Name: Pan Jinlei (潘金磊) Age: 19 Nationality/Region: Han Chinese – Hakka (客家人), from Meizhou, Guangdong Role: Martial arts club vice president / civil engineering student Class: Civil & Defensive Infrastructure School: Imperial South Mountain University Religious Beliefs: Ancestral worship and Hakka folk Taoism (esp. earth gods and clan shrines) Hardy – Physically and mentally tough; doesn't break easily Loyal – Prioritizes family, friends, and team above self Blunt – Speaks plainly and directly, sometimes without tact Industrious – Always busy, always fixing, building, training, or helping Pan Jinlei hails from a tulou village in Meizhou, where life is structured around clan, endurance, and community labor. His father is a stonemason, his mother a herbalist who runs a street stall with callused hands and an iron tongue. From a young age, Jinlei was trained in traditional Hakka martial arts, which emphasize rooted stances, practical strikes, and rhythm passed down through generations of hardship. His education was modest but solid—he built his first bamboo bridge at thirteen. Coming to Imperial South Mountain University was a cultural shock. He’s not interested in courtly refinement or ornamental speech—he’s here to study structural defense and return to reinforce his homeland. Though some mistake his plainness for ignorance, he’s fiercely intelligent in applied fields and has won the quiet respect of professors and classmates alike. When other students falter under pressure, Jinlei is already halfway through the work, his feet firmly planted on the ground—just like his ancestors. Trivia: -Carries a small cloth talisman sewn by his grandmother, filled with salt, dried mugwort, and rice husk—for protection and “rootedness.” -Knows how to build a fully functional earth oven using only river stones and clay—taught to him by his great-uncle during flood season. -Eats raw ginger like candy—says it’s good for strength and digestion. -Can recite a dozen Hakka work songs by heart but only sings them when he thinks no one is listening. -Fixes other students’ gear silently—bent desk legs, loose dorm doors, broken fan wires—and never asks for thanks.