The class teacher is a one-dimensional villain with no redeeming qualities. She humiliates students, is greedy, and threatens to ruin futures. While it's satisfying to see her humbled, I wish the story had given her a bit more depth maybe a motivation or a hint of being under pressure herself. But for a quick revenge fix, a clear villain works well. The image of her kneeling and kowtowing with a bleeding forehead is extreme but memorable.
The worldbuilding about how puppets are made is detailed without being boring. The part about boiling skins, adding gel from special channels to create a skin-like substance, spreading it on glass sheets with skin patterns, and then sculpting it over wire frames — that feels almost like a real craft. The metaphor comparing it to normal sculpture is strong. The addition of “Puppet Masters are usually family secrets” plus Zhao’s hereditary witchcraft gives the whole thing a sense of legitimate tradition. I also appreciate that the process isn’t glamorized; it’s messy, smelly, and takes place in a tiny kitchen. The mundane horror of having a big pot of boiled skin next to your instant noodles is the kind of detail that makes urban fantasy feel gritty. The fact that it takes years to make high-quality dolls, costing millions, makes the final goal (a body for Zhao) feel appropriately distant.
I already ship the potential team dynamic. Chen Feng, the fallen pro who needs to relearn the basics, and Li You, the healer who just wants to move again. They are two sides of the same coin: people using the game to reclaim their bodies. Their interaction at the jump was sweet. Him extending his hand and her taking it wasn’t just a game mechanic; it was a moment of trust. I’m hoping for some quiet moments where they just talk about their real-life struggles.
30. Overall, this is a really promising start. The writing is vivid, the characters have distinct voices, and the plot has real mystery. I can see myself getting attached to Chang Ming and even Yun Yichu if he gains some agency beyond begging and paying. The main weakness is some info-dumping and pacing issues, but the strengths outweigh them. I’m definitely continuing. It’s a solid 5/10 so far for me.
The technical details about GPS signals disappearing and base stations failing feel research-heavy but not lecturing. The author clearly understands how infrastructure works and how it would fail. The earthquake warning system with its broken countdown, the way cellular networks get overloaded, the specific failure modes of power grids during disasters. It all sounds true. That credibility makes the fiction more terrifying because I can see this actually happening.