Looking for Tomb-Raiding Stories With Strong, Beautiful, Tragic Protagonists, Featuring Things Like Smiling Depression or PTSD! 想要盗墓主角美强惨的，有微笑抑郁症啊PTSD等等！

1. 1 盗 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: What Should I Do After Faking My Death and Getting Caught? 盗笔：死遁后被抓包了怎么办？ Ru Jinbai如锦白Mystery327k WordsOngoing [Beautiful, Powerful, Tragic Dark Moonlight + Self-Shipped CPs + Main Cast] Just received its rating Shen Zhao, courtesy name Minghui, is known throughout the martial world as the Jade-Faced Yama. By day, he is as bright and noble as the moon; by night, he digs up tombs and plunders mausoleums. He was a blade carefully forged by the Wang family, but because he carries the “Immortality Gu” (System), he became a pawn coveted by every faction. Beautiful? A face like a painting, a tear mole conceali 3.2kReads8.7Score468Shelves

   Reader note

   Here are a few works that perfectly fit the "tomb raiding + beautiful, strong, and tragic protagonist + psychological trauma" formula. The protagonists are all outwardly glamorous but inwardly riddled with wounds, and their madness in ancient tombs is particularly captivating. *The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: Why Do I Get Stronger the More I Cry?* By Shen Zhao is a textbook example of a beautiful, strong, and tragic protagonist: a face with a beauty mark hiding a scar, combat power gained at the cost of a shortened lifespan, and a past of being tortured by the Wang family and betrayed by allies. The most amazing thing is that he elegantly raids tombs during the day, but at night, his wounds frost over and he suffers excruciating pain, yet he still laughs and mocks his opponents, saying, "I look like this whether I see a person or a ghost," turning smiling depression and PTSD into performance art. *The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: The Inhuman White Moonlight Has Been Exposed Again* by Qiu Yuebai has four Soul-Severing Nails—a brilliant concept! Despite being tortured to the point of mental breakdown, he always gently protects everyone at crucial moments. Especially when he blindfolds himself with blood-stained white silk and laughs, saying, "Damn system, why did they give me more points for sadness than fear?" The sense of devastation is a direct hit to the heart.

2. 2 盗 Tomb Raiding: The Character Card-Drawing System Is So Great! 盗墓：人设抽卡系统就是好啊！ Pour Another Cup of Tea续一杯清茶Mystery1.1M WordsCompleted [Tomb Raiding + Imaginative Misunderstandings + Tragic, Powerful Characters + Everyone Loves Him + Not Human + Salt-Baked Shrimp + System + Shifting Timelines] Note: Typos are due to copyright issues An original fantasy setting He was the morning sun in Bei Ai’s fragments of memory, the man in white, with a white silk blindfold, who used his life to make a move in a game that defied fate for him. “Let me become a Blood Qilin, and spare those children.” He was the first ray of sunlight in Nan Xi 14.9kReads9.2Score2.3kShelves
3. 3 黑 Hei Ye's Gorgeous, Strong, Tragic Beauty Can No Longer Hide His Secret Identity! 黑爷家的美强惨马甲不保啦！ Heated Lemon Water加热柠檬水Two Male Leads341k WordsCompleted [Secret identities + universally adored + shipping your own CP] Many years ago, Jiang Xu transmigrated into the body of Hei Xiazi’s younger brother. In the end, however, Hei Xiazi killed him amid the curses of everyone around him. After the System brought him back to life, Jiang Xu geared up from head to toe, donned a secret identity, and joined the main storyline so he could destroy the Wang family’s computational system. He’d planned to push Wu Xie to grow while posing as a stranger, and sneak 19.7kReads9.5Score3.2kShelves

   Reader note

   These books are incredibly popular, and they're all written by the same author. I'll read the third one together with the second one; I'll start with the third one.

4. 4 黑 The Corrupted Moon Was Redeemed After Her Rebirth 黑化月亮复生后，被救赎了 Heated Lemon Water加热柠檬水Mystery241k WordsCompleted Fan Favorite / Pairing Undecided (Anything Is Possible) / Mutual Salvation / White Moonlight Returns from the Dead Qing Yan died in the Zhang Family Ancient Tower, in Black Glasses' arms. Years later, he returned and appeared before the Nine Gates once more, but everything had changed beyond recognition. Suspicion and heart palpitations, probing and cautiousness. After countless rescues and glimmers of hope, who, in the end, saved whom? Are you really him... Did you really come back...? Now tha 7kReads9.3Score1.4kShelves
5. 5 穿 I Transmigrated into The Grave Robbers' Chronicles, and They All Fell Apart After I Faked My Death 穿越盗笔，假死后他们都崩溃了 Heated Lemon Water加热柠檬水Mystery151k WordsCompleted Qing Yan transmigrated into the world of The Grave Robbers' Chronicles twenty years ago, and Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi raised him like a pig for all those years. Then, forced by a Corpse Beetle Pill to become a player in the game, Qing Yan accidentally uncovered a shocking secret about himself. From then on, the Nine Houses had another lunatic... No, that's not right. Qing Yan: Sorry, Brother Xiao Hei! I didn't mean to! Hei Xiazi: Kid, you sure put on a good act. Qing Yan: Sorry, Brother X 11kReads9.4Score1.8kShelves
6. 6 盗 Tomb Raiding: I Survive Thanks to My Self-Sacrificing Personality 盗墓：我靠付出型人格存活 Hui Jian灰渐Two Male Leads489k WordsCompleted [Two male leads + all pairings + slight everyone-loves-him vibe + strong, beautiful, tragic protagonist + doted on by all] A mountain of headcanon ahead. Sorry for any out-of-character moments. The System has something to say: I got bound to someone, and he’s really not quite right. He says he’s afraid of forming bonds with other people. He says he tends to give others his whole heart. He says he has a self-sacrificing personality. At first, I wondered how self-sacrificing he could be. Later, I 10.1kReads9.1Score1.6kShelves

   Reader note

   The protagonist of the fourth book has a rather tragic background.

7. 7 盗 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: I'm Just a Pet Lover! 盗笔：我只是宠物爱好者啊！ Ran Ran Dong染染冬Mystery626k WordsOngoing [Reverse Transmigration + Sickly Male Beauty + All-Character Pairings + 100% Animal Affinity] (There are no good people!!! No good people!!! Angst in the beginning. If you're a protagonist fan, you can start at chapter 19. Please don't curse me or leave a bad review.) My name is Jiang Shubai. Because I was sickly, I was sent to a remote mountain at the age of six, and I've never been out since... Hei Xiazi (Sand Sea): You're beautiful. It's just that this blind man can't see anymore... Er Yue 5.5kReads8.8Score787Shelves
8. 8 盗 Tomb Raiding: One Man, Two Personalities, One Flirts and the Other Kills 盗墓：两个人格一个撩人一个杀人 Loves Yangyang, Little Darling爱阳阳小宝贝Two Male Leads881k WordsOngoing (Dual male leads + dual personalities) Zhang Anle transmigrates into another world, bringing along a second personality who can really fight. He wins everyone over by acting sweet and obedient, but when he stops pretending, they like him even more. Zhang Anle: On the surface, I'm a good little angel. In reality, I'm even more formidable than my second personality. Xiao Le: Cold and aloof on the outside, but secretly gentle only with Zhang Anle. 2.2kReads7.2Score325Shelves
9. 9 从 From the Old Nine Gates to Grave Robbers’ Chronicles 从老九门装到盗笔 Yu Sanyuan余三元Mystery806k WordsCompleted Someone whose certainty that something will happen to another person makes it come true for him, forcing him to embark on the path of showing off. He thought it was a sure thing, but after coughing up a mouthful of blood, Xiang Liu couldn't help reflecting: Just what kind of person do you all think I am, anyway?! 10.8kReads9.3Score1.1kShelves

   Reader note

   These two are definitely good. The first one has a blind female protagonist, and the second one features a beautiful, strong, and tragic character.

10. 10 盗 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: Posing as a Mysterious, Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Man 盗笔：装出个高深莫测但美强惨 Fish Like Water鱼依如水Two Male Leads447k WordsCompleted "The only Grave Robbers' Chronicles fic rated 9.6, come see!" [Starting with the Old Nine Gates, Beloved by All, Pick Your Favorite Pairing + Slightly Everyone's Favorite + Everyone Imagines the Powerful Heartbreaking Beauty] Third-person narration I transmigrated, but not completely. At that very moment, my body was lying right beside me, playing the part of a breathtakingly beautiful vegetative patient. The good news: I could create an immortal secret identity. The bad news: the System told me 44.5kReads9.6Score6.1kShelves
11. 11 盗 Tomb Raiding: Xie Yuchen's Younger Brother Has Two Faces 盗墓之解雨臣的弟弟有两幅面孔 Longing Beneath Changbai Mountain长白山下长相思Two Male Leads500k WordsCompleted Xie Yujun is Xie Yuchen’s twin younger brother. He and Xie Yuchen were both taken into the main branch of the Xie family as children, where they became Xie Lianhuan’s adopted sons. He also became a disciple of Er Yuehong. Compared with his brother Xie Yuchen, however, Xie Yujun is much more unpredictable. Everyone in the underworld knows you can call Xie Yujun a monster, but if you dare say a single bad word about Xie Yuchen, that mad dog Xie Yujun will come charging at you. Xie Yujun is Xie Yuc 3.1kReads9.1Score572Shelves

    Reader note

    Highly recommended.

12. 12 盗 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: Their Shadows 盗笔：他们的影子 Playing with the Setting Sun戏残阳Mystery666k WordsCompleted [Tomb raiding + no romance + female-oriented + beautiful, strong, and tragic + mild angst + apologies for OOC] Wu Sheng spent nineteen years traveling around and enjoying himself in a new world after transmigrating there. Then one day, someone told him to his face that this was a novel’s world. And not just any novel: The Grave Robbers' Chronicles, a book he had never read in his previous life! Wu Sheng eagerly rubbed his hands together, ready to go on one last adventure. Huh? That handsome guy 2.1kReads8.7Score325Shelves

    Reader note

    👍👍👍👍

13. 13 盗 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: Everyone's Wild Fantasies About Me, the Beautiful Tragic Hero 盗笔：美强惨的我被疯狂脑补 A Qi阿启Mystery1.0M WordsCompleted [Everyone's Favorite + System + Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic + Mysterious] The main story is complete, so you can read without worry. Zhang Chiyuan was poor, and he died because he was poor. After his death, he was bound to a System that promised to take him to a Mary Sue world, where he would play the handsome male supporting character at a school. But on the way, they accidentally stumbled into a tomb-raiding world! The man and System were dumbfounded. In the crisis, the System told Zhang Chi 53.8kReads8.9Score8.6kShelves
14. 14 盗 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: Slow Steps, Fleeting Glances 盗笔：步缓缓，匆匆看 Bu Zhidao歩知道Mystery992k WordsOngoing [The protagonist has no romantic pairing + unconventional transmigration into a book + unconventional System story + no angst] Born on Qingming Festival, he is named Qingming. He arrives in this world naked, with no memories and no choice. Most protagonists who transmigrate into a book get a System, and Qingming does too. But aside from letting him choose three abilities before entering a world, his System is little more than a data-storage device that can communicate with headquarters. As a chi 11.8kReads9.1Score1.4kShelves
15. 15 盗 Tomb Raiding: Want a Deck of Cards? 盗墓：来一副扑克吗？ Don't Cloud the Sky别云上Mystery446k WordsCompleted [Starts in Golmud, Qinghai + no romance + friendship-focused] Jiang Song inexplicably gets bound to a System. Before he can reach the pinnacle of life, the System is attacked by some force and takes him along when he transmigrates. To make matters worse, he becomes a member of the Wang family. The System leaves behind only a message about how to get home and a deck of playing cards before crashing for good. Jiang Song feels no excitement about transmigrating. All he cares about is getting home, 4.1kReads8.7Score642Shelves
16. 16 盗 Tomb Raiding: She Came from Hell, Cold and Unhinged 盗墓：她自地狱而来冷漠且疯批 Fei Cheng菲橙Mystery322k WordsCompleted [Tomb Raiding + Strong Female Lead + Plot Divergence + Pairing with Xiaoguan + Mutual Healing] A girl enters the world seeking emotional connection, and meets the cool, aloof deity of Changbai Mountain. She came from hell, holding a ghost talisman in her hand and wearing a soft sword at her waist, and arrived at the Zhang family's sacred grounds. To enter the Bronze Gate, she struck a deal with the Zhang family High Priest and told him her name was Yun Shishu. She moves with the times, adapting 1.1kReads8.7Score172Shelves

    Reader note

    These are all of them. If you need more, you can look on my bookshelf. There are too many to remember them all.

17. 17 盗 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: Yin-Yang Twins 盗墓笔记之阴阳双生 Playing with the Setting Sun戏残阳Mystery223k WordsCompleted (Pure angst. Some characters may be out of character. This is a story about redemption; please don’t read if that bothers you. Apologies for the OOC.) “Thud.” The knife slipped from his hand and fell into the bathtub. A smile of relief spread across his face as his consciousness gradually faded from this world. When he opened his eyes again, he was in a completely different world. Hearing people call a name stirred memories of a hugely popular novel from his previous life: The Grave Robbers' Chr 8.4kReads9.3Score1.5kShelves

    Reader note

    These all fit the bill; they all involve the tragic suffering of beautiful and strong characters.

18. 18 盗 Tomb Raiding: When Will It End? 盗墓之何时了 Mr. No Introduction不介绍先生Two Male Leads335k WordsCompleted [Twins + original male protagonist + original pairing, appearing later + two male leads + angst galore early on, bittersweet and painful] Jia An, a false peace. Wu An, no peace. Wang An, a deluded peace. Every one of them is him, and none of them is. Twins. As a boy, he thought he was one of two possible fates in the womb. But in truth, he was a destiny forged one hundred percent by others. The Wu family chose him. The Nine Gates chose him. And countless people far away, beyond his reach, create 1.3kReads8.7Score226Shelves
19. 19 盗 The Tomb Raiders: Caught in a Gu Worm Trap 盗墓之局中蛊人 Little Moon Munches Candy小月亮嗑糖Mystery1.1M WordsCompleted Caught in a scheme within a scheme, this young man of the underworld is already as renowned as the Southern Blind Man and Northern Mute, though no one knows where he came from. His birth was part of a scheme. His closest relatives manipulate him throughout his life, pushing him into one trap after another. He resolves everyone else's regrets, but cannot resolve the regret in his own heart. The protagonist is a boy. Read his inner monologue in Chapter 93!!! Why are so many people missing that lin 5.6kReads9.0Score715Shelves
20. 20 我 I Tormented You from the Nine Gates to Restart, So Why Are You Crying? 我从九门虐到重启，你们哭啥 Kitty Needs a Nap猫猫要睡觉觉Mystery166k WordsCompleted The new book has passed its contract review. Visit the author's profile to read it. No System, tragic story. Also known as The Tomb Raider: Pearl Travels Through Time to Make Up for Regrets Pearl was an administrator tasked with making up for regrets. After being struck by lightning over a negative review, she lost her memory. She met the Iron Triangle, who needed their regrets put right. From then on, though she had no future of her own, she discovered her identity while Wu Xie was searching fo 555Reads6.7Score101Shelves
21. 21 在 In the World of Detective Conan, the Beautiful, Powerful, and Tragic Find Salvation in Madness 在柯南世界中，美强惨疯狂救赎 A Little Xicheng一只晞橙Two Male Leads63k WordsCompleted [Beautiful, powerful, and tragic; prone to bouts of depression and madness; born in darkness, reaching for the light; a story of desperate salvation] [Content warning: dark themes, no pairing, zero romance, a little angst, and somewhat slow updates] A genius psychiatrist in their previous life, now the beloved darling of the family. “Congratulations! The System has detected that you're a genius and rewards you with a second life in a world where everyone is a genius. Welcome to the world of Dete 2kReads8.4Score274Shelves
22. 22 起 Rise and Fall of the Spirit: I’m Even More Withdrawn Than My Brother! 起落有灵：我比我哥更自闭！ Lucky Jerry招财杰瑞Two Male Leads373k WordsCompleted A cold moonlight in the human world, mutual salvation, and Qiling Luo and a blind man In my previous life, I was a quiet, withdrawn child star. Everyone called it autism. After I transmigrated, a useless System that could spoil the plot appeared in my mind. It wanted me to be a little ray of sunshine, and its spoilers revolved around our nine families. I had no idea how to make an autistic child more cheerful. Then the System forced me to... The girl pinched Zhang Luoling’s cheek as he smiled br 5.2kReads8.9Score986Shelves
23. 23 盗 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles: The Sea Official’s Wish 盗笔：海官海愿 Rain YUKI雨YUKITwo Male Leads174k WordsOngoing Big brother! We’ll be together forever! Yeah! Okay! Together forever! My name is Zhang Haiyuan. Yuan, as in “wish”… I wish… we could be together forever… If you say your wish out loud… it won’t come true… Patient: Zhang Haiyuan … Diagnosis: Severe, high-functioning depression… Prognosis: The patient won’t live past years… Brother… Rule number twenty of the house rules: Minors aren’t allowed to drink! Since when was that a rule?! I! Made! It! I’m Zhang Haiyuan, Zhang Haiguan’s 40Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    It's a bit angsty! 🥺

24. 24 盗 Tomb Raiding: The Walnut Seller 盗墓：那个卖核桃的 Xue Yin薛喑Two Male Leads174k WordsCompleted [Dual Male Leads] + [Angst] + [Severe Protagonist Suffering, Not for the Faint of Heart] 2026 editor’s note: Please read the author’s statement in the book’s discussion section. Thank you, everyone. The protagonist is completely love-struck, extremely so, and there will be no switching love interests. If you can’t accept that, feel free to leave using the top-right corner. Li Cu × Qian Heng After spending seven or eight years out in the dirt, Qian Heng had thoroughly wrecked his health. With now 2.9kReads9.3Score566Shelves

    Reader note

    At the beginning, I was just a walnut seller, enough to support you. At the end... I was just a walnut seller, how could I possibly be worthy of Master Li?

25. 25 盗 Tomb Raiding: Guys, I’ve Transmigrated 盗墓，家人们我穿越了 Meteor Tears流星泪Mystery505k WordsCompleted (This work is complete. Every creator's work is hard-won, so please respect the original. Otherwise, I'll report you. Thanks. Warnings: 1. The main plot is all about keeping your head down, keeping your head down, keeping your head down, keeping your head down, keeping your head down. If you don't get it, move on. Don't insult me. 2. Liu Yuning will be mentioned a few times early on, but it won't affect your reading. It's purely the author's self-indulgence, and I'm a fan of his. If you don't li 6.1kReads8.6Score603Shelves

    Reader note

    It's so beautiful!!!

26. 26 一 Once You Dive into Detective Conan, There’s No Turning Back: I’m No Extra Anymore 一入柯学深似海，从此我不是路人 XunHUA浔HUAAnime Fanfiction436k WordsCompleted Also known as: I Only Wanted to Live Off the Fat of the Land, but Somehow Fell into the Detective Conan Main Plot [No Romance] [Family-Oriented] After Chiba Shunen arrived in the world of Detective Conan, he decided to enjoy a carefree life of eating and waiting to die. He knew very little about the series, but since he had no financial worries, he figured that was the best way to go. As far as he knew, all he had to do in this world was stay away from Conan. But then he suddenly realized that h 1.4kReads9.1Score164Shelves
27. 27 烦 I’m So Sick of This! When Can I Go Home? 烦死了！什么时候才能回家 Crispy Jianbing脆煎饼果子Ancient Romance1.2M WordsCompleted Transmigration, alternate world, no romance, System (I wrote this without thinking things through. All the setting details are just there to serve the plot, so please don't overthink them. Just enjoy the story!) Jiang Tuan transmigrated, and before he could even come up with an excuse, a group of powerful figures saw right through his identity. Just as he thought they'd mistake him for a monster and burn him alive, he suddenly realized that they were all pretty friendly toward him. He got it. Al 3kReads7.2Score283Shelves
28. 28 上 Work Keeps Getting in the Way of My Detective CP 上班耽误我柯CP The Cutest Person in the World Is Me天下第一可爱就是我Anime Fanfiction543k WordsOngoing [Reader note: I wrote this while losing my mind at work. I can’t stand tragedies where 5-4=0. The protagonist is on her own, but there are Conan pairings, HagiMatsu, Hiromitsu and Rei, and the class president is on a date. Happy endings are good civilization. P.S. The story starts when the protagonist is a child.] After coming to a new world and accepting that he had become a man, Sejo Kaya encountered a handsome social butterfly of a dog and a curly-haired wrecking-cat by chance in college. He 53Reads—Score—Shelves
29. 29 穿 I Woke Up in the World of Detective Conan 穿到柯学世界了 Master of Chen Shang Pavilion, Gan Tang辰殇阁阁主--甘棠Two Male Leads150k WordsCompleted [Wheelchair + frail health + older brother + yandere unrequited love for the protagonist + the Black Organization goes bankrupt] (The protagonist doesn't date anyone. The Tomato Novel tags are wrong.) Jing Tian transmigrated. Having a System after transmigrating should have been something to celebrate, but this System wanted him to kill Shinichi Kudo?!! It even threatened him. Was he supposed to put up with that? He'd kill the System first. Amuro Tooru: Jing Tian is my little brother. Who dares 43Reads7.5Score—Shelves
30. 30 手 Handcrafting a Nuclear Bomb, I Roam the Cultivation World from the Start 手搓核弹，开局纵横修真界 zwj Simple and Easyzwj简简单单Eastern Fantasy765k WordsCompleted I’m a modern man, and on my very first day as a servant in the cultivation world, I was beaten to death. After returning to Earth, I quietly bought out chemical plants and hardware stores. Three months later, my enemy watched as the corrosive liquid I’d made with “basic chemistry” melted his flying sword, while the pulley crossbow I’d designed using “elementary physics” pierced his shield. His entire worldview crumbled. And this was o 7Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Great potential

31. 31 蓝 Blue Star's Overture: My Entertainment Dynasty 蓝星乐章，我的娱乐王朝 zwj Simple and Easyzwj简简单单Urban772k WordsCompleted The arc traced by the mineral water bottle through the air was Zhou Ze’s last memory of that world. The dull thud of plastic striking his forehead, his own off-key singing through a cheap speaker, the scattered snickers and boos from below the stage, and the blunt pain as the back of his head hit the rough concrete edge of the platform: these broken fragments of sensation tangled together and blurred as his consciousness sank away. —Reads—Score—Shelves

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