Character · Book 8, A Parade of Horribles

Li Jun and Zhang

Two warehouse workers plucked out of a hallway between hornets and troglodytes to play Death Watch for the lives of Li Jun's sister Li Na and their manager. They refuse to choose, and Carl gets them sent back with a plan instead of a teleport point.

Segment appearances

Chapter 1 — Chandra; the garage
Chapter 3 — Heat one; Prepotente's warning
Chapter 6 — Spider legs
Chapter 15 — The Lollipop: the crawlers' table
Chapter 17 — Bucket Boy at the wheel; Dr. Metcalf
Chapter 22 — Last place; the princess throne
Chapter 23 — Plenty of Plenty; Zev reads the script; a note from C&W&U
Chapter 33 — First place; the jungle ahead
Chapter 51 — The Scavenger's Daughter blinks; Azra; heat four results
Chapter 52 — Interlude: Minus; the key, the upgrades, and Chachi
Chapter 54 — Grigori the Placid; Zhang's only way
Chapter 55 — The cleaner bot plan
Chapter 56 — Take on Me
Chapter 61 — Suckira; the cactus; Li Na leaves the game
Chapter 62 — Mees Koning's page; to battle
Chapter 67 — Half a prayer, half a song; one flower
Chapter 69 — The stables: who may leave; the Scavenger myth
Chapter 71 — Hungry Eyes: the goodbye; Bautista's tea
Chapter 73 — The Garden of Deliverance; the ducts
Chapter 85 — The Wheel of Fortune; 'Nothing' in quotes

Arc

Zhang rides an octopus behind Li Na, whom he cannot stop and will not leave (ch. 15, ch. 17). After her dread he throws his target cape on the table and plans to kill their mount so the system kills them both — 'I promised him I’d watch over her' (ch. 54). He presses the button that sends her out in the cleaner bot (ch. 61), rides with Bodi (ch. 62), and goes to the Cabaret himself: 'You only made me ‘Colonel.’' (ch. 71).