Got to chapter 39 via MTL and couldn't continue, not necessarily the story is bad, I just can't understand the MTL.

From what I can tell not much romance, just ambiguousness so far. I might pick this back up when more has been translated. Will update my review if I do.

On a side note: warning for those that it bothers, the patriotic undertones are strong with this one, China is great everywhere else is s*upid and violent (find it funny that then things get really violent in the same chapter in... more>> China). Let's be real, I don't think any country would be in good shape if and apocalyptic disaster were to occur. I've become used to this in Chinese novels so I just roll my eyes and move on. <<less

Among all stories, I enjoy reading Slice of Life x Apocalypse novels the most. And apart from Reborn Otaku's Code, this is the second story that let me read my favorite genre with much satisfaction.

From beginning to end, it tells about the survival of mankind, and explores the states - physical, mental, emotional - of the characters when exposed to all kinds of natural phenomena that they can't predict and control.

The fantasy element starts at the MC's space, but it's not an over-the-top attribute, which I think is something that... more>> largely makes this novel an enjoyable read. The space doesn't evolve into a magical world unlike other stories - it just functions as storage space until the end, so you can still see the main pair's struggle on how to survive, especially when they aren't given a stable environment for production and mainly depend on goods manufactured pre-apocalypse.

Another thing worth noting on this novel is the presence of order and government. Even when there are a series of natural disasters, the ruling body will NOT just magically disappear and lawlessness become the next norm. There's still a struggle for order, or at least a gradual transition, so I can't understand how on other apocalypse novels, people just start mass mu*ders and no action was done to at least suppress it or make the guilty pay, even after months. That scenario would be believable of that's the premise of the story, but I haven't found a novel with such premise yet so meh.

I read the MTL, so I probably missed some context but for me, this line near the end sums up the novel best:

It takes an extremely long time for human beings to create a civilization, but it only takes a moment for nature to destroy it.

If you have the same preferences as mine, give it a try. It's a long read but it's worth it.

PS: If you want to end your reading time basking in tense emotions, don't read the extras.

PPS: I didn't read this for romance so I didn't include it in the review. For those who are wondering, the main pair is childlike and dependent reborn shou with a magical space x genius and steady yet cold and ruthless brother gong with a soft spot for the shou. <<less

Very PVE oriented novel, with a little bit of PVP sprinkled but not much!! I'm not used to apocalyptic novels without zombies so this was an interesting read for me.

For anyone who wants to read: this novel focuses a lot on environmental disasters + factors (i.e. Blistering heat, plagues, epidemics, food shortages, flash flood, etc.) -- the MC lives in his original building and then moved to a base (and then another base towards the end, but it was like the last 10 chapters). Good characters (the ones on MC's... more>> side) lives well, bad characters (antagonists) suffers from human disasters due to their own greed, or from poor conditions.

Strong patriotic tones in the early chapters and also throughout the entire novel. The MC is a silk worm type character who is pampered and enjoys life, paper skin and glass bones. To me, the CP is tolerable but their character settings just aren't appealing. In some instances I find them hypocritical. Didn't enjoy it, but I do enjoy the pace of the novel and find the overall content is good.

Also the MC pair isn't omnipotent nor overpowered. They are only slightly better than their neighbors (who are good friends/side with the MC). Despite having space powers and lots of supplies, they don't seem to be soaring towards the sky like other apocalyptic/rebirth MC. So that's another thing to note!!

Otherwise -- I think this novel is alright. I don't really know how to place it. On one hand it's a good story, on the other hand there are personal differences that doesn't really align with my preferences. If this novel fits your preferences, then good!!

If you want to try something new to see if you like it, then this is a good place to try. If it' works for you then nice! If not, then this piece is an experience for you to cater and know yourself better!! Overall, I don't regret reading the novel because natural apocalypse is new to me. Even if I don't really care for the characters, I still came out of it understanding myself and my own preferences better. <<less

Very different from a lot of the CN Apocalypse Novels out there, but I ended up liking it a lot! Admittedly, it gets a bit boring sometimes. The author has a tendency to dump information, making me tempted to drop the novel several times. BUT, I'm glad I persisted until the end (EXTRAS included, even!) I'm the type of reader that enjoys details, and there's no denying that this author is really good at delivering that. Furthermore, the survival aspect in this novel is really entertaining. The MC and ML... more>> have a space, so one can say that they're a bit passive (the cheat is used more of a convenience rather than tool, which makes the novel less thrilling than it could have been if the space never existed or if the space was revealed). However, looking at it from another perspective, the magical space and the rebirth aspect ensured that the story was not too dark. Without it, the story would have been incredibly tragic and sad. XD

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SUMMARY: The MC, Mu Nan, lived over a year on an Earth suffering from severe natural disasters. Despite having a magical space for hoarding goods, his life during the apocalypse was not very good. And, because of his kind-heartedness, he even ended up getting stabbed, resulting in his life ending early. When he awakens two months before the first natural disaster official hit China, his first thought is to hoard goods and make contact with his non-biological older brother (the ML, Qin Huai), who had been separated from him five years before everything began due to family issues. When the two meet again, not long after the onslaught of the first natural disasters, they hold on tightly to each other and do their best to survive.

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THOUGHTS: As mentioned, this novel can be considered very tragic if the main characters did not have the magical space and rebirth cheats. It's not like the popular Zombie CN Apocalypse novels that are commonly seen in danmei -- where the MCs have special abilities and a direct enemy to fight against. After all, there's no real way of fighting against natural disasters -- no matter how prepared you are, accidents will happen, and there's the element of human nature as well. ANYWAY, despite this rather glum plot, the story is actually pretty lighthearted. You get to see the daily life of the two main characters, who are a bit more selfish than your usual protagonists (they share when necessary, but they keep their secrets hidden tightly till the end.) You also get to see them make friends along the way, some of whom will stay, others will leave.

The author, despite their tendency to info-dump everywhere xD, is pretty good at keeping things interesting. Even the most mundane things are pretty fascinating in my opinion (though that may be because I enjoy novels with survival, infrastructure-building, farming, hoarding, etc. LOL). I also like the fact that the author doesn't forget character development throughout all this. Authors who write in this genre tend to overfocus on the plot and forget about the characters. And, while the character plot here is nothing too impressive or complex, it's still pretty satisfying and realistic. At the very least, the author does a good job establing the characters -- enough that you can stay interested in their future indefinitely.

ALL in all, a good read! The TL is currently incomplete but the MTL is highly comprehensible -- even the names are uniquely good. The author's writing style is very straightforward, so despite the long text, everything is very readable (at least 85-90%).

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RATING: 4.65/5

Worth the read! Highly Recommended! Especially if you enjoy survival stories! I was really hesitant about reading this because it's kind of different XD. I enjoy Zombie Apocalypse novels a lot and got kind of used to them. So, this natural disaster-type apocalypse was really uncomfortable at first. In end, however, I ended up wanting more T.T AHHHH (I vaguely remember a novel that has a similar premise to this, but it was one where there were multiple survival instances to clear, so it wasn't as comprehensive as this novel. Pfft! Let's hope I can find it again later for a reread.) <<less

I will admit I am biased, these kinds of storys are right up my ally, im only 5 chapters in and im hooked. The story is realy good so far.

Quite boring for an apocalypse novel, MC legit spends most of his time at home since ML doesn't like him going out. I got pissed off at times about how he was treated like a baby and really did act like a child too. I don't understand, this dude survived the apocalypse for years in his past life but with his brother's presence he's become completely useless?? He doesn't even use his future knowledge to his advantage other than avoiding the worst disasters, such as the earthquake. I get it,... more>> it's meant to be a slice of life, but what life? MC doesn't do shit, nor does he eat well, it's more like reading a 200 chapter novel about a hikikomori. Even when they're eating well, they're hiding somewhere like in a storage room in fear of being found out by others. Yet at other times, they just eat braised meat out in the open where others are starving with only hard pastry and it's written as a 'well, ML is so powerful, look at him take care of these greedy starving bastards with a single kick. They can look but not touch!'. Then what's the point of hiding usually? Just stick to one angle bruh. Also the food descriptions are boring, just like how MC's life is boring. I get that the environment is fked, but it's like all these things are happening but you're still bored. Bc why? MC and ML are hiding somewhere and we're all finding sh*t out through secondhand news from their phones. Or ML is out doing sh*t while our POV is with MC doing nothing at home. Not even the romance is written well, cos nothing happens for more than half the novel! And it's supposed to be an apocalypse novel!!

ML is so naggy and bossy, he legit controls everything from if MC leaves the house to what he eats and when he sleeps and ofc, makes all the decisions for them without consulting MC. And it's written as this cute thing but the whole time I was cringing. Guess that's what you sign up for when you read these kinds of novels though. I did expect more from MC seeing that he's the one with the space power and was reborn, ie, had firsthand experience but nope, the ML is author's baby genius and infodump channel while MC is just there to be coddled, that's seen as the best life for him I guess? Literally, ML will be pulling random geographical knowledge such as how to tell an earthquake is coming by the movement of ants, whether there will be a flood, plague knowledge, ALL RANDOM STUFF that a rich second gen like himself shouldn't have an inkling of ok. Then he'll go 'haha u silly fool who only needs to focus on eating' to MC who has no clue. ML used to be a software developer. Do you think programmers know sh*t about the world, even more so than someone who actually lived through the apocalypse? Hell no! It's explained away by how he went to some prestigious military camp for 3 years abroad, but I don't buy that they taught him exactly how to deal with the apocalypse vs just beating up the brats of rich families.

The author's preference for the prescribed shous to be weaker and more squeamish can also be seen in the side characters, which really damn pissed me off. MC has a neighbour, JC, who lives with his older college mate and partner, YZB. Even though JC is written to be this ex delinquent who was frequently getting into and winning fights outside like a gangster while his gong had a good boy upbringing, JC is somehow more squeamish than YZB. Why? Bc he's the shou, of course. YZB is super judgemental towards him and his worldview bc he was brought up unjaded and in a good family, and thinks of reforming him all the time. Even though he literally admits this afterwards to him that they had an unequal standing in the rs, LITERALLY NOTHING CHANGES!! He's controlling him all the time as well, which is his right as the gong according to ms author, I guess, about whether he leaves the house, works, etc, and he's always thinking something patronising like bringing back the shitty cafeteria food to get JC 'used to the taste' like he hasn't been living in the apocalypse as well. He's of course, also better at fighting than the ex gangster JC for some reason. Oh yes, bc he 'trained in taekwondo' before. Get a grip please. He didn't even do it consistently, he learned when he was younger and practices once in a while. And JC? Ofc bc he's the destined shou, he gags when he sees dead bodies etc whereas the YZB who grew up well protected has no reaction. Also, the JC who is mentioned to have starved growing up is more picky about food than YZB. He even says that he feels that he should be controlled by YZB. AND it's all written as this cute aw look at how the gongs are taking care of their shous!!! Uwu

Please, I'm gonna puke my guts out. It's really triggering considering how some BL authors will usually write basically their idea of a heteros*xual rs but have a boy take the place of an FL instead, for whatever purposes. There's no exploration of a dynamic behind a homos*xual rs other than 'when will innocent MC be enlightened?' by the gong and both getting jealous when they think about their potential future sister in laws. So basically, if you want an escape to read an rs where the FL basically is useless and blinks her big eyes at ML to get what she wants, while ML is ofc the domineering genius cold CEO but without blatant misogyny bc they're both male, then you can read this I guess. But bc you still know that the author is basically playing out her heteros*xual fantasies in a BL font, it may still trigger you. Or maybe just me.

Finally, side note but I found it funny that there was this scene that ML is making a snake game for MC and JC drops by and he's like what?? How could he do that?? He's a genius!! And MC's like IKR! My brother is so smart, he can code a snake game! He's a software developer, and even took classes on game development in college! But like, why did the author use the snake game to showcase ML's genius? The snake game is so basic literally even beginners could figure it out, it takes like 200 lines of code at most and you could code a HTML or Python version, which are both very simple languages. Also, it's said that MC basically downloaded all the single player games before the world ended in preparation but he didn't download the most basic one? Ok. <<less

This is the first apocalypse novel I've read where it's not a zombie apocalypse, it's a natural disaster apocalypse with extreme climate change. Maybe because it hits a little closer to home, but I did enjoy it overall. I liked the main characters and the side characters, and I never really grew bored with the story even until the end. I read the whole thing MTL and found the MTL very easy to understand.

The only problem with the novel is the extreme nationalism that kind of comes out of nowhere... more>> at random points. They add nothing to the plot or the story overall, but every ten or so chapters, the author makes a point to express how other countries are doing terribly compared to China. Like, at one point, one character was talking about how difficult it must be to keep a pet alive during the apocalypse, and another character responded by commenting it was even harder for foreigners in other countries due to how chaotic things were there and how they were better off in China.

Like, what?? That had nothing to do with the conversation??? Dunno if they had difficulty getting through censorship until they added that or what, but it's extremely strange and random, like a really blatant product placement. More subtle is the almost brainwashing statements of "you should always trust the authorities and follow their instructions" in the aftermath of almost every disaster. Military good, government good, follow their orders and be a good citizen, anyone who doesn't will be worse off. Not quite as blatant propaganda as the "our country is way better off than other countries which are in chaos" statements, but definitely more prevalent.

So, one star off for that. If you can ignore that stuff, I would recommend reading the novel. If reading such sentiments several times over the course of the novel would bother you a lot, skip it. <<less

Decided to drop this novel because I've fallen asleep twice. And I'm dropping a one-star rate for this novel because of sheer boredom and the author's a brainwashed sheep with boring writing style.

I've read a lot of apocalypse-type novels in NU and this story has next to nothing that prompted me to read further. The MC was boring, the ML was boring, their relationship was okay but awkward, the special power was boring, and the apocalypse was boring.

I thought it wouldn't get so boring for a slice of life novel... more>> since it has 'cooking' and 'farming' tags, but lo and behold, the author's way of writing them was so boring my eyes couldn't stay open when the MC cooked noodles or cleaned the chicken coop. Not that the activity is boring, but author's exposition-style was painfully plain.

The humanity part would've been interesting if not for MC's vanilla personality. He was like a quiet background worker ant just living by. It's totally not helping with author's description of his looks, so here I am imagining a plain, pale thin and standard brainwashed sheep just huddling away and stay put where the govt wanted him.

The part where many reviewers are commenting about brainwashed nationalism is actually true. Just before I dropped this novel, the chapter was talking about the epidemic situation abroad and in china. About how peaceful and law-abiding their own citizens are compared to the violance abroad. What's funnily ironic was that the MC was already feeling proud of his country when they evacuated the citizens abroad, but next paragraph, the MC narrated that the people in his community couldn't even get healthcare... since they were locked up due to community control 🤣 Loool I was howling with laughter.

Just think about one thing.. does chinese citizen even realize that they're already living in a modern dystopia since birth? Just reading about their education, political, social, health, security and military systems alone are enough to imagine how similar it is to the standard definition of dystopia. And reading the chapter where the author blatantly ridiculed other nations just proved to me how brainwashed since birth they are.

Dropped.

PS: Please add 'nationalism' tag so people who doesn't want to read the works of brainwashed sheep could avoid them.

PSS: Turned out that the author also wrote The Daily Life of Wealthy Woof... That explained why I felt kinda familiar with this plain writing style lol <<less

It’s an end of the world apocalypse story without zombies. The story is realistic and the MC, ML & side characters are developed and not OP. Not everything is smooth sailing and they get hit with disaster after disaster but they try to overcome it with tenacity & teamwork (in a sense - they help each other out but also remain their own unit).

I like the story development but this is another nationalistic writer who often injects China superiority into the storyline. It gets quite irritating honestly when writers try... more>> to inject subtle political messages into novels & passive aggressively bash the west by comparing what China would do versus what would happen in the west.

This story is kind of what would happen if Covid had worsened towards an end of days scenario. Overall, I still recommend a read though as even MTL was easy to read & bearable till the end <<less

I MTLed this novel and read the raws. I'd rate this novel 4.5 stars.

About the story

MC dies during the apocalypse and goes back in time to before it happened and gets a second chance to be more prepared for what's to come. He seeks out his childhood older brother ML (not by blood but an older brother figure) who took care of him until he had to leave without notice all of a sudden. This second chance in life lets MC unravel why this happened and helps the two reconcile.... more>> ML takes on the guardian role of the story in caring and protecting MC for the rest of his life.

About the MC

I was a little not a fan of MC's salted fish character in the beginning but later found it interesting for the author to create a character so counter to our values and power fantasy expectations that are so typical of this genre. Here instead is an MC who given the chance would rather live life in a relaxed manner instead of worrying about ambition and power. This is definitely not your power fantasy novel. As an artist myself, I would imagine this career path might not be all that helpful in the apocalypse. While I don't agree with how the ML raised MC, I think they both found happiness and contentment in each other and in what they do and though I don't understand it or appreciate, I think it is a way to be. MC and ML's care for each other is endearing even if their relationship dynamics aren't my preference.

About the ML

ML cares really deeply for MC and sees all the good points in MC that others can't understand. He doesn't judge his partner through pros and cons or qualifications as society would expect of him and though not everyone understands it, he has eyes only for MC. He loves how the MC is 100% loyal to ML and trusts him entirely. For him, MC and him love each other so much they are willing to be together in death. He treasures MC's sincerity and indulges MC's youthful spirit. MC's happiness is something he cherishes and protects, having lived in regret for leaving MC for many years. While their relationship is definitely codependent, I find myself able to accept it because romance is not the primary focus of the novel.

About the plot

MC and ML really serve as a frame to tell this incredibly detailed story about the struggle of ordinary people to survive disaster after disaster. It is about the tenacity of the human will and also the humanity that is lost as society crumbles and struggles to hold together. Each disaster has little stories of side characters and their struggles. Sometimes it ends in tragedy, other times it ends well. The story also goes into how society would be restructured, how criminal and civil laws would change, and how the military would act in response to the changing disasters. Each disaster arc is different and brings both new challenges and a sense of almost being overwhelmed before people find the strength to persevere. I was thoroughly engaged all the way through from beginning to end. The author really brought me into this world to understand how horrible natural disasters are.

About the patriotic parts

There are some tiny unpleasant patriotic parts peppered throughout the novel but not so much that it's over the top. However, there are some points that while unpleasant are also true. Being Chinese, I've also experienced racism living abroad in other countries so at least that part was not inaccurate. But some of the other patriotic parts I find were not really reflective of current events especially considering the author was absolutely inspired by the COVID pandemic in writing this story. This story promotes big data as the solution to disaster management and to the pandemic. However, I'm not sure I agree with that entirely. I'm also not sure I can say which country dealt with COVID better but I think each nation had their fair share of problems to overcome. It's absolutely unrealistic to write that other nations all handled natural disasters in the novel poorly except for China. Not sure if the author was just trying to pander to the censors to get their novel approved or truly buys into this. I would say if you like the rest of the novel, just skip the lines because there's not much of it. I am just addressing it because I know some readers will find this part annoying.

TL:DR

If you'd like a novel that focuses on the society and human stories of surviving multiple national disasters, this novel is for you. There is no magic here aside from MC's space. MC is not the chosen one but rather a salted fish with a guardian ML who takes care of almost everything for the MC. If this dynamic doesn't work for you, don't read it. However if you don't mind it, you may find this a pretty unique novel to read. The disasters are really detailed and well explored. Novel focuses on many characters and their stories so MC and ML are central but share the screen time with a lot of other characters and side stories. <<less

Its good.. the apocalypse part is good... The love story part is okay... What made me remove one star are the comments comparing huaxia to other countries... These parts sound like its coming from a brainwashed person. So... To enjoy reading this one.. I advice you to skip those parts..

:)

This is a slice of life × end of the world/apocalypse type of novel, which I don't really hate, but the chapter count is too many for me.

I love a good slice of life novel but under the premise that the novel isn't too long. This one just falls under that, which is why I'm stopping and rating it as completed. I got bored of them quickly if it's too long.

Apart from my issue, the novel is good. The plot is running well, the characters are nice, and the romance... more>> is sweet. It took quite a time for the romance to develop, but you'll get there after a little patience. There's also a side couple in the novel, which will be the companions of the main characters.

The space cheat wasn't really shown much throughout the chapters I've read. It's just there. Its presence wasn't deliberately emphasized, I even felt like the author is shrinking the space's existence. Maybe to fit the slice of life genre more? I don't know.

The little snippets of the situations of other people while in disaster are also being shown here and there in the novel. Most of it is tragic ends, and some show the ugly side of human nature.

Overall, this is a 4/5 for me. If your type is a slice of life, you're probably gonna like this, unlike me. <<less