The City of Terror

"The City of Terror" by Měnghǔ Dàocháng, also known as Daoist Fierce Tiger, plunges protagonist Wei Xiao Bei into a shocking reality. Waking one morning, his room is a scene of utter devastation, aged by centuries in a single night. Dust covers everything, a beloved poster is tattered and monstrous, walls are draped in cobwebs, fruit is rotted, the window is cracked and ash-covered, and a computer is similarly decayed, accompanied by a dead worm in a glass. The very air is thick with choking dust, rendering the room ash-gray and static-like. This surreal destruction is soon explained: Wei Xiao Bei is dragged into "The Dust World," a post-apocalyptic realm populated by mythical and legendary creatures. Crucially, he gains the ability to travel between this world and his own, along with a "Status Panel" power. Driven by the need to understand the mysteries and terrors of this new world, Wei Xiao Bei chooses to strengthen himself. The novel explores the enigmatic nature of The Dust World and the unknown dangers it holds.