Xie Zhi

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

On Earth, Xie Zhi was Ji Sinan’s college classmate, roommate, and best friend. Through that friendship, he knew Ji Tan from his high-school years and occasionally teased him into calling him “big brother” 3.

After Ji Sinan’s death, Xie invited Ji Tan to work for him, promising to look after him in his brother’s place. Ji Tan remembers his first year as exceptionally generous, with above-industry pay and bonuses. From the second year onward, he perceived Xie as increasingly demanding and stingy, blaming him for excessive overtime and two years of rejected performance bonuses. Xie reacts with disbelief when confronted about those rejected payments 1 3.

By their reunion in City A, Xie has already spent “a long time” in the other world and become its new Archon. The circumstances of his arrival and the length of his stay are not explained 2.

Appearance

• Face and hair: Exceptionally handsome, with dark eyes, jet-black hair, thin lips, and a small mole in the middle of his nose 1 2 5 9.
• Formal clothing: An elaborate suit with a bow tie, pocket square, double silver watch chain, and black silk shirt. He habitually drapes his coat over his shoulders rather than wearing it properly 1 5.
• Mask: Uses a black face mask to distinguish his North District Dictator identity from his unmasked public identity as Administrator 3 4.
• Western District clothing: Changes into a black hoodie with a red-plaid hammer design, a plaid shirt tied around his waist, and a fluorescent color-shifting jacket. Ji Tan thinks the outfit makes him look dramatically younger and less dependable 8.

Personality

Xie combines an outwardly composed manner with persistent teasing. He delivers absurd suggestions with a straight face, buys Ji Tan clothing that matches his hospital gown, and briefly lets him believe he could be executed for impersonating the Administrator. His humor continues during combat: he likens a hammer strike against a cult leader to a golf shot and promises Ji Tan a bonus for the “hole in one” 3 4 5 16.

His care is often practical rather than openly sentimental. He cleans Ji Tan’s injured foot with his pocket square, supplies clothing and identification, offers him somewhere safe to stay, and accompanies him into the Western District despite warning that he has enemies there. In combat, he says he initially used Prohibition to avoid hurting ordinary people 3 5 6 7 8.

His concern for the Ji brothers also shows in quieter exchanges. He reassures Ji Tan that accepting a computer did not cause Ji Sinan’s fatal overwork, and he is visibly affected when Ji Tan calls him “A Zhi-ge” again 6 7.

Abilities & Skills

Prohibition

Xie imposes spoken restrictions, usually accompanied by a finger snap 2 3 5 6.

• Restricting actions: Forbids grabbing someone by the collar, opening a door, exiting a vehicle, and using machetes 2 3 5 6.
• Speed limits: Slows people and a moving car to one mile per hour. He also slows Ji Tan’s fall from the hospital rooftop 2 3 6.
• Variable duration: Uses limits of thirty seconds, one minute, and ten minutes. His rooftop-door restriction has no specified time limit; the hospital’s initial thirty-second limit was chosen to avoid disrupting emergency treatment 2 3 6.
• Concurrent restrictions: Demonstrates multiple prohibitions during the confrontation with Huo. Huo repeatedly guesses at his limit, but no definitive maximum is established 6.
• Self-exclusion: His speed restriction does not apply to himself, requiring him to hold onto Ji Tan during their slowed descent 4.
• Territorial restriction: Explicitly cannot use Prohibition in the Western District 15.

Nullification

Xie ends Huo Zhaixing’s supernatural restraints with the declaration “Nullified!” 6.

• Frees Ji Tan’s wrist and removes the invisible force choking Xie 6.
• Performs the declaration by striking his right fist against his open left palm 6.

Red Hammer Grace

Xie manifests a large, illusory red hammer from a flame-like glow in his hand 8.

• Knocks down three debt collectors attacking Ji Sinan 8.
• Smashes an animated Ghoul corpse and fights through the warehouse while carrying Ji Tan on his back 15 16.
• Combines heavy strikes with rapid movement, jumping across debris and launching the cult leader into a pile of wreckage 16.

Golden Book Permissions

Xie can activate Ji Tan’s proposal as a floating golden book and issue declarations of permission through it 3 16.

• “Opening doors is permitted here”: Uses the book while releasing the hospital rooftop door 3.
• “Death is permitted here”: Causes the warehouse Ghouls to collapse and destroys the Grace-bearing mutant Ghoul 16.
• Shared Sequence: Identifies the proposal as a supernatural item with very high Authority belonging to his own Sequence 16.
• Cost and access: Reports overusing his Grace after the warehouse battle. The proposal remains with Ji Tan, who refuses to surrender it 16.

Supernatural Knowledge

• Recognizes that eating Grace-containing Ghoul flesh can turn a person into a Ghoul 15.
• Explains that Ghouls and people nearing transformation are attracted to light but fear large fires 16.
• Identifies the cult’s remains as an E-rank mutant Ghoul and orders its bone sealed for testing 16.
• Advises Ji Tan to postpone another Blank Prescription injection for Ji Sinan and obtain a portable sanity monitor 14.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black face mask — Associated with his identity as North District’s Dictator. Knowledge of that identity is limited to Beichen officials and the T-police 4 5.
• Maybach — Received from the Huo family as compensation after defeating Huo Zhaixing; used to drive Ji Tan toward the Western District 6 7.
• Customized scooter/motorcycle — A brightly colored vehicle he uses to meet Ji Tan beyond the checkpoint and navigate Western District traffic 7 8.
• Gold bank card — Gives it to Ji Tan after Ji Tan demands ¥763,055.96 in unpaid performance bonuses. Its PIN is Ji Tan’s birthday 7.
• District-specific phone numbers — Gives Ji Tan separate North and West District numbers, explaining that cross-district calls are expensive 9.

Relationships

• Ji Tan — Former employee, longtime acquaintance, and fellow arrival from Earth. Xie repeatedly protects him and helps him settle into City A; their familiar teasing coexists with Ji Tan’s resentment over unpaid bonuses and distrust of Xie’s attempts to obtain the proposal 2 3 5 7 16.
• Ji Sinan — College roommate and best friend on Earth. The Ji Sinan living in City A does not recognize him and treats him as a suspicious stranger; Xie explains that he retains only memories of this world 3 6 9.
• Huo Zhaixing — Adversary who challenges Xie’s protection of Ji Tan. Xie nullifies his abilities, breaks his finger, and punches him before Huo’s grandfather intervenes 5 6.
• Qiao Qiao — Accuses Xie of impersonating the Administrator, only for the T-police to salute Xie as their superior 4.
• T-police / TS Special Operations Unit — Recognize his authority, accept his instructions, and offer medical assistance after the warehouse incident 4 14 16.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hospital Rescue

• Intervenes when Huo Zhaixing grabs Ji Tan, then carries him to the roof after the hospital is sealed 2.
• Uses the proposal’s golden-book form before escaping with Ji Tan through a controlled fall from the building 3.
• Reveals his dual administrative identities and leaves Ji Tan at the Public Security Bureau 4.

Journey to the Western District

• Returns with necessities and documents, then defeats Huo when he tries to seize Ji Tan again 5 6.
• Shows Ji Tan the million-yuan loan contract bearing Ji Sinan’s name and takes him to the district checkpoint 6 7.
• Despite warning that he cannot safely protect Ji Tan there, meets him beyond the checkpoint in local clothing and helps rescue Ji Sinan from debt collectors 7 8.

Argus Cult and Warehouse Battle

• Joins Ji Tan at a suspicious warehouse gathering and warns him against the cult’s offered Ghoul flesh 14 15.
• Fights the attackers without access to Prohibition, uses fire to hold them back, and activates the proposal to end the battle 15 16.
• Directs the arriving TS unit, then stays at the Ji brothers’ home after exhausting his Grace. His attempt to persuade Ji Tan to relinquish the proposal fails 16.

Notable Quotes

“I set a thirty-second limit so I wouldn't interfere with emergency treatment at the hospital.” 3

“Without the mask, I'm the Administrator. With it on, I'm the Dictator of North District.” 4

“I only used Prohibition because I didn't want to hurt ordinary people, you fucking idiot...” 6