The world of Mingchao is not as cold and ruthless as it appears. Every inch of its land and every skill seem to be telling a story about human nature and emotion. Zanni, a character who uses fire as a weapon, has become a symbol of the faint light source in this wilderness dominated by numbers and machines, although she still hides deep loneliness and sighs for this world in her heart.
The characters in Zhang Ailing’s works always wander between the maze of love and the constraints of society. They struggle in the abyss of desire, longing to be understood, but they can never get rid of the loneliness and alienation in their hearts. Zanni, in the world of Mingchao, is also experiencing an invisible loneliness. Her “flame judgment” is her resistance and a way for her to fight against the absurdity of the virtual world. However, behind every attack, there is an unknown bitterness.
Her four normal attacks are like a woman who hesitates in love, with thousands of words hidden in her heart, but only uses the simplest actions to respond to the predicament of life. Every normal attack of hers seems to be telling the struggle and helplessness of the individual trapped in the cracks of life. Every attack is to find a faint hope, but she has to face the physical and mental fatigue.
“Burning Flame Form” is Zanni’s awakening, and she is stubbornly burning her existence in the cold digital world. But just like every woman in Zhang Ailing’s works, there is deep sadness in the most beautiful moment. Zanni’s form is full of depression and pain. Her critical damage seems to tell us: In this virtual world, success does not mean joy, but means deeper and inescapable loneliness.
When she enters the “Burning Flame Form”, her combat effectiveness is greatly improved, as if a woman who has been giving in and enduring in her life suddenly bursts out with endless energy, trying to break through all the constraints around her. But behind this power, there is a desire for freedom, but after each release of power, she can feel the emptiness and powerlessness in her heart more clearly.
“Flame Enhancement” is Zanni’s brief respite after each dodge. At this moment, she is like a fragile flower, and even the weakest wind can make her sway. Her dodge and skill improvement seem powerful, but behind her calmness, her heart is still sinking in the lonely river. Behind every dodge is a deep self-reflection, a resistance to the inevitable constraints in life, and a struggle against her true inner desire.
The existence of “redundant kinetic energy” reminds people of the female characters in Zhang Ailing’s novels who are worn by the times. They are not excellent, but they live hard under the oppression of society. Zanni’s redundant kinetic energy is like the helpless persistence she has paid for her life. Repeated skill release may not have any profound meaning at all. The only thing she can do is to preserve her vitality as much as possible.
In the world of Mingchao, Zanni has a resonance power that cannot be ignored. Every time the “resonance chain” is triggered, it is like the faint cry of her heart that longs for communication and understanding. Her “Sleepless Watch” skill is very similar to the woman who is destined to be lonely in Zhang Ailing’s works. No matter how much she longs to be loved and understood, she can only watch her loneliness and regret in the cold wind.
And her “resonance liberation” is her resistance, and even the liberation of her life. She no longer relies solely on skills and critical hits, but transforms into a direct power, which is sometimes even self-destructive. It requires great pain and dedication, but it is her only way to change her destiny. In the end, her life, like a violent flame, burned everything.
“The Embers of the Burning Sun” carries a deep sadness. It is the remaining warmth and the inevitable end of life. Just as between the prosperity and indifference of society, people will eventually feel exhausted, and this exhaustion cannot be escaped. Although Zanni is burning herself in every battle, her light and heat will eventually dissipate in this cold digital world.
“The dark night is about to dawn” is a simple but profound symbol, just like the women in Zhang Ailing’s works who still hold a glimmer of hope. Although the years have taken away their youth, they still wait for the light to come in the long night. And Zanni’s dark night is her weak but inextinguishable hope for the future in the battle and loneliness.
“The most urgent thing? Get off work!” This sentence seems to be a sarcastic ridicule. In this world full of rules and numbers, is everything Zanni does just to escape the endless labor and pressure? In such a world, any trace of relaxation seems to be buried in the endless indifference.
Zanni’s “immunity to death” reminds people of the vitality that can still survive tenaciously no matter how many times it has been destroyed. Even if she is knocked down and abandoned, she can still stand up and continue to fight. Her resonance chain and ability improvement are the little freedom and dignity she fights for herself.
Zanni in the Mingchao world hides indifference and fire. Her story may not be a magnificent heroic epic, but an image of every little person struggling silently in a cruel society. Her fight is not just to defeat the enemy, but for the glimmer of hope for freedom. She is a lonely flame, a tenacious person in the face of oppression, and a person who seeks light in life.