Yun An'an proving she's alive by showing her shadow is a smart move. It grounds the supernatural elements and makes her argument stronger.
This is a solid start. The emotional core is strong, the characters are archetypical but charming, and the setting has a ton of potential. If the author can fix the pacing and slow down a bit to let the world breathe, this could be a top-tier web novel adaptation. The dinosaur armor alone is worth the price of admission.
I need to talk about the setting of the rental apartment. The description is vivid and revolting. Boiling animal skins in a pot, the air thick with raw meat smell and dampness, rows of skinless humanoids frozen in wire frames, the protagonist casually eating a high-end Luosifen while his friend’s mouth begs for a taste. The contrast between the grotesque process and mundane daily life is immersive. Also, the way he has to deliver the finished puppets: wrapping them in bubble wrap, writing “Confidential Delivery,” and trying not to scare the public. The flashback where he gets chased by police and ends up saying it’s an inflatable doll is such a hilarious continuity shout-out. And the delivery guy buying the tricycle from the street-sweeping uncle? That’s worldbuilding through details. It makes the supernatural feel grounded in a grimy, realistic economy. I can almost smell the broth and the boiled leather mixing in my imagination.