I have read the raws up to 60+ at the moment, so I can roughly share with you what this book is about.

Ninth Special District currently the second highest ranking book in 17k at the moment (the first being the cannot be unthroned Martial God Asura), and it's the first post-apocalypse theme novel to get all the way up. Most of the other books are mainly fantasy and face-slapping kind of stuff.

The background of the book is a post-apocalypse world where the world is still in the phase of rebuilding.... more>> There are inhospitable locations, Development Districts (places which haven't been rebuilt), and the Special Districts (where resources pretty much go to). Though it's a post-apocalypse book, the focus is not on survival but more on politics. There are no supernatural powers or anything; if anything, it's more like a city, kingdom-building kind of novel.

So, the first part of the book mainly focuses on him adapting to the environment in the Ninth Special District as a policeman, though the focus changes around 40+

Spoiler

He handles a case regarding medicine peddlers, and it turns out to be far larger than he thought. There's a lot of competition going on because it's a lucrative market and everyone wants to get a slice of the pie. Some of the stronger rivals have ties with policemen, and the MC ended up getting stuck in the middle of everything. In order not to get thrown over, he eventually makes a deal with several parties to form his own power. Well, that's the summary but it's far more complicated than that. The book goes more into the details such that it really feels realistic.

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Moving on to talk more about the characters, the MC, Qin Yu, is quite a crafty figure. He's a person who can maneuver around social situations and negotiate with people, though he's not necessarily at the top of negotiations all the time. He's mainly a cool-headed figure whose priority was to survive in the Ninth Special District initially, but his priorities gradually include his close friends as well.

The two co-leads are Old Cat and Qi Lin. Old Cat is more of like the jokester character in the novel. He's not dumb, but he's hot-blooded and tends to let emotions get the better of him. It's not to say that he does things blindly, but he's the type who will rush to his death for his close friends. I think he's quite a likable character in the novel.

Qi Lin, on the other hand, is initially a subservient character who steers clear of danger and tries to bootlick those around him, hoping to climb up the ranks, just that he does it with too low a posture that it doesn't work at all. He's looked down upon by his peers. However, later on, you'll learn that he does it because he has a blind sister and an ill mother to take care of, so he can't afford to put his life on the line or else there'll be no one to care for them. A series of compelling situations eventually force him into a corner, and he realized that the method he chose doesn't work at all. It was then his personality took a 180-degree change and he became more daring, and perhaps, eager even to leap into danger. <<less

This is a gem. I'll tell you right now. This book is a gem. The MC isn't a ret*rded overpowered guy who thinks with his semi flaccid semi ere*t appendage. In fact, he doesn't have any powers at all. Instead, the MC surprisingly has a brain that could think. I know all you guys might be like, "NO WAY, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE FOR LN MCS." I promise you right now that his only power is his brain and wits. He uses his childhood experiences and the way he grew up... more>> as the foundation of his actions.
There is world building, societal issues, politics, comedy, character development, friendship, moral issues, power struggles, ethical issues, etc. Anything you might want in a good novel, this book has it. In all my years of reading light novels, this is arguably one of the best I've read. In fact, there are probably only 5 or 6 that can stand side by side with this out of the hundreds and hundreds of LN I've read.

IF YOU LIKE BANG BANG ACTION IN BOOKS, READ THIS:
The MC isn't copulating with tons of women. Women are not throwing themselves on his little buddy Richard. If you want an overpowered brainless MC with a brainwashed Miss Universe harem that's addicted to performing the Kamasutra a thousand times a day for white essense, this book is not for you. If you're that h**ny or desperate, you might as well go on an adult site to watch videos or read some animated adult books/ videos. <<less

This is a hidden gem! The theme of the story is about survival in the apocalypse x power struggles between factions.

MC: a young man (20s) with rugged charm that struggled from the bottom to enter Special District 9 (a safe zone) in hopes of living a better life

Qi Lin: a chubby man that lived by bootlicking people in power but eventually becomes a risktaker

... more>> Old Cat: a frivolous young man that has it all (power and money)

Summary: In the post-apocalypse with limited resources and greedy factions fighting for power, the MC and his friends (Qi Lin and Old Cat) are gradually pushed into the center of power struggles. From illegal trades to political schemes, the MC is delving deeper into the underground world and networking with people from all walks of life. This is the journey of a man in a fairly lawless world. What are morals? Can you eat that? <<less

Its a pretty good novel set in a post apocalyptic world with more focus on the power struggle between triads, corporations and government organizations.

The main strength is its characters. So for it has a likable cast of characters both the protagonist and antagonist sides. They have good character development and I especially enjoy the interactions between them. Everyone has their own motives and struggles. They basically feel real to some extent.

As for the story itself, its pretty cliche stuff. I'm someone who grew up watching hongkong serials and reading manhua... more>> so to me the plot is basically a copy paste of the those triad & cop serials and movies i've watched in the past.

Its not only the story, even the characters are a direct copy paste. MC, side characters, antagonists all are basically characters played by Chow Yun Fat, John Woo, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, Andy Lau, Edisen Chen etc from those triad dramas. From their motivations, attitude and character transformation to the heart wrenching scenes, exactly the same.

To be honest I'm waiting to see how the story will change to differentiate itself from other media, at this point, the novel is a literal copy paste so much so that the events that unfold and the character's actions are pretty much predictable. That said, for the moment its not really a bad thing, it does bring up some nostalgia and the media or source it borrows from are all really good movies and tv shows. In fact I have to commend on how the scenes from the serials were beautifully translated into words. Maybe if you're a westerner with less exposure to 80s, 90s and early 00s hongkong media, you'll probably find the story refreshing and engaging.

The biggest disappointment though is the setting. Author does not fully utilize the post apocalyptic setting, its merely a convenient backdrop for the story, basically an excuse for the "chaos" and "lawless" in society. To be frank we can just ignore post apocalyptic. Its an apocalypse but society is still functioning, tech is still progressing, infrastructure is still intact, you still have cellphones and internet, only thing different from the norm is habitable and less-habitable regions. Hell, 90% of the time you forget that this takes place in a post apocalyptic world, no, its not a future dystopian society either, the setting is basically no different from a 80/90s developing country setting, i.e. Its an oldie gang/drug wars story. Post apocalyptic is not 3rd world. The story should be based around a post apocalyptic world, right now the events in the novel don't tally with such a world, for example there is no survival, desperation mixed with the power struggle, triads and enforcement run like they're in the 80/90s which makes no sense. Whats the point of post apocalyptic then? The biggest flaw in writing. The first few chapters were pretty good in setting the tone of the novel in a post apocalyptic world and let readers get a deep look at the world building only to throw it out the window later. I am hoping author would bank more on the setting to differentiate the novel from other triad stories.

All in all, still a recommended read. Well written story and characters you'll get invested in but it is not without its flaws. I'd give it a 7/10 but i'll round it up to 4/5 stars cos well system. <<less