Novels like Special Operations Bureau
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Special Operations Bureau, best match first.
- 1 Tales of the Mystic Arts: Southern Maoists and Northern Horse Shamans Battle the Evil King 玄门往事：南茅北马斗邪王 Lu Li, a handsome young Maoshan Taoist, arrives in Northeast China and meets Cui Kan, a frail, frequently ill spirit medium who possesses uncanny powers. The two are forced into a terrifying conflict involving dark sorcery. Wherever the mysterious sorcerer's ghostly figure appears, terror and death follow close behind. On a dark, windy night, an ancient tomb lies shrouded in gloom, heads roll, and rivers of blood flow... Lu Li and Cui Kan face danger at every turn. They must outwit their enemies 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 2 You Were Supposed to Catch Ghosts, So Why Are You Flirting with Girls Everywhere? 让你捉鬼，你却到处撩妹 “You little brat, I told you to catch ghosts, but you’re out there flirting with women. Last time, the client even complained that you kept staring at her chest and thighs.” “Hehe! She was dressed so skimpy and had such long legs. She was practically asking people to look. I’d be a fool not to!” 363Reads—Score102Shelves
- 3 The Heavenly Official's Edict 天官敕令 When Chen Qi awakens the long-lost “Word Spirit Edict” during a haunted-house livestream, he thinks it’s just a way to earn money to save his father. But when fragments of an antique bronze mirror reveal a thousand-year-old formation, and the technology group “Entropy” uses algorithms to optimize feng shui and kill, he realizes he’s been dragged into an ultimate war between traditional occult arts and modern technology. From malignant spirits in haunted houses to ghost soldiers on the march, and —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 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
- 5 Why Fear the Haunting? 何祟不惊？ What kind of strange tales will unfold when the monsters of folklore, the ghosts of legend, traditional magic, and modern technology mingle in the city? Shen Shi never imagined that a night of fishing to clear his head after losing his job would leave him with a strange fish inside his body, a mysterious stranger hunting him, and a forced recruitment into an organization called the Third-Type Incident Response Department. So-called third-type incidents are events directly involving demons, ghost 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 6 The Daoist Arts Compendium: Flirting with Ghosts in the Underworld 道术灵册我在冥界调戏鬼 Supernatural and bizarre incidents keep happening, along with the use of all kinds of talismans, spells, and Taoist arts. Follow me, Lin Feng, as I promote traditional Chinese Taoism. Lin Feng was raised from childhood by his grandfather, Lin Yousheng, a renowned Taoist priest. The story takes place in a small town in the 1980s and 1990s. Before turning thirteen, Lin Feng had little interest in his grandfather's identity as a Taoist priest, but at thirteen, he began his journey down the Taoist p 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 Recruited from the Start, My Job Is to Slay Gods 开局被特招，业绩是砍神 [Urban Supernatural] + [Slay the Gods] + [False Gods] + [Supernatural Containment] + [Ensemble Cast] + [Team Battles] + [Not Mindless] + [A Little Slow to Warm Up] Chen Shi later deeply regretted passing that alley that day. If only he hadn’t inexplicably reached out and poked that monster. “Join us, or wait until the contamination inside you erupts. No one will be able to save you.” A beautiful woman with glasses and a frosty demeanor handed him an employment contract from a mysterious organiza 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 Six Relics to Banish Evil 六器渡邪 On a stormy night, the evil box passed down through my family shattered on its own, and I became a wanted fugitive accused of several murders. My only chance of survival was to recover the six cursed artifacts scattered across the Lin family. But they weren't treasures. They were instruments of torture, each one imprisoning the soul of someone our ancestors had tortured into becoming an artifact. Soul-harvesting rice from the Hungry Ghost Realm, a mending needle used to sew together a hundred —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 9 Maoshan Secrets: The Way of Yin and Yang 茅山秘录：阴阳道 Do you believe ghosts exist? The moment you ask that question, one might be listening. When he was five, he watched his home burn to ashes with his own eyes. Twenty-two years later, he became the seventy-third-generation direct disciple of the Maoshan Sect. His master said, “Go down the mountain. Gain experience and find the answers.” He thought it would be an ordinary journey down the mountain. He was wrong. In an ancient Jiangnan town, five young people died in the same dream, smiling, th 39Reads—Score—Shelves
- 10 A Little Crazy, a Little Daoist, Crazy and Daoist All the Same! 癫癫又道道，道道又癫癫！ [Fortune-telling + face reading + feng shui + ghost hunting + lighthearted comedy] Stories and lessons always go hand in hand. Who knows whether young people will understand them. Zhang Jiuyue, a young Taoist from Sanxian Temple, slings his pack over his shoulder and heads down the mountain, with no idea what hardships life has in store for him. But as far as he is concerned, if gods come, he’ll kill the gods; if demons come, he’ll vanquish them. What’s there to be afraid of? Life is only a few 388Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 Celestial Master Agent: I Have Heavenly Talismans 天师特工，我有通天符法 (No System, not invincible, talisman arts + special powers, plot-focused, not a formulaic wish-fulfillment novel) (Ensemble cast, with the supporting characters getting their own growth arcs instead of existing just to make the protagonist look good) The strongest ghost-quelling celestial master from the Shan Hai Realm transmigrates into an ordinary high school student. His home is bare, his father is missing, his mother has a short fuse, and he's stuck without his magical powers... “I've had en 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 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
- 13 Strange Tales from the Countryside 农村里的奇异怪谈 [Traditional supernatural horror + third-person narration + one female lead + no immortal cultivation] In a strange, gloomy bamboo forest, evil forces claim people’s lives. A university graduate has just returned to his village when he becomes embroiled in a series of bizarre events. In the end, he takes a master and learns the Dao. Is the mysterious woman good or evil? What other strange events will the protagonist encounter? Find out in the book. 21Reads—Score—Shelves
- 14 The Daoheart’s Journey 道心征途 (This novel focuses primarily on horror, the supernatural, and suspense. It isn't mindless, it isn't about cultivating immortality, and the story is tightly connected. The early chapters lay the groundwork, and there are many genuinely frightening scenes. If you don't like it, feel free to say so in the comments!) My master said there are only two principles to being a Taoist priest. First: Never put off revenge until tomorrow. Let it fester in your heart, and it will throw your Daoist mind into 8Reads6.5Score—Shelves
- 15 The Paranormal Master of Xuan Zong Feng Shui 玄宗风水术师之灵异先生 City life, celestial masters, the supernatural, feng shui, talismans, witchcraft, dark arts, ghost hunting, exorcisms, monster slaying, evil-spirit banishment, demon subjugation, battling zombies, living with a policewoman. No cultivation. 764Reads6.1Score107Shelves
- 16 Strange Tales from the South 南方灵异事 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 The Ghost-Deceiving Master 骗鬼大师 [Mystery] [Ghost Hunting] [Comedy] [Urban] [Scheming Hero] [Feel-Good Power Fantasy] My master is a real oddball, so naturally, I didn’t turn out innocent or naive either. Armed with a peachwood sword, I roam the world, making a living catching ghosts. But don’t assume I have any profound magical arts. In truth, catching ghosts is all about bluffing! I can scare a timid little ghost into trembling with fear, and I can talk a century-old vengeful ghost into a complete daze. Watch as my peachwood —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 Making Money in Both the Living and the Dead Worlds 阴阳两界通吃 [Multiple Heroines + Wacky Daily Life + Light Comedy + No System] I'm Guan Du, one of the top wage slaves between the worlds of the living and the dead. I take jobs and make money by day, then work for ghosts at night. Ghost Big Shot: Help me find my killer, and I'll give you a haunted house! Gluttonous Impermanence: You can mooch a meal, but pay protection money first! Tsundere Receptionist: Keep running your mouth, and I'll put you up for auction online! What? You don't scam people for money? 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 19 Reincarnation Brings Forth Ten Thousand Ghosts 轮回出万鬼伏 I was born in a year, month, and hour of yin, and the day I was born, thunder roared without pause. After that, all kinds of bizarre things happened, like water ghosts demanding lives, a haunted dormitory, and a strange mountain village... 50Reads—Score—Shelves
- 20 The New Taiping Guangji: Records of Supernatural Survival 新太平广记：非自然生存实录 “Stay away from Duan Fei! He’s a jinx who meddles with yin and yang and throws the Three Realms into chaos!” The warning from the darkness is filled with despair. “So what if he’s a jinx? I’m going to uncover the secrets of the Six Paths behind him.” The voice is brimming with arrogance. “Uncover them? You’re pushing yourself into the cracks between the Three Realms, straight into the Six Paths’ deadliest abyss!” The whisper sinks into the bones. A deadly mystery spanning life and death acros —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 The Strange Realm Frontline 诡界战线 [Mystery and Puzzles + Supernatural Powers + Eerie Folk Customs + One Heroine + Not Mindless + Ensemble Cast and Political Intrigue + Takes Off Around Chapter 30 and Gets Better and Better] The Ten Halls of the King of Hell stand empty. The mysterious Miscellaneous Affairs Bureau barely maintains order between the worlds of the living and the dead. Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and magic; Yin-Yang arts and Mount Mao; cyber exorcism, electronic dance music to ward off misfortune. Awaken all man 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 22 Verify My Identity: The Customs Office Has a Classic of Mountains and Seas 验明正身：海关有本山海经 At Zhangzhou Port, a container from Penang declared a load of sixty tons of coir pith, but weighed 190 kilograms over on the scales. When the doors were pulled open, a pig that could curse was sprawled beneath the coir pith. Shiqi squatted down and looked for two seconds. “First grade, mixed stock, worthless.” In this city, every living thing that comes in from the sea has to be inspected, graded, and entered into the System. There are seven grades. Anyone can take away first-grade mixed stock, 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 23 Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer, I Became a Guardian of Civilization 确诊癌症晚期，我成了文明守夜人 The doctors said I had only three months to live, but I became the last guardian of civilization. Late-stage cancer? No, it was turbid breath entering my body! Chemotherapy was useless? Only ancient artifacts infused with spiritual energy could keep me alive! From ghostly shadows in the Forbidden City to Pangu creating the heavens, I coughed up blood as I traced back five thousand years, laying my hands on the dragon veins of the Xia and Shang dynasties and the heroic spirits of the Han and Tang 8Reads—Score—Shelves
- 24 Yin-Yang Eyes: Ghostly Tales from a Mountain Village 阴阳眼之山村鬼事 On the night I was born, dark clouds covered the sky, fierce winds and torrential rain raged, and thunder boomed until dawn. Countless ghost soldiers and underworld bailiffs waited outside our home, intent on dragging me back to the underworld. If my grandfather hadn't fought to protect me, I wouldn't have lived to see morning. Dogs barked all night throughout the village. The elders called me a cursed, ill-fated child and an evil omen, and wanted to beat me to death to put an end to the calami 19Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 Turns Out It’s a Bug 居然是个bug [No characters getting dumber] [Easygoing pace] The protagonist appears and is badly injured, then gets led around by the nose. Along the way, he discovers that he turns into a cool, aloof female swordswoman at night. He thinks that must be his supernatural ability, but then... —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 26 The Feng Shui King of the Underworld 江湖风水之王 On the day I was born, ten thousand demons emerged from the mountains, a hundred ghosts clawed their way out of their graves, and an immortal corpse guarded the way. My master, Daoist Jingxian, took me from a tomb and raised me for twenty years, only to fall under a curse and die a horrible death, skinned alive. Knowing he was going to die, my master left me a letter. First, he warned me not to seek out the killer. Then he urged me to stay away from the world. But I chose a third path, resolute 129Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 27 Divine Ability Sequence: Seriously, Don't Call Me Brother Monkey 神能序列：真别叫我猴哥啊 [Divine Power Ranks, Epic Long Saga, Steady Updates] Beneath the clamor of the city stretches an endless night. The myths passed down from ancient times may actually be real. As one of countless ordinary people, have you ever wondered whether the humdrum life you know hides mysteries beyond imagination? Ancient gods awaken from their slumber and look down upon humanity like a host of ants. The "divine resentment" in the Land of Fallen Gods bares its vicious claws. What conspiracy lies behind the 196Reads—Score—Shelves
- 28 The Supernatural Descends! A Female Ghost Teaches Me Maoshan Arts 诡异降临！女鬼教我茅山术 The uncanny descends, and a hundred ghosts roam the night! Li Qiulin was born with his Yin-Yang Eyes fully open. He can see ghosts and gods filling the sky, yet he has pretended to be blind and kept his head down for twenty whole years! That's because he has the rarest constitution of all: pure yang in a body of pure yin. He's the ultimate Yin bait, coveted by every evil spirit. His lifelong dream is to stay home, lie flat, and eat until he dies. But then a bad friend tricks him into exploring a 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 Half Farmer, Half Taoist 半农半道 A record of life’s fleeting moments, a modern-day Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio! In the Age of Declining Dharma, beneath the White Lotus, the greatest hermits hide in plain sight. The truly gifted master Suan Potian and his young apprentice Liu Yi, with help from Captain Liu of the J Team, travel through all kinds of strange tales. They fish drowned souls from the water, battle spirit mediums, drive out evil, escort ghosts and capture monsters; they read the veins of yin energy, set the ea 350Reads—Score—Shelves
- 30 A Record of Strange Encounters 怪异见闻录 [Folk horror, Taoist exorcists, spirit mediums banishing evil, no romance, intelligent protagonist] My grandmother is a spirit medium. Just tonight, Uncle Bei from our village came to ask her to perform an exorcism. He said Auntie Liu from the village was actually a ghost? But Auntie Liu only came to my shop yesterday to buy paper money! And so began a series of strange encounters… that turned me from an ordinary person into someone with only three souls and six spirits left! 15Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 A Working Stiff's Ghost-Hunting Diary 牛马捉鬼日记 Mystery + Supernatural + Comedy. Slow burn; impatient readers, enter at your own risk!!! My name is Qin Fang. I was an ordinary, downtrodden wage slave, until one day, on a whim, I spent a whopping five hundred yuan at a street stall on a nine-story pagoda ornament. My peaceful life was turned upside down. Now, on top of slaving away at work all day and suffering for a measly few thousand yuan, I have to serve the pagoda spirit, Lord Bai, every night. I’m forced to hunt ghosts and subdue demons 16Reads—Score—Shelves
- 32 Maoshan Edict for Slaying Evil 茅山斩邪令 Chen Xuan, the nineteenth-generation successor of Maoshan, descends from the mountain at eighteen to enter the mortal world. With a single talisman, he subdues a hundred ghosts; with a wooden sword, he cuts down every evil spirit! In a mountain village, a hanging ghost comes to claim lives. In an ancient town, a water ghost drags people under. A deserted village hides the secrets of a lantern made from human skin... Other people go weak in the knees when they see a ghost. Chen Xuan draws his s 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 33 I Became a Heavenly Master of the Dao 我成了道门天师 My name is Li Changqing. When my mother gave birth to me, ghosts roamed the night, and a wandering Daoist saved my life. He said my fate was far too harsh, bringing calamity to my closest relatives. My parents might not die peacefully… and I still had three disasters to survive. My only chance of survival was to join the Daoist sect. 11Reads—Score—Shelves
- 34 Paranormal Civil Servant 灵异公务员 Wang Xiaotian, a civil servant wielding the "Heaven-Measuring Ruler," transmigrates to a parallel world where the supernatural resurges in the 1990s. Zombies have to meet their KPIs, and ghosts who like people have to follow the proper procedures. Using the bureaucratic wisdom he's gained from writing reports and mediating disputes, he specializes in dealing with every kind of monster and demon that refuses to cooperate. When a red-clad vengeful ghost has to write a work summary, and a thousand- 22Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 Exorcism Records: The Supreme Judge of Yin and Yang 镇鬼实录：阴阳第一执宰人 [Traditional supernatural horror + ghost hunting + no romance] The city is full of tricks. I want to go back to the countryside. After losing his job, Jiang Bai returns to his rural hometown, only to find that a wicked spirit has begun tearing out people’s hearts. More and more villagers are being killed, and the whole village is helpless. Ignoring his late grandfather’s prohibition, he inherits his grandfather’s legacy and enters the world of the mystic arts. In a once-quiet town, accidents kee 77Reads—Score—Shelves
- 36 Maoshan's Greatest Celestial Master 茅山最强天师 [Supernatural + Urban Fantasy + Maoshan Taoist Arts + One Heroine] “Maoshan disciple Ye Qing travels the world alone, sweeping across the mortal realm with his mastery of Maoshan Taoist arts.” He slays wraiths, battles evil gods, destroys ghosts and monsters, and vanquishes corpse kings. Witness a generation’s Celestial Master of Maoshan wield secret Taoist arts with one hand, shaking the four corners of the world and reigning supreme beneath heaven. 1.4kReads—Score—Shelves
- 37 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
- 38 King of Feng Shui: I Roam the World with a Sealed Divine Dragon 风水之王之我与封印神龙闯天下 The day I was born, my father died. A fortune-teller said I was born under an unlucky star and would bring death to my parents! No! I decide my own fate, not Heaven! Watch me defy fate alongside the dragon spirit living inside me! See how Lin Qingfeng rises from an orphan girl to become a renowned feng shui master! 465Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 Paper Effigy Celestial Master: I Use Paper Dolls to Guard the Nine Hells 纸扎天师：我以纸人镇九幽 “Other people burn paper offerings for the dead. The paper figures I make... all came to life!” Yun Sheng, a poor young man working on Funeral Street, one day discovers that the paper figures he folds can move on their own. ✔ Delivering takeout to the underworld? Paper-figure delivery, guaranteed arrival! ✔ Helping vengeful ghosts pass on? Merit earned, unlocking super-evolution for paper figures! ✔ Taking the underworld civil service exam? The King of Hell personally sends you an offer! But whe 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 The Taoist Priest's Pact with Three Thousand Ghost Brides 道士与后宫三千女鬼的约定 This Daoist Master doesn't care for fighting and killing. I've had just one hobby all my life: collecting all kinds of beautiful female demons and ghosts from around the world. 135Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 Secrets of the Mortuary 殓尸秘录 Chen Mo is the young heir to the Wangsheng Studio funeral home. He thought he would spend his life in quiet company with cold, lifeless bodies. Then he took charge of a strange corpse known as the “Bride in Red,” and everything began to spiral out of control. The body never decays, and its smile is as lovely as a flower. The bronze bell tied around its ankle rings silently in the dead of night. From then on, Chen Mo is swept into one whirlpool after another, woven from local ghost stories and ho 3Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 42 The Great Medium 通灵大法师 A mysterious young man gets dragged into one conspiracy after another when he takes on a ritual job. To stay alive and avoid becoming a pawn, he launches an epic battle to defy fate and change his destiny. 10Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 The Calamity Wardens' Apocalypse 压祟默示录 [Mystery and the supernatural + ensemble cast + first-person narration + Eastern mythology + Daoism] The copper coin a strange Daoist casually gave me turned out to be the legendary evil-repelling coin? Are the haunted mansion and the attacks by the walking corpses really because an evil fiend has emerged from seclusion? Or is there some other hidden truth? Is there more to the familiar New Year's Eve story than we know? Can some of the inexplicable things in modern life actually be explained? D 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 Superpowers: What Doesn’t Kill Me Only Makes Me Stronger 异能：杀不死我的只会使我更强 [Sequence-based abilities + character growth + not a power fantasy + no mindless antics + gradual buildup + no self-righteous saint] “If one day you meet someone who looks exactly like you, don’t hesitate. Run as fast as you can!” Do you really understand this world? Have you ever considered that in this seemingly peaceful world, there may be supernatural beings with bizarre abilities? Have you ever considered that your family, your friends, or anyone else might not be human... What secrets lie 7Reads6.7Score—Shelves
- 45 The Ghost-Catching Taoist Master 捉鬼天师 To build a road, the village assigned me and a few others to demolish a grave. Everyone died, but I survived. I’m the only one who knows why... 56Reads—Score—Shelves
- 46 Is It Too Much for a Fortune Teller Like Me to Know a Little Yin-Yang Magic? 我一个算命的会点阴阳术不过分吧 [Maoshan Arts + Ghost Hunting + Face Reading + Powerful Connections + Walking Between the Yin and Yang Worlds + Team] Zhao Yang's grandfather made him study three books from a young age: the Zhouyi, the Ma Yi Divine Physiognomy, and a third book with no cover, whose contents were handwritten. After his grandfather passed away, Zhao Yang inherited his mantle. But now that cremation was the norm, all he could do was read people's feng shui, barely earning enough to get by. Just as he was thinking 323Reads—Score—Shelves
- 47 Hunting Evil Spirits 猎祟 [Superpowers]+ [Organization] Office worker Tu Yile accidentally awakened superpowers and, through a twist of fate, joined the special operations unit of the “Relevant Departments.” Teaming up with the experienced Long Sihai, he wields true fire to vanquish evil and restore peace to the world! 166Reads7.5Score—Shelves
- 48 A Chinese Taoist Priest Hunts Ghosts in Japan 华夏道士在东瀛捉鬼 “Roar!” The evil spirit let out an utterly bloodcurdling howl. Its attack on Yuna abruptly changed course. It became a pitch-black storm, abandoning all strategy and focusing solely on tearing that accursed man, who was munching on sunflower seeds, to pieces! “Hey, why are you all coming after me?” Looking at the black storm roaring toward him, Li Xuan wore a smug grin. He casually brushed the sunflower seed shells off his hands and rose to his feet at an unhurried pace. “Since you’re all s 23Reads—Score—Shelves
- 49 The Yin-Yang Geomancer’s Legacy 阴阳地师传 At ten years old, I slew a white serpent and subdued a hundred ghosts. The generals of the underworld called me “little brother.” Using feng shui, the art of Qimen, and Taoist magic, I solved one strange murder case after another! It all began with the corpse of a man in a cornfield! 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 50 In My Next Life... 下辈子…… In the next life... 4Reads—Score—Shelves
