Chapter 75: Snatching Someone Back from Death’s Hands [Volume 7: Death Notice]

Back at their residence in Lower District B, Building 23, Apartment 7-708, Lin Kuo received a string of WeChat-style messages from Sheng Wen:

[Sheng Wen]: Brother, you don’t need to give Guan Miao a share.
[Lin Kuo]: ……
[Sheng Wen]: I already gave him his portion in advance.
[Sheng Wen]: My share is yours too.

Lin Kuo was still thinking of how to reply when his phone buzzed again:

[Like Sweet Wind]: Brother, you should keep more points for yourself. Prices in Lower District A are even higher than B.
[Lin Kuo]: …Why are you messaging me on two accounts?
[Like Sweet Wind]: Didn’t you mute my main account? I can only send three messages a day.
[Lin Kuo]: …Sorry.

Feeling guilty, Lin Kuo quickly unmuted him. If he hadn’t entered the Mirror Beyond the Clouds scroll, he never would’ve realized Sheng Wen had already spent fifty thousand points just to make a smurf account.

Beside him, Lin Zhi yawned.
“Bro, I’m gonna nap a bit. Call me when it’s time to eat.”

Lin Kuo agreed.

The Hundred Ghosts Scroll reward of 10,000 points had already been credited. Averaged among six people, each got only 1666—but direct dungeon rewards were always the smaller portion. The main prize came from live-stream popularity.

As with dungeon points, the live-stream growth bonus only went to the first-place team. Since it was broadcast across all districts, the reward was generous. After deductions, Lin Kuo counted carefully.

Two hundred thousand.
Even after the system’s endless fees.

Split evenly among six, plus the 10,000 dungeon reward, each person received 35,000 points. Because the system let Lin Kuo allocate the prize himself, transferring avoided fees.

After he distributed the points, his phone blew up:

[Zhang Mengnan]: Big bro!! Did you send the wrong amount??
[Zhang Mengnan]: Omg! Why so much?!
[Lin Kuo]: It’s correct.
[Jiang Sheng]: Lin Kuo-ge, is this all mine?
[Jiang Sheng]: 35k? Did something go wrong?
[Lin Kuo]: It’s correct.
[Guan Miao]: Lin Kuo, don’t send mine.
[Guan Miao]: Sheng Wen already gave it to me.
[Lin Kuo]: ……

After transferring to Lin Zhi and collecting Sheng Wen’s “gift,” Lin Kuo checked his profile:

Balance: 79,828.66
Ranking: 51,566

He was officially a “ten-thousandaire.”

Once everything was settled, he woke Lin Zhi for dinner. For once, she ordered modestly—just some porridge and side dishes. Even so, Lin Kuo spent a bit more time eating in the restaurant room beside the exchange counter.

Lin Zhi recounted her scroll experience, then started bragging about past dungeons. Eventually, she looked at him:
“Bro, I’m pretty strong, right?”

Lin Kuo: “Mm.”

Lin Zhi hesitated, then asked:
“I want to try a two-star dungeon on my own.”

Lin Kuo paused mid-bite, eyes serious.
“Because of me?”

She waved it off. “Not exactly. But… Sheng Wen-ge, is he really from District C? He feels stronger than even District A people. Since you’re dating him, you’ll definitely be together, right? But there aren’t many dungeons like Hundred Ghosts that let you both join. If he can’t demote districts, you’ll have to move up.”

Lin Kuo kept listening.

Her expression grew solemn.
“I love being with my brother, but I don’t want to drag you down. So I need to toughen myself.”

Lin Kuo thought for a long while.
“Wait until I move to District A. Then you can try a two-star.”

That way he could watch over her.

She nodded. “Then when will you move up?”

Lin Kuo fell silent. Truthfully, though he’d prepared himself to aim for District S someday, he wasn’t sure when to leave District B. With Lin Zhi still here, he couldn’t guarantee her safety in a three-star dungeon.

He remembered Deadly Manor. Its hardest part had been the madman—and the identity swap mechanic had multiplied the difficulty. Survivors had to avoid both demons and madmen. It was only thanks to Zhou Mu’s sacrifice that the difficulty plummeted. Which meant—Lin Kuo had never truly cleared a genuine three-star dungeon.

Finally, he decided:
“I’ll clear one real three-star before going to District A.”

Lin Zhi: “Okay, then tell him.”

So Lin Kuo messaged Sheng Wen—and asked for his opinion. Sheng Wen’s focus went completely sideways:

[Like Sweet Wind]: So moved… my boyfriend~~~
[Lin Kuo]: ……
[Like Sweet Wind]: If you’re staying in B, I can clear a three-star with you!
[Lin Kuo]: No. And don’t give me any items this time.
[Like Sweet Wind]: Because you care about my points, or…?
[Lin Kuo]: I want to know if I have the strength to reach District S on my own.

This time Sheng Wen took a long while to reply. Lin Kuo didn’t rush. After dinner with Lin Zhi, he checked his phone again:

[Like Sweet Wind]: Did the Cloud Mirror make you empathize with me?
[Lin Kuo]: …Yes.
[Like Sweet Wind]: …… Still time to explain?
[Lin Kuo]: No need. I’m not mad. Maybe a little angry, but I vented it already.
[Like Sweet Wind]: Lin Kuo, I don’t know if I should let you come to District S. You saw that dungeon—it’s a joke.
[Lin Kuo]: Then let me decide.
[Like Sweet Wind]: Okay. Tell me your answer.
[Lin Kuo]: I’ll come.
[Like Sweet Wind]: Love you.

……

With Hundred Ghosts behind him and his wounds healed, Lin Kuo rested two days, then prepared for the next three-star.

Since he was still in District B, options were limited. Only three choices appeared on his phone:

Night at the Morgue — ★★★ — 1500 points
Plague-ridden Campus — ★★★ — 1300 points
Death Notice — ★★★ — 1500 points

The name made him think of Death Password. Honestly, out of all the dungeons he’d cleared, Death Password left the deepest impression—life and death bound to the rules themselves.

Wanting to train himself, Lin Kuo chose Death Notice.

He told Sheng Wen.

[Like Sweet Wind]: My boyfriend’s the best! (^o^)/~
[Lin Kuo]: Talk normal.
[Like Sweet Wind]: ??? I’ve always been like this. Didn’t you love it before?
[Lin Kuo]: …I didn’t dare dislike it back then.
[Like Sweet Wind]: You’re not allowed now either. After all, you’ve already seen my body~
[Lin Kuo]: …… Remember what I said.
[Like Sweet Wind]: Okay, okay. No survival items.
[Like Sweet Wind]: Go ahead. I’ll be your mod in chat.

Lin Kuo set down his phone, cheeks flushed. His mind wandered back to that day with the Rain Woman—Sheng Wen’s figure, those abs… Watching someone you loved shower was thrilling enough, but Sheng Wen was both handsome and seductive. Lin Kuo remembered clearly: Sheng Wen had even gotten hard under his gaze.

Flustered, he splashed cold water on his face, but the blush refused to fade. In the end he just took a cold shower. When he came out, Lin Zhi was gone—she’d left a note: I went to a one-star with Zhang Mengnan.

Worried, he messaged her to be careful. Even one-star runs could be dangerous—Zhang Mengnan’s ruthlessness in Material Stories proved that.

Once reassured, he focused back on his phone. He tapped Death Notice.

[System]: Still need 9 more players. If not filled within 30 minutes, random civilians from reality will be chosen.

Lin Kuo frowned. Though he knew by now that “random civilians” meant innocent people dragged in from reality, it still made him uneasy.

Based on past experience, Death Notice was a large-group dungeon. With newbies, mortality would be high.

He waited patiently. Thirty minutes later, text flashed across his screen:

[Personal Live Room established.]
[Chat and Donation channels open.]
[Dungeon Death Notice loading…]

Then came the familiar wave of dizziness.

For the sixth time, Lin Kuo found himself in the cracks of the Walled City.

This time, fog covered everything. He couldn’t even see his feet, much less the sky.

Since the path was hidden, he walked slowly, pulling up his phone to edit the live title. He blanked for a while, then just shrugged:

[Oh’s Stream]

Immediately, system prompts followed:

[Death Notice loaded.]
Participants: 13
Star Rating / Type: Three-Star, Healing Type
Rules: When you foresee a teammate’s death scene, it means you are trying to snatch them back from Death’s hands. Successfully saving someone earns points. The highest scorer chooses three people to survive. Survivors receive the dungeon’s point reward.
Reward: 1500 points