Death Notice Book 7: Chapter 48: Miscalculation

Release Date: 2026-05-11 21:22:35

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Volume 7 Chapter 49: The Fleeting Opportunity »

The tattered doll Kortopi saw was Shalnark, or rather, what had once been Shalnark.

In truth, neither Qin Lun nor Rand possessed any skills to manipulate dolls, let alone create a puppet as powerful as Shalnark had been in life. The birth of this “Shalnark” was due to a twist of chance.

On the night Shalnark was captured by Kurapika, Joey had indeed transformed the sunny youth into a Skeletal Angel. To turn Shalnark into his most perfect creation yet, the Dissector had even inserted backup blood bags into his major artery system.

Shalnark’s powerful will didn’t disappoint Joey or the other observer, Rand. The sunny young man remained conscious throughout the entire process of becoming a Skeletal Angel, dying only when most of his vital organs failed.

To Qin Lun’s surprise, upon Shalnark’s death, the Shattered Starry Sky didn’t grant him a Nen Ability like it had with Uvogin. Instead, it solidified into a palm-sized Apostle item.

The Shalnark Doll had turned Shalnark’s dying Soul into an Artifact Spirit. It was essentially a core item for creating puppets. With suitable materials and energy crystals, Qin Lun could use this “Shalnark Doll” to make a powerful puppet of at least Purple Gold quality.

Back then, glancing at the remains turned into a Skeletal Angel on his work table, Qin Lun had a sudden flash of inspiration. Relying on his superb dissection skills, he pieced together the corpse with the Shalnark Doll, reassembling the “Shalnark” that stood before them now.

However, this “Shalnark,” though possessing a Soul and a physical body, was essentially an Apostle-created puppet. Furthermore, the laws dictated it required an energy crystal core to function.

Fortunately, Qin Lun did possess an energy core capable of powering a puppet: the Dream Magic Crystal he obtained during the Metropolis Domination War!

Originally intended as the energy core for Apostle Mechs, Qin Lun had dug out this core crystal when he abandoned his own mech as a decoy, preventing other Apostles from getting a complete machine.

Now, guided by a wondrous Causality, it perfectly supplied the missing power source to “Shalnark.”

Perhaps because the materials were extremely compatible with the Artifact Spirit, this cobbled-together puppet body unexpectedly inherited Shalnark’s formidable Nen Ability from life. It was unclear if this “Shalnark” still possessed independent consciousness.

After completing “Shalnark,” the strength-starved Qin Lun was overjoyed. He immediately incorporated the puppet into his plan. Regardless of whether “Shalnark” retained self-awareness, the dual laws governing the Shattered Starry Sky and the Hunter World ensured it could never escape his control.

…

As Kortopi’s blood-curdling screech pierced the sky, several figures shot out like lightning from nearby abandoned buildings around the Church. Almost simultaneously, figures burst from buildings at the very edge of the Abandoned District, forming inner and outer rings as they converged on the Church.

“FUCK!” Rand inwardly wailed. Unexpectedly, however, the figures closest to him ignored his presence entirely, rushing straight for the Church. One pony-tailed girl with a pretty face only gave him a cold glance before focusing elsewhere.

Firecracker felt incredibly lucky. Qin Lun’s choice to have him search the Church was proving smart. The lurking Troupe members only saw him as an ordinary Syndicate thug. Learning of “Shalnark’s” presence, they had no patience to deal with him.

Or perhaps, in the minds of these Troupe members, they dismissed him like he wasn’t even worth noticing.

“FUCK!” Rand soon realized this. Unlike his previous internal cry of despair, this muttered curse brimmed with indignation. Yet, smart as he was, he knew escape was the priority now.

Besides, he’d already secured his biggest prize and completed the scout mission for his side. Whether he helped Qin Lun next depended entirely on his mood.

…

“One, two, three… seven, eight!” Sweat trickled down Melody’s forehead. She pressed her body flat against the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

The figures emerging from the Abandoned District’s outermost edge had passed within mere hundreds of meters of her. Had they not dismissed her as minor grunt, she might already be fleeing for her life.

“Kurapika!” Only when the figures were farther away did Melody push herself half up. Unmaskable worry etched her face. She raised the flare gun in her hand again, decisively firing.

…

“Cruel world, what did I miss?” Qin Lun’s face also darkened upon hearing Kortopi’s scream. He was now certain this was a trap, though unsure how many Troupe members remained here.

When meeting Zeno and Silva, Kurapika had told him these two Zoldyck Family killers were stronger than him. In other words, these Zoldycks surpassed the combat abilities of some weaker Troupe members.

Qin Lun trusted the young man’s judgment. Factoring in Kurapika, the Shalnark Doll, plus himself and Rand, their impromptu group should suppress at least five Troupe members head-on. If excluding the Phantom Troupe Leader, Kuroro, they might even hold their own against six.

“If other Troupe members are here,” Qin Lun thought rapidly, “then some at the Amusement Park must be Conjurations, ‘things’ created by Nen!” “But Conjuration can’t create autonomous life. It requires Manipulation Type Nen Ability to control!”

“Feitan is Transmutation, Nobunaga is Enhancement Type… others could have control skills. However, managing so many ‘bodies’ remotely while fighting is impossible without some combat power loss!”

“That group ended with… Kuroro, Machi, and Kalluto… Forget Kuroro killing three. Machi and Kalluto didn’t fight at full strength. Were they holding back or unable to act?”

“Kalluto’s a new face. Low chance he’s a Conjuration… Then Machi? Wait! Kalluto! Kalluto Zoldyck!” Qin Lun’s scalp prickled violently, as if doused in ice water. He whirled around, gritting his teeth as he glared at Zeno and Silva.

“Illumi! It’s Illumi Zoldyck! His Nen Ability is disguise!”

“You finally understand. Correct, that ‘Kuroro’ is Illumi disguised! My grandson is Manipulation Type. He uses Nen needles to alter his appearance!” Zeno calmly acknowledged, not bothering to conceal it.

In that moment, everything clicked for Qin Lun. Zeno and Silva were coerced by the Ten Dons’ chairman because their mission remained incomplete.

Similarly, because the chairman of the Ten Dons lived, Illumi and Kalluto Zoldyck’s contract remained unfinished. They too were forced by the Troupe to stay involved in the war between the Hunter Side and the Troupe.

There was a subconscious reason Qin Lun had seen Kalluto Zoldyck in the footage yet forgotten Illumi Zoldyck.

He’d unconsciously assumed Illumi was hunting the Ten Dons’ chairman. This was the main reason he hadn’t explicitly warned their old Syndicate employer. He’d hoped the “Ten Dons” man would lure Illumi away, neutralizing that variable.

As for the suddenly appearing Kalluto Zoldyck, he believed the boy had joined the Troupe to replace Uvogin or Shalnark. After all, Zeno had frankly told him Kalluto always wanted to join the Troupe.

Looking back now, though Zeno spoke truthfully, his words were ambiguous. He only said Kalluto wanted to join, not that he had joined. This skewed Qin Lun’s assessment.

Qin Lun’s real oversight lay in Illumi Zoldyck no longer needing to pursue the Ten Dons.

After tomorrow, the Ten Dons and the Syndicate would cancel all bounties and hunts against the Troupe. Their conflict had vanished. Naturally, the Troupe could revoke its contract with Illumi and redirect him against the Hunters.

That very night the Ten Dons representatives were killed, Illumi had controlled a corpse, faking one representative’s voice to fool Syndicate members—only exposed by Qin Lun in the end.

“If that ‘Kuroro’ is Illumi in disguise… then besides Feitan, Nobunaga, and Hisoka, all other Troupe members could be here! That’s… eight!” Qin Lun felt like someone slapped him hard enough to make his head spin.

BANG! Right then, an explosion echoed in the sky. A dazzling point of light rose slowly amidst thick red smoke.

A red signal flare, fired by Melody!

He’d miscalculated! Qin Lun’s expression remained blank as he glanced at his signal-less phone. He had prepared a backup plan with Rand, but without forming a temporary team, they couldn’t communicate via a Team Channel. He could only hope Rand wouldn’t falter at the crucial moment.

“Eight Troupe members exceed our limits. We can’t drag this out, or we’ll fully lose control!”

Qin Lun’s eyes snapped wide open, fixing on the Abandoned District’s outskirts. In his left pupil, a black-and-red target manifested, while in his right, a silvery-white disc pulsed with three needles.

“Hoh, rare Nen Ability. Seems like two distinct Eye Techniques!” Zeno and Silva observed the uncanny eyes with surprise.

Both Zoldycks remained expressionless. Though they would fight alongside Qin Lun, everyone knew the Troupe would avoid a death match with them. The young man was the Phantom Troupe’s true archenemy. Their task was merely stopping two or three members.

“Zoldycks, Kuroro at eight o’clock, Finkes at eleven! Those are your new targets!” Qin Lun commanded the pair swiftly before turning and sprinting away without pause.

Zeno and Silva exchanged a calm look. Then, like ghosts, they vanished right where they stood.

«Volume 7 Chapter 47: Return

Index

Volume 7 Chapter 49: The Fleeting Opportunity »