Death Progress Bar Chapter 97 Discussion

Wow, so. This novel is such a pleasure to read. I love the complex family situation, I love the mystery behind the original Shi Jin's death unfolding, I love the side characters, and most of all, I love the MC and ML's relationship.

Their relationship is honestly the healthiest and loveliest I've seen; it's so easy to see why they love each other because they're so thoughtful and considerate towards each other. They are SO good to each other that they're practically made for one another. Actually, I didn't even mind how initially dense/oblivious the MC was because the author didn't drag it out for too long. It's refreshing to see such a healthy romance with lots of communication and no manipulative or controlling behavior. And can I just say that the author does casual affection really well?

Spoiler

God, their dates are so well thought-out and considerate too <3 The MC wanting the ML to experience stuff he was never able to in the past is heartwarming, and makes for beautiful scenes. Their romance doesn't progress/develop that much after it's established, but I didn't mind too much since it's better than reading about pointless misunderstandings and contrived drama. Plus it's nice to see them all lovey-dovey with each other.

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Both the MC and ML are competent and intelligent in their own ways. It was satisfying seeing how badass they are, but it didn't feel like they were too OP either, curiously enough. The Guas are plain amazing too, loved reading their input on the main relationship. They're such dedicated followers to the ML and you can really see why they follow and admire him. The system was surprisingly adorable as well, although they could be just a bit annoying at times. Their cute banter with the MC and unexpectedly useful buffs really set them apart from other systems.

The setting is also more interesting than I expected. I still think the legal underworld organizations thing is a bit weird, but the author makes it work somehow. I liked reading about the politics associated with certain groups and how they interact.

The brotherly interactions are another strong point of this novel. Each individual brother has their own complicated relationship with our MC and it's fun to see how their dynamics change throughout the story. It's good to see that the MC doesn't immediately forgive them for their actions (and takes into account the original MC's feelings) ; his perspective of them constantly changes depending on what he's learned about them. Spoiler

My favorite brother is actually Fei Yujing, the second brother. Objectively, he's one of the shittiest brothers with his aloof personality and past actions... but I did really like his scenes with Shi Jin, such as when Shi Jin tries to help him out after he was traumatized into insomnia. It's cute that he's the one updating the brothers' group chat with news about Shi Jin. It also helps that he genuinely apologized to the MC for his past actions and didn't expect him to forgive him/accept his apology.

[collapse] I really like the brothers, so I'm hoping that there will be more development and scenes dedicated to all of them.

The entire mystery is well-paced and logical. It's fascinating that so much of the story revolves around someone who's already dead (Shi Xingrui, or Shi Jin's dad). The revelations are all intriguing and a treat to read. The story can get pretty dark and f*cked-up though, but the translator is very good at warning about it beforehand. There was one disturbing and graphic torture aftermath scene regarding a side character, but I suppose that's to be expected with a novel centered on mafias.

Anyway, I really love this novel. It was quite the enjoyable read. The romance really stood out to me, among the other strong points I mentioned. Kudos to the translator for the great translation too.