Lu Youqi

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lu Youqi (路由其)
Alias(es)	Router; Zeus 1104 1178
Species/Race	Human 1236
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Mo Ling's two-person Abyss-exploration squad; later works with Martin 1101 1235
Occupation/Role	Abyss explorer; later searches across worlds for Uniqueness capable of serving as a container for Mo Ling 1235 1248
First Appearance	Chapter 1101: Partner

Background / History

Lu Youqi came from a small village near Abyss City, beside a reservoir. By the time he met Mo Ling, he stated matter-of-factly that his family was gone, masking the loss behind an unusually detached calm. 1139

His younger sister was Lu Tingting. At the Abyss Bottom, Lu Youqi encountered Word-Worm text recounting her death during the Abyss' descent; the loss was tied to the revenge and purpose that brought him into the Abyss. 1156 1157

Mo Ling later recovered memories revealing that Lu Youqi was Zeus. Lu Youqi and Martin had placed Mo Ling in the Cube for protection, knowing that Mo Ling would collapse if he remained outside it for too long. 1178

After learning that the Abyss Bottom was itself a trap that accelerated a world's destruction, Lu Youqi continued travelling with Martin to fight the Abyss and seek singularities across other worlds. His relentless work gradually damaged his health, but he refused opportunities to gain Abyss-derived power. 1235 1236

Appearance

Lu Youqi is a quiet, glasses-wearing young man whose normally gentle and refined appearance contrasts with his sharp, calculating manner. 1103 1130

• Wears glasses, which often catch surrounding light when he is deep in thought. 1129 1135
• Carries a backpack containing practical expedition supplies, paper, pens, and later materials for Totem experiments. 1101 1119
• Maintains a composed exterior even during grief, fear, or exhaustion. 1135 1175

Personality

Lu Youqi is analytical, cautious, and habitually prepared for risks before acting. He can infer larger systems from limited information, whether predicting the Abyss qualification system, identifying an escape opportunity from shifting supervision, or recognizing that an apparently friendly unknown entity may be dangerous. 1101 1108 1127

His greatest driving force is his desire to reach the Abyss Bottom and understand what lies beneath it. The Little Sprite identifies this desire as unusually strong and calculates that Lu Youqi has a high probability of reaching the Bottom. 1129 1130

Though he initially treats emotion as an obstacle to efficient action, Lu Youqi is not uncaring. He is deeply affected by Lu Tingting's death, eventually abandons an alternate reality where she survived, and agrees to help the Stone People after recognizing Mo Ling's compassion for them. 1157 1118

Mo Ling's influence also brings out a more playful and argumentative side in him. Their conversations regularly turn into bickering, with Lu Youqi responding to Mo Ling's nonsense with dry sarcasm and reluctant patience. 1108 1110 1123

Abilities & Skills

Strategic Analysis

Lu Youqi rapidly analyzes unfamiliar rules, behavior patterns, and practical constraints.

• Predicted that difficult squad missions would become a route around the Abyss' point requirement for entry to the Second Layer. 1101
• Chose a mission for himself and Mo Ling after dismissing options that exceeded their two-person squad's capabilities. 1102
• Monitored the decreasing number and attention of supervisors to identify the best time for escape. 1108
• Recognized the danger in the Little Sprite's ability to sense Mo Ling's field of vision, even when Mo Ling perceived it as friendly. 1127
• Deduced that an apparently empty, lightless space at the Abyss Bottom might be a constructed phenomenon intended to mislead him. 1155

Totem Crafting and Stone Transformation

Lu Youqi understands Totems and uses special paint to alter stone-based life and objects. 1119

• Drew a Stone Lizard Totem onto the Stone Sphere, transforming the sphere into a Stone Lizard replica. 1119
• Demonstrated the Stone Lizard's anti-temperature property: cold water increased its movement speed. 1119
• Created a Stone Mo Ling replica by drawing a second Totem onto the Stone Lizard. 1119
• Used fragments of a destroyed Stone Mo Ling to increase the replica's mass, allowing it to absorb more energy and heat up. 1119

Word-Worm Manipulation

At the Abyss Bottom, Lu Youqi discovered tiny human characters embedded in the ground that could be read by touch and later manipulated as living Word-Worms. 1156

• Altered the text describing Lu Tingting's past, temporarily creating a reality in which she survived and grew up. 1156 1157
• Learned that changing a single record produces a broader Butterfly Effect, rewriting memories, choices, and reality itself. 1157
• Restored the original text after the altered reality began changing his own history and causing his body to disappear. 1157
• Resolved to locate a more complete record that could potentially alter the Abyss itself rather than only one personal tragedy. 1157

Equipment / Items

• Glasses — A constant part of Lu Youqi's appearance. 1103 1130
• Paper and pens — Requested before beginning his expedition with Mo Ling, intending to draw talismans. 1101
• Stone Sphere — An anti-temperature object originally carried by Mo Ling in an insulated container; Lu Youqi repurposed it for his Totem experiments. 1119
• Special paint and brush — Used to draw transformation Totems. 1119

Relationships

• Mo Ling — Partner and frequent sparring companion. Lu Youqi recruited Mo Ling for a two-person squad, guided him through the Abyss, and later helped place him in the Cube for his survival. 1101 1111 1178
• Martin — Fellow seeker of truth and collaborator in the search for a Unique “Blank Paper” that could become Mo Ling's container. 1235 1248
• Lu Tingting — His younger sister. Her death shaped his grief and motivation; Lu Youqi briefly rewrote reality to let her live before undoing the change. 1150 1156 1157
• Little Sprite — An Abyss entity who recognizes Lu Youqi's desire to reach the Abyss Bottom and offers to help fulfill it. 1129 1130
• A'Dai — Travels with Lu Youqi and Mo Ling through the Stone Forest; Lu Youqi becomes increasingly skilled at directing her movements. 1113
• Stone People — Initially regarded by Lu Youqi as an impractical concern, but he ultimately helps Mo Ling attempt to give them a path toward life. 1118 1119

Story Role / Major Arcs

Partnership with Mo Ling

Lu Youqi approaches Mo Ling after recognizing the coming Abyss qualification system and proposes that they form an exclusive two-person squad. He handles mission selection and logistics while Mo Ling relies on his judgment. 1101 1102

Great Tree Cave Investigation

During their first major mission, Lu Youqi and Mo Ling investigate a Great Tree Cave projecting an image of Abyss City. After touching a glowing pool, their consciousnesses jointly control a ram-horned girl inside an unfamiliar world. 1103 1104

Lu Youqi directs the shared body through surveillance, forced labor, and an eventual escape attempt. He remains focused on practical observation even while Mo Ling complains about being made to work. 1106 1108

Descent Through the Abyss

Lu Youqi leads the group through the Stone Forest and Disordered Sand Dune, using scientific reasoning and limited supplies to keep them moving. His stated reason for descending is curiosity about the Abyss Bottom. 1118 1122 1123

At the Mirror Surface of the Third Layer, he initially urges caution around the Little Sprite but becomes determined to understand the being once its contradictory danger and friendliness become apparent. 1126 1127

Abyss Bottom and the Word-Worms

After reaching the Abyss Bottom, Lu Youqi discovers the Word-Worm text beneath the ground and changes the account of Lu Tingting's death. The rewritten reality gives him the life he wanted, but he rejects it when he realizes that it also erases the person he became and pulls him away from the Abyss. 1156 1157

The experience leaves him trapped in despair and vulnerable to disappearance. Mo Ling forcibly pulls him through the darkness, refusing to abandon him. 1175 1176

Zeus and the Search for Uniqueness

Mo Ling's recovered memories identify Lu Youqi as Zeus, one of the people who sealed him inside the Cube for protection. 1178

Working with Martin, Lu Youqi searches other worlds for a Unique “Blank Paper” capable of becoming a container for Mo Ling. In Tonggu Town, he investigates the decades-old disappearance at Mine Pit No. 1 and the unexplained collapse in mineral production that followed it. 1248 1254 1256

Notable Quotes

“When you encounter something you can't understand, the best choice is to stay far away.” 1127

“I want to remain purely Human. Once you accept the Power of the Abyss, you inevitably bear its Price.” 1236

Trivia

• Mo Ling commonly calls Lu Youqi “Router.” 1104 1130
• Lu Youqi claims that he becomes “illiterate” whenever he has to name something. 1111
• Despite his practical manner, he enjoys cola and admits that drinking it in large gulps makes it taste sweeter. 1149
• He insists on eating because, in his words, “I’m human.” 1242