Death Notice Book 7: Chapter 53: Firecracker

Release Date: 2026-05-14 14:22:39

A+A-Light Off<!--

«Volume 7 Chapter 52: Pakunoda

Volume 7 Chapter 54: Shizuku »

Qin Lun always felt similar to the members of the Phantom Troupe. This wasn’t an empty statement. Troupe members were ruthless towards others and themselves, and Qin Lun was the same way.

Neither he, nor Hill, Rand, and these others, were serial killers with normal human thoughts. They had long since become indifferent to life and death. They would fight for survival until their last breath, but they wouldn’t give up their unique “fun” for the sake of living.

Qin Lun had a strong desire for control. He loved setting elaborate traps, making his opponents struggle like insects caught in a spider’s web until they died. But even more than that, he enjoyed surprises on some level. He hoped his opponents could break out of the plan. That kind of excitement brought him immense “fun.”

Even stuck in a deadly situation now, the stronger feeling in Qin Lun’s heart wasn’t worry, but excitement. He was constantly scheming a comeback. For him, this was just an intensely thrilling game!

His comeback should have been impossible. The encirclement arranged by Kuroro was incredibly tight. The time he had to escape was very limited.

Of course, that alone shouldn’t have been a problem. Every member of the Phantom Troupe was strong, including Pakunoda and Shizuku, who usually gathered information. As long as the two of them coordinated well, even facing an assault by three or four equally strong opponents, they wouldn’t be in immediate danger.

But Kortopi and the others, caught up in the joy of seeing “Shalnark,” forgot one thing. Their desire to save “Shalnark” meant they had already given Qin Lun a chance to slip through. Deep down, they felt it would be great if Pakunoda and Shizuku could stop Qin Lun, but it wasn’t the end of the world if they couldn’t.

However, Pakunoda and Shizuku didn’t have this thought. They hadn’t seen “Shalnark” themselves. Even if they believed Qin Lun’s words, they still saw their main task as catching the enemy.

Therefore, these two beauties of the Troupe still held onto the idea of capturing Qin Lun and taking revenge for their companions Uvogin and Shalnark. They were even willing to pay any cost for it.

This difference in mindset among the troupe members had kept Qin Lun in danger, but it had also planted a seed of danger for themselves.

Since meeting Pakunoda and Shizuku, Qin Lun never thought about leaving his life in Kurapika’s hands. From the very first second he lured Pakunoda to chase him, he’d been planning to turn back and join the boy to attack Shizuku together.

“You wish!” Pakunoda’s eyes flashed coldly as she watched the young man’s back race ahead. Her beautiful short blonde hair bristled under the surge of her Nen. Her speed actually increased a bit more.

Qin Lun’s judgment of this tall beauty was correct. Among the three female members of the Troupe, Pakunoda was older than Machi and Shizuku, and her personality was steadier. When chasing the young man earlier, she’d held back some strength. But now, seeing Qin Lun reveal his true intentions, she finally discarded all caution and went all out.

“Haha, losing your temper?” Qin Lun glanced back and chuckled lightly. His eyes held a strange gleam that sent shivers down Pakunoda’s spine. “Since I said you were too late, you definitely are. Do you think I just randomly picked that building to run into earlier?”

“The Phantom Troupe has a big weakness,” Qin Lun said, smiling as he raised his right hand. He clicked his middle finger and thumb together with a sharp snap. “Even someone as smart as you can’t escape it. Know what it is?”

“You’re too proud. Proud to the point of looking down on any small fries besides your main target. ‘Shalnark’ was the first variable I prepared for you, but not the only one.” A flicker of amusement crossed his eyes. “Could it be that even now, you haven’t realized this fight has always been three against two?”

“Three against two? Could it be…” Pakunoda’s beautiful eyes widened instantly. She remembered the gloomy, miserable-looking middle-aged man they’d deliberately let pass earlier. But just as Qin Lun said, realizing it now was already too late.

Along with Qin Lun’s sharp snap, Pakunoda keenly sensed an abnormal fluctuation stir in the surroundings. Even the concrete ground beneath her feet began to tremble slightly.

BOOM! The next instant, violent explosions erupted like drumbeats, echoing continuously throughout the Abandoned District.

The surrounding buildings groaned in agony. Like dying giants, buildings wreathed in countless flames grew larger and larger in her pupils, hurtling towards her. The concrete beneath her feet seemed determined not to be outdone. Columns of fire erupted amidst flying chunks of rock, shot upwards like twisting, dark fireworks.

Suddenly, Pakunoda felt adrift in surging smoke and furious flames, like a small boat instantly swallowed by an ocean of fire.

“QIN LUN!” Pakunoda’s hair whipped wildly as she screamed towards the figure disappearing into the smoke.

There weren’t actually that many explosion points throughout the Abandoned District, but they were placed cleverly, triggering chain reactions between the buildings. These condemned blocks were already dilapidated and poorly maintained. Added to that were all the structures Kortopi had conjured, leaving extremely narrow gaps between buildings. It caused a perfect domino effect.

From the sky above, the Abandoned District where the Phantom Troupe had hidden looked like a giant chrysanthemum blooming. Rows of tall buildings toppled in an orderly, spiraling fashion. The center area was almost completely destroyed, shrouded by a ring of churning, roaring smoke and fire.

Perhaps the only spot slightly different was around Pakunoda. Here, the buildings collapsed inward, like a giant fist clenching shut, firmly trapping the Troupe beauty in place.

But that giant chrysanthemum wasn’t the most amazing part; the most incredible thing came later. As the explosions died down, the powerful gusts kicked up by the collapsing buildings unexpectedly merged into prevailing winds. They swept all the dust raised by the blasts in the same direction, like unique waves made of smoke surging forward rhythmically.

…

“Hmph, now that’s art!” Rand stood on a hillside, his hand shading his eyes as he looked towards the Abandoned District. He sniffed. His usually worried face even cracked a faint smile.

“That kid’s job is done!” Rand looked down at the Ahura Mazda Bronze Statue in his hand and grinned widely, the wrinkles on his face seeming to smooth out. He muttered quietly to himself, “The gains this time are huge. If you manage to crawl back alive, Rand owes you one.”

…

Ahem! “So those buildings Kortopi conjured were what blocked the phone signals!” Qin Lun spat out a mouthful of dust, his face covered in grime. He pulled his phone from his pocket and took a look. A flicker of understanding appeared in his eyes.

The massive explosion had destroyed almost all the buildings Kortopi had created. The Nen attached to them dissipated immediately, restoring phone reception. Before, Qin Lun couldn’t contact Rand and didn’t know why he hadn’t activated the backup plan yet.

But during the minute-plus Qin Lun spent leading Pakunoda around in circles, he’d figured it out. He wasn’t running aimlessly; he was using his Eye Technique to search for clues Rand left. He’d finally found the explosives planted in that spot.

After Rand became an Apostle, he hadn’t abandoned his bombing skills. Instead, he’d enhanced that ability using his Apostle Skill. As Firecracker, he could use skills to create explosives. He could also instill them with a bit of his weak mental energy, turning them into a special type of expendable Apostle item.

These explosives could detonate remotely on Rand’s command. They could also be left with a specific “mark,” transferring control to another Apostle. This was how Qin Lun took over the detonation order and triggered the chain reaction.

From this, Rand’s ability was somewhat similar to a Conjuration-Type Nen Ability user in the Hunter World. Perhaps this was the main reason the Shattered Starry Sky had sent him to this world.

Rand had successfully undergone Class Change within just a few world missions. Since he also possessed the potential for advancement like the other serial killers, the Shattered Starry Sky would surely “look upon him favorably.” It probably wouldn’t mind providing some world-based guidance for skill development.

“The effect is even better than I imagined!” Qin Lun thought to himself, very satisfied as he watched the waves of smoke roll beside him.

Right after entering the Abandoned District, Qin Lun had sensed something wasn’t quite right. Getting Rand to activate the backup plan was their last resort for survival.

Rand had two main jobs in this plan. One was to cause chaos in the Abandoned District with the major explosion. This created an escape opportunity behind the huge swathes of smoke. The other was to set a trap at the back of the district to trap pursuers from the Troupe, covering their escape.

The only thing Qin Lun hadn’t expected was how Pakunoda and Shizuku simply let Rand go. As a result, Rand not only completed both tasks but executed them perfectly. The smoke waves now not only aided their escape but also perfectly covered Qin Lun, allowing him to approach Shizuku quietly.

“The person you casually let pass isn’t any less dangerous than me!” Qin Lun shook his head, looking at Pakunoda still buried under the debris with a touch of pity.

…

Meanwhile, in the front part of the Abandoned District…

Kuroro stood atop the ruins of a wall, gazing worriedly towards the back. The wall remnant he stood on was all that remained of a ten-storey condemned building. Only the bottom three floors were barely standing, precariously broken, much of the internal structure exposed like it had been bitten by a monster.

It was the only structure in the vicinity not leveled to the ground. The other condemned buildings were completely swallowed by the smoke, now ruins at the bottom of a sea of smog.

“Was that his Nen ability?” a slightly agitated voice asked beside Kuroro. Finkes had appeared next to him at some point.

“Probably not. A detail I overlooked, perhaps,” Kuroro replied calmly, shaking his head. “We should have phone signal back now. Call Machi and ask about Pakunoda and Shizuku’s situation.”

“Hmm.” Finkes pulled out his phone, preparing to dial. Suddenly, a flash of light pierced through the smoke. A blazing ball of energy, crackling with thick bolts of electricity, shot towards them.

“Silva Zoldyck!” Kuroro and Finkes exchanged a glance, expressions resigned. They leapt down from the ruined wall, vanishing back into the smoke. The sounds of fierce combat erupted nearby.

Zeno and Silva hadn’t been fighting at full intensity before. Both parties – them, and Kuroro with Finkes – knew the fight here wasn’t the main event. The critical part was whether the other Troupe members could kill Qin Lun, the client who hired them. By unspoken agreement, they’d let Franklin leave. Kurolo and Finkes had been content to stall Zeno and Silva.

But now, with this massive explosion and the ensuing smoke sea, the two Zoldyck assassins knew the cunning troublemaker Qin Lun was likely still alive.

Besides, with the smoke providing cover now, they could finally take this job “seriously.” If Kuroro and Finkes kept up their previous half-hearted attitude in the fight, the Zoldycks wouldn’t hesitate to “complete the mission” as a little bonus.

«Volume 7 Chapter 52: Pakunoda

Index

Volume 7 Chapter 54: Shizuku »