Lu Yun, aside from Ping Nado and Liang Yingwu, seems to be the most frequent character to appear. Each encounter with her leaves Ping Nado somewhat apprehensive, possibly due to the profound shock from “The Heart of Evil.” This woman is not to be trifled with! Yet, this woman, depicted almost demonically by the author, always provides significant help to Ping Nado, this time no exception. However, compared to the scene of her confrontation with Ruan Xiwen, the depiction of her hypnotizing Su Ying seems slightly exaggerated, perhaps out of concern for underutilizing Lu Yun’s character.
Ping Nado’s diaries are not horror novels, though they do not lack terrifying elements, but this terror stems from the unknown. Rather than calling it horror, it’s more fitting to describe it as eerie, with the diary’s theme always questioning established knowledge. The illusion in “The Heart of Evil,” the mother in “Bad Seed,” the wormhole in “The Return of the Iron Bull,” the suggestion in “The Ghost Flag,” the worldview in “God’s Code,” the Nian beast in “New Year,” the Taishou in “The Immortal Dead,” the Three Rabbits Diagram in “Regression,” and the sea people in “Transformer”—none of these can be explained by modern science. Yet, they all seem so real, perhaps this is the allure of Ping Nado’s diaries.
Review of Ping Nado’s New Work “Transformer” (2)
Humor is an indispensable minor element in Ping Nado’s diaries; even in the oppressive environment of “The Immortal Dead,” there’s a comedic baby—Elite Person—highlighting the importance of this element. After finishing “Transformer,” I realized that Ping Nado has a slight touch of narcissism.
