The MC’s attribute distribution after feedback is excellent. He’s a summoner with warrior-level endurance and agility. That allows him to stay alive if something gets past his summon. Many summoners die to a single sneeze. Gu Chen has survivability built in.
The boss and the colleague Zhang Lei are also written as one-dimensional jerks. The boss fires him instantly with no real investigation, and Zhang Lei shows up out of nowhere to brag about sabotaging Lin Feng's projects. It's all very "telling, not showing." We’re told Zhang Lei is a schemer, but he just walks up and explains his entire evil plan for no reason. It’s a classic "villain monologue" trope that feels forced. While it creates conflict, it's not very clever conflict. I wish the author had given Zhang Lei a bit more subtlety, maybe showing his sabotage through clues rather than having him just announce it.
The dynamic in the Trash Fish team feels depressingly realistic. Gagu complaining about the reward money right after a teammate dies, Maji pragmatically stripping Elki’s gear—there’s no fake camaraderie. Adventurers in low-tier parties are basically mercenaries with a death wish. Xia Nan being stuck between them is a perfect setup for tension.
The pacing in the first chapters is decent. We get the setup, the travel, the prison introduction, the first meal delivery, and then the crisis with He Hanshi all within a few pages. Nothing feels dragged out, and each scene serves a purpose — either establishing character dynamics, worldbuilding, or raising stakes. It’s the kind of brisk storytelling that makes you want to keep turning pages.