preserving freshly cut shrimp meat 26.
• Night vision — after binding the seahorses, can see roughly ten meters into the surrounding darkness 4.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

Equipment

• Coral Spear — synthesized from coral and iron ingots; his early melee weapon against the Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp and Human-Faced Thornfish 3 5 6.
• Shadow Mask — looted from the Ghost’s lair. Obscures his face without consuming energy, grants immunity to detection skills, and alters his voice 12 38.
• Retry Gloves — also taken from the Ghost’s lair. Copy one skill from any Guardian; copying another replaces the previous skill. He uses them for Jade Armor 12.
• Bouncing Martin Boots — traded for Soul-Replenishing Grass. Greatly improve jumping ability and allow harmless landings regardless of jump height 12.
• Ghost Scythe Ring — dropped by the Deep-Sea Ghost and worn on his left middle finger. Transforms all ten fingers into adjustable scythes, up to person-sized blades, with stamina expenditure comparable to throwing a punch 25.
  • Viewers identify its power as comparable to the nearly level-20 Ghost’s own scythes; its aura terrifies lower-tier monsters 38.

Cards and Consumables

• Blood Potion — heals his bleeding back, but does not remove the soul poison’s reduction of maximum stamina 3.
• Soul-Replenishing Grass — restores maximum stamina; also serves as a valuable trading resource for equipment and cards 11 12.
• Slowdown Card — reduces the attack speed of wild monsters attacking the base for eight hours 12.
• Calm Card — interrupts the Deep-Sea Ghost’s ultimate attack 13.
• Maintenance Card and Shield Card — support his base defense; the Shield Card grants invincible protection during the final reflected attack 17 23 24.
• Double Card — doubles the seahorse’s Darkness Erosion during the final siege 23.
• Rebound Card and Payback Card — reflect attacks; Payback returns twice the damage while ordinarily still allowing the room to take damage 21 23 24.
• Magic Defense Card — grants the attacked Coral Shell Room immunity to energy attacks for three hours 21.
• Silence Card — provides a three-second window that he reserves for stopping the Ghost’s escape 21 24.
• Curse-Kill Card — usable against an attacker below 30% health; removes 15% of the enemy’s maximum health. Delivers the finishing curse against the Ghost 21 24.

Relationships

• Shadow Seahorses — first Guardians and source of four inherited skills. He begins with eight and vows revenge when the Deep-Sea Ghost kills one 4 17.
• Peacock Mantis Shrimp — first Battle General; frontline attacker, tank, mount, and source of Undying Body. Carries and steadies him after an exhausting swarm battle 9 10 16.
• Otherworldly viewers — hidden advisers whose kindness matters deeply to him, despite their teasing and frequent arguments over him 6 7 33.
• Deep-Sea Ghost — persistent enemy responsible for his wounds and soul poisoning. He raids its resources, survives repeated sieges, and eventually kills it 3 11 24.
• Lin Nanyao — former classmate who defended him against bullying. Their connection is gratitude rather than romance; after saving her and those around her, he considers the debt repaid 34 43.
• Qiu Yanan — deceased middle school classmate and deskmate who loved him. He refused her request for help when he could barely protect himself; later encounters a Ghost Shadow bearing her identity 31.
• Qiu Chengnan — Qiu Yanan’s older brother and a deceased Nightmare Survival player associated with the Ghost Banner. Becomes Xiao Hao’s opponent at the communications base station 48 49 50.
• Jin Chuanfu — hostile former classmate. Xiao Hao suspects his involvement in his high-school dropout and resolves to destroy the Jin family when the opportunity arises 33 34.
• Wang Hegang — detective who suspects Xiao Hao is a player and tries unsuccessfully to recruit him 28 29.
• Qing Feng — Dragon Transformation Pool player who secretly tests him with Ghost Guardians. Xiao Hao escapes without exposing his strength 32.
• Director Liu — former superior who pressures him over work and tries to push him toward a mutant cockroach. Xiao Hao later demands his unpaid overtime compensation 26 27 30.
• Wang He — military commander to whom Xiao Hao returns a wounded soldier. Challenges his refusal to join the Dragon Transformation Pool 45 46.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Deep-Sea Survival and the Ghost Siege

• Enters the deep-sea game with his bed and a fragile Coral Shell Room. Viewer hints guide his first expeditions, but the Deep-Sea Ghost wounds and poisons him 1 2 3.
• Builds his fighting force around the Shadow Seahorses and Peacock Mantis Shrimp, then retrieves Soul-Replenishing Grass from the Ghost’s Corpse Mountain 4 9 11.
• Finances upgrades by progressing from individual monsters to entire swarms, exploiting Guardian combinations and environmental weaknesses 16 18 20.
• Drugs the Ghost with sleeping pills in beer and draws it into a prolonged siege. Combines Shield and Payback against its ultimate, then uses Silence and Curse-Kill to prevent its escape and finish it 23 24.
• Exhausts all ten cards in the victory, earning 6,000 Spirit Pearls and the Ghost Scythe Ring 24 25.

Return to Reality and Concealed Identity

• Discovers that seven game days corresponded to only two real-world days. Initially returns to work to avoid attracting attention 26.
• A mutant cockroach’s fear of him draws police suspicion. He withstands Wang Hegang’s questioning without admitting he is a player 27 29.
• Leaves his job and defeats Qing Feng’s covert test by directing the Ghost Infant’s demands toward a Female Ghost Shadow, allowing him to slip away 31 32.
• At the reunion, recognizes that Jin Chuanfu is recruiting players through classmates’ social connections while unknowingly antagonizing a top-tier player 34.

Evolution Wave and Public Intervention

• Secretly protects Lin Nanyao when the evolution wave unleashes monsters across the city 35.
• Appears masked on the hotel rooftop, intimidates Flower Eagle, and warns foreigners seeking the Dragon Kingdom’s flying aircraft carrier 38.
• Becomes a source of national reassurance while rejecting recruitment into the Dragon Transformation Pool 40 41.
• Rescues Lin Nanyao from further danger and begins hunting surviving nighttime insects for Spirit Pearls 42 43 44.
• Intervenes at the highway battlefield, rescues a wounded soldier, and reacts with fury to the military’s heavy losses defending Blue Dragon City 45.

Communications Base Station Investigation

• Advises the Police Chief that dead players can become ghosts and examines files on three players killed fighting the Giant Tree 48.
• Investigates the damaged base station, where repair workers have been poisoned and monstrous dead players ambush him 49.
• Faces Qiu Chengnan and phasing monsters, identifying their need to materialize during attacks and countering with the mantis shrimp’s continuous ultimate 50.

Notable Quotes

“Some flowers grow in greenhouses, while others grow in cracks between rocks. If they want to survive, they can only protect themselves.” 31

“I'm only human. An ordinary, unremarkable human being. I'm not a god.” 31

“Aren't you afraid it'll burn your hands?!” — Warning those coveting the Dragon Kingdom’s aircraft carrier. 38

“Not all the top players can join the Dragon Transformation Pool.” 46