Novels like Dragon Behind Bars: How a Big Shot Is Made
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Dragon Behind Bars: How a Big Shot Is Made, best match first.
- 1 Bloodsoaked Underworld: Gangland Storm 浴血江湖之黑道风云 By a stroke of fate, Wang Tian embarked on an extraordinary path: the road of the underworld! An older brother who was like a father and mentor, and five brothers who would share life and death with him. He has been gravely wounded and left on the brink of death, and he has also enjoyed immense wealth and a life of extravagance! This is the story of an ordinary man’s hard-won rise, a cry of defiance from those at the bottom! Wang Tian is determined to create a legendary life! P.S. Wang Tian and 18Reads—Score10614d adds
- 2 Tale of the Twin Flood Dragons 双蛟记 [Brothers bound by deep affection, sharing life and death] [A flood dragon lies hidden in deep waters. After enduring bitter hardships, it can emerge transformed into a dragon.] 693Reads7.1Score10114d adds
- 3 Blood Prison's Mad Overlord 血狱狂枭 The down-and-out youth Zhao Tian suffered the slaughter of his entire family as a boy. After vanishing for many years, he returned to exact revenge, rise to power, establish the Blood Prison, and dominate the world. With a band of brothers who would lay down their lives for him, he embarked on one journey after another, stirring up waves of bloodshed across the martial world… 15.7kReads8.5Score1.1k14d adds
- 4 The Peerless Mad Dragon Who Defies Heaven 胜天半子之绝世狂龙 [Decisive and ruthless] [No do-gooder protagonist] [Realistic urban setting] [Fast-paced] [No dragging things out] [Satisfying underworld story] [No System] [Not invincible] Not invincible!!! Not invincible!!! Not invincible!!! Everything comes down to hard work grounded in reality. A must-read for fans of underworld stories~ An urban youth leads a band of brothers who would live and die for him, rising from having nothing to the pinnacle of the underworld and forging a legendary empire~ The mal 56Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 1998: My Bloody Era! 1998：我的血色年代！ When I hit the streets, I rely on just three things! Being ruthless, having money, and having tough brothers! These are passionate, fiery times! These are times when tough guys are everywhere! The moment I picked up a three-edged military dagger, I was destined to spend my life battling through the underworld! Don't talk to me about big shots in the underworld. That won't work on me! Welcome to my story of life on the streets! 6.3kReads8.5Score45314d adds
- 6 A Song for the Underworld 混子的挽歌 [Raise our cups and toast the rugged road through the underworld.] [Through blood and fury, a brotherhood that lasts a lifetime.] A naive, timid young man, to keep from losing the brothers at his side again, chooses to take up a three-foot steel blade and step into a world stained red with blood. Behind the brotherly bravado and drunken revelry of the underworld, the only things that never change are ruthless exploitation and cold reality. The people he meets make him sick. And little by little, 2.4kReads7.3Score23914d adds
- 7 Godfather of the Underworld: From Prison Dragon to the Pinnacle of Power! 黑道教父：从狱中龙到权势巅峰！ [Urban + Underworld + One Female Lead + Powerful Boss + All-Controlling + Influence] “If kindness is useless, then from now on, I'll cast it aside!” After three years in prison for a crime he was framed for, Zhou Ye is released and sees the light of day once more. Betrayed by his brother and his girlfriend, and devastated by his parents' mysterious deaths, he resolutely sets out on the path of revenge. To avenge his parents and achieve his goals, he vows, “If a god stands in my way, I'll slay 2.9kReads7.7Score23514d adds
- 8 The Underworld Boss Who Came Out of a Martial Arts Academy 从武校走出来的黑道大佬 [Youthful passion + Ruthless + Absolutely no saintly do-gooder] What kind of legendary life will Gu Feng write for himself after returning from martial arts school? A young man in fine clothes, riding a spirited horse: may he make the most of his youth and live without regrets! May you wander far and wide, yet return still young at heart! 15Reads6.5Score314d adds
- 9 Dongguan, I Am King! 莞市，我为王！ What kind of legendary path will Li Feng carve out after leaving martial arts school and arriving in Dongguan? In the bright days of youth, ride proud and true. Make the most of your time, and know where you’re headed. May you roam the world for half your life, then return still young at heart... (The original cast of strongmen who rose from vocational school reunites. A new story, a fresh start!) 393Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 10 Bad Boy: King of the Streets 坏小子：街道之上，我为王 Li Yizhen was an ordinary student at Jiangchuan No. 1 High School. But the school bully, He Min, singled him out, teasing and tormenting him as she pleased. Too timid to fight back, he endured group beatings and was even forced to eat ice pops mixed with dirt. She also led him astray, getting him to smoke and drink. Day after day, year after year… Then, when Li Yizhen finally confessed his feelings to the school belle, she mocked him in front of the whole class. He Min joined in, too. Overcome w 285Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 Wang Hao, the Inverse Scale King 逆鳞王皓 A comeback, a defiance of fate. Bullied for years because of his weight, he finally reaches his breaking point and vows never to be weak again. He fights back, step by step descending into hell, and soon dominates the campus... 116Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 The Days We Spent Running with the Wrong Crowd 那些年混过的日子 Young and reckless, we chased nothing but our ideals. The storms we weathered in those years, the roads we walked together, and the days we spent making our way through life. The old generation's feuds and entanglements, the younger generation's rivalries: an unknown nobody gradually grows stronger, overcoming hardship after hardship without ever giving up. 3.8kReads7.2Score17814d adds
- 13 1980: A New Order in the Underworld 一九八零：江湖新秩序 What is the martial world? Wherever there are people, there will be conflict! The strong survive, and the weak perish. That is the martial world! Relive the 1980s and pay tribute to a youth long gone! This is the story of Han Yue, and how he rose from the bottom to the top of the provincial capital, only to fall again! The road through the martial world is treacherous. Everyone survives by their own wits! Hold on, and you can make something of yourself. Give up, and you're out... (This book is p 4.4kReads8.7Score28314d adds
- 14 This Godfather Isn’t Proper 这个教父不正经 [Underworld epic] [Dark, forbidden mother-daughter angels] [Love for a widow] [A failed life: the rise of a dragon and an elephant] This is a lament for everything lost. His birth mother abandons him, and he is crowned the voice of the underworld. He takes the blame for the woman he loves and goes to prison, only for her to become a British princess he can admire on the news. He alone falls from a street vendor selling candied hawthorn skewers to a prisoner locked away from the light of day. Th 1.5kReads9.1Score15614d adds
- 15 The Fire of Our Youthful Years 那些年我们青春的锋芒 To everyone else, he was an honest man and a spineless loser. His middle school years were a living hell, until one day, a friend his age from the neighboring family transferred back from a school out of town and came to his defense with a commanding presence. The boy, Wu Feng, took the baton handed to him and strode ahead, rising from a meek, honest kid into a powerful figure who radiated authority and revealed his sharp edge. 28Reads—Score214d adds
- 16 Weapon System from the Start! Surviving the Apocalypse with My Sister-in-Law 开局武器系统！带着小姨子闯末世 [Apocalyptic underworld + power struggles + sister-in-law from the start + modern warfare + zombies + System + not reborn + lots of beautiful women + decisive and ruthless + no supernatural abilities, but people can evolve] [An apocalyptic underworld story that starts with the jianghu and moves on to the struggle for dominance. The protagonist is invincible and never gets tortured.] A mysterious blue fog engulfed the cities of Blue Star. Order collapsed, and zombies ran rampant. Three years afte 3.5kReads8.2Score29914d adds
- 17 Northeast China: The Tragic End of the Underworld 东北往事黑道悲情大结局 This is a fanfiction inspired by the tragic underworld saga Black Morality. It tells of the people who appeared and the events that took place in the four years after Wang Luoguo's death and before Zhao Hongbing's crew burst onto the scene. Readers of Northeast Tales Prequel: Black Morality 1, Northeast Tales Prequel: Black Morality 2, and Northeast Tales: Twenty Years of Underworld Turmoil may have wondered what happened during those four years between Black Morality and Twenty Years of Underwo 4.9kReads6.9Score27014d adds
- 18 The Charismatic Hero 枭雄 The goddess who looked down on me back then now wants to partner with a company under my name… A golden-scaled carp is no mere pond fish. When its destined moment comes, it transforms into a dragon. I’m going to become a ruthless tycoon and make everyone who looked down on me regret ever crossing me. 596Reads8.5Score10114d adds
- 19 A Gang Shootout Breaks Out at the School Gate, and I Scare Everyone Off 校门口黑帮火拼，我出现吓退全场 At noon, outside the gates of Harbor University. Two local gangs, nearly a hundred men in all and armed with knives, guns, and clubs, are about to fight it out here. At the sight, all the students are terrified and hurry to a safe distance. Only one young man in a white shirt strolls forward with his hands in his pockets, as calm as can be, as if he can’t even see the crowd. The moment he appears, every gang member tenses up. The two leaders nervously walk up to him and bow their heads. “Today’s 3.1kReads6.2Score23714d adds
- 20 The Peerless Young Master 公子无双 Lin Qi seems like an ordinary delivery driver, but in this city, whether they are business tycoons, renowned doctors, or underworld bosses, everyone treats him with the utmost respect and calls him, "Young Master!" 334Reads9.1Score—14d adds
- 21 Day One of College: I Start Running with the Underworld! 大学第一天，从混黑道开始！ A powerful underworld boss is reborn as a college student. With the System’s help, he rises once more to the pinnacle of the underworld. [Feel-Good Revenge + Urban + Underworld + Boss + School] Starting out as a college student, the male lead Lin Ao works his way to the top of the underworld, dominating both the criminal and legitimate worlds. He has powerful backing and influence that reaches everywhere. Dear readers, please be patient as you read. The story starts off ordinary, but the excitin 902Reads6.9Score10214d adds
- 22 The Butcher Who Walked Out of Prison 从监狱中走出的人屠 Being part of the underworld isn’t about fighting and killing. It’s about dealing with people. Su Bai had no connections, no powerful backers, and had just spent ten years in prison. After his release, he was penniless, so his older brother found him a job as a computer lab attendant. Watch him turn his life around and make his way in both the underworld and the legitimate world. In the underworld, he’s a big shot with people ready to answer his call. In the legitimate world, he has powerful fri 28.4kReads8.5Score2.3k14d adds
- 23 A Young Man's Years in the Jianghu 少年之江湖岁月 The jianghu is a road with no return, a maze, an abyss. Some manipulate events from the shadows, while others struggle for their lives in the mire. Watch who rises above them all, and who comes crashing down. 19.7kReads9.0Score1.4k14d adds
- 24 The Big Circle: Asia’s First Chinese Gang to Break Out 大圈：冲出亚洲的华人第一黑帮 "The Great Circle: The First Chinese Gang to Break Out of Asia" recreates, from the most realistic perspective, a complete underground kingdom truly built by the Chinese. "The Great Circle: The First Chinese Gang to Break Out of Asia" tells the story of how, though China has no underworld in the true sense of the word, Chinese people are far from voiceless in the underground order of the world. On the contrary, they have always played an important role in international organized crime and are ev 3.6kReads9.2Score50714d adds
- 25 Big Brother 大哥 At the end of the last century, before the rules were fully established, all sorts of people emerged in great numbers. They exploited loopholes, ran gray-market businesses, and moved between the worlds of crime and respectability. A young man returned from military service, only to be dragged into the underworld. More than a decade of life on the fringes followed: wine and laughter with friends in spring, late-night talks beneath the lamplight; hardship at first, then glory at last. He had walke 4.1kReads9.0Score29214d adds
- 26 Tales of the Northeast: The Turbulent Nineties 东北往事之九零风云 (Hot-blooded) (Brotherhood) (Youth) (Fast-paced, no dragging things out) The law-abiding worry all day, while the mighty sing all night. Those who harm others for their own gain ride in comfort, while the honest and fair go hungry. Those who build bridges and mend roads go blind, while those who kill and set fires have plenty of sons. I went to the Western Heaven to ask Buddha. Buddha said, “There's nothing I can do either.” This novel tells the blood-and-tears story of Shen Congwen, a great und 6.8kReads8.9Score44114d adds
- 27 The Underworld: The Jianghu Big Shots I Brought to Heel Over the Years 黑道：我那些年收服的江湖大佬 The underworld is a road of no return. It's a last chance for those with nowhere else to turn to make a comeback. Win, and you reach the height of power and become fabulously wealthy. Lose, and at best you die; at worst, you become a cripple. This road takes three parts vision, six parts luck, and one part relying on yourself. By some stroke of luck, I won. When I got out of prison, I didn't have a penny to my name. Now I'm surrounded by beautiful women and rule this whole territory. This road w 6.7kReads8.6Score55614d adds
- 28 The Underworld’s Final Ballad 黑道绝响 (Original title: Black Road, Final Echo) What is the underworld? Is it really not about fighting and killing, but about the ways of human relationships? Wrong. Only those who can still stand after all the fighting and killing have the right to talk about human relationships. My name is Luo Ping. I witnessed the so-called underworld in a corner of the southwest go from its golden age to its decline, until at last its echoes faded away. This is my story, and a glimpse into one corner of the underw 51.3kReads9.4Score5.6k14d adds
- 29 Number One Under Heaven 天下第一 No money to give you, but you can take my life. I’m the best in the world! Looking at his disheveled reflection in the mirror, Chen Dong slammed a fist into it, his eyes bloodshot. “From today on, no one will ever walk all over you again!” 15.1kReads8.9Score1.2k14d adds
- 30 I Am the King 我为王 Betrayed by everyone, I was wounded by those closest to me! I cut off a finger to survive, then lay low for six years before emerging again. Through the grudges and warmth of the martial world, I’ve seen it all. I am the king! 1.7kReads8.4Score12214d adds
- 31 Jianghu Dragon: Underworld Storm in the Northeast 江湖枭龙：东北黑道风云 Three years in prison, and everything had changed. After his release, Lu Tao found himself at a crossroads in life. The snowstorm that year was so fierce it bent Lu Tao’s back. The friendship that year was so warm it helped him emerge reborn and fight his way upstream. Watch as a close-knit group of friends stand shoulder to shoulder, stride through a turbulent era, and build something magnificent! 19.1kReads9.1Score1.1k14d adds
- 32 The Drifter's Road Home 混子的归途 With my brothers by my side and guns in our hands, let’s see who gets to call the shots in this underworld! I may stay out of the underworld, but once I step in, I’ll make every thug submit and every boss get out of my way. I’ll become the... king of this underworld! New book: Underworld Boss: Starting as a Veteran. Now serializing to great acclaim! 30.1kReads9.2Score2.2k14d adds
- 33 The Hidden Dragon of the Righteous Path 正道潜龙 One of Wei Jie’s four-part series A shooting case. An undercover agent lies dead in the street. An investigator once swore an oath beneath the solemn national emblem. At a crossroads of fate, a twin brother makes a dramatic entrance, leading to a lonely yet passionate story... Back to 1998! Our brotherhood is still here, our youth is still here. From this point, we set sail once more and forge the next great triumph! 39.3kReads9.5Score4.7k14d adds
- 34 A Life of Dark Desires 黑欲人生 Keep your hands ruthless, your mind sharp, and your nerve strong. The martial world is a place where people devour one another. Talk about honor and reason? You'll end up without a bone left! [Blood-Soaked Martial World] [Love and Hate] [Powerful Background] [All the Right Ingredients] 16.3kReads8.9Score1.4k14d adds
- 35 The Golden Age of the Gangland: A Blood-Red Underworld 黑帮盛世：血色江湖 (Not a mindless power fantasy. Underworld, urban setting, no invincible hero, first person, tight logic, humorous writing. Read with caution if that’s not your thing!) A cursed, tragic fate. A life in the underworld that cannot be escaped. A band of brothers who stand together through life and death, and a dark life longing for redemption. You’ve never endured years of hardship, so of course you can’t understand the underworld in my heart. My story begins after I get out of prison in Ice Cit 112.1kReads9.3Score8.3k14d adds
- 36 The Gangster Tycoon Who Rose from the Hutongs 胡同里杀出来的流氓大亨 Previously published under the titles Dragon City Years and Thirty Years in a Bloodstained Underworld. This is a lawless age where every corner is ruled by a big shot. This is the story of a naive young man who turns into a bloodthirsty beast just to survive. This is an underworld tale full of thrills and passion! Welcome to the 1980s… 40.5kReads9.2Score3.8k14d adds
- 37 The Storms of Beicheng 北城风云 Synopsis: (This story is entirely fictional. Its original title was Northern City’s Turmoil.) What is the jianghu? Wherever there are people, there is a jianghu, and wherever there is a jianghu, there is conflict! The jianghu is about fighting, killing, and the law of the jungle, but it’s also about human relationships and social conventions. This book will take you back to the jianghu of the 1980s and 1990s, where you’ll witness the extraordinary path of Chen Yanan, a generation’s ruthless hero 13.1kReads9.4Score1.1k14d adds
- 38 I Am the Legend 我就是传奇 I don’t know when it happened, but a bunch of people like this came into my life, even though I’ve always been cold-hearted and a little shameless. When I got dumped, they’d say, “What’s the big deal? Lost your girl? Find another one tomorrow. If you’re really desperate, I’ll lend you myself for the night!” When I felt lost, they were always there with me in our cramped little rooms, shouting, “We give it everything we’ve got, all so we can make something of ourselves!” ... Back then, I couldn’t 19.6kReads9.3Score2k14d adds
- 39 The Day I Went to Prison: She Blazed a Trail Alone and Smashed My Shackles 入狱当天：她单枪铺路，为我砸镣 [Not Reborn]+ [No System]+ [One Female Lead] The last big sister of the underworld! The day I went to prison, she broke into the jail and smashed my shackles, clearing a path for me with a gun in hand! If the rest of my life is destined to be without light, at least in this moment, she is by my side! Some even call her the last big sister of Southeast Asia! Truth is, she was just forced to take charge in a crisis, with no other choice! Since we're already fugitives, then let's take our dark love 214Reads7.9Score—14d adds
- 40 Reborn in the Great Heist, the Black Gold Tycoon Strikes Back 重生大劫案，黑金大佬逆袭记 [Urban rebirth + System + underworld boss + ruthless + scheming] A down-and-out middle-aged man unexpectedly reborn 28 years into the past. Caught in a shocking bank heist, he activates the “Black Gold System.” “Go ahead and make more money. It'll all become my fortune sooner or later anyway. Hahaha!” … Notorious bandit Ye Zhihuan: “Who's tougher than me in the underworld? Lin Dong? Never mind, then.” King of Thieves Zhang Ziqiang: “I once stole 1.2 billion from Li, the richest man in the coun 11.1kReads7.9Score53414d adds
- 41 King of the Underworld 江湖枭雄 An ordinary-looking confrontation pushes a callow young man to a crossroads in life. Faced with fate’s mockery and the crushing weight of life, he chooses to stand tall and fight back. 31.2kReads9.1Score2.7k14d adds
- 42 The Legend Reborn 传奇重现 The four-part series by Wei Jie: We Were All Bad Kids, I Am Legend, Legend Reborn, and Hidden Dragon on the Right Path. A young man, still green, left his hometown in a fit of anger. Four years later, he returned, weathered and bearing the glory of success! In a city built from reinforced concrete, old friends were gone and legends had faded into retirement... Faced with his family’s reproach and his friends’ disdain, he had once wandered at a crossroads, pointing into the dark sky with his 32.6kReads9.4Score3.2k14d adds
- 43 Those Years I Spent Running with the Wrong Crowd 我混社会那一些年 As you wander the martial world, what kind of cunning, scheming, and vision do you need? As a child, I feared ghosts because they were hideous and terrifying. As an adult, I fear people because they look so respectable. This story is a reminder to everyone: Nine out of ten gambling games are rigged. The only way to win is not to gamble! 18.3kReads8.9Score1.5k14d adds
- 44 When an Honest Man Picks Up a Knife 当老实人拿起刀 This is a straight-up crime-world novel! It does start with the protagonist being reborn, but after that, the story has nothing to do with being reborn! In short, the plot is ruthless, satisfying, and wild... The underworld here is all about fighting and killing, but also about human relationships and social rules! 22.4kReads9.1Score1.8k14d adds
- 45 My Dad's on the Straight and Narrow, I'm in the Underworld 白道爹，黑道我 [Not invincible! Not invincible! Not invincible!] The martial world is a road of no return, and its people are pawns that have crossed the river! Where will the drifting ship in this forbidden zone finally end up? Watch as this wandering youth stirs up a storm! Black side: I've got countless brothers! White side: My backing is powerful beyond belief! Money is just something you can't bring with you when you die! [Entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental!] 100.1kReads9.0Score7.3k14d adds
- 46 Storms Over the Northern Frontier 塞北风云 [Underworld Kingpin]+ [Rise to Power]+ [Take Down the Boss and Claim His Wife]+ [Multiple Female Leads]+ [Ensemble Cast]+ [Passionate Underworld Adventures]+ [Scheming and Hilarious] Be an ordinary man: greedy for money and fond of beautiful women. That was one thing I realized after getting out of prison. I used to be an underworld boss who could turn the tide with a flick of my hand. But my brothers were either locked up or gone. I used to be a pushover too, until I met that woman. She changed 41.9kReads9.1Score3.1k14d adds
- 47 After I Got Into Qingbei, My Underworld Boss Dad Got So Mad He Landed in the ICU 考上清北后，黑道老爹气进ICU [Short drama in production] [Comedy]+ [Laid-back]+ [Positive energy] Lu Chen transmigrates to a parallel world and becomes the only son of the Lu family, the biggest underworld clan in the country! Going back to his great-grandfather’s generation, his great-grandfather was an arms dealer. His grandfather was a mafia boss, and his father was the godfather of the entire country. But in Lu Chen’s generation, he declares that he’s going to study hard, become a beacon of righteousness, and give back 3.6kReads8.3Score38214d adds
- 48 Wolves and Brothers 狼与兄弟 The wolf may look cold and ruthless, but beneath that exterior lies boundless tenderness. He is willing to sacrifice himself for his family and brothers! Just like Wang Ying, the protagonist, his heart isn't cold. It's the way he looks down on worldly conventions that makes him seem that way! Like a wolf king, he can become the heart of any team, leading his brothers through life-or-death trials, never abandoning them! From the awkwardness of college days to the hardships of entering the working 7.2kReads9.3Score49214d adds
- 49 The Allure of the Underworld 黑道诱人 [The short drama adapted from this book, From Here on, Rivers Flow into the World, is now available. Come watch!] [Urban + underworld + big shots + all-powerful + feel-good story + period setting + invincible protagonist + multiple heroines + ruthless and decisive] When I was little, my dad often told me that the path of the underworld was a road of no return. It was hard to walk, and few people ever came to a good end. I never understood what he meant. Instead, I thought the underworld was all 67.5kReads8.7Score3k14d adds
- 50 Black Desires of Youth 黑欲青春 (Not a wish-fulfillment story, and the hero isn't invincible. Enter at your own risk.) A youth stained with blood, vows made without regret, inexperienced love, sincere friendship, the cruelty of society, and the complexity of human nature. An unforgettable, turbulent era! A piece of underworld lore passed down to this day! A band of brothers who shared honor and disgrace, life and death! An unmatched era, with a flag-bearer standing at its peak! Laughing as we watch the tides of fortune, marchi 47.7kReads9.4Score4.3k14d adds
