Deadly Strike: The Gunslinger Mercenary’s Path

The author's previous book was quite successful. Perhaps the idea was to develop a spin-off genre after the success of a series, creating an independent but equally exciting story. There's nothing wrong with that in itself; that's exactly what Shui Ruyi did. However, the problem lies in several aspects.

First of all, I want to clarify that I haven't read the previous book. I've just reached the part where Russia gains fame, and I don't quite understand it. The protagonist seems to have a third eye, or rather, a map cheat, or a X-ray vision cheat. That's somewhat acceptable.

Before its release, the book was quite appealing. However, the female police officer in Bangkok had too much screen time, mainly due to poor writing, making her unlikable. The story in Krabi was truly disappointing… I thought he was a lone hero, or at least a powerful tycoon, or even a chivalrous knight-errant. Instead, he was portrayed as a petty, scheming old man.

Boring! I want to see the protagonist kill everything, not be some unlucky guy being chased around like a moron.

188Cm tall and 85kg? Is he a stick figure? Someone that height could easily weigh over 100kg if they were stronger, and 110kg would be normal if they had more muscle mass. Have you seen too many pretty boys and have no concept of a muscular man?

Is the dollar in this book different from the real dollar? A bunch of mercenaries risk their lives for a few tens of thousands of dollars—is that even enough to cover the cost of bullets? I've never understood whether the author is genuinely ignorant or has some kind of bias towards Americans, thinking the dollar is so valuable?

How to put it... Even if you write a book about the Mountain Eagle on its own, it's still not as good as the previous arms dealers.

I'm starting to feel a bit bored with this book, but also reluctant to give up. It's a feeling that comes from my previous book. Maybe it's because the scope of the previous book, "Master Jackal," was too high, which raised my expectations. Now, when I read this book, I just don't feel like it gets that exciting feeling. The only thing I'm really looking forward to now is when I can have some interaction with the Jackal! 😏 In short, let's keep it and see how it goes.

Chapter 21 showed how the system's ability to conjure equipment made everything go smoothly for the protagonist. Creating things out of thin air is a ridiculous operation. However, this also reduced the difficulty of writing; having light and heavy weapons anytime, anywhere is more deceptive and dangerous than a fully armed person. As long as you have money, you have weapons.

It's okay to describe the situation of Shanying's wife after she brought their son back, but don't describe it too much to avoid censorship. Otherwise, Shanying, who is forced to leave his hometown because he cares about his family, won't be a convincing character. Right now, it feels like Shanying doesn't have the heroic father vibe of leaving his hometown and killing dozens of people for his son.