Zhang Yi

Biodata

Background / History

Police Career and Imprisonment

Zhang Yi grew up in Ziyun County and became a criminal investigation captain. His work involved irregular hours that drove away several prospective partners; Zhang Ruiyang’s mother was the woman who stayed. During his career, he worked with Meat Tower Chen, a local underworld figure and police informant, for six or seven years 3 7 24.

After being framed, Zhang Yi spent five years in prison for dereliction of duty. An inmate whom he had personally helped imprison broke his right leg. Although the bone was set, it healed improperly, leaving him with a lasting limp. Meat Tower Chen tried to secure his release and occasionally helped care for his elderly mother 1 3 22 32.

Prison changed his formerly uncompromising outlook. He learned to endure humiliation and yield when necessary to stay alive, abandoning the belief that remaining rigidly upright would always serve him well 32.

Family Loss and Displacement

After leaving prison, Zhang Yi found his son hiding beside his mother’s body. Yangyang had survived being locked inside the home by eating its remaining food and eventually raw rice. When Zhang Yi subsequently became ill, the child also fed him raw rice 2 8 32.

During the trip to have his mother cremated, the grief-stricken Zhang Yi became separated from Yangyang. A speeding Ferrari nearly struck the boy, but Nan Shao had his Maybach ram it aside. Zhang Yi remembered this intervention even though Nan Shao initially forgot the encounter 4 17.

Zhang Yi and Yangyang initially remained in the machinery factory’s family quarters in Ziyun County. Two months after the apocalypse began, the loss of clean water forced them to leave. They eventually settled in a shack on the outskirts of Wangyang Town, where Zhang Yi hunted and scavenged while his son hid in a small hole behind their shelter 2 4 8.

Appearance

Zhang Yi is tall and thin, with handsome features that retain traces of his earlier scholarly appearance. Hardship has left visible signs of exhaustion and age 3 11.

• Face: Straight nose, resolute mouth, and creases between his brows 11 18.
• Hair: Gray at the temples 11.
• Build: Lean and sun-darkened, with visible muscular definition despite weight loss 35.
• Posture and gait: Keeps his back straight; his right-leg limp becomes more noticeable when he walks quickly 11.
• Earlier appearance: A photograph from his first days in the police shows him in a crisp uniform and peaked cap 3.

Personality

Zhang Yi is restrained, observant, and difficult to provoke through insults directed at himself. His mother’s death leaves him emotionally numb, with Yangyang initially the only person he feels he has left to live for. Watching Nan Shao teach his son to read begins to bring warmth back into his life 7 11.

His compassion is tempered by survival arithmetic. He helps Nan Shao while the man is alive, but acknowledges that he would kill him and take his Corpse Crystal if he turned into a zombie. He no longer considers himself capable of helping strangers selflessly when his own household’s survival is insecure 3 37.

Once he accepts someone, however, Zhang Yi is deeply loyal. He immediately decides to rescue Meat Tower Chen despite the burden of feeding and treating him, and risks entering a hospital for medicine. He also refuses to assume that his companions owe him the same risk, thanking Nan Shao sincerely when he volunteers to help 21 23.

Yangyang is the clearest limit to his self-control. Zhang Yi tolerates contempt toward himself, but nearly breaks cover when Zheng Kun threatens to cripple his son. Although initially reluctant to kill other humans, he later assists in killing Zheng Kun and Bai Mei without sympathy for people he regards as having endangered his family and friends 40 45 46.

Abilities & Skills

Close-Quarters Combat

Zhang Yi is a capable fighter whose judgment, timing, and decisive attacks impress Nan Shao. His movements favor practical killing strikes rather than flourishes 15 16.

• Uses sharpened rebar to strike through a zombie’s eye or the hollow at the back of its head 13 15.
• Separates approaching zombies through movement before attacking them individually 15.
• Coordinates with Li Muran by holding off multiple zombies and passing one opponent to her when she is ready 48.
• Practices with a machete to improve his effectiveness despite his disability 47.

Tactical Planning and Local Navigation

His knowledge of Ziyun County allows him to choose routes through alleys, courtyards, walls, and rooftops while avoiding concentrated zombie populations 11 24.

• Draws rough maps in sand and identifies dangerous locations and escape routes before expeditions 11 33.
• Limits scavenging loads to under ten kilograms to preserve speed and reactions 12.
• Chooses hunting grounds with multiple exits rather than pursuing richer supplies in heavily infested commercial areas 33.
• Scouts unfamiliar terrain around a new home in preparation for emergencies 34.
• Investigates the likely political consequences of Zheng Kun’s death before attempting the assassination 44.

Investigation, Knots, and Locks

Police experience remains evident in his observation, caution, and practical technical skills 4 12 18.

• Studied knotting extensively for investigative work; his restraints are difficult to escape or untie 4.
• Recognizes that a knot positioned in front of a bound zombie may indicate that it tied itself up 35.
• Can pick locks and agrees to teach Nan Shao 29.
• Improvises an escape rope from hospital bedsheets and secures Li Muran for her descent 26.

Leadership and Resource Allocation

Zhang Yi organizes the household’s expeditions and spending while directing scarce resources toward the group’s long-term survival 33 38 50.

• Proposes reserving Corpse Crystals to strengthen Nan Shao and Meat Tower Chen 33.
• Gives Nan Shao the superior Tang sword because his greater combat potential offers better protection for everyone 38.
• Keeps the group hunting after finding a supply cache so their improved circumstances will not attract suspicion 38.
• Separates shared expenses from hunting proceeds and gives ten crystals from his own share to the recovering Meat Tower Chen 50.

Physical Limitations

• His injured right leg cannot bear excessive strain; prolonged standing or running causes severe pain 47.
• Forceful kicks can aggravate the injury enough to make walking difficult 15 16.
• Unlike ability users, he must recover stamina and muscle fatigue through ordinary rest rather than Corpse Crystal absorption 50.
• He recognizes that his disability may widen the strength gap between himself and his companions and is determined to address it 47.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sharpened steel rod/rebar — An early primary weapon, roughly one meter long and as thick as a small child’s arm; also used for extracting crystals and forcing entry 4 7 24.
• Thick-backed bone cleaver — Carried at his waist for opening zombie skulls; lent to Nan Shao when the latter’s weapon breaks 4 14.
• Machete — Chosen over the Tang sword and used for both combat and practice 38 47 48.
• Wooden crutch — Obtained at the blacksmith’s shop after aggravating his leg injury 16.
• Vegetable seeds — Collected during scavenging and offered to Nan Shao for wood-type ability practice 13 17.

Relationships

• Zhang Ruiyang (Yangyang) — His young son and chief reason for surviving. Zhang Yi protects him, brings back books for literacy lessons, and gradually learns how to be a more attentive father 3 4 11 50.
• Nan Shao — Yangyang’s earlier rescuer, later saved by Zhang Yi after a zombie bite. Their partnership develops through complementary combat skills and growing mutual trust. Nan Shao becomes attracted to him, but Zhang Yi does not understand the cause of his awkward behavior 4 17 23 48 49.
• Meat Tower Chen — Former informant and longtime friend who tried to help him during imprisonment. Zhang Yi trusts his warnings, rescues him after Zheng Kun’s attack, and funds his recovery and training 7 13 21 22 50.
• Li Muran — Fellow survivor and household member who helps care for Yangyang, selects medicine using her medical knowledge, and joins the group’s hunts. Zhang Yi entrusts her with their communal crystals after consulting the others 19 23 29 50.
• His mother — Raised Yangyang during Zhang Yi’s absence and treasured his police photograph. Her death profoundly affects him; seeing the family portrait brings him to tears 2 3 22.
• Zheng Kun — Hostile Vanguard Team captain whose treatment of Meat Tower Chen and threats against Yangyang lead Zhang Yi to participate in his assassination 23 40 45 46.
• Bai Mei — Meat Tower Chen’s lover, later found with Zheng Kun. Zhang Yi restrains her during the assassination and assists Nan Shao in staging the deaths as murder followed by suicide 45 46 47.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Forming the Household

Zhang Yi shelters the bitten Nan Shao as repayment for saving Yangyang. Once Nan Shao survives and discovers his weak wood-type ability, Zhang Yi invites him to stay with father and son. Their first joint scavenging trips demonstrate an unusually effective fighting rapport, encouraging them to pursue safer housing together 4 5 17.

After an overnight expedition, they return to find Yangyang dangerously overheated in his hiding place. The incident reinforces Zhang Yi’s unwillingness to keep leaving him alone. Li Muran subsequently joins them, providing another trusted adult in the household 18 19 20.

Rescuing Meat Tower Chen and Moving Home

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao retrieve Meat Tower Chen from a rubbish heap after Zheng Kun has him shot in both legs. Zhang Yi bandages the wounds, then enters the county hospital with Nan Shao and Li Muran to obtain medicine. They escape a zombie breach using tied bedsheets 21 22 23 26.

The group secures a ground-floor apartment with a yard and moves out of the shantytown. Zhang Yi overcomes the rental clerk’s hostility through controlled intimidation with bloodied rebar 28 29.

Discovering the Cave Cache

While scouting the hills, Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Yangyang discover a cave. Zhang Yi refuses to enter without proper lighting, then returns with Nan Shao to investigate. Inside, they find a bound zombie, living quarters, and stored supplies 34 35.

After examining the former owner’s diary and burying his body, they sort the cache. Zhang Yi tests its Tang sword but assigns it to Nan Shao, retaining the machete. The household leaves food in the cave and maintains its normal hunting routine to avoid attracting attention 37 38.

Eliminating Zheng Kun

Learning that Zheng Kun intends to kill them, Zhang Yi reluctantly agrees to strike first. He and Nan Shao scout the Vanguard Team’s residence and overhear orders to cripple Yangyang and Meat Tower Chen 40 44 45.

Nan Shao kills Zheng Kun while Zhang Yi silences and restrains Bai Mei. They also kill her and arrange the scene to implicate her in Zheng Kun’s death. Wang Yuanwei subsequently takes control of the Vanguard Team, and Zheng Kun’s hostile aide dies during the resulting infighting 46 47.

Continuing Without an Ability

Zhang Yi continues practicing and hunting despite concern that his injured leg will make him a burden. A later expedition yields 189 Corpse Crystals for the group, giving him renewed hope that ordinary people can survive. His slower physical recovery remains a disadvantage beside his ability-user companions 47 48 50.

Notable Quotes

“We have to survive first before we can talk about anything else.” 32

“The stronger you are, the safer we’ll be.” 38