Tong Tong

Tong Tong is a murdered child spirit anchored to a mobile phone who becomes one of the House of Horrors' communications specialists.

Biography

Message to his mother

Tong Tong first appears as a shy, frightened boy carrying a phone with ninety-nine missed calls from his mother. A trafficker had kidnapped him, killed him when the police approached, and hidden his body and phone in a rooftop water tank. Rather than appear before his mother and prevent her from moving forward, Tong Tong asks Chen Ge to restore the number she has kept active for years. He sends only “I'm sorry,” watches her receive it from across the street, and then asks Chen to call the police. Once the trafficker is brought to justice, Tong Tong voluntarily becomes a House of Horrors employee. (Chapters 404–405)

Life at the House of Horrors

As an employee, Tong Tong grows from a child asking for help into an active ally who communicates through phones, watches targets, and coordinates other spirits. He assists with scares and investigations, is briefly carried by the searching Red Raincoat Woman in Li Wan City, and refuses to be used as a substitute for her missing child. In later operations he relays messages among employees and even helps arrange Chen Ge's birthday surprise. His continued presence through the final reunion shows that the phone has become a means of connection rather than only an anchor to his death. (Chapters 493–506, 550, 630, 664–709, 912–1158, and 1211)

Appearance and personality

Tong Tong appears as a thin, vulnerable young boy, normally mediated through or accompanied by an old mobile phone. He is initially shy and fearful, especially around the crime that killed him, but he is also considerate enough to protect his mother's future at personal emotional cost. Life at the House brings out a more playful and helpful side. (Chapters 404–405, 493–506, 693–709)

Skills and supernatural abilities

Tong Tong can send messages, place calls, manipulate phones, and appear or follow a target through a device. This makes him useful for surveillance, coordination, and scares in which a visitor believes a phone is safe. His manifestation is closely tied to the phone medium, and reminders of his murder can still frighten or destabilize him. (Chapters 404–405, 493–506, 693–709, 912–1158)

Relationships

• Mother: Her seven years of keeping his number active allow Tong Tong to send a final message; his decision not to reveal himself is meant to let her stop waiting. (Chapters 404–405)
• Chen Ge: Chen recovers the phone, brings the killer to police attention, and gives Tong Tong a home and useful work. (Chapters 404–405, 493–709, 912–1211)
• Red Raincoat Woman: She carries him in Li Wan City while searching for her own child, but their temporary bond never erases Tong Tong's separate identity and family. (Chapters 541–543, 676–677)

Items

Tong Tong's old mobile phone is his primary anchor and communication medium. Chen Ge retrieves it from the water tank, transfers its still-active SIM card into a working handset, and thereafter keeps the device available for Tong Tong's use. (Chapters 404–405)