In this chapter, the young protagonist is introduced to the world of comic books. He is introduced as the creator of the comic, Zhang Le, and as the protagonist of the story, ziwu. The young protagonist asks the comic's creator to throw a "real rager" at him, and the comic creator replies that he does not want eye candy, but a "revelatory roller coaster" . The comic introduces the audience to the various characters of the book, including Zhe , who is the protagonist's friend, and Lan , the bridge player. Zhe tells the comic that he is afraid of the roller coaster because he is not a thrill seeker. He also tells the story of his childhood friend, who was a student at the academy of violin at the time. He was a good friend to the protagonist, but now he is a "bit of an enigma" , and Zhe is afraid that he will be deceived by someone who has an "ax to grind."