Zhang Zhi (張芷; fl. 1259) was an initiate of the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins during the Song dynasty and an ancestor of Owen Meyers. During her youth, Zhang Zhi was trained by her Assassin father, mastering skills such as Eagle Vision and freerunning.
Biography[]
Losing her father[]
One night in the summer of 1259, Zhang Zhi was in her home, practicing her Eagle Vision all the while anxiously awaiting her father's return from Diaoyu Castle, where he served as one of the commanders of the Chinese army fighting off the invading Mongols. Zhi's training was suddenly interrupted by a soldier who had orders to summon her. Fearing the worst, she was escorted to the barracks in the outskirts of the fishing village, where she entered into an inner building to find General Wang Jian standing over her father's body.[1]
Overcome with emotion, she fell to her knees in anguish and began mourning over the loss of her father. Jian threw light upon her father's sacrifice, explaining that he had died saving the fortress from a Mongol assault and labeling him a hero for his deeds.[1]
Initiation into the Brotherhood[]
Zhi departed the barracks and returned to the fishing village, taking her father's Hidden Blade as a shrine to him. Upon reaching her home, she saw Kang, her father's Mentor, who had been waiting for her arrival. She acted hostile at first, but ultimately agreed to listen to his proclamations. Kang offered her a place in the Brotherhood to fill in the gap that her father had left behind with his death. Zhi hesitated, so Kang gave her time to think and departed into the night.[1]
The next morning, Zhi readied herself to meet Kang outside his hut. Motivated by rage, she agreed to join the Assassins and openly professed her desire to kill Möngke Khan himself, marking the beginning of her "real training." On 10 August 1259, Kang oversaw her training, pushing her to be faster and stealthier through the forest, until she had earned Kang's acknowledgement. After their training session, Zhi rested and Kang began a short-lived conversation, which concluded with the Mentor scheduling their next training session at sunrise and warning her to be punctual.[2]
After returning home, Zhi ended up oversleeping and was met with some scolding by the old Mentor. In an act of defiance, Zhi stood her ground and lashed out against Kang, declaring that it was up to herself to decide if she was ready to act against the Mongols. Kang advised her to consider his warning that revenge had to come after duty, and left after telling Zhi to meet him the next day to continue her training. However, Zhi had already made up her mind and did not wish to wait any longer.[2]
Assassinating Möngke Khan[]
That night, Zhi left her house and descended into the Feiyan Cave to follow the forbidden path out of Diaoyu Castle in order to infiltrate the Mongol encampment located southeast from the fortress. She quickly freeran through miles of forest, until finally reaching the first Mongolian round tents. As she traversed through the camp composed of thousands of large tents, she sneaked by many guards and managed to incapacitate two of them at the entrance of the Khan's luxurious tent, all without raising suspicion.[2]
Moving quickly and silently, Zhi entered the tent and avoided detection by the numerous guards inside. From atop a perch, she found the Great Khan slumbering peacefully on his bed. Hearing soldiers in the distance discussing the bodies of the slain guards, Zhi made her move and pounced on the Mongol warlord, plunging her father's Hidden Blade deep into his throat. After watching her target die before her eyes, Zhi made her way to the exit and dispatched two more guards, but this time her cover was blown. Mongol warriors charged with their swords drawn and others shot arrows at her, chasing her throughout the entire camp.[2]
Confronting Bayan[]
Zhi freeran through miles of forest and escaped the horde of Mongols. Now, she was on her way back to the fishing village, but was suddenly struck down by an arrow from above that impaled her knee. She immediately stood up with her Hidden Blade wide out to face her attacker, Bayan, who came out from the trees. The Mongol demanded to know where she came from, but she stayed silent. In response to Bayan lunging at her, Zhi instantly shot him down with her poisonous Hidden Crossbow. Then, she stabbed his side, to which Bayan reciprocated with a kick to the arrow protruding her knee, digging it even deeper into her knee.[3]
Under grievous pain, Zhi got off the Mongol officer and only allowed herself to collapse after Bayan had fled from the scene. Through sheer force of her will, Zhi suppressed most of her pain and dragged herself all the way back to the fishing village. There, she collapsed next to Kang's hut, and passed out just as the Mentor came out to find her lying on the ground.[4]
Nearly three days later, Zhi awoke with the arrow no longer protruding her knee and was greeted by Kang once again. Zhi happily told the Mentor of what she just accomplished that night, but her joy all but vanished when she noticed that her father's Hidden Blade was missing from her hand. Kang informed her that she would never be formally inducted into the Brotherhood in view of how the bone on her knee was permanently injured from the arrow he had removed, so he was forced to take the Hidden Blade away from her. He also added that even though she was no longer useful to them, the Brotherhood would look after her and would honor her as a hero. Kang left shortly after, leaving the disheartened Zhi to grieve on her own.[4]
Legacy[]
In 2016, Zhang Zhi's descendant, the teenager Owen Meyers, relived her genetic memories in search of a prong of the Trident of Eden, which had been buried with Möngke Khan. Prior to entering the Animus, the Assassin Rebecca Crane informed Owen that there were no records of Zhi's existence. Upon further questioning, Rebecca deduced that the Templars had likely burned the records at some point, as it was common for them to destroy or seize Assassin intel for their own purposes.[1]
Zhi's life influenced Owen's quest for answers in some ways. Her discovery of her father's death reminded Owen of when a police officer informed him that his father had been arrested and later died in prison. He also questioned Griffin about her expulsion from the Brotherhood, leading him to wonder whether the Assassins exploited people for their own gain.[4]
Skills and equipment[]
Zhang Zhi wore her father's Hidden Blade and a version of the Phantom Blade, both of which she wielded with great skill. She was also able to call upon Eagle Vision.[5]
Zhi was a skilled freerunner, effortlessly moving between trees and continuously refining her abilities under the guidance of her Mentor, Kang. Her descendant, Owen Meyer, was so impressed by her progress that he wished some of her skills had transferred to him through the Animus. She excelled in stealth, infiltrating Möngke Khan's camp undetected until guards discovered two bodies outside his tent. Despite the heightened alert, she used her agility and stamina to escape the camp.[5]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan – Chapter 6
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan – Chapter 9
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan – Chapter 12
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan – Chapter 14
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan