Death Notice Book 7: Chapter 52: Pakunoda

Release Date: 2026-05-14 01:22:38

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«Volume 7 Chapter 51: The Confrontation

Volume 7 Chapter 53: Firecracker »

“Hmm!” Qin Lun let out a light ‘hm’ sound, tilting his head slightly to dodge a silently fired Nen bullet.

Without even turning around, he could ‘see’ Pakunoda chasing him from behind. A faint smile touched the corners of his lips. Trying to catch Qin Lun was Pakunoda’s only choice. Otherwise, just as Kurapika said, he had no willingness to sacrifice for his companions and wouldn’t hesitate at all to abandon the boy and escape alone.

Qin Lun’s utterly shameless behavior had cost him the trust of Kurapika and the others. But in a way, it also meant the Troupe couldn’t blackmail him in any way. They could only play as per his script. Even though Qin Lun was currently caught in a trap, he was going to make the Troupe pay a price. At the very least, Kuroro would have to face Hisoka in a duel afterward.

Ever since witnessing Feitan and other Troupe members act during the first day of the Auction, Qin Lun had simulated countless times in his mind what it would be like to face a member head-on.

The Phantom Troupe’s strength wasn’t just based on their unique Nen Abilities. Its members were extremely proficient in various advanced applications of Nen and possessed exceptional physical attributes. Though Pakunoda wasn’t one of the Troupe’s dedicated combat members, her speed was anything but slow. For ordinary people, it could only be described as extremely fast.

Qin Lun’s Apostle profession was Hunter, specifically Jungle Hunter. Since entering the Shattered Starry Sky, he had deliberately emphasized training speed and Perception skills. Solely in terms of dodging and fleeing, he far surpassed the level of a typical low-tier Professional Apostle. Even if he wasn’t quite as good as Pakunoda, the gap wasn’t that wide.

Qin Lun’s expanded Perception felt like mist. When he activated the Clock Eye, it transformed into threads of Time-Space Threads, covering an immense area. “Gannett’s Left Eye” further converted this Perception into images, which were even clearer and more concrete than the “”Gyo”” of a Nen user.

The Clock Eye could also slow down the perceived speed of bullets several times over in his consciousness. This allowed Qin Lun to calmly dodge attacks even while facing away from Pakunoda. The Swift Wind Step and the Pentagram Crystal Mirror ensured Pakunoda couldn’t catch up to him in the short term.

Pakunoda had only just chased him for a few seconds when she immediately realized this. Gritting her silver teeth in frustration, fresh worry for Shizuku flared in her heart. Though this tall and beautiful woman kept a low profile within the Troupe, she was very clever. She understood Qin Lun’s intention.

“You have that much faith in the Chain User? You think Shizuku will be chained before I catch you?” Pakunoda asked in a low voice as she chased, her tone heavy. “Or is it that you have no confidence in yourself? Do you feel certain you’ll lose to me?”

“Oh, you saw through it? I like smart women!” Qin Lun turned his head and gave a playful blink, a shy smile unique to a young man appearing on his face.

“Is that so? Then stop and have a chat!” Pakunoda flashed a charming smile, raising her hand and firing another shot toward his vital point. Qin Lun dodged narrowly, but his cheek was grazed by the Nen attached to the bullet, leaving a bloody cut.

“No, no. You’re too strong. I might not be able to handle it!” A glimpse of his own hair floating in the air at the corner of his eye made Qin Lun instinctively pull his neck back. His face twitched slightly as he stiffly shook his head.

“Nonsense, just put in more effort!” Pakunoda purposefully thrust out her ample chest, though her eyes remained icy cold.

The two of them bantered like lovers in the throes of passion. However, the bullets they occasionally fired at each other’s heads and hearts exposed the deadly truth of their confrontation – a fight to the finish.

One minute and fifteen seconds. Never mind the others, Franklin should be getting close by now! Why hasn’t Rand activated it yet? Did that bastard really burn the bridge after crossing the river?! Regardless, what needs to be done must continue!

Qin Lun glanced at the Death Notice, a trace of graveness flashing across his face. He gritted his teeth and shot around the corner of the abandoned building ahead.

Pakunoda, chasing behind him, saw this and felt a flicker of humiliated anger in her eyes. Their chase wasn’t running in a straight line.

Qin Lun’s absolute speed was slightly slower than hers. But the youth was incredibly agile, constantly circling the nearby abandoned buildings. This forced her to focus her attention on navigating turns. Over a minute had passed, yet she hadn’t managed to close the gap by half a step.

It wasn’t that Pakunoda lacked the strength to break through walls and take a direct route. She was worried that if Qin Lun left her sight, she might genuinely lose track of him. Pursuing him for this long, Pakunoda had a growing hunch; Qin Lun’s strength might not be as formidable as they had initially estimated.

That uniquely fluid footwork of his, those weirdly curved and deflected shots from his gun, and those Nen ability crystal mirrors occasionally used to assist with direction changes – these were likely his unique skills. While they looked incredibly flashy and nearly overwhelmed her with its beauty, they clearly didn’t pose much of a threat to her.

With Qin Lun’s intelligence, surely he knew that just running couldn’t last long. Besides, with this cunning fox’s nature, no matter how much faith he placed in the Chain User, would he really place all his hope entirely on his companions?

Thinking this, a sense of unease stirred within Pakunoda. She became even more cautious. She pushed off the ground, accelerating her pursuit speed even further, determined not to let Qin Lun leave her sight even for a second.

“BOOM!” Pakunoda had just rounded the corner when a thunderous noise exploded in her ears. She saw a massive hole blasted open in the wall at the bend. A slender silhouette flashed through the smoke and vanished into the building beside her.

“Trying to escape?” Fury flashed in Pakunoda’s eyes. The Nen aura around her suddenly flared. She crouched slightly, lowered her shoulder, and charged straight towards the wall to her left.

“THUD!” Unlike Qin Lun’s explosive entrance, the tall beauty seemed to cut through the wall without a trace of resistance. Her long-limbed body slipped through as if it were tofu. A human-shaped hole instantly appeared in the thick wall.

However, the moment Pakunoda burst into the building, a mixture of shame and anger washed over her face.

She’d been tricked!

Qin Lun had been about thirty meters ahead of her. But with him blasting through the wall, it had taken a bit of time, bringing the distance down to less than seven meters.

Yet now, blocking Pakunoda’s view ahead was another wall. This meant Qin Lun and she had burst into the same building simultaneously, but the seven meters between them were divided into two separate rooms!

“He has a full-fledged X-ray vision ability, and…”

A thought struck Pakunoda like lightning – Qin Lun’s uncanny, seemingly predictive dodging throughout their chase. She had assumed it was due to his agile footwork, allowing him to evade bullets the moment they entered her “”Gyo”” range.

Now, it was obvious that the range of this youth’s “”Gyo”” far exceeded that of ordinary Nen users, even possessing an Eye Technique that could penetrate brick walls. The additional “and,” however, was what truly spooked her, and frankly, made her feel a bit ashamed.

To orchestrate this escape scenario, in addition to calculating their relative speeds, he must have gained some insight into her personality. Otherwise, if she hadn’t been cautious and carefully tracked him, if she had rashly chased into the large hole he made, the current situation wouldn’t exist. Instead, she would be right behind him.

Qin Lun had never met her. Even if Hisoka had leaked her ability details, he certainly wouldn’t mention her personality traits—Hisoka himself didn’t understand her that way.

Clearly, the youth deduced her nature from their brief exchange. He knew that with her cautious temperament, she wouldn’t risk potential ambush by chasing directly through the gaping hole he left in the wall.

“This man… is dangerous!” A shiver ran down Pakunoda’s entire body. Inside this deserted, empty, abandoned room, she felt as if a pair of cold, unfeeling eyes was watching her every move.

In this moment, the terrifying essence Qin Lun hid beneath his fake smile was revealed. Forget other Troupe members; even Kurapika, who interacted with him regularly, likely hadn’t comprehended his depths as acutely as she did now.

Qin Lun’s influence on Kurapika was subtle and gradual. Apart from Melody noticing the boy’s slow shift in temperament, Kurapika himself couldn’t feel it. But now, with the situation forcing his hand, Qin Lun finally exposed his terrifying core, baring his fangs nakedly at Pakunoda.

“No matter the cost, I cannot let him escape here! Otherwise, the Troupe will lose more companions!” In the blink of an eye that Qin Lun vanished, countless thoughts flooded Pakunoda’s mind. Her gaze solidified with unprecedented resolve.

“It’s not over yet! You think this shakes me off!” A cold glint flashed in Pakunoda’s eyes. Her “”Gyo”” wasn’t particularly large, not covering tens of meters. Yet, she possessed a momentary surge technique capable of radiating her Nen across an immense range.

“Mental Ballet!” The tall beautiful woman brought both hands high above her head, crossing them. With a sharp cry, she rose onto the tiptoe of her high-heeled right foot. In an instant, her silhouette spun at blinding speed, turning into a whirling top. Threads of sparkling silver Nen swirled around her, encasing her within a huge silver cocoon.

The next instant, the silver cocoon unfurled like a blooming flower. Countless wispy strands of silver Nen flew in all directions. They seemed almost indifferent to any obstacles in their path, leaving countless miniscule holes in the walls as they pierced throughout the building.

“He’s not inside the building… he’s back outside?!” After unleashing this ultimate move, Pakunoda gasped slightly, her ample chest rising and falling. But almost immediately, surprise hit her. She dashed through the opening she’d made without hesitation and spotted Qin Lun’s silhouette ahead once more.

“Huh? That direction… He’s heading toward Shizuku!” The moment Pakunoda saw where Qin Lun was running, her face drastically altered.

“This woman is truly troublesome. Still, this delay gives me about three seconds to coordinate with Kurapika… Franklin is at seven o’clock direction, still over a hundred meters away. Both of you should be too late now!” A smile blossomed on Qin Lun’s face bright and pleasant as a spring breeze.

“This round belongs to me!”

«Volume 7 Chapter 51: The Confrontation

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Volume 7 Chapter 53: Firecracker »