He Laowu

Biodata

Appearance

• Build: Obese and potbellied, with a thick palm, large ears, and rolls of fat on his face 1 11.
• Hair: Bald 1.
• Habitual accessory: Frequently holds or smokes a cigar 1 10.
• Lasting injury: Xu Chao knocks out one of his front teeth during his capture 11.

History

Exploiting the Arena Fighters

He Laowu gains wealth and influence through his position at the Killing Arena and his service to Zone 108’s District Chief. His recruitment scheme targets young people devoted to their families: after identifying suitable candidates, he has their loved ones poisoned, then offers special medicine in exchange for arena earnings. Lin Cheng helps him find these targets 1 4.

Qin Ling is one of his victims. For two years, He Laowu uses her condition to keep her brother, Qin Xun, fighting. He repeatedly delays providing the cure while supplying medicine that temporarily suppresses the poison 2 4.

After Qin Xun’s ninety-ninth consecutive victory—a match in which he kills his childhood friend A-Liang—He Laowu claims that a boss from Zone 189 brought A-Liang over for the bout. He agrees to have A-Liang’s ashes delivered to Qin Xun 1.

With Qin Xun approaching eighteen, the arena’s age limit, He Laowu promises the cure for one final victory. Privately, he orders Lin Cheng to arrange Qin Xun’s defeat and death: a loss would earn more money, and Qin Xun knows too much about his dealings. He also declares that he will kill Qin Ling afterward 1.

Theft and Exposure

Warned that his next match will be sabotaged, Qin Xun breaks into He Laowu’s office and steals the special medicine and a bag of gold coins from his safe. Lin Cheng interrupts the theft, but Qin Xun overpowers him. Before being killed, Lin Cheng reveals He Laowu’s responsibility for Qin Ling’s poisoning and the planned fatal match 2 3 4.

He Laowu later identifies Qin Xun through the office building’s surveillance footage. He suspects Lin Cheng also entered the office to steal and shows no sympathy for his assistant’s death 9.

At the Drunken Moon House, He Laowu complains about losing both the gold and the medicine. During the same visit, he reveals that he is laying a trap for Lili’s father and intends to sell Lili to the establishment to recover what he has spent on her 9.

Capture and Escape Diversion

Qin Xun proposes taking He Laowu hostage to exploit his connections and leave the sealed city. Knowing his habits, Qin Xun leads his companions to the Drunken Moon House and prepares an ambush along his route home 8 9 10.

He Laowu leaves earlier than usual because he fears Qin Xun may return with Psionic Power users. During the drive, he offers Xiao Zhang a promotion to assistant while implying that the driver must surrender his nineteen-year-old sister to him 10.

The ambush overwhelms his escort. Xu Chao kills all four bodyguards and takes He Laowu’s pistol before he can fire. Captured and threatened with a dagger, He Laowu first suggests disguising Xu Chao and Dazhuang as bodyguards and hiding Qin Xun in the trunk. When that plan is rejected as too risky, he calls the District Chief for permission to leave 10 11.

He claims he is taking two new fighters to an arena in District 107. However, he covertly signals distress through three irregularities: calling himself “Laowu” instead of “Xiaowu,” proposing nighttime travel despite his fear of danger, and offering the chief a young woman despite knowing he has lost interest in women. Zhong Tianshou recognizes the warning and alerts Black Crow 11 12.

Qin Xun has deliberately allowed the warning. Xu Chao places a glowing mark on He Laowu’s chest and falsely describes it as a remotely controlled miniature bomb. After being searched for communication devices, He Laowu is forced to drive slowly toward the city gate alone. The mark can actually track his location, but cannot explode 13.

His journey becomes part of Qin Xun’s larger deception, keeping attention on the civilian district while the group attacks the noble district to draw guards away from an escape route. He Laowu is still driving on the surveillance feed when Black Crow recognizes the second diversion; Qin Xun’s group subsequently breaks out of Zone 108 14 15 16.

Personality

He Laowu treats people as sources of profit or disposable liabilities. He values Qin Xun’s victories for their earnings, then plans his death once the arena’s age restriction makes him less useful. His promise to end Qin Ling’s suffering by killing her illustrates his habit of disguising cruelty as generosity 1.

His sexual exploitation extends beyond his relationship with Lili. He plans to sell her after tiring of her and uses Xiao Zhang’s promotion as leverage to obtain the driver’s sister. He spends at least twenty days each month at the Drunken Moon House, although he habitually returns home to sleep 9 10.

Despite his power over vulnerable civilians, He Laowu is intensely afraid of death. He seeks protection in the noble district, begs when captured, and obeys Xu Chao’s supposed bomb threat rather than risk discovering whether it is real. He nevertheless attempts to save himself through a coded warning to the District Chief 10 11 12 13.

Abilities & Skills

Political Connections

• Pays substantial monthly tribute to the District Chief and can contact him directly to request travel authorization 11.
• Has given benefits to gate guards and expects them to recognize him and grant him favors 11.
• Receives firsthand information about the citywide alert through his position as the chief’s subordinate 10.

Coercion and Deception

• Controls arena recruits by engineering medical crises in their families and withholding the cure 2 4.
• Uses rewards, employment, and access to medicine to conceal or enforce exploitative demands 1 10.
• Communicates a hostage warning under supervision by deliberately breaking his normal conversational habits 11 12.

Equipment & Assets

• Office and safe: Located in the arena’s office building; the safe holds documents, special medicine, and a bag of skull-stamped gold coins before Qin Xun’s theft 1 2.
• Special medicine: A blue liquid used to treat mosquito venom, withheld from Qin Xun as leverage 1 2.
• Black sedan: His personal vehicle, driven by Xiao Zhang before the ambush 9 10.
• Pistol: Stored beneath his car seat; seized by Xu Chao during his capture 11.
• Button phone: Allows calls within the district, but lacks interdistrict communication capability 11.
• Armed escort: Four pistol-carrying bodyguards travel in a second sedan; all are killed by Xu Chao 10.

Relationships

• Qin Xun — Exploited fighter turned enemy. His ninety-nine victories contribute substantially to He Laowu’s wealth and position before he steals the medicine and helps capture him 1 2 11.
• Qin Ling — Poisoning victim used to force her brother into arena service 2 4.
• Zhong Tianshou — Political patron and superior; recognizes He Laowu’s covert plea for help 11 12.
• Lin Cheng — Assistant who locates potential recruits; exposes the poisoning scheme before Qin Xun kills him 3 4.
• Lili — Intimate companion whom He Laowu intends to sell to the Drunken Moon House 1 9.
• Xiao Zhang — Driver offered Lin Cheng’s position in connection with He Laowu’s designs on his younger sister 10.
• Xu Chao and Dazhuang — Captors who destroy his escort and force him to assist Qin Xun’s escape plan 10 11 13.

Notable Quotes

“He'll be eighteen any moment now, and after that he won't be able to fight anymore. So tomorrow, we have to squeeze every last bit of value out of him!” 1

“Don't worry. I, He Laowu, am not that cruel. Once he's dead, I'll kill his sister too, so she won't have to suffer as much... Hahahaha...” 1