Novels like The Third World You Don't Know
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Third World You Don't Know, best match first.
- 1 Master of Folk Customs: I Make Paper Effigies in Eerie Instances 民俗大师：我在诡异副本扎纸人 [Mystery + Rule-Based Instances + Mind-Bending Puzzles + Traditional Supernatural Horror + Paper Effigy Making + A Clever Protagonist] Supernatural horrors descend upon the world, and people are randomly pulled into "Taboo Instances." Morgues, ancient temples in mountain villages, abandoned opera houses, underwater tombs... Every instance has a set of bizarre rules. Break them, and you die. Everyone else awakens combat talents like fire, lightning, and swordsmanship. Chen Jiu, however, awakens [ 31Reads—Score101Shelves
- 2 Infinite Terror: Bone Reflection 无限恐怖：骨照 Some people die and leave behind a grave. Some people die and leave behind a name. Lin Jin has died six times, and what he left behind was something buried inside his bones. At first, he thought he had merely been caught up in a bizarre game of rules. Then, in Returning Name Alley, he saw his bones reflecting someone else; then, in Shadow Gate, he heard someone say, “The Seventh Bone is hidden inside your bones”; and finally, he understood that the face, shadow, name, and life he had lost since 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 Something’s Not Right with This Peach Blossom Spring! 这个桃花源不对劲！ [Slow burn + ensemble cast + urban supernatural abilities + no golden finger + mystery + Classic of Mountains and Seas + Cthulhu] The story takes place in the ancient town of Taohua. Jiang Cheng grew up in the local orphanage. The town was quiet and cut off from the outside world, and life there was like stagnant water, day after day. Then one day, he found an old, battered kite, and everything changed! Along the way, he encountered a bizarre black head beyond the wall, a big yellow dog that c —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 A Superpower World, But I'm a Physical System 超能世界，但是我是物理系统 In a world full of superpowered people, Li Risheng only wants to live a quiet, peaceful life after getting a System. But before he knows it, he's worth hundreds of millions. The aloof goddess who ignores the top-ranked player in the alliance is in love with him, a bewitching and seductive female demon insists she will marry no one but him, and the wealthy heiress pursued by scions of powerful families only loves him. What on earth is going on in this world? The battlefield isn't just for men: th —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 Thirty Years of Cultivation: I Slay Evil Ghosts, Never Save the Living 修道三十年，只杀恶鬼不度众生 Stars hang over the plains, illuminating yin and yang; good and evil are always weighed in the balance. Do not say the netherworld has no justice. I urge you to do good and avoid bringing calamity upon yourself. Black Summoning is an ancient shamanic art for those who walk between yin and yang. Ordinary mages and sorcerers mostly worship spirits, hoping they will show mercy, offer protection and blessings, and ward off disaster. Those who learn Black Summoning stand as equals to the spirits. The 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 6 The World Above the Well 井上人间 My name is Chen Xiaoman. I run a joss stick and candle shop called "A Single Lamp" in Suzhou's old town. My grandfather, Ninth Master Chen, was a well-known guardian of the wells around here. Three years ago, on Tomb-Sweeping Day, he sat in his wicker chair and passed away as if he'd simply nodded off. Before he left, he taught me just one sentence: "The incense is about to go out." Then, late one night, my childhood friend's cousin rode the last subway to the end of the line and got trapped at —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 The Village That Vanished Overnight in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, 1987 1987年陕西秦岭一夜消失的村庄 A village in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi vanished overnight in 1987 —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 The 749 Bureau’s Qinling Mountain Villa Demolition Incident 749局秦岭山别墅拆迁事件 The 749 Bureau's Qinling Mountain Villa Demolition Incident 23Reads—Score—Shelves
- 9 The Inkborn 墨裔 A jade slip, a legacy passed down for a thousand years. What secret are the descendants of the Moists guarding that has drawn countless dark forces into a struggle for it? The light belongs to humanity. The mysterious clans that roam the darkness belong to the night, while the Mo descendants are the night watchmen in the dark. So the world is all white, and I alone am black. From ancient Babylon to ancient Egypt, from Egypt to ancient Greece, from Greece to ancient India, and from India to ancie 21Reads6.4Score—Shelves
- 10 Case File of the Ninth Bureau 第九局异闻录 The Ninth Bureau has been involved in countless strange and bizarre events from the years before the Republic was founded to the years after. So what is the Ninth Bureau's past and present all about? Let me tell you the whole story. 219Reads6.3Score—Shelves
- 11 Bureau 749: The Ghostly Hollow of Wawu Mountain, Sichuan 749局—四川瓦屋山迷魂凼。 749 Bureau: The Bewildering Hollow at Mount Wawu, Sichuan. 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 Night-Shift Funeral Director: I Can Hear the Dead Speak 夜班殡葬师，我能听见死者说话 [Late-night paranormal mysteries + episodic investigations + accumulating karmic merit, plenty to read, updated daily without fail] My name is Lin Chen. I'm twenty-four, unemployed and in debt. I returned to my hometown to inherit the funeral home my great-uncle left behind. On my first night at work, the corpse of a woman in the morgue spoke: “I wasn't drinking. I'm allergic to alcohol...” “My fiancé pushed me down the stairs. He bought two million yuan in insurance on me.” “Please, don't let h 6.7kReads6.7Score489Shelves
- 13 The Recipient After Death 死后收件人 I'm a courier for a residential complex. Since last month, I've been receiving packages addressed to the dead. An empty apartment building, recipients whose accounts were closed long ago, parcels that no one ever claims. The property manager says I'm seeing things. My coworkers say I've been cursed. The police checked every security camera, but say everything looks normal. That is, until I opened the first package for a dead person. Inside was only a note: [You're next.] 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 14 Tales of the Strange in Bluestone Alley 青石巷诡事录 [Supernatural] [Light Horror] [Episodic Stories] [Chinese Folk Customs] Deep in Qingzhou’s Qingshi Alley lies a ferry inn unknown to anyone. Its owner, Shen Du, exists beyond life and death. He has survived for a hundred years, all to dispel the obsessions of the departed. Behind every strange and uncanny event that comes to light are debts of humanity buried for a hundred years. A headsman’s rusty blade, a performer’s jade, salt smugglers bringing disaster, a canal guild’s water tokens, a night 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 The Soul-Returning Ledger 还魂帐 On the seventh day after death, the dead return to settle their debts. Funeral director Shen Yantian was born with the ability to see accounts. He audits, weighs, and settles accounts for the dead, at the cost of pawning a memory each time. Until he discovers that the account for the fire that should have killed him three years ago is blank. Someone died in his place. This is my first novel, so the plot moves a little quickly at the beginning. It gets better later on. Thank you for your understa 10Reads—Score185Shelves
- 16 Bureau Zero-One 零一局 The Zero-One Bureau handles paranormal incidents. After the protagonist, Liang Yuzhang, was born, an old Daoist recognized his exceptional nature and took him in as an apprentice to learn Daoist arts. Starting in kindergarten, he helped people deal with paranormal incidents, becoming a minor celebrity in the surrounding villages. He joined the Zero-One Bureau in middle school, and after joining, handled all sorts of supernatural cases involving ghosts, demons, and monsters. These events also dre 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 Dragon Seeking 寻龙 Forty years ago, a great flood unearthed an ancient Warring States tomb. Forty years later, a mysterious will from my grandfather leads me back into the tomb. Carve corridors through mountains and hollow them out for tombs! How many secrets lie hidden in the tombs of ancient kings? To find a dragon, seek the mountain's winding folds. Each winding ridge marks another pass; If a gate has a thousand locks, a prince or lord must surely lie within. Only when I opened the coffin did I realize that som 936Reads6.6Score104Shelves
- 18 The Forbidden Zone Code: My Years on the Scientific Expedition Team 禁地密码：我在科考队那些年 Li Xian, 35, is the top operative on the national rescue team. In recent years, there have been repeated accidents involving hikers who went missing or died while exploring. To reduce such incidents, he begins livestreaming his rescue missions and expeditions, explaining how to handle emergencies along the way. He also wants to remind everyone to respect nature and value life. Personality: decisive and meticulous Abilities: a walking encyclopedia, capable of anything. 41Reads—Score—Shelves
- 19 Moonlit Mountains and Rivers 明月山河 (One heroine, System, not a wish-fulfillment story, angst, urban fantasy, alternate history, dual transmigration) Proceed with caution. Liu Qi, a high school senior, just wants to get through evening study hall, memorize his vocabulary, finish his fried chicken, and get into college. But the moon keeps growing brighter, the atmosphere grows stranger, his older sister grows more mysterious, and even history starts taking a different turn. He thought his life was all about “the college entrance ex —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 20 Tales of the Strange 聊斋那些事 Have you ever heard of a plain-language version of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio? A scholar spends the night in an abandoned house and is welcomed into a beautiful woman's arms, only to discover that her face is a painted skin. A poor young man finds a fox. The fox says, “I’ll marry you, but you must never look at my tail.” At the mass graves outside town, someone tells stories every night. Anyone who listens disappears the next day. Don’t be afraid. These are all stories passed down by ou 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 Bureau of Paranormal Investigations 特异事物调查局 [Mystery + horror + sci-fi + adventure + wild imagination] Before graduating, forensic science student Ren Lin dissects a beautiful female corpse. Not long afterward, he meets a woman who looks exactly like the corpse, with a horrifying scar beneath her neck. A voice keeps echoing in his ear: “Did the corpse you dissect feel pain?” This is only the beginning, just the tip of the iceberg! Ren Lin joins the Bureau of Special Affairs and rises from a low-ranking agent to a legend! 45Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 22 Top-Secret Files: Bureau 749 绝密档案：749局 [Superpowers + unknown creatures + based on true events] In a desperate situation, I killed my enemies with brain waves. After waking up, I took on a new identity and joined a national special agency, a mysterious organization hidden deep within China: Bureau 749. One unbelievable true case after another, things that should not exist are gradually coming to light… 2.5kReads7.2Score240Shelves
- 23 The Supernatural Incident Investigation Bureau 灵异事件侦探局 I was just an ordinary junior police officer, but I couldn't fight fate's wheel and got swept into a department I'd never heard of: the Paranormal Investigation Bureau. Joining the Bureau opened the door to a whole new and exciting life, but as one bizarre case after another came along, I gradually realized that everything had been predestined. None of it was a coincidence. 14Reads6.7Score—Shelves
- 24 Chronicles of Strange Happenings in an Aristocratic Clan 世家诡事录 Why do all the bones in a person’s body disappear after they die? Why can a corpse with no bones still stand like a living person? Why are young women in the city being drained of blood one after another? Why do their bodies become as hard as steel after all their blood is gone? Why do the places where these bodies are found always carry the rich scent of osmanthus? A horde of vengeful ghosts attacks, and their figures are behind it all. Why would they do such a thing? … So many mysteries await —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 749 Bureau: Classified Files 749局秘闻 Have you heard of Bureau 749? Some say it’s a classified agency. Others say it’s a mysterious organization that researches supernatural phenomena. Still others believe Bureau 749 investigates and covers up cases involving extraterrestrial life forms appearing within the country. Which of these rumors is true? I didn’t know either, until I got caught up in a bizarre murder case and became a member of Bureau 749. That’s when I discovered that the bureau was far more complicated than anyone could i 328Reads7.7Score103Shelves
- 26 Awakening My Supernatural Powers: My Years at the Special Affairs Bureau 异能觉醒：我在特事局那些年 With graduation just around the corner, I was specially recruited into a mysterious department. Can the superpowered people from Japan summon “shikigami”? I beat those “shikigami” until they were covered in bumps! The Nazi superpowered organization, the “Ahnenerbe” I’ll make them kneel and sing “Conqueror”! Tell the vampires and witches for me: When you get beaten, stand up straight! What elite troops? I beat the elite troops! Mighty China, your righteous spirit will endure forever! 20Reads—Score—Shelves
- 27 Vampire: Froststain 血族：霜染 [Childhood sweethearts] [Inseparable couple] [One heroine] [Both leads are strong] “Oh, my lady, please be generous and let me off the hook this time.” “Stop trying to fish for information. I didn’t call your dad! Besides, can you afford to treat me to barbecue now?” “I rushed out and didn’t bring much money. But you can put it on my tab. I’ll pay you back next time we meet, how’s that?” “Get lost, get lost. You’re not sincere at all. I even dressed up so beautifully to come pick you up, and you 5Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 28 After Graduation, You Went to Work, but You Chose a Secure Job at 749 毕业工作，你跑去749端铁饭碗 [Monster Containment]+ [Investigators]+ [Supreme Great Xia]+ [Restricted Zones]+ [Otherworldly Spaces] Feng Fan arrives at the “Good Rebirth” Crematorium and takes a temporary job burning corpses! He never expected an old woman to rise from the dead. Everyone else was so terrified they fled, but Feng Fan excitedly sent her straight into the incinerator! He was born into this world over twenty years ago with a golden finger called the [Anomaly Compendium]. He thought he had transmigrated into the 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 Strange Tales: Paper Money 诡异杂谈之纸钱 Weird Tales: Paper Money 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 30 China's Mysterious UMA Files 中国UMA神秘档案 UMA, or Unidentified Mysterious Animal, refers to unknown life forms. My name is Su Lie, and I'm a forest ranger in the Greater Khingan Range. By a twist of fate, I met Wu Xianzhang, a biology professor, who asked me to guide his team into an uncharted region. I thought this was my chance to strike it rich, but I never expected to stumble upon the secrets of my own body. The eerie apparition in the Kunlun Mountains, the Xi in Hubei's Shennongjia, the monster of Tianchi Lake, the mysterious flyin 543Reads6.7Score103Shelves
- 31 Shadows in the Mountain Mist 迷山雾影 Have you ever seen a monster? A creature that exists only in legend... Suddenly appearing in the human world, thirsting for blood and slaughter, treating human lives like ants... In ancient times, whenever a "heavenly dog devoured the moon," people would bang drums and gongs, hoping to drive away the dog eating the moon... Today, human satellites roam through space, and humans have even set foot on that bright moon hanging in the sky, going so far as to declare that its surface is unsuitable for 1.1kReads8.2Score117Shelves
- 32 I Can Join the Paranormal Investigation Bureau Too 我也能加入神秘调查局 My new work is here! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 52Reads—Score—Shelves
- 33 The Empty Apartment Next Door 没人住的隔壁 The Unoccupied Apartment Next Door 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 34 Watching People Through a Crack in the Door 《门缝看人》 The Eye at the Door Crack 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 Bureau 749: Special Case Investigation Division Nine 749局：九处特案调查科 The third installment of The Bureau of Mysterious Incidents As the internet continued to develop, the times called for change. In 2014, Bureau 749 established the Ninth Division's Special Cases Investigation Section. Yun Cong Feng, who wielded lightning and fire abilities; Li Yi Chu, with psychic abilities; Ye Luan, with enhancement abilities; the Taoist Zhang Shan Ling; the physician Li Fu Ling; and computer expert Chi You You joined the team. In the days that followed, the six-person squad dea 1.2kReads7.1Score100Shelves
- 36 The Last Sand Diver 最后一个淘沙官 [Tomb Raiding]+ [Mystery]+ [Supernatural] There is a group of people in this world who understand the balance of yin and yang, know the past and present, and brave deadly dangers in search of secret treasures buried with dragons, lost cities, and ancient palaces said to house immortals. With their own hands, they piece together fragments of the unknown world. They are the Sand-Seeking Celestial Officials. I am the last inheritor of the Sand-Seeking Celestial Officials, and I have decided to reco 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 37 Strange Tales from the Folk 民间吊诡故事 [An ensemble cast] [Multiple protagonists and storylines] [A wild imagination] [Mystery] [Conspiracies] [Open schemes] [Political machinations] Pangu split the earth with his axe. Fuxi and Nuwa established marriage customs. Chiyou and the Yellow Emperor fought for the throne of the gods, only for the battle to end in defeat at Mount Buzhou. After a century of war between gods and demons, the Yellow Emperor abdicated, taking the blame. Humanity gained gods, then lost them, and so a new tale of cr 20Reads—Score—Shelves
- 38 Darling? Darling! 亲爱的？亲爱的！ Welcome, everyone, to our Loving Family The blurb can't show off my charm, so just read Chapter One. I'm a new author, and the earlier chapters aren't very good. Please bear with me. I'll try to wrap up the instances quickly and just write romance in the real world instead. I'll be making major revisions to the earlier chapters. Updates will probably come gradually, with around 200,000 words in total. The earlier chapters really aren't good. Start reading from Chapter 60 onward. The earlier part 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 I Open a Paper Effigy Shop in the City 我在都市开纸扎店 Li Xiaofan, the owner of a joss-paper shop in Jiangzhou, appears to be an ordinary young man, but is actually a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Age of the Decline of the Dharma. Hidden among the common people, he crafts paper offerings to guide the dead into the afterlife. But after a bizarre incident at a funeral home, where a paper figure swallowed someone's heart, he draws the attention of the secret government agency Dragon Hidden. Dragon Hidden is a mysterious organization that has existed —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 Walker in the Mist: See It, Then Pretend You Didn't 雾中行者：看见，然后假装看不见 She was forced to open her eyes. In this city, "ghostly shadows" formed from obsession and pain drift through the streets. Lin Jianwei has been able to see them since childhood, but pretended she couldn't, until an attack on the subway dragged her into darkness. Forced to team up with Chen Qiming, a formidable fighter, and Zhou Yan, a master of the occult arts, she becomes one of the "Walkers in the Mist." Under the leadership of Qin Shouye, a disillusioned father, they deal with strange inciden —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 The Mysterious Department Jiuding: The Power of the Five Elements 神秘部门九鼎：五行之力 (This story is entirely fictional. If anything seems familiar, trust in science.) By chance, I joined Jiuding, a mysterious national agency. There, I met a group of old monsters: Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng, Zuo Ci, Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng, and Zhang Sanfeng. I also learned that other countries have their own mysterious agencies. For example, America’s S.H.I.E.L.D., Britain’s Knights of the Round Table, Russia’s Society of Nature, Japan’s Onmyoryo, and so on. I thought my future would be spent d 221Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 42 Bureau 749: Supernatural Investigations 749局之超自然探秘 Tian Yun, endlessly fascinated by supernatural phenomena, receives a mysterious letter that leads him to the enigmatic 749 Bureau. The 749 Bureau is a special institution dedicated to researching supernatural phenomena. It has ancient buildings, strange equipment, and a group of mysterious researchers. From its origins in the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to research the supernatural during the Cold War, the bureau has undergone many changes and developments. After 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 I Tamed the Paranormal 我把诡异收服了 Born with ghostly eyes, I share a desk with the City Lord of the Underworld. A vengeful female ghost wants me to kiss her, I take in a powerful underworld enforcer, and a princess from a thousand years ago swears an oath with me. Onstage, they sing of sorrow and grief. Beneath the stage, I capture every kind of evil. My name is Zhang Qiang. Watch me run rampant through the Underworld! —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 Top Secret: Paranormal Investigation Bureau 绝密：灵异事件调查局 To investigate and handle supernatural incidents, the nation established a special task force. All files, mission reports, and research are classified as the highest level of national secrecy. As a field operative, I was fortunate enough to take part in handling all kinds of cases: the madness of thousand-year-old corpses, the wonders of supernatural abilities, and incidents involving hybrids of spirits, demons, and monsters... 152Reads—Score—Shelves
- 45 The Last Tomb Raider 最后的摸金传人 In the 1990s, my family was so poor that my parents abandoned me. By chance, I met a group of tomb raiders. I joined them just to get a meal and became the last inheritor of their craft. They took me all over the country: through primeval forests and snowy plateaus, along rivers and lakes, across dry deserts. Their footprints covered the land. One tomb expedition after another showed me countless bizarre and wondrous things and brought me face-to-face with all manner of demons and monsters. My m 7.1kReads8.7Score432Shelves
- 46 Investigation Bureau 739 739调查局 A mysterious investigation bureau, a series of inexplicable supernatural events, and a young man who has studied Taoist arts since childhood: together, they set the stage for a strange journey through life. An infant boy is abandoned in the mountains, surrounded by birds and protected by beasts. When the Taoist Qin Xuangguan happens upon this extraordinary sight, he realizes the child is no ordinary person and takes him back to the mountain to raise him and teach him the Yin-Yang arts. By chance 549Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 47 Traces of Yin 殷迹 An account of travels from the Ming dynasty and a carved black bird statue from the Shang dynasty are unexpectedly connected, pointing to the secret behind the cycle of civilization’s destruction. As dark clouds gather and the prophesied apocalypse arrives, will the legendary guardian deity of humanity appear? 582Reads8.7Score106Shelves
- 48 China’s Special Operations Group 华夏特别行动组 Beneath the prosperity of a flourishing age, strange incidents occur one after another. All kinds of hidden, inhuman beings roam the streets, disrupting people's peaceful lives and threatening national security. There is a group of people whose identities are unknown to the public. Yet they are constantly battling the forces of darkness, protecting peace in the world and defending their country's honor with their lives. By chance, Chen Jie, an ordinary young man, awakens a superpower and is recr 360Reads5.5Score—Shelves
- 49 Bureau 749: The Special Heroes Unit 749局之特殊英雄组 The world isn't as calm and peaceful as it looks. Just like in the sci-fi movies you've seen, there are a handful of strange people, strange events, monsters, and paranormal phenomena in this world. Some of them, however, can easily cause social unrest and inspire fear. Our 749 Bureau was established to deal with such things. 1.6kReads5.9Score101Shelves
- 50 The Singing Serpent in the Sky 鸣蛇在天 [Paranormal + fantasy + myth and legend + mysterious organizations + cultivation; not a wish-fulfillment story, no immortal cultivation] A cataclysmic war in the age of myth, and the mysterious disappearance of a race of giants. After an ordinary soldier completes what seems like a simple mission, he joins the mysterious Mingshe Unit. Amid a thousand-year feud between ancient gods and demons, a war among the gods is about to erupt once more. 776Reads8.1Score103Shelves
