Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 7: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Release Date: 2026-05-25 10:22:52

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Observing an adult Gale Panther up close was quite awe-inspiring. Not counting its tail, its body was over three meters long and more than one point six meters tall at the shoulder. Beneath its smooth, satin-like brown fur, muscle groups shifted and moved like scurrying little mice.

Qin Lun only got within thirty meters before the big cat’s ears twitched, and its jet-black, gem-like eyes locked onto the bushes where the young man was hiding. As a Rogue, Longer managed to get closer, reaching within ten meters behind the big cat before it noticed him.

The big cat, caught between them, bared its teeth slightly. Its back arched a little as its streamlined body turned gracefully, and a low, thunder-like growl rumbled in its throat. This was the jungle king’s way of issuing a warning; if the enemies came any closer, it would likely take action.

Qin Lun stood up from the bushes and spread his hands open towards the Gale Panther, showing he meant no harm. However, once he appeared, the Gale Panther seemed agitated. Its pupils narrowed, all its fur bristled, its front paw stepped forward, and it lowered its head and shoulders, assuming a fighting stance. It showed clear hostility.

Longer, seeing this from behind, flipped his hands, and a pair of daggers appeared in them instantly. His expression turned serious.

The Gale Panther paid no attention to Qin Lun’s friendly gestures. Instead, it secretly inspected its surroundings, clearly not intending to fight two Elves in such an unfavorable situation.

Qin Lun felt a bit frustrated. It was certain this magical beast had encountered Elves from the forest before; the bandage on its hind leg was the best proof. The fact that it hadn’t immediately run away upon seeing them also indirectly proved this. But its reaction to him was strange, as if he was a mortal enemy, leaving no room for compromise.

However, when he looked down at himself, he suddenly understood. He patted his clothes and put away his Earth Drake Leather Armor. The Earth Drake was also a jungle king, a reptile of the giant monitor lizard family, carrying a faint draconic aura. To the Gale Panther, this meant a natural predator.

After he stored away the Earth Drake Leather Armor, the Gale Panther indeed paused briefly. Although its jet-black eyes still held deep suspicion, it relaxed its fighting posture. It sensed Qin Lun’s goodwill.

High Rank magical beasts had a very human-like intelligence. Once the opposing Elf retracted the aura that made it uncomfortable, it knew Qin Lun posed little threat.

Qin Lun smiled slightly. He pulled an unnamed chunk of meat from his Storage Space and tossed it in front of the Gale Panther. It was a piece of Yak-Elephant meat, a high-quality recovery-type World Treasure. Even cooked, it was very attractive to magical beasts.

Without hesitation, the Gale Panther swatted the Yak-Elephant meat aside with its paw. Its cat-like face showed a hint of human-like disdain. It was the king of the jungle, not a domesticated house cat. Still, Qin Lun’s attempt to curry favor made it lower its guard a bit more. It wiggled its rear, turned around, and continued drinking water.

Qin Lun awkwardly rubbed his nose. He slowly walked closer, picked up the Yak-Elephant meat from the ground – this was a high-grade recovery item worth thousands of Shattered Crystal; he couldn’t waste it.

Feeling Qin Lun approach, the Gale Panther twitched its ears and let out an irritable low growl, but it didn’t move away from the water source. Perhaps because the person who had helped it not long ago was also an Elf, this jungle king held some goodwill towards Elves. That suppressed the discomfort of this stranger entering its personal space.

A flicker of amusement showed in Qin Lun’s eyes. With lightning speed, he reached out and stroked the Gale Panther’s large head. The big cat froze stiff, all its fur bristling again, but it soon calmed down. Its pair of jet-black eyes stared unblinkingly at Qin Lun.

After a long moment, Qin Lun stood up again, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. He gestured a thumbs-up towards the nervous Longer in the distance, indicating he had succeeded. Qin Lun’s bloodline, Moonlit Elf, had advanced to High Moon Elf. His bloodline ability – Elf Whispers – had also improved. With magical beasts like the Gale Panther, as long as they weren’t highly vigilant, he could perform simple soul communication.

Longer couldn’t do this. Although his bloodline also originated from Moonlit Elves, it wasn’t transformed by a World Tree Fruit. It wasn’t even a complete Moonlit Elf bloodline; he could only be considered a Half-elf. His bloodline abilities were only Wind Element Affinity and Wood Element Affinity. He did not possess Elf Whispers or the Moonlit Summoning ability.

“Does the Gale Panther agree to lead us to that Elf?” Longer asked doubtfully. After receiving confirmation, he sighed with a hint of jealousy. “After this mission is over, I must upgrade my Half-elf bloodline no matter what. I have to transform into a complete Elf Bloodline. Forget Moonlit Summoning, but I must obtain the Elf Whispers ability.”

Qin Lun smiled noncommittally and followed the Gale Panther now leading the way. Low-level Elf Whispers could only manage simple communication with forest vegetation; it wasn’t as powerful as his. His bloodline was exchanged for using the Sub-legendary Item – the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross – and was enhanced by the Forest Goddess. From an Elf’s perspective, it was considered an Ancient Elf Bloodline, granting him eligibility for the Elf royal lineage.

The Gale Panther ran through the forest as swift as lightning. More impressively, it made almost no loud noise. If the High Rank magical beast hadn’t occasionally stopped on branches to wait for them, Qin Lun and Longer would never have been able to keep up. No wonder it could become one of the jungle kings despite having only seventh-tier combat power.

This run made the difference in ability between Qin Lun and Longer very clear. In terms of combat power, Qin Lun was confident he could easily defeat Longer. But if Longer wanted to run away, Qin Lun definitely couldn’t catch him. Even with Qin Lun’s Swift Wind Step and the assistance of his Pentagram Crystal Mirror, Longer could leave him far behind.

Longer called himself a Scout Rogue, a fully agility-focused Rogue. In a team, he was responsible for disarming traps, tracking, and perimeter security. His speed even surpassed that of a Ranger with summoned mounts. He could maintain high-speed running for a long time without tiring.

Watching Longer follow the Gale Panther easily and leisurely, Qin Lun knew both the man and the panther were being held back by him. However, this gave him a vague idea. Their group of five Serial Killers would definitely form a team in the future. At times, they would inevitably have to deal with other Apostle teams.

Ordinary Apostle teams might have individuals less capable than these Serial Killers, but each of them had their own specialties. If a team had a strategist who could combine these specialized Apostles into a cohesive unit, they might not necessarily be weaker than a Murderer Team.

While he was thinking, the Gale Panther leading the way finally stopped in front of a huge oak tree. It turned its head and let out a low growl towards Qin Lun and the other, as if saying they had arrived.

Qin Lun and Longer looked around and immediately felt ashamed. This place looked familiar; they had definitely wandered around nearby before. Among the crown of the massive oak tree in front of them, a corner of a treehouse was faintly visible, but it would certainly go unnoticed if one didn’t look carefully.

“Oh? It’s you?” When the Gale Panther and the two Elves arrived under the tree, a surprised voice came from the bushes to the left of the oak.

An elegantly built female Spotted Deer stepped gracefully out of the bushes. It rolled on the grass under the tree and transformed into an Elven Druid wearing a deer-antler hat and a straw rain cloak.

The Elven Druid’s face was covered in green paint, making specific features hard to distinguish. However, judging by the facial contours, it seemed to be a female Elf.

“Firal pays respects to the master. This is my companion, Mo Rui’en!” Qin Lun bowed slightly. The two names he gave were from the few remaining memory fragments of the deceased characters they were inhabiting.

Firal and Mo Rui’en both belonged to the Qiongda’er Elves. However, they had left the forest years ago to work as mercenaries for experience. Their return to Qiongda’er was also due to a summons from the Elven Royal Court. They just didn’t expect to perish at the forest’s edge so soon after returning.

“You…” Iristin frowned slightly, looking at the two blood-stained Elves with a hint of confusion. These two had passed by her treehouse yesterday. At the time, she thought they were just young Elves on their journey, so she paid them no mind.

“Pfft!” Before Iristin could finish her question, Longer, using the alias Mo Rui’en, paled and spat out a mouthful of black, foul blood. He clutched his chest and collapsed limply to the ground.

The Elven Druid flashed to Longer’s side in an instant. She lifted his head, observed the foul blood at his mouth, and her expression tightened. She turned her head and called to Qin Lun, “Help me carry him into the treehouse. He’s poisoned.”

Some time later, the sweaty Elven Druid finally finished treating the festering wound on Longer’s chest. She gave him a dose of herbal medicine and let him lie down to rest.

“Come with me!” The Druid gently beckoned to Qin Lun. The two walked out of the treehouse and stood on the outer bamboo bridge to talk.

“What did you encounter? The wound on his body doesn’t seem to be from a jungle creature. It looks more like a blade wound, and a poisoned one at that!”

Qin Lun concisely recounted the events involving the Elf merchant caravan. He mentioned that the remaining members of the caravan guard were trying to rescue the hostages, and that the two of them had come back first to inform the Royal Court. “We originally planned to report directly to the Royal Court, but Mo Rui’en couldn’t hold on any longer today, so we had to find a Druid to treat him first.”

“Hmm, his physical condition is quite good; he shouldn’t be in mortal danger. But the poison in his body is still a bit troublesome. I need to find some specific herbs. You watch him here. I’ll take you back this afternoon.”

Iristin still had some doubts in her heart. However, the wound on Longer’s body seemed real enough. That kind of injury had likely been festering for at least two days. Any longer delay would definitely be life-threatening. Besides, the identities of the Elf merchant caravan and Qin Lun’s duo couldn’t be faked. It would be clear once they checked later.

Watching the Elven Druid transform into an osprey and fly away from the bamboo bridge, a faint smile appeared on Qin Lun’s lips. His plan had succeeded.

Because he and Longer had very little residual memory from the deceased characters they inhabited, approaching the Qiongda’er Elves in a straightforward manner would inevitably lead to questioning. Rather than raising unnecessary suspicion, it was better to have Longer take a deliberate injury. Everything else could wait until after they entered the Elven Royal Court.

Once inside the Elven Royal Court, and after confirming the existence of the Elf merchant caravan and their own origins, the Qiongda’er Elves would subconsciously accept them. The questioning would then only concern the events of the Elf merchant caravan, and they wouldn’t doubt their personal identities anymore.

Furthermore, having Longer injured served another purpose. With the Elf Rogue injured, the Qiongda’er Elf leaders would only consult Qin Lun about the situation. This allowed him to control the choices regarding the Main Plotline. Longer wouldn’t think of this point, and even if he did, he could only keep it to himself.

Killing two birds with one stone!

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Index

Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »