This is horror, serious horror, not the kind of soft-washed horror you usually see in Chinese novels.

Mutilation, cannibalism, body horror, lots of r*pe (not the main characters), human trafficking, child abuse, mu*der, insects... if you can think of it, it's likely in this novel.
Often in great detail.
If you don't like hardcore (splatter) horror, don't read it.

There's a major psychological component that many readers likely won't appreciate, it dives into pathological as well as simply incomprehensible personalities and world-views.
If you don't like anything that doesn't fit into the "pitiful and harmless victim" category when it comes to central characters, then this isn't for you.

Personally, I have nothing bad to say about it.

Some things people might find offensive:

All topics are handled tactfully, nothing is being justified or treated like something not so bad.
It's the opposite, the novel is very focused on the dark sides of humanity, how deplorable people can be, and what it does to the victims.

There's no China-best-country either, it's very critical of many things usually shown as normal or even great.

I've read a lot of survival horror games and can safely say that this novel is quite unique in its tone, how the world works, and the games.

Characters are deep, develop visibly through what they experience, there are complex relationships and characters live even when the MC isn't present.
You might not see one for a long time, and when they show up again, it's clear something happened to them – that you get to hear about little by little.

The big mystery is interesting and gets supplemented over time.

It might be good to point out that MC isn't a goody-two-shoes, he's strange, maybe creepy for some people, and he's not constantly the focus of attention.
He doesn't really stand out, no rapidly climbing the rankings or other power-fantasies, he's just trying to do his thing and doesn't care about anything else.

I highly recommend it to horror lovers that are immune to basically everything and appreciate different portrayals of victims, social structures, and relationships.

5 stars for now, because it deserves it.

It's a 5/5 star for me. The premise and the main character are interesting, which caught my attention. Xia Bai, the main character, may have a dumb look on his face, but he's very smart. The novel focused on him with the settings of the game.

I quite like the identity he has, "corpse chaser." I haven't seen a character setting like that. Here, we can see more about the duties of corpse chasers and why they did it.

There's also various characters that enriched the novel more, like Liu Xiang, Xuezhu,... more>> Yang Mei, Erhwa (love him), Yang, Yi, the old mans (lao qian, lao wang, etc.), and also his boyfriend. It's a love at first for the two of them, and I think it's magical. The subtle hints of their affection just make my heart feel sweet. They're a power couple, btw.

The game's presence wasn't that high, but it's there. Just read it because I can tell spoilers will come out of me.

For the arcs, it's all about humans actions and choices. Ignorance, malice, cruelty, resentment, etc. It's all about the dark things. Most of the game arcs are inspired/taken in real life, which made you wonder about it. Ending is also property closed. It didn't leave any loose ands at all. Highly recommended. <<less

One of my newer favourite novels, the story is just different enough to feel unique in the infinite flow genre and the characters are fleshed out and grow through the story.

There is an explanation given for the Game that fits the plot and the individual games are entertaining and puzzling while also keeping the darkness inherent to horror.

The MC is somewhat OP but part of that comes from his lack of interest originally, and later on his understanding that he can't fix everything for everyone, and everyone makes their own... more>> decisions. He is the kind of MC I can appreciate and like, who isn't a Gary Stu or a holy father, but still realistic in wanting to help where he can without sacrificing himself or those he cares for to the cause.

ML and MC's initial meeting is very suited to MC's unique brand of "necrophilia" and corpse appreciation, and ML himself - while OP - doesn't take over the whole story as soon as he shows up, but allows the MC to grow and keep shining in his role as a high IQ game clearer.

Also yes, the ML is

Spoiler

the "Ling Jiangye" (or Changye) mentioned in the summary. He is only mentioned by name during the first game, but shows up "in person" soon after.

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