So far it's a quite mature story, a big step up from the writer's earlier work and in parts even more refined than the newer novel "Saving Unpermitted".

The characterisation is deep and nuanced, with gradual changes triggered either by specific incidences or naturally over time through the accumulation of experiences.
We have a very flawed cast that matches their circumstances, they are believable, no one plays the hero without gaining anything from it, calculations are made and people often classified as "useful" or "useless".
It's true to its setting, a... more>> dystopia where only the strong survive and nothing is given for free.

The couple's progression from enemies to pretend lovers, before real feelings slowly grow from companionship and trust that was painstakingly build up, is one of the rare organic ones you seldom find in webnovels.
Their relationship isn't smooth, it's not love at first sight, a seamless kind of evolution, nor driven by plot devices, they go back and forth for a long time, all the progress is earned, not given by the writer.

World building is not only creative even for its genre, but meticulous and extensive, the sphere of what we learn about it, and see of it, gets expended little by little through the eyes of our MCs.
And that's truly what makes this novel so unique and great, despite there being just one MC, both he and the ML are nearly equally involved in the whole plot, we see most of the progression from a two-person-view.
There really isn't the MC, and neither does it feels like either of them is more competent, better, or powerful than the other, the writer skipped the whole Shou & Gong dynamic and went straight to equals.

Some of the themes might be uncomfortable, there's blood, gore and body horror, as well as the question if innate traits are what defines and shapes a person, if they are an indicator for how they will turn out to be.
It reminds one of "Minority Report", a system that condemns you for what it thinks you will do at some point in your life, completely denying you the capability to make choices or change as an individual.

If you love dystopian Sci-Fi and like realistic characters that aren't goody-two-shoes playing hero but raw, ruthless, cunning survivors with all of their ugly sides, then give this novel a try. <<less

Captivating story, immediately met with a mystery that feels overarching and like it will unfold nicely into the niches of the plot. MC is smart but not pretentious and adapts realistically to the new world around him, and I especially appreciate how he and ML feel as though they are on equal footing. It's refreshing from the usual powerplay dynamics.

Definitely recommend for those that like a good mystery sci-fi.