After the Eternal Night

Zui GufengZongheng Chinese Network2020

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Word count: 312K words

Summary

In the era of endless night in the 29th human epoch, civilization has collapsed in catastrophe. Survivors retreat behind fortified walls while mutants roam the wasteland. At Deep Blue Headquarters, a vast plan spanning twenty-nine human epochs quietly operates in the shadows. Professor Cheng, having slumbered for a hundred years, resolves to journey to the surface and witness the birth of the "human miracle." Qin Ziyao, a boy swept into a village by spring floods, has lost his memory. Alongside a girl of extraordinary combat prowess named Takutaan, who was rescued with him, he lives as her brother, struggling to survive in a wasteland village. He gradually realizes his life seems meticulously arranged: his memories are like shattered mirrors, and everything he experiences is merely a script already written by those above. Drawing his long blade, what he seeks to sever is not only his enemies but the very lifeline of this hypocritical world.

Editor's review

This is a foray into wasteland fiction by a suspense and supernatural author. The opening was rushed at first, and after a major revision the author returned to his forte of suspense from Volume 2 onward. The highlights are the multilayered foreshadowing and mind-bending deduction brought by the "Twenty-Nine Epoch Plan"; wasteland power struggles are only the shell, and the truth behind the truth is the core. The weaknesses are also obvious: chaotic pacing early on, a high barrier to entry for the setting, and relatively weak hot-blooded satisfaction, so it is not suited to readers looking only for light, satisfying fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like suspense, deduction, and multi-layered foreshadowing
Science fiction readers who prefer post-apocalyptic wasteland and epoch-cycle settings
Veteran readers who can accept a slow start and are willing to piece together clues

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light, brisk, and fast-paced stories
Readers uncomfortable with bloody post-apocalyptic strife and a dark tone

Reading tips

The opening pacing is messy; if it feels off, start from the revised new chapters or Volume 2.
Jot down recurring characters and keywords such as “plan” and “epoch” as you read to help connect the clues.
Don’t get hung up on wasteland leveling tropes; read it as a mystery novel dressed in post-apocalyptic clothing.

About the publisher

Zongheng Chinese Network

Zongheng Chinese Network is a publishing platform focused on online literature, with a catalog of approximately 10,899 titles. Its output covers common categories such as women's fiction, ancient romance, men's fiction, urban fiction, and alternate history, and it also maintains a premium fiction section to serve readers with different preferences. Representative titles include Marrying the Powerful Eunuch, Stealing Fragrance, The Whole Army Forms Up, The Ugly Poison Consort Turns the Tables from the Start, Super Dad, The Substitute Bride Is a Contrarian, Sword Out of Beiming, and Record of Cultivating the Mind, spanning ancient romance, urban life, and alternate history. The platform brings together authors such as Shi Yi Qing Qing, Zou Guo Qing Chun Sui Yue, Zhi Bai, Meng Huan Yang Guang, Dan Wang Zhang, Jiu Yue Jiu, Xing Luo Ping Chuan, and Zhu Ben Wu Xin, forming a roster characterized by serialized genre fiction. Public information on the publisher's founding background is limited; this profile is based solely on the catalog's publication directions and content features.

FAQ

Is this a wasteland power-fantasy?

No. The author describes it as a mind-bending mystery under the banner of wasteland; power struggles are only the shell.

Is the messy beginning worth pushing through?

After a major revision the author added over fifty chapters and connected them to Volume 2; you can start from the middle section.

Is there a romance line?

The main line focuses on truth and resistance; romance is light, mainly sibling and companion relationships.

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About the author

Zui Gufeng Author

Zui Gufeng is a web fiction author about whom limited public information is available. Only one work by this author can currently be confirmed, the representative novel After the Eternal Night. Judging from the existing categories, the writing touches on male-oriented fiction, suspense and the supernatural, and science fiction and the future, often blending an atmosphere of suspense with futuristic imagination and showing a tendency toward cross-genre storytelling. Because basic details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and personal background have not been made public, a more detailed account of the author's life and creative career is not possible; the present introduction can therefore only focus on the themes and narrative orientation of the work, highlighting its attempt to move between suspenseful supernatural fare and science fiction while reflecting the genre style embodied in After the Eternal Night.