The gender ratio in this world is wild. Out of eight cubs visiting, not a single female. The 100:1 male to female ratio mentioned feels extreme but adds tension to the world. Makes me wonder if there will be female cubs later and how they're treated differently given the mental power requirements for them are higher.
I have a theory about why the female corpse was stitched together from different people, specifically with a woman's body but a man's hands. Hands are used for a lot of things in Chinese mysticism, right? To write talismans, to make hand seals. Maybe the hands were needed for some purpose, but they needed them from a specific person, like a guy with a strong grip or something. Or maybe the "wife" for this ghost wedding needed to be "complete" in a ritualistic sense, so they had to gather parts from different donors to make her whole? That seems like a lot of effort. Or maybe she was already dead and mutilated, and someone tried to put her back together out of desperation or love? The skill level of the stitching is apparently very high, equal to the protagonist's. So it's a master craftsman doing this. Are they trying to create a person? That's a whole Frankenstein angle I didn't expect from a Chinese horror novel. I'm so intrigued.
2 The apocalyptic world feels both familiar and fresh. The mix of mutated beasts, spiritual consciousness, and federation tech is engaging. The idea of “clearing” ruins but leaving stray monsters is realistic. It makes the world feel dangerous and alive, not just a backdrop.