Death Notice Book 7: Chapter 17: The Choice

“Tell me, how did you break free from the ‘180-point Love Slave’?” Baise lay on her side, nestled in Qin Lun’s arm, her ample chest pressed into flat spheres by his arm. Using her slender fingers, she pulled a strand of her hair and swished it lightly back and forth across the young man’s chest.

Qin Lun propped up his upper body slightly, resting his cheek on his elbow, and gazed greedily at the beautiful body still intertwined with his. His right hand slid down from the woman’s smooth, round shoulder, along her back, and finally rested on her full, perky buttocks.

Baise was undoubtedly a perfect mature woman with both a great figure and a lovely face. Her curves were shapely and pronounced, her skin smooth as satin, full of elasticity and vitality. In their recent passionate encounter, Qin Lun had experienced unprecedented pleasure.

If Katharine had taught him what a woman and sex were for the first time, then Baise clearly took it a step further, showing him how to find ultimate pleasure in the act.

“Did you sleep with me just to get the answer to that question?” Qin Lun smiled as he looked at the woman before him.

“Of course not! I was just a little drunk earlier, so you took advantage!” Baise rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, covering her face as if she were exhausted. “But if I don’t get an answer, I won’t be able to sleep for days.”

“Heh, your Nen Ability—’180-point Love Slave’—is actually an advanced form of hypnotic control.” Qin Lun chuckled, rolling over to pin the woman beneath him. His palm once again caressed her firm, towering peaks, gently teasing the buds at their tips.

“Enhanced by Nen, even a Nen user many times stronger than me could hardly guard against your ability if caught off-guard. Once hit, they’d fall into an illusion and be under your control until the Nen dissipated. But this ability has a weakness—it doesn’t work well against psychological masters who are also skilled in hypnosis…”

Feeling the buds in his palm gradually harden as they filled with blood, Qin Lun immediately thrust his hips and mounted her again, beginning to ride vigorously atop Baise’s exquisite, alluring body.

“Because a psychological master can build a mental barrier, resisting this hypnotic control to some extent.” Qin Lun fondled Baise’s surprisingly elastic, generous breasts with a tender yet profane touch, thrusting forcefully into her body beneath him. “Of course, one could also try self-hypnosis, creating a new consciousness to break free from external control. I used a similar method…”

“Mmm… kiss me, mmm…” Under Qin Lun’s onslaught, Baise no longer had the focus to press for answers. Her long legs wrapped tightly around the young man’s waist, her arms clinging to his neck as if she wanted to melt completely into him.

The man’s soft pants mingled with the woman’s increasingly loud moans, once again filling the room with an air of spring.

After a fierce bout of physical exertion, Qin Lun stood up. Their “battlefield” was in chaos, with the carpet around the sofa crumpled into a heap. Baise lay on the floor with closed eyes, her long lashes fluttering gently. Her smooth body was glistening with fragrant sweat, too lazy to move a muscle.

Qin Lun gave a light laugh, bent down to pick the woman up, and gently laid her on the sofa. He took his original sleeping robe and covered her with it, then walked naked toward the bathroom.

“What time is it now?” When Qin Lun emerged from the bathroom, Baise had recovered. Wearing the young man’s robe, she came up and gave him a fragrant kiss.

“Around five!” Ever since Qin Lun turned the Death Notice into a management tool, he no longer needed to check a watch. It contained a calculation tool attached to the Combat Model, which also functioned as a clock. Each time he entered a Quest World, he just had to adjust it to match the local day and night cycle.

“Oh, it’s that late already?” Baise, barefoot, hurried anxiously into the bathroom.

Watching her flustered state, Qin Lun smiled knowingly. After all, women cared about their reputations. They had only met that afternoon, with some minor friction between them, and by evening they had ended up in bed together. Even with other factors at play, it wouldn’t sound good if word got out.

“I’m leaving now!” Baise straightened her spaghetti-strap dress. After taking two steps, she suddenly turned back and gave the young man a deep kiss, then tossed him a flirtatious glance. “Little man, big sister was very satisfied last night. Here’s your tip.”

Qin Lun wiped his mouth, smiling without a word, and watched Baise’s retreating figure with an appreciative gaze, deliberately staring at her firm, rounded buttocks from behind.

Baise was quite tall; even in flip-flops, she was almost as tall as Qin Lun. Her long, slender legs had no excess fat, her hips were full, her waist narrow—her S-curve was flawless. With her mature style and an elder-sister aura, she remained a pleasure to look at even from the back.

The woman seemed to feel the intense gaze from behind, swaying her waist even more provocatively. Soon, however, her legs weakened, and she nearly stumbled.

“Ahem!” Qin Lun noticed her small misstep and almost laughed out loud, managing only to clear his throat softly.

Since meeting Katharine, including both the Quest World and the break time in Shattered Starry Sky, he had been pent up for almost half a year. Last night, after riding and venting on Baise for hours, it was no wonder she could barely walk steadily.

Baise walked slowly to the door, opened it stealthily, and peeked outside. Seeing no one in the hallway, she turned back and shot Qin Lun a fierce glare, snorted with her nose in the air, then slammed the door shut behind her.

After the woman left, Qin Lun suddenly felt a sense of emptiness. Bored, he poured himself a drink and subconsciously began thinking about the Main Quest again. However, the clues in the Death Notice were limited; he had already analyzed everything he could think of, and further reflection seemed pointless.

“Judging by the name of the main quest, Shattered Starry Sky has already given some hints. After choosing a side, it’s likely to be a mission of slaughter. The targets might be historical figures from both factions.” Qin Lun’s expression shifted uncertainly. He swirled his glass and sighed.

From the deductions he’d already made, he knew that the members of the Phantom Troupe were all S-class criminals in this world and likely possessed strength equivalent to third-tier High-Rank Apostles. In a direct confrontation, he definitely wasn’t their match. Originally, joining the Rogue side would have been the best choice, but after tonight, he had to factor in Baise as a variable.

“Since when have I become so sentimental? It was just a fleeting encounter with a woman!” Qin Lun stared blankly at his glass, another fragment of memory surfacing in his mind. “Joey, has my emotional seal for Katharine loosened?”

After waiting a long while, no voice came from Joey in his consciousness. It seemed the Dissector couldn’t be bothered to answer this question.

Qin Lun chuckled bitterly, tilted his head back, and drained his glass. “You are me. What I know, you know. I asked a foolish question!”

“If I join the Hunter Side, there are only two options.” Once resolved, Qin Lun narrowed his eyes slightly, a chilling glint flashing in his pupils. “One is to use Neon’s predictive advantage, gather all the Hunter Side’s forces in advance, and deal a heavy blow to the Phantom Troupe right from the start, aiming to eliminate more than half their members…”

“But that proposal is a false premise! The enemy’s abilities are unknown. Our main personnel are limited to Kurapika for now. The Shadow Beasts under the Ten Dons and the Nostrade Family guards aren’t strong enough. Yin and Liza don’t count as high-level Shadow Beasts. There are still two… no, there’s one more day of preparation before the auction. Even if reinforcements come, they won’t arrive in time—rejected!”

Qin Lun stood up and paced slowly around the room. “Then there’s only one method that can protect both myself and Baise while completing the Main Quest… To unlock this, Kurapika is currently the only key. Where is he now… the rooftop?”

His Detection Aura had a range of 70 meters, and his Clock Eye could transform Perception into Time-Space Threads. Plus, Gannett’s Left Eye had strong penetrating power and could expand or concentrate his sensing range. Finding Kurapika in a hotel was really easy for Qin Lun.

“Huh, that Melody is there too!” Qin Lun raised an eyebrow.

Yesterday afternoon, apart from Kurapika, the person who had caught his attention in the living room was this unattractive lady, Melody—and that was what had angered Baise. However, unlike what Baise imagined, Qin Lun wasn’t staring at Melody because of her homely appearance.

“How interesting. Could it be that this Melody, like me, is also an Apostle?” Qin Lun stroked his chin, then shook his head dismissively. “No, what she carries probably isn’t an Apostle Skill. Never mind, let’s meet them both together.”

Qin Lun grabbed his clothes from the sofa, and moments later, he opened the door and strode steadily toward the rooftop.

…

“Huh, good morning, you two!” Pushing open the hotel rooftop’s iron door, Qin Lun pretended it was a chance encounter as he addressed the two conversing by the railing.

“Mr. Qin Lun, good morning!” Kurapika and Melody clearly hadn’t expected to run into an acquaintance here. They looked momentarily stunned but quickly collected themselves and greeted him.

“Just call me Qin Lun.” Qin Lun glanced at the handsome youth, then smiled and bowed slightly toward Melody. “Miss Melody, please forgive my rudeness yesterday afternoon.”

“It’s alright, I’m used to people’s attention.” Melody replied softly. In contrast to her plain appearance, her voice was as pleasant as a radio host’s. “And please, just call me Melody.”

“Alright. However, tomorrow’s Auction may come under attack from the Phantom Troupe. For better cooperation, I think I should explain to you.” Qin Lun paused, his eyes flickering as he said, “Melody, I saw something on you.”

“You saw?!” Melody’s eyes widened suddenly, and she stared at Qin Lun in disbelief. “Please, tell me what you saw… Don’t worry about Kurapika; he knows about my situation.”

“Hmm, it was a beautiful lady!” Qin Lun hesitated briefly but decided to tell the truth. “She didn’t look like… you know, I don’t mean to pry into anyone’s privacy… But if you need help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“You really saw!” Melody’s expression turned downcast. She turned and gripped the railing tightly, saying quietly, “You can’t help me. Actually, that woman… is me!”