Death Progress Bar 150
Peace Knot
The four major alliances began their counterattack, and the massive chaotic brawl finally commenced.
The initial advantage gained from surprise attacks laid a solid foundation for Annihilation’s overseas battles. Snake Fang was beaten so badly they couldn’t gather any strength; Tarantula was distracted trying to deal with combined domestic and foreign offensives, making their counterattacks appear remarkably weak; Meridian Gate still had fighting capacity, but because Meng Qing wanted to preserve their business as much as possible, he fought with his hands and feet tied; Epoch was the toughest nut to crack, so Annihilation simply dispatched their main primary forces to attack them right from the start.
Under Annihilation’s reckless and ferocious assault, Snake Fang and Tarantula quickly became obvious weaknesses in the alliance. Snake Fang in particular—having been hammered for just half a month, their overseas network completely collapsed, and their businesses were entirely ruined. Tarantula followed closely behind; their overseas network was teetering, and unable to manage both domestic and foreign fronts, Lu Shan was forced to make a decisive choice to save what she could at home, cleanly relinquishing all overseas power and interests to pull back her forces.
Overwhelmed with shock and anger, Yuan Peng roared at Lu Shan during the meeting: “You actually withdrew directly?! Are you trying to abandon everyone and play the deserter?”
“Being a deserter is better than being worn down to death here! I can’t let a bit of business abroad ruin my foundation!” Lu Shan slammed the table and shouted back, refusing to yield an inch.
Meng Qing was in no mood to mediate their argument this time. Sitting aside with a dark expression, he let them yell at each other, his true thoughts unreadable.
Finally, Qi Yun spoke up to interrupt the feud between Lu Shan and Yuan Peng. After soothing each of them, he turned to Meng Qing and said: “Old Meng, Snake Fang’s foundation was unstable to begin with, and Tarantula has to handle domestic matters. Right now, the only ones who can fight overseas are you and me. Stop worrying about those businesses—Lian Jun has thrown everything away to fight us, and we won’t win unless we go all out.”
How could Meng Qing not understand this truth? He was simply unwilling! Meridian Gate had developed solidly over so many years, laboriously climbing to its current position and scale. To force him to suddenly abandon overseas interests and territory just to fight Annihilation to the death—he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“Lian Jun is indeed too clever. He allowed the unstable Snake Fang to greedily gorge on profits, took unorthodox measures to assassinate key Tarantula executives to distract them domestically, and used business to bog you down… Out of our four factions, three were maneuvered into place all at once. Annihilation certainly cannot fight one against four, but against one versus two or three—when abandoning everything—they can indeed make a desperate fight of it.” Qi Yun continued speaking unhurriedly, so calm it seemed as if he wasn’t the one being attacked. “Lu Shan is right; we shouldn’t have moved rashly or advanced recklessly before, nor should we have actively swallowed Annihilation’s businesses.”
Listening to this made Meng Qing extremely irritated, and he couldn’t help saying: “Are you trying to boost the enemy’s morale by praising Lian Jun like this? He might be smart, but no matter how smart he is, he’s still just a cripple!”
Lu Shan almost couldn’t hold back a roll of her eyes. So what if he’s a cripple? That cripple is still far more formidable than you!
“Qi Yun, what are you trying to accomplish with all this talk? We didn’t gather here to listen to you compliment Lian Jun! If we put up a hard fight overseas, we might not lose to Lian Jun—don’t look down on everyone!” Yuan Peng chimed in, his attitude terrible.
“I just want you all to calm down.” Even after being snapped at like this, Qi Yun remained unfazed. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly: “Lian Jun wants to drag everyone down to die together. For him to do this, there must be official backing behind him. We cannot win this battle overseas no matter what. Lu Shan’s approach is the most correct; what we should be most worried about right now is the domestic front.”
Lu Shan’s heart stirred, and she turned her head to look at him, though outwardly acting in agreement as she said: “Indeed. From what I know, if Lian Jun truly intends to drag everyone to hell together, then while we focus on overseas, he’ll very likely suddenly spark a war domestically. Everyone, think carefully—are those overseas strongholds and business networks that can be rebuilt anytime more important, or is our domestic foundation more important?”
A chill ran through Meng Qing and Yuan Peng upon hearing this, and they suppressed their emotions to think calmly.
Qi Yun glanced at Lu Shan and said approvingly: “Exactly, that’s the logic.”
“So we don’t fight overseas anymore? We just pull back to defend domestically?” Yuan Peng asked.
Qi Yun shook his head: “No, we must fight. We need to create an illusion for Lian Jun that we are still focused overseas, and then gather our forces domestically to catch Annihilation off guard, just like they ambushed us! A foundation is important to us—isn’t it equally important to Annihilation?”
Meng Qing couldn’t help sitting up straight.
Qi Yun scanned everyone and asked: “Shall we fight?”
Meng Qing was the first to slam the table, saying with a dark face: “Fight! No matter what, Annihilation must be disbanded!”
Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!
“Meridian Gate has begun to counterattack with full force,” Gua One reported, his brows tightly furrowed. “Will it be a bit too strenuous for Gua Three to manage the overseas situation alone?”
Lian Jun tapped his fingers on the desktop and said: “Tell him he doesn’t need to push too hard. Abandon what should be abandoned, use resources as needed, and when necessary, request personnel from official channels—Zhang Zhuoyuan will provide them. Where has Gua Seven reached?”
Gua One’s fingers tightened as he replied: “He has already arrived domestically.”
“Have him lay an ambush in V Province, Snake Fang’s stronghold,” Lian Jun instructed. Looking at the calendar, he added: “Pick a date either before or after the New Year, you and Gua Two.”
That day had finally come after all. Gua One lowered his face, unable to hold back: “Jun-shao, let me stay by your side.”
Lian Jun shook his head and said: “Gua One, the domestic chaotic battle could erupt at any moment. Zhang Zhuoyuan is already making subtle moves. You and Gua Two must evacuate as soon as possible, or you won’t be able to leave.”
“If we can’t leave, we won’t leave!” Gua One stepped forward, saying firmly: “Jun-shao, let me stay with you!”
“Gua One!” Lian Jun’s expression darkened. “This is an order!”
Gua One’s body trembled. Unwillingly clenching his fists, he took a step back, and after a long silence, lowered his head and answered: “Yes.”
Lian Jun’s expression softened slightly as he added: “Have Gua Six prepare as well, along with Gua Eleven underneath… Let everyone have this year’s reunion dinner early.”
Gua One acknowledged again, his head never raising back up.
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Li Jiuzheng arrived at the resort villa half a month before the Lunar New Year, personally picked up by Gua Two. Upon seeing Shi Jin, Li Jiuzheng immediately stepped forward to embrace him, burying his face into Shi Jin’s shoulder.
Shi Jin froze for a moment, then smiled and hugged him back, patting his back while asking: “Is the hospital busy? Asking you to come over like this must be quite troublesome.”
“No,” Li Jiuzheng shook his head, slowly releasing him. Looking carefully at his face, he frowned: “You’ve grown thinner.”
“Is that so?” Shi Jin raised a hand to touch his face, smiling until his eyes curved into crescents. “Being thinner is good—prevents me from eating too well over the holidays, gaining weight like a pig, and being mocked by my friends back at school.”
Li Jiuzheng’s brow furrowed even tighter. He raised a hand to touch the up-turned corners of Shi Jin’s mouth, pressing his lips together in silence.
With one more person, the small villa finally grew a little livelier. Everyone busied themselves preparing for the upcoming New Year, running around each day with no time left for random worries.
On the Little New Year, Shi Jin hung a large peace knot in front of the villa and stood underneath it for a very long time.
Outside, wind and rain raged; inside the small villa, harmony and warmth prevailed.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Rong Zhouzhong arrived at the resort villa unexpectedly and insisted on dragging Shi Jin to an early reunion dinner. During the meal, he took the initiative to make video calls one by one to Xiang Aoting, Fei Yujing, and Shi Weichong. Chatting and laughing across the screens gave a faint sense of a true reunion.
After almost a year, Shi Jin finally saw Shi Weichong again. While speaking with him, Shi Jin carefully monitored the progress bar the whole time; seeing that it didn’t drop, he relaxed slightly. Shi Weichong noticed his distraction and assumed he still couldn’t fully accept him; his eyes dimmed for a moment, and his words gradually grew sparse.
Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!
On New Year’s Eve, Lian Jun and Zhang Zhuoyuan had a heated argument. Zhang Zhuoyuan initiated it, feeling that Lian Jun’s subordinates were dying one after another too strangely and too quickly, suspecting something foul was at play.
Lian Jun’s expression was laced with chill as he said: {Director Zhang, don’t you feel your words are deeply hurtful? Whether they die or not, how does it affect you? Did I, Lian Jun, fail to help you disrupt Meridian Gate and Epoch’s overseas businesses, or did I bite you back instead?}
Zhang Zhuoyuan defended himself: “I didn’t mean that. In our original agreement, there was no—”
{There is now,} Lian Jun interrupted in a low voice, heavy with threat. {Over all these years, how many tasks have my subordinates completed for you? You know full well in your heart. Zhang Zhuoyuan, I’m not afraid to break ties with you. Don’t think that just because things have reached this point, your side is secure. If I pull out now, I guarantee you’ll end up with empty hands! When that time comes, Meridian Gate and Epoch will give you headaches far worse than Annihilation ever did!}
It was Zhang Zhuoyuan’s first time seeing him lose his temper so visibly, and he was instantly stunned, softening his tone slightly: “I’m not trying to break ties with you. It’s just that I need to know the whereabouts of your subordinates. Their identities are special, and my superiors requested this, so I have to…”
{Then have your superiors contact me directly,} Lian Jun interrupted again, his tone ruthlessly cold. {Besides, where do dead people get ‘whereabouts’? You want to find Gua Five and the others? Fine! Gua Five died in the sea, Gua Eight and Gua Ten didn’t even leave complete bodies, and Gua Nine was shot dead by Tarantula and buried on the spot. Go ahead and search for them—see if they respond to you!}
Zhang Zhuoyuan felt a headache coming on and said: “Lian Jun, you…”
{I need personnel,} Lian Jun said, his tone suddenly flat.
Zhang Zhuoyuan frowned: “What?”
{The overseas situation cannot hold on much longer. If I guessed correctly, the four allied organizations will soon launch an attack domestically to catch Annihilation off guard. The people I kept domestically are low-level personnel who have never touched human blood; they have honestly conducted business and earned clean money over the years, obeying rules better than all the ordinary citizens you protect. I will not send them to their deaths. Assign personnel to me—I am helping you clean up the domestic environment. Thinking I will provide all the manpower and effort alone is impossible.}
Zhang Zhuoyuan was shocked, his voice suddenly rising: “What do you mean ‘the people kept domestically are all low-level personnel who never touched human blood’? Where did your high-level and mid-level personnel go? Don’t tell me you—”
{They are all overseas, giving up their lives on the front line.” Reaching this point, Lian Jun didn’t mind revealing a few truths, speaking coldly: “Zhang Zhuoyuan, don’t think about settling accounts with me later. The conditions you promised me back then—from now on, I want you to fulfill them piece by piece. You promised to give my subordinates a fresh start in life; therefore, starting now, you had best stop investigating anyone who is ‘dead’! Mark my words: overseas, it was inconvenient for official intervention, so I absorbed everything myself. Domestically, if you don’t allocate personnel to me, I will have zero defense, and we can all die together!} With that, he slammed down the phone.
“What do you mean? Lian Jun! Lian—” Hearing the dial tone in his ear, Zhang Zhuoyuan set down the phone, slammed his hand onto the desk, and cursed under his breath: “He actually pulled off a strike-first-and-report-later move! Damn it!”
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The study was deathly quiet. Lian Jun looked at Gua One and Gua Two standing silently behind the desk and said: “For Zhang Zhuoyuan to question me so directly means he’s already harboring suspicious thoughts. You two set off tonight.”
“Jun-shao…” Gua Two frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Gua One.
Gua One held Gua Two’s shoulder and asked: “What does Jun-shao need us to do?”
Lian Jun looked at them and spoke just two words: “Stay alive.”
Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!
As the New Year’s midnight bell chimed, Shi Jin glanced toward the second floor, wrapping the blanket around himself a little tighter.
“Why hasn’t Third Brother’s program started yet? Too slow.” Li Jiuzheng frowned, handing shelled nuts to Shi Jin while asking: “Are you sleepy? Don’t wait up, go back to your room and sleep.”
Shi Jin shook his head, took a nut, and ate it. Watching the people on TV joyfully celebrating the arrival of the New Year, he murmured ambiguously: “Let’s wait a bit longer, it’s almost time.”
Half an hour later, they finally got to Rong Zhouzhong’s solo performance. The two watched it without an ounce of enthusiasm, voiced a few dismissive comments, and then turned off the TV.
Lian Jun happened to emerge from the study. Coming downstairs behind Shi Jin, he touched his head gently and said: “It’s getting late, go to sleep.”
Shi Jin glanced toward the staircase, seeing no sign of Gua One or Gua Two. His hand curled tightly inside the blanket, but he pulled it off with a smile and stood up, saying: “Then let’s sleep. Fifth Brother, you should go to sleep soon too. Good night.”
Li Jiuzheng stood up, glanced at Shi Jin’s upturned mouth, stepped forward to hug him briefly, and turned back to his own room.
If you’re seeing this notice, you’re reading this chapter on pirate site – the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.
At past four in the morning, Shi Jin’s heightened hearing finally caught a faint sound.
The opening and closing of a door, the dragging of suitcases, footsteps… then subtle sounds of a car unlocking, opening the trunk, stowing luggage, pulling open doors… and finally, the engine starting up.
“Leaving like this… without even saying goodbye.”
It was Gua Two’s voice.
“Drive. Daybreak is coming.”
Then came Gua One’s voice.
The night was deep. Once the sound of tires frictioning against the ground faded, everything returned to silence, as though nothing had ever happened.
Shi Jin closed his eyes, holding Lian Jun’s waist tightly and burying his face into his chest. Lian Jun seemed asleep yet awake, subtly tightening his arms around him.
The next morning, as expected, nobody saw Gua One or Gua Two in the villa. No one brought them up; everyone tacitly discussed other topics, as if Gua One and Gua Two had never existed.
On this rare unbusy day, Lian Jun and Li Jiuzheng spent the entire day playing three-player mahjong with Shi Jin.
Later in the evening, Zhang Zhuoyuan called Lian Jun. This time, neither argued, calmly discussing official business. Even later, Liu Zhenjun also gave Lian Jun a phone call.
Three days later, news of Gua Three’s death arrived: in a head-on clash between Annihilation and Epoch, he was critically wounded by stray gunfire and ultimately succumbed. At the same time, violent clashes between armed organizations suddenly erupted across various domestic regions, casting a bloody shadow over that year’s New Year.
Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!
Meng Qing and the others never expected that Annihilation would actually hold out against their first wave of domestic ambushes.
{How is that possible? With that kind of personnel setup, how did Lian Jun manage it?} Lu Shan was utterly baffled. {Annihilation had so many people tied down overseas by us, plus a portion tangled with me in G Province and Treasure Island—their staffing in other regions shouldn’t be this sufficient. Strange.}
Meng Qing couldn’t figure it out either, saying: “And those people are far too well-trained… But one thing is certain: Lian Jun definitely prepared for our domestic ambush long ago. Is he too smart to have anticipated it, or is there someone among us…” With that, he scanned everyone, his gaze carrying ominous implications.
The other three frowned under his stare, and Lu Shan, having been suspected once before, sneered: {Meng Qing, has your old habit returned? At a critical time like this, what are you trying to do by saying that—stir up discord among us?}
Qi Yun stepped in to smooth things over, saying: {Enough, stop arguing. Old Meng, saying all this now is meaningless.}
Meng Qing shot him a glance and said nothing further.
The atmosphere of the meeting turned heavy and oppressive. The overseas struggle had reached its peak heat while the domestic conflict was officially unveiled. With a knife suspended over everyone’s head, feelings were inevitably tense.
A phone ringtone suddenly rang out. The four looked at each other, and finally Meng Qing frowned and pulled out his phone.
One minute later, Meng Qing stood up in complete disbelief, roaring into his phone: “What?! Annihilation’s overseas forces are entirely dissolved? The strongholds are empty?!”
Unclear what the caller replied, Meng Qing suddenly spat out a “Damn it!”, hung up, looked at everyone, and yelled: “We’ve fallen into a trap again!”
{What do you mean?} Yuan Peng asked urgently.
“Lian Jun never intended to fight us overseas! After Gua Three died, our counterattacks completely struck air—Annihilation’s people acted as if prepared, vanishing without a trace in just one day! Right now, all of Annihilation’s overseas strongholds are empty shells! Something is wrong—the moment our domestic attack started, Gua Three died, and then Annihilation’s strongholds emptied out. This is clearly a set-up!” Meng Qing roared, losing his composure.
{What—} Qi Yun was incredulous, and then suddenly realized something, gasping: {Zhang Zhuoyuan!}
Lu Shan was bewildered and anxious: {What? What on earth is happening? Why mention Zhang Zhuoyuan again? Lian Jun’s overseas forces disbanded—where did they scatter to? Secretly returned home?}
{No,} Qi Yun replied, cold sweat faintly beading on his forehead. {So that’s how it is… This was Lian Jun’s true objective all along…}
{What objective? Speak clearly!} Yuan Peng prompted impatiently.
Qi Yun looked around at everyone and said: {We all overlooked one person—Zhang Zhuoyuan! Overseas, it doesn’t matter how wildly we rampage, but domestically, we are still legal armed organizations bound by official authorities. Once we cross the line too far domestically, the government has every reason to move against us! This was Lian Jun’s plan all along: forcing us to fight domestically… And he cut off our escape routes abroad by scattering our overseas forces beforehand.} And this trap was one he actively encouraged everyone to jump into.
Lost again. He had lost to Lian Jun once more.
“I want to kill him!” Meng Qing spoke through gritted teeth, his face grim.
{Lian Jun really is the government’s running dog.} Yuan Peng’s eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Lu Shan was near mental breakdown, pressing her forehead with her hand as she said: {From the start of our opposition against Annihilation until now, retreating means stepping into traps, advancing means stepping into traps, attacking guarantees falling into a pit, and staying wary means passive beatings… We can’t outplay him. We truly cannot outplay Lian Jun.}
Qi Yun suddenly spoke: {We must negotiate with Lian Jun while the domestic conflict hasn’t escalated into full frenzy, before Lian Jun drags everyone into an unceasing fight to the death.}
{WHAT?!} the three shouted in unison, turning to look at him simultaneously.
{Negotiate… and then seek peace. As things stand, unless Annihilation halts its offensive, we face certain death.} Qi Yun gritted his teeth to suppress his reluctance, saying: {Nominate someone to go. If no one wants to go, I will!}
“No!” Meng Qing directly rejected, saying venomously: “At worst, we stop operating domestically from now on—Lian Jun must die!”
Qi Yun looked at him and said in a heavy voice: {We’ve thrown overseas businesses and territories into complete chaos during this time. Without a domestic base, wherever we go, we will be hunted down and targeted. Meng Qing, now is not the time to act on impulsive emotion.}
{Let Lu Shan handle the negotiations,} Yuan Peng suddenly chimed in, actually laughing. {Tarantula has the deepest grudge with Annihilation. Seeing a rival yield should make Lian Jun feel better. Plus Lu Shan is a woman; knowing Lian Jun’s temperament, he probably won’t be too harsh on an older woman.}
Lu Shan was shocked, slamming her hands on the table as she stood up in rage: {Yuan Peng, you’re seeking death!}
{This is for everyone’s sake.} Unfazed, Yuan Peng met her gaze, shrugging like a shameless rogue as he said: {We are allies, aren’t we?}
Meng Qing’s thoughts shifted as his gaze swept between the two, and he spoke: “Then Lu Shan shall go.”
Lu Shan was incredulous: {Meng Qing, how could even you—}
{I also think Lu Shan going is most appropriate,} Qi Yun chimed in, looking at Lu Shan with a deliberate tone. {Among our four factions, Tarantula currently faces the direst predicament. Your presence at the negotiation table holds the greatest persuasive weight.}
Lu Shan laughed out of sheer fury, sneering as she looked around at them, nodding: {Now you three are suddenly united as one heart! Fine, I’ll go be this fire extinguisher and cannon fodder! Meng Qing, Qi Yun, Yuan Peng—you better remember every single word you said today!} With that, she hung up the call.
The three fell silent for a moment. Then Meng Qing relaxed his expression, leaned back into his chair, and said: “Yuan Peng, sharing Tarantula’s pie with you should be enough for you to hold steady now, right?”
Yuan Peng smiled with satisfaction: {Naturally. I just hope Lu Shan, as our stepping stone, can test out more information and buy us extra time to prepare.}
{Let’s prepare.} Qi Yun’s brow furrowed slightly, his mood nowhere near as good as theirs. {What comes next is going to be a tough battle.} Sacrificing one Tarantula might not guarantee they escape unscathed.
If you’re seeing this notice, you’re reading this chapter on pirate site – the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.
Translator: GoldBerry
