Death Notice Book 7: Chapter 55: Ambushed

Release Date: 2026-05-15 16:22:40

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“There are two battle sites here, this one… and that one!” Feitan pointed to the messy clearing and the distant ruins of five or six collapsed buildings, speaking calmly.

“Here we found traces of Shizuku using her vacuum cleaner, and marks left by chains. The ruins over there are too chaotic to make out clearly, probably Pakunoda’s battle site.”

Feitan paused briefly before continuing, “In the ruins, there’s a large hole full of small perforations. Pakunoda must have been buried alive by the enemy. But there are no further signs of fighting near the hole… After burying her alive, the enemy left her there. They probably joined the Chain User to attack Shizuku, defeating them one by one and capturing both.”

Most Troupe members who went to the Amusement Park as bait had returned, except for Hisoka and Illumi Zoldyck. Even the cute cross-dressing boy Kalluto Zoldyck came to the Abandoned District with Feitan and Nobunaga.

The fight at the Amusement Park started fiercely but ended weakly. The Nen Ability users hired by the Ten Dons were no match for Feitan and the others. After many casualties, the enemies resorted to guerrilla tactics. Gon and Killua were the most active among them. But Feitan and the others, concerned about their comrades in the Abandoned District, had no desire to prolong the battle and quickly withdrew.

Zeno and Silva Zoldyck retreated after the Troupe returned. Still, during the latter part of the battle, they had been quite serious and did their duties diligently.

“Damn it, if only I had been faster!” Franklin hammered his palm angrily, his voice gruff with self-blame.

“No, it’s our fault. We disobeyed the Leader’s orders!” Bonolenov glanced at his two companions, lowering his head dejectedly.

“None of you are at fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s me!” Kuroro stood up from the ground, gazing into the distance as if he could see the fading figures of Pakunoda and Shizuku waving goodbye.

“I should have expected that such a cunning opponent would certainly arrange an escape route. But I didn’t think he would use ‘Shalnark,’ and that bomber who first scouted the Abandoned District with ‘Shalnark’!”

Kuroro looked back at the “Shalnark Doll” tied up like a stuffed dumpling, a hint of relief on his face.

Kortopi and the others also had a tough fight with the “Shalnark Doll.” In the end, Kortopi and Bonolenov had to forcibly break the puppet’s limbs to quiet it down. Luckily, they had Machi, an expert at stitching with needles. As long as they could rescue Shalnark, he wouldn’t end up permanently disabled.

“That gloomy-looking middle-aged man was so inconspicuous. He wasn’t involved in the incidents a few days ago. Could he just be a small fry in the Mafia?” Nobunaga stroked the stubble on his chin, frowning as he asked, “Leader, are you sure it wasn’t Qin Lun who set the explosives? He used explosives several times! First with Shalnark, and then… Uvogin!”

“After entering the Abandoned District, Qin Lun had no openings. It wasn’t him!” Kuroro calmly shook his head. “Besides, he wouldn’t entrust someone as important as Shalnark to a mere underling.”

Kuroro frowned slightly. “I have a strange feeling that the bomber might actually be Qin Lun’s real companion. Otherwise, it’s hard to explain why Qin Lun didn’t have the Chain User Kurapika bring Shalnark in to scout.”

“By the way, what’s Shalnark’s condition now?” Kuroro turned to ask Machi. This perpetually cold-faced beauty of the Troupe was their expert in human anatomy and acted as their ‘surgeon.'”

“He…” Machi frowned slightly, an odd expression appearing on her cool, pretty face. “Shalnark’s situation is strange. His organs are functional, but he has no consciousness. There’s a foreign object inside him that seems to be the core controlling him.”

“However, I don’t dare remove it. That thing carries Shalnark’s strong aura, while his body seems like just a shell!” Machi sighed. “It looks like he was also dissected, with stitching marks all over inside. Physiologically, it’s a living corpse. To save him, we might need Shizuku’s ability.”

“Ah, so troublesome! Shizuku got captured too. We saved one but lost two!” Finkes scratched his hair irritably. “Paku and Shizuku really… even if they were captured, they could’ve left us some clues!”

“Not leaving clues was the right move!” Kuroro gazed into the distance, shaking his head calmly. “Against someone that shrewd, playing clever tricks is useless. If they angered him, they’d be in even more danger.”

“Leader, are you so sure they’re still alive?” Nobunaga’s eyes lit up. He exchanged glances with a few comrades and quickly asked.

“Yes, they’re safe for now. I’m certain the enemy only captured one of them, not both. It’s likely Shizuku was captured, and Paku was coerced into following them temporarily!” Kuroro said with a faint smile.

“That explains it!” Feitan, hands in pockets, remarked coolly, “No wonder the atmosphere here felt odd. One fight was intense, while the other pair seemed almost like they were on a picnic, leaving almost no specific traces.”

“Leader, what should we do next? Finding that guy’s hideout won’t be easy!” Nobunaga’s hand gripping his sword hilt tightened, his knuckles turning pale.

“Wait a little longer!” Kuroro turned calmly to one of their members. “Kortopi, can you sense it now?”

“It’s too small, the Nen is too faint. I need more time!” Kortopi, who had been silent, slowly raised his hand. His large eyes behind his bangs showed a hint of exhaustion.

“Kortopi, you… Did Pakunoda and Shizuku have your manifested items?” Finkes was surprised, a flicker of excitement on his face.

Hearing the conversation between Leader Kuroro and Kortopi, the other Troupe members quickly understood. Kortopi could imbue his manifested objects with an “En” effect. Depending on the amount of Nen attached and the distance between him and the object, he could sense a stronger or weaker connection.

“Not just them, all of us!” Machi raised an eyebrow, speaking flatly. “Yesterday, before we were all buried alive, the last meal was prepared by Feitan. There was something Kortopi made inside.”

“Feitan, you jerk, you slipped something into our food!” Finkes clenched his fist irritably. “But why keep us in the dark? We’re not like that traitor Hisoka!”

“It was the Leader’s order. Only you and Nobunaga didn’t know!” Feitan smirked, spreading his hands with a mischievous grin. “Of all the Leader’s commands, I liked this one the most!”

“Why?” Now even Nobunaga was displeased.

“You two have the worst tempers. If we told you, would you two have eaten it obediently?” Machi shot them an annoyed glance.

Finkes and Nobunaga looked at each other, feeling helpless. Just as Qin Lun had sensed, the Troupe members were too proud. Finkes and Nobunaga, who had undergone Class Change to focus on combat and had bad tempers, were the worst of the bunch. If they had known beforehand, they probably wouldn’t have eaten it.

“Three times, including this one. The enemy has almost openly captured our companions!” Kuroro turned and held up three fingers, looking calmly at everyone. “If he succeeds again this time, it’s my failure as Leader. You can find a new Leader then.”

“Leader!” The Troupe members sighed softly, unsure what to say.

“Before implementing this ambush plan, I considered there might be variables, so I had Kortopi give each of you a ‘protective charm.'” Kuroro stared into the distance, murmuring to himself, “That guy loves setting traps within traps so much; we should learn from him!”

“Leader, I found it!” Just as everyone was discussing, Kortopi suddenly looked up, his large eyes under his white hair gleaming sharply.

“Alright, this is far enough!” Qin Lun stopped walking once the outline of the Abandoned District was no longer visible behind them. He turned to look at Pakunoda, who was not far behind, then pointed at Shizuku, who was bound in chains, and said with a smile, “You die, or she dies!”

“Right here? Does someone have to die?” Pakunoda said calmly.

“Yes, I don’t have a habit of letting prey escape once caught,” Qin Lun replied, still smiling. “Only one of you two gets to live.”

“If I die, will you let Shizuku go?” Pakunoda smoothed the hair by her ear, composed and steady.

“Paku…” Shizuku started to shout but Qin Lun gripped her throat again. For the first time, her large eyes behind black-framed glasses lost their dullness, blazing with fury as if they could burn everything.

“Of course! With you and Kurapika, I noticed something strange. Perhaps self-hatred gives a stronger sense of existence. I’d like to test that.” Qin Lun chuckled lightly, glancing at the sullen-faced Kurapika nearby. “Besides, I never go for total annihilation. That’s just too boring.”

“How can you guarantee it?” Pakunoda lowered her eyelids slightly, speaking slowly. “Will your companion agree to let one go?”

“Stop delaying. I know there must be something odd about you.” Qin Lun blinked, a gentle smile on his face, as his hand around Shizuku’s neck slowly tightened. “If you keep stalling, I’ll kill her first!”

“You… Huh?” Pakunoda’s heart tightened. Just as she was about to argue further, she suddenly looked past Qin Lun in surprise, her delicate eyebrows rising.

At the same time, a calm and resolute voice came from behind the young man. “Qin Lun, do you remember all the people you killed?”

“No…” Qin Lun’s mind stirred. Before he could turn, a slight impact hit the back of his neck. Before he even felt the pain, everything went black.

“This kid hits pretty hard!” A strange thought crossed Qin Lun’s mind before his consciousness faded completely. “He finally couldn’t resist attacking me. Does this count as training success?”

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