Silent Reading Intrigues With Puppeteer Cover of Vol. 5

Could these puppets hold the key?

That’s what Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou are trying to figure out as they examine the four puppets being controlled by hundreds of strings hanging from above. The strings glitter under the dim light and Luo Wenzhou reaches out to gently touch the strings. Rylee illustrated the cover for Vol. 5 of Silent Reading and will also provide the interior artwork. Yuka and Nande M worked on the translation together.

Written by prolific danmei writer priest, Silent Reading throws two men, Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du, into the thick of an investigation involving the mysterious murder of a young men. Luo Wenzhou, head of the Criminal Investigation Team, discovers this case is not as simple as it appears as he follows clues that lead him into dark corners–and to the cold and enigmatic CEO of the Fei Corporation, Fei Du, who once knew Luo Wenzhou when he was young.

The synopsis of the fifth volume is as follows:

As Sergeant Luo Wenzhou and his team investigate treachery and hunt for a traitor at Yancheng Municipal Public Security Bureau, they delve deep into the institution’s past. They quickly uncover further betrayals…and hints about the shadowy force that’s seemingly haunted each of their recent major cases.

The initial Sketchpad Project, which once appeared benign, is now starting to seem like a more sinister undertaking. So when the project was revived, why was Fei Du eager to take a role? And why has his own mind blocked out crucial details of his past?

The team’s findings lead Tao Ran to an isolated county to question a nondescript local. But the man Tao Ran tracks down has a more disturbing secret than they guessed, and Tao Ran’s attempts to uncover it provoke that shadowy force again.

Silent Reading has enjoyed a few adaptations, including a five-season audio drama, a canceled donghua adaptation, and a live-action adaptation, called Justice in the Dark, which had its own ups and downs. Starring Zhang Xincheng and Fu Xinbo, the live-action drama was first released in February 2023 with eight episodes but was then unceremoniously taken down before the rest could air in July the same year. The Japanese dubbed version premiered on March 7, 2025 and aired all 30 episodes.

Vol. 5 of Silent Reading comes out on December 29.

Source: Seven Seas Entertainment