Captain Yan

Captain Yan is a senior Jiujiang police officer who repeatedly becomes responsible for cases surrounding Chen Ge. He is more distant from the House of Horrors than Lee Zheng, but his authority lets Chen's discoveries become formal investigations rather than unexplained rumors.

Biography

From Ping An Apartments to the Ghost Stories Society

Captain Yan first recognizes Chen Ge's role in resolving the Ping An Apartments case and treats his unusual information with more seriousness than its supernatural framing might invite. As the Third Sick Hall, Ghost Stories Society, Coffin Village, and Han Bao'er cases accumulate, Yan assigns officers, coordinates searches, and evaluates evidence while trying to keep Chen from placing himself in unnecessary danger. The repeated results earn Chen institutional trust, even though the captain never stops questioning how one haunted-house owner reaches so many crime scenes first. (Chapters 65–525)

That trust becomes especially important during later pursuits involving Fang Yu, Jiang Ming, Jia Ming, the Ghost Fetus, and the fallout from Xin Hai. Yan verifies identities, directs capture operations, shares urgent warnings, and keeps police attention focused on ordinary crimes that can be proved. By the time Chen's parents return, the department's enormous case history with their son makes their recovery a major police event, and Yan remains one of the officers capable of handling it without dismissing Chen's involvement. (Chapters 619–708, 991–1052, 1141–1210)

Appearance and personality

Captain Yan is serious, authoritative, observant, and pragmatic. He protects the integrity of investigations while making room for unconventional leads, and his dry humor—particularly about Chen's reward money and remarkable frequency around solved cases—softens an otherwise commanding professional manner. He is protective without being indulgent and expects both officers and civilians to accept the consequences of dangerous choices. (Chapters 65–1210)

Skills and supernatural abilities

Captain Yan has no supernatural ability. He excels at police command, case synthesis, interrogation strategy, deployment of officers, and evaluating how separate incidents connect across Jiujiang. His authority also lets him turn Chen's partial leads into warrants, searches, protection details, and coordinated arrests. (Chapters 65–1210)

Relationships

• Chen Ge: An unconventional civilian source whom Yan comes to respect for results while repeatedly warning him against taking police work into his own hands. (Chapters 65–1210)
• Lee Zheng: A frontline officer operating under the same police structure; Lee's direct contact with Chen often feeds into cases that Yan commands. (Chapters 65–1052)
• Jiujiang police: Yan's team and principal responsibility. He coordinates officers across the city's expanding sequence of disappearances and violent crimes. (Chapters 65–1210)

Items

• Police medal: An official commendation awarded to Chen Ge in recognition of his assistance, reflecting Captain Yan's willingness to formalize credit rather than merely use Chen as an unofficial source. (Chapters 159–169)