Death Notice Book 7: Chapter 42: Hisoka’s Help

Release Date: 2026-05-08 15:22:31

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Volume 7 Chapter 43: The Ten Dons »

“Melody, did I do something wrong?” Kurapika squatted on the ground, his back against the wall, his face buried in his palms. He sounded confused.

“I don’t know, Kurapika!” Melody was silent for a moment, then shook her head gently.

“The Troupe members aren’t quite what I imagined. They cherish their companions deeply, and that makes me feel terrible…” Kurapika looked up at his companion with a lost expression. “Should we really continue with this?”

Creak! The tightly closed iron door of the secret room was pulled open a crack, and Rand squeezed out from inside.

Firecracker Rand’s face had a drunken flush, like he had just experienced a climax. Combined with the dark crack of the door behind him, it felt extremely eerie.

“Not now!” Rand spread his hands, blocking the boy. The Serial Killer stared intently at Kurapika, then suddenly frowned. “You feel sorry for that Troupe member?”

“They…” Kurapika turned his head away, speaking with difficulty. “Just killing him would have been enough. Why torture him?”

Bang! A ferocious and twisted expression suddenly appeared on Rand’s face. He grabbed the boy by his collar and slammed him hard against the wall. “I don’t know why Qin Lun likes you, but I don’t like you at all!”

“The Phantom Troupe might have deep bonds among themselves, but so what?” Firecracker Rand pointed back towards the secret room and said coldly, “They are still thieves and murderers. Think about the Mafia members and innocent bystanders killed near the Graveyard Building. Sympathizing with the Phantom Troupe is an insult to the innocent. What do you think those dead people are?”

The color instantly drained from Kurapika’s face. Rand’s words felt like a sudden icy blast in a warm room, making him shiver all over.

“I heard from Qin Lun that you are from the Kurta Clan, and all your clansmen were killed by the Phantom Troupe. What about those clansmen who were brutally killed and then had their eyes gouged out by the Troupe? What did you think they were?” Rand slowly released the stunned boy, his face full of disdain. “When you sympathize with the Phantom Troupe, think about your clansmen watching you from heaven!”

“Rand, that’s enough!” Qin Lun’s voice sounded behind the two. Unlike Rand’s excitement when he first came out, Qin Lun now looked pale, covered in sweat, his wet bangs plastered to his forehead, as if he was overly tired.

“Qin Lun, did you get any information?” Seeing the heavy atmosphere between them, Melody sighed and cleverly changed the subject, though Rand’s words had also shaken her considerably.

In the Hunter World, Nen Abilities were rich and varied. Hunters had many pursuits, often traveled the world, and were busy with their own dreams. Because of this, most of them had weak concepts of good and evil, respected the strong, and ignored the weak.

Kurapika and Melody also suffered from this flaw. This was why, even though they knew Qin Lun was ruthless and comparable to a demon, they ultimately cooperated with him. It was also a key reason why, during this war, they sympathized with Shalnark and subconsciously ignored the innocent people harmed by the Phantom Troupe.

“Heh, that guy was very stubborn. He didn’t talk even until death, but that doesn’t stop us from gaining another helper!” Qin Lun took a step back with a laugh, making way for the iron door behind him. “Come on out, don’t be shy. Meet everyone!”

The iron door of the secret room was only open a crack. In response to Qin Lun’s call, a pale arm slowly reached out from the doorway, grabbed the edge of the door, and slowly pulled it open wider, revealing the figure behind it.

“He, he…” Kurapika and Melody stared at the figure moving stiffly in the darkness. A chill rose from the bottom of their hearts, and the hairs on their backs stood on end.

…

“Hisoka, come with me for a moment!” Kuroro glanced at the handsome, strangely captivating man and beckoned to him.

“Leader, what did you need me for?” Hisoka was slightly taken aback, then quickly followed Kuroro to a deserted spot in the church.

“Hisoka, why did you join the Troupe?” Kuroro looked at the “Book of Rogue” in his hand and asked impassively, “I want to hear the truth!”

“…” Hisoka felt a jolt of alarm and quickly glanced around.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t have them set an ambush here,” Kuroro said without looking up, his eyes still on the book.

“To be able to fight you, Leader!” A spark of excitement stirred in Hisoka’s heart. He narrowed his eyes and licked his lips.

“Just me? Do you not consider the other companions in the Troupe worthy?” Kuroro glanced at Hisoka, then returned his gaze to the book.

“No, they are strong too. But since the best target is available, why settle for second best?” Hisoka smiled faintly and said seriously.

“I promise you, after this incident is over, I will fight you fairly,” Kuroro said in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.

“That would be perfect. I hope… Huh? You agreed?” Hisoka was startled and stared intently at Kuroro.

“Yes, but you must also agree to one condition for me,” Kuroro closed the book and said with a smile.

“Is it to help you capture that Qin Lun?” Hisoka grinned, revealing a strange smile.

“Yes, promise me you will do your best,” Kuroro said calmly. “Don’t you want to see the man who has been making fools of us?”

“OK!” A strange light flashed in Hisoka’s eyes. He asked softly, “So, what is our plan?”

“The other party proposed exchanging the auction items for Shalnark. They specifically demanded two items must be present. One is the Kurta Clan’s Scarlet Eye, and the other is the Zoroastrian ‘Ahura Mazda Bronze Statue’,” Kuroro said thoughtfully.

“What about the exchange location?” Hisoka asked indifferently.

“Yorknew City’s Amusement Park. I will hand them over personally. Other Troupe members cannot be present,” Kuroro’s eyes gleamed as he spoke calmly.

“Whether Shalnark is dead or not, this is probably a trap!” Hisoka touched his chin and chuckled lightly. “So, Leader, what do you plan to do? Bring everyone to the Amusement Park, or…”

“The other party has consistently demonstrated powerful intelligence-gathering capabilities and the ability to locate and capture our members,” A sharp light appeared in Kuroro’s eyes. “Perhaps our previous considerations had some oversights.”

“Leader, you mean…” Hisoka raised an eyebrow and fell into thought.

“When Uvogin was captured by the Chain User, we could still say he was poisoned and couldn’t resist. But what about Shalnark? Although Shalnark was primarily responsible for intelligence gathering in the Troupe, his combat ability wasn’t weak at all.”

Kuroro’s eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment before he continued, “Given Shalnark’s abilities, even I couldn’t render him completely helpless in an instant. For the other side to achieve this, we must have overlooked something!”

“Looking at the process of our first attack on the auction and the night we wiped out the Shadow Beasts, it seems Qin Lun was just hiding in the shadows. The one who captured Uvogin wasn’t him. So why is he stepping into the open now?”

Kuroro mused, “I think he has obtained a powerful helper. This helper probably gave him the ability to face the Troupe directly… It’s that Chain User, Kurapika, from the Nostrade Family! Perhaps Qin Lun only truly gained the Chain User’s help after we destroyed the Nostrade guards.”

The deaths of two companions still haven’t damaged his incredibly meticulous thinking ability. I wasn’t wrong, you really are a rare find! You shouldn’t die at the hands of Kurapika and Qin Lun. I really want to fight you sooner. Only I should be the one to kill you!

An uncontrollable excitement surged in Hisoka’s heart. He covered up his unusual emotions by stroking his magenta hair.

“I will divide the remaining Troupe members into two groups. One group, led by me, will go to the Amusement Park. The other group will stay here,” Kuroro said calmly.

“Leader, since you don’t hold much hope for rescuing Shalnark, why not have everyone go to the Amusement Park? Just leave one or two people here,” Hisoka said flatly.

“No. That’s exactly what the other side wants us to do. They might not necessarily go to the Amusement Park themselves,” Kuroro shook his head and said calmly. “We can’t underestimate their intelligence capabilities. This place is probably already exposed. However, not going to the Amusement Park isn’t an option either, since Shalnark was still alive during the call. Perhaps their plan is to put us in a dilemma and then attack the weaker location.”

“But splitting into two groups gives the other side an opportunity again, doesn’t it?” Hisoka spread his hands and smiled.

“That’s precisely why I need your help!” Kuroro rested his chin on the back of his hand and looked calmly at Hisoka. “Your Divination Poem mentioned ‘a red-eyed guest visited you’. Although he used the ‘Oath Sword’ to force you to ‘follow his rules’, it didn’t restrict you from returning the visit, did it?”

…

“Kurapika, Qin Lun, I received a message from Mr. Light. Tonight’s Auction is proceeding as scheduled!” Melody put down the phone and looked at her companions in surprise. “The Mafia found several bodies of the Phantom Troupe in the battlefield ruins. Their Leader, Kuroro Lucilfer, was among them!”

“That’s impossible. I just spoke with Kuroro on the phone!” Qin Lun couldn’t help but laugh lightly. “Heh, it seems there is a Conjuration expert within the Troupe, capable of replicating so many bodies and auction items!”

“Are Mr. Light and Miss Neon okay? That’s great news!” Both Kurapika and Melody sighed with relief simultaneously. Whatever their original intentions for joining the Nostrade were, they were, after all, considered Miss Neon’s bodyguards.

“Even if they are replicas, we must attend the Auction to help Miss Neon acquire that Scarlet Eye.” Kurapika and Melody suddenly remembered something, looked at each other, and shared a bitter smile. “Perhaps Mr. Light doesn’t care if they are replicas. The auction money is just a tribute to the upper levels of the Mafia anyway.”

“You two go ahead then!” Qin Lun’s eyes gleamed as he waved his hand with a laugh. “Let’s regroup tomorrow!”

“Qin Lun, are you sure the Troupe will act according to your prediction? What if they see through the trap and most of them stay at that church?” Seeing Kurapika and the other moving away, Rand asked quietly, sounding confused.

“It’s fine. Whether they focus their forces on the Amusement Park or stay behind at the church, Melody will give us the correct answer. Compared to Kurapika’s ability, I’m actually more interested in that woman’s hearing!” Qin Lun watched Melody’s retreating back, a flash of light in his eyes.

«Volume 7 Chapter 41: Battle Intent

Index

Volume 7 Chapter 43: The Ten Dons »