Hell App

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At his best friend’s memorial service, Bai Yan almost burst out laughing and got beaten to death.

Along the way, Bai Yan’s fits of laughter turned into ones of anger. His joy quickly turned to sorrow as he met his punishment that night.

He curiously opened the app that he had never seen before on his phone and was suddenly pulled into a terrifying world of reincarnation…

An infinite stream of horror flowed into his mind, ominous descriptions, breakthroughs, and storylines.

Associated Names
One entry per line
地狱app
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
My House of Horrors (1)
Plague Doctor (1)
Dreadful Radio Game (1)
The World Below Surface (1)
Thriller Trainee (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. NOVELS I LOVE SO FAR
  2. A mix of everything EXCEPT romance
  3. male mc (no romance)
  4. CN Novels: No Harem :)
  5. webnovel (action, fantasy, adventure)

Latest Release

Date Group Release
12/31/22 Second Life Translations c118
12/24/22 Second Life Translations c117
12/17/22 Second Life Translations c116
12/10/22 Second Life Translations c115
12/03/22 Second Life Translations c114
11/26/22 Second Life Translations c113
11/19/22 Second Life Translations c112
11/12/22 Second Life Translations c111
11/05/22 Second Life Translations c110
10/29/22 Second Life Translations c109
10/22/22 Second Life Translations c108
10/15/22 Second Life Translations c107
10/08/22 Second Life Translations c106
10/01/22 Second Life Translations c105
09/24/22 Second Life Translations c104
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19 Reviews sorted by


The Hamster Overlord
The Hamster Overlord
August 1, 2021
Status: Completed
It's an interesting novel with some very interesting and terrifying concepts.

The world this novel paints is dark, gruesome and hostile, where selfishness is rewarded and kindness is punished, where nothing is truly safe and everything presents a potential danger.

The author doesn't go deep into the details about the app and the past of the protagonist, Bai Yan, but we can imagine the general idea.

Bai Yan is a tragic protagonist. He has a mental problem that makes him see all things benevolent and kind as nauseating and all things malicious and... more>> evil as interesting and fulfilling. Because of it, he doesn't feel comfortable in our world, he feels like a foreign element who is constantly suppressed and he hates it when the world constantly tries to tell him that the way he sees things is wrong. We can't blame him for being the way he is, as it is something he had no power over, and I personally find him very pitiful, despite his obvious evil traits.

The novel ends in this way

Spoiler

Bai Yan reaches the final level, but he surrenders to death, because he feels like the people who tried to teach him kindness "won", he feels that he wasn't wrong but he wouldn't reach any degree of satisfaction by winning.

Another part of it, is that the winner of the game becomes a "patient 0"of some kind, spreading the supernatural and the ghostly into the world, effectively dooming it.

He says that he would feel bored by creating another cardboard cutout horror world like those he's been to, so he dies unsatisfied, feeling like he lost.

The extra chapter tells about how the government discovered things about the app, and is actively trying to stop its spread, but it's implied that it would be impossible to completely prevent it as anybody in the world could get it and they can't stop every person.

The story ends on such a grim note

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DarkD
DarkD rated it
October 28, 2020
Status: c98
Damn good series, although it's a little depressing that the ghosts are universally mu*derous pieces of shit. I read ahead using google translate since it's extremely readable.

The spoilers below reveal the style and framework of the novel. Not necessarily any plot, just how the ghosts work and how the protagonist works.

... more>>
Spoiler

So the protagonist is someone with a mental problem, he views everything evil as heartwarming and fun, and he views everything good as disturbing and awful.

So the protagonist finds a weird app on his phone one day, he clicks on it then he's forced to play life or death ghost missions. At the start of each mission, the game gives him a list of objectives and requirements. From there it's basically survive until you complete the objective and are sent back.

The ghosts are universally evil serial killers. You can pretty much throw away the idea of there being a nice ghost. Each ghost is indestructible and unstoppable. But they are bound by certain rules. Which is basically where the horror stories come in. Those ghost may have to wait for you to ride an escalator while holding a pamphlet or agree to help them up the stairs.

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My biggest criticism of the series is the wasted opportunities. They've got great ghost stories, an interesting character, but a lot of it is very rushed. They could have done a lot more with the system, there are several dropped plot lines. The protagonist has almost no lasting social interaction. The protagonists purpose is kinda a joke. There's nothing I would say is egregious, just disappointing. These are pretty damn legit ghost stories. I would put them above "My House of Horrors" in terms of creepiness. Not that I found them scary (novel's just don't scare me), but I found the situations far more ghostly.

The ghosts remind me of Japanese Yokai. Each one has a certain role and if the player interacts with the ghost incorrectly, they die. <<less
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AKA432
AKA432 rated it
December 30, 2020
Status: Completed
Spoiler

Nooooo NO!!!! Absolutely not!! What the hell is that ending!!! Ughhhhh I'm so pissed right now! The main character didn't achieve his goal but also died??? UGHH!!

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Its a great novel and has a smart and amazing main character! But the ending is so unsatisfactory. I feel like the author just wanted to wrap up the ending. I would have given it five stars but the ending is absolutely terrible.
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rhianirory
rhianirory rated it
September 6, 2020
Status: c8
Wow, this novel is impressive. The MC is amazing in his own skewed way. I'm looking forward to seeing if the MC gets his wish or not, and what happens after.

strong elements of horror and gore, so if your weak to those don't read. Even though its a jjwxc site novel it's listed as NO CP so there shouldn't be a romantic side element getting in the way of the horror plot.
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Yukimizuk
Yukimizuk rated it
August 29, 2020
Status: --
I may say this is one hell of a novel.

I wont put any spoiler cause it ruin the suspense and I would love if you try it.

Anyway I Highly recommend this ^•^

(PS: I just have to make an account just to rate this lol)
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
MeAndOnlyMeSaltedfish
MeAndOnlyMeSaltedfish rated it
October 15, 2020
Status: --
This MC who have a disgusting behaviour (psychopath) that I look forward to. He's really different from other MC I read. This almost rare, can't find some novel similar to this one. :3
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Hornypotato
Hornypotato rated it
November 22, 2020
Status: Completed
This novel is very impressive for me, the plot is not really new but the way the author describes each scenes and the fact that the protagonist is my favorite type makes me give this a 5 star but... kind of disappointed with the ending ngl not because it's not good but..... It's a tragedy.... I seriously need to read the tags now lmao

It's my first time giving a review and English is not really my native language so..... 😝
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Liero Dirlewanger
Liero Dirlewanger rated it
May 8, 2021
Status: --
Cool book, but as far as i've read (up to latest translated part), he isn't really evil or crazy like the start makes him seem. I mean, he is, but he never acts upon his evil impulses and is just a normal guy with evil thoughts. Thankfully the horror part is good so the fact that the book basically lies about evil MC gets made up for
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Ichigoeater
Ichigoeater rated it
April 22, 2021
Status: c54
So far, I like it. The protagonist is a proper evil man, unlike a lot of other so-called evil protagonists. I was worried in the first game, because ... more>>
Spoiler

he seemed to help a kid being bullied for no reason other than the goodness of his heart, but it turned out, he wanted to give the man bullying him a discreet death sentence for no reason other than that he offended his eyes. The kid also dies in the game, but there were warning signs the protagonist saw, and he kept them to himself intentionally and watched it happen.

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He truly is a terrible human who enjoys watching people of all types suffer. Somehow, though, I don't dislike him. Maybe because it's made obvious that this is due to a mental illness? Even when it's him being made to suffer, he sometimes gets joy from it, so he's definitely got issues, and isn't an angsty ball of hate like most other evil protagonists. There's also that,
Spoiler

because there was one other survivor in the first game who witnessed his true face and exposed him in the forum (though under the false name he gave her), he's trying not to be actively a pig teammate so he won't be exposed, backstabbed, ganged up on, slaughtered, etc. He's trying to keep his evil contained within, I guess?

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Anyway, the details are gory enough, and the games are especially interesting for this type of novel. Even though I'm already sensing a tragedy at the end of the novel, I'm having a fun time getting there. <<less
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Makeshift01
Makeshift01 rated it
April 15, 2021
Status: c53
Players are forced to play the game Hell App in this Death Game genre book where they're completely normal humans who have to use information and clues to solve the games and survive against Evil Spirits.

The MC has a mental problem in which he finds joy in other people's misery and loves seeing 'good' people suffer, while he also has a physiological rejection when performing good himself, such as sudden anemia and vomiting.

... more>>
Spoiler

This makes him an interesting character however, he doesn't really show his mental instability often as he's hiding it since he was exposed in the tutorial through the game's forum. However I don't really agree with the fact he's able to hide it so easily without the other players catching on. Since they should be pretty observant considering they've survived a couple of games.

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The other players he encounters are well written, they actually contribute to the tasks and are capable of making their own competent decisions, unlike some other novels where they only go along with the MC's plans or act as cannon fodder.

The actual 'games' they participate in are kind of interesting, however they aren't all that unique either. They're based off of ghost stories, but they do bring their own spin on things, but they're too simple. The way it's written in which the games are completed make them seem too easy, although players still die in every game it still seems that it's too easily solved.
Spoiler

Right now, the MC has only been in the tutorial game (easy) and 4 normal difficulty games, so it should be expected that there's a difficulty spike at game 7 and make things more interesting and less predictable and easy for our MC.

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TL;DR
This novel is pretty interesting except the games seem too simple right now, which will hopefully be fixed later on. The MC's mental illness should also be a larger factor in the story, since he's not been very affected by it during the games. <<less
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NightmareWyvern
NightmareWyvern rated it
March 11, 2023
Status: Completed
I have to say, I didn't expect this novel to be as good as it was. Let's start with the pros. The MC was in my opinion amazing. The author was able to create an incredibly unique main character which was a breath of fresh air. He's clever and quite insane. You either love him or you hate him. The majority of authors don't dare create an MC that isn't mentally sound and evil, fearing that they will get hate and that people won't like it, and instead opt for... more>> one that is slightly kind. Considering that the author chose an extremely bizarre way to portray the MC, it really makes this novel stand out from the rest.

The ghost stories were really good as well, and only got progressivly better. The descriptions are extremely well made and detailed. I'd put the creepiness a level above My House Of Horrors. The ghosts were malicious beyond reason, and the world itself is extremely cruel and awards selfishness, which makes it perfect for the MC.

Something which really isn't a pro or con is the side characters. It's hard to survive, and the mc's nature doesn't allow him to trust anyone or to be trusted, so it's impossible for him to have permanent companions. The deathrate is high as well, sadly making it difficult for the author to create really fleshed out side characters. This makes some characters feel robotic, while others don't get enough time to really develop. In my opinion it was fine and didn't really take away from the experience, and there were still some side characters that got development and some screentime which is why it isn't a con.

Now the cons. The first one is the translation quality. The translation isn't that bad, but it's slightly below average making it hard for someone that isn't used to it to read it. All the chapters aren't translated either, forcing you to either wait or read mtl sate your hunger.

Second one, and the biggest setback of the whole novel is how rushed it is. Near the ending it felt like the author just wanted to get done with the story and finish it at that point. The story is really good, and it felt like it could have been at least a couple hundred chapters more. The ending also left many plotlines and questions unanswered. But overall i'd still say the novel was a great experience, probably one of my top 5, and i'll probably reread it sometime in the near future :) <<less
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deathcoy
deathcoy
September 23, 2020
Status: --
Its a deathgame novel. Like Liar Game and Judge. Kinda an extinct genre but if you're into it, you'll like it.

It also has the supernatural mixed in which differentiate itself from other deathgame manga & novels. It seems each stage of the deathgame has gotta do with ghosts, spirits and such.

Imo too early to drop a rating however its looking good so far.
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
lament
lament rated it
August 29, 2020
Status: --
Amazing. There’s only 5 chapters right now but the quality literally oozes from those 5 chapters. Really hope this becomes more popular because it deserves it.
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Mahesvara_
Mahesvara_
September 26, 2023
Status: c26
I completely misjudged the book because of the synopsis. I thought it's a story of Evil MC inside a survival game but it turned out to be a Ghost Story only sprinkled with a mental case MC.

I started reading this hoping to see some mental MC spreading chaos in the story but he turned out of be a closet mental guy, hiding his true self with a facade of a normal person. If it were any other time depending on my mood I might enjoy this but now for me—... more>> who was hoping for madness to descend in the story felt this story is way too subtle for my current mood so I don't feel satisfied at all.

The ghost plot is great if you're just looking for a eerie creepypasta horror stories. It's overall not a bad story but synopsis is a bit deceiving. I won't gave any rating as I won't do this justice even of I did. I might pick this up again. <<less
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tedy2004
tedy2004 rated it
January 18, 2023
Status: Completed
A masterpiece novel with the horror genre. It was entertaining to read and realize the simple and complex plot twists. It felt a bit rushed after half of the chapters, and it began to miss some of its essence, plus with some details to appearing out of nowhere to further the plot, but overall, this novel was truly well done.

... more>>
Spoiler

The ending made me give it five stars, the author nailed it in a short yet well deserved way.

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The translation is top-notch, and the MTL 90% is readable unexpectedly.

I do recommend this novel, with some snacks as well.

P.S: No bed scenes

Good day. <<less
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DLSloth
DLSloth rated it
December 5, 2022
Status: Completed
Greatly recommended. It's not often did I get engrossed so much by a horror novel. This is such a gem.

Edit: I've to take out 2 stars for how horrible the ending was. Feels like author lost his brain when he was writing the last few parts. I know it's horror and a bad ending for MC is not surprising. But there's so many ways he could have end it but he just chose the worst possible way to end it. And it's so anticlimactic. Damn, it's so disappointing like... more>> really. It's really hard to find novels with a good ending why is it always rushed.

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Sylvette
Sylvette rated it
September 9, 2021
Status: Completed
The novel is good. The stages are really exciting and I have no regret reading it. Mtl is easy to understand. However the ending is kinda rush

Spoiler

Especially when the MC die/commit su*cide. The reasoning kinda s*upid and the mystery of the App is not solved at all.

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Vanlatte
Vanlatte rated it
June 16, 2023
Status: Completed
It's not perfect. 5 stars because I'm very satisfied with the ending.

Regarding the "Psychopaths tag", to me MC looks more like a malicious person who is a bit of a sad*st and a masochist at the same time..

Has mental problem? Sure, he has. A psychopath? Not really.

Disclaimer: it's only my personal opinion.

Honestly, this novel barely cover MC in real life. Once finished the current level of the Hell App, the next chapter MC's already gone into the next level.

Furthermore, with MC being an oddity, all relationships are superficial.

... more>>
Spoiler

--- VERY SPOILERLY ---

We never know what MC felt to his dead best friend. He was just a background person/tool to prove MC's mental state in my opinion.

Also, I'm very sad about Luo Xing, the student who studied hard... I actually hope to know about his mutation, ahh

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The advantages of this novel is, rather than the "level/world" be the shining point, those "levels" were used as tools to build and move the plot. Most of the times it's the contrary.

Ummm, you can say each level is kind of bland.., but it suited MC very much! I mean, he didn't really care about those ghosts, levels, and the app itself in the first place.

There's little to no backstory for the ghost that's why I said 'bland'. But still interesting.

My suggestion: if you want the usual "Tragedy" or "Psychological" theme, this novel is not for you. <<less
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cpzombie
cpzombie rated it
April 8, 2023
Status: Completed
Honestly having a hard time deciding between 4 and 5, might change it later. Definitely the best Chinese horror novel I've read, although admittedly I haven't read many.

MC is absolutely insane, he enjoys suffering (both his and others) and is nauseated by randomly doing good. He's usually able to control himself so it's not like he's unable to function normally, but it definitely shows sometimes. Here's a mild-spoiler example:

... more>>
Spoiler

keeping a little girl alive would be beneficial, but he tricks her into being killed by her ghost mother because the amus**ent outweighed the benefit of saving her.

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The ghosts are usually pretty spooky, to the point that washing my hair was a bit uncomfortable. Though tbh, the most horrifying part is the descriptions of some Chinese food...

The main reason I'm hesitating between 4 and 5 stars is that while it says at the beginning there's always a path to life, later on there are situations where the player's life or death is literally just luck. There aren't many, but it's presented as just part of the difficulty which is inconsistent with a multiple things.

Overall, definitely give it a try if you want a Chinese horror novel. It's short enough to read in a weekend if you binge, and definitely worth it. Be aware that the linked TL mistranslates a few things though, so you might want to have an MTL up as well to clarify parts (as of now you need to use MTL for the last 20 chapters anyway). An example of an import mistranslation:

Spoiler

there's a part where he has to keep any one of four designated NPCs alive, but the linked TL seems like he has to keep ALL of them alive.

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