Kai Zhang

Kai Zhang was born in the impoverished streets of Zhongjing to abusive, neglectful parents - a construction worker father and a food-stall mother - who demanded success but offered no care. Despite this, Kai excelled academically and graduated from a prestigious university with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. On the day of his graduation, both parents died in a car accident while on their way to the ceremony, leaving Kai alone, grieving, and burdened by student debt he couldn’t repay.

With no support system, Kai drifted between odd jobs, surviving in his family’s apartment until the outbreak of the Third International War. With nothing left to lose, he enlisted in the military. His engineering skills earned him a mechanics role at Honghuan’s reserve guard, later promoting him to a driver in a mechanized unit. He bonded closely with his crew - his first real sense of belonging.

Kualton Airport In 1996, the Noobic Union (the Eastern Bloc equivalent) began rapidly losing its influence, retreating under the pressure of NETO forces in Eastern Europe, specifically across Kyiva, Belnusia, and the Baltik States. The weakening of the Union triggered a chain reaction in Asia: North Choson capitulated, and the revitalized Nopanese Armed Forces, under the leadership of Emperor Nagahito, transitioned to active military operations.

A decisive stage of the Asian campaign was the clash between SEATO forces and the occupying Jiuzhounese troops in the city of Hong Huan. The city fell under a brutal siege, during which large parts of the urban landscape were reduced to ruins. Due to the rapid escalation of the conflict, the civilian population could not be evacuated in time, leaving thousands trapped within the active combat zone.

The Kualton Airport became one of the most infamous flashpoints of the siege. Many people tried to evacuate to Nopan due to the war. However, Kai, driven by fanaticism and paranoia, began to see these civilians and his own comrades as traitors to their own country. Originally, Zhang had a gunner and some other crewmate, but the gunner's head was blown off during the fighting (THIS HAPPENED BEFORE KUALTON AIRPORT INCIDENT). Being the sole survivor of the crew, Kai rewired and reengineered the cabin (mostly turret to make it remote control) so that driving and aiming were intertwined. Now, he multitasks the entire operation alone from his seat.