The Survivor Squad sprang into action, all hustle and bustle. To put it jokingly, under Jack Young’s supervision and everyone’s brainstorming, the group meticulously planned out every aspect of their survival—food, shelter, clothing, and transportation—determined to block every possible path Death might use to sneak in!
Clothing: All sharp objects—jewelry, brooches, belt buckles, you name it—were banned if they could be removed. The ladies even ditched their bras with built-in underwire. Also, contact lenses were strictly forbidden; anything stuck to your eyeball is just too risky. Everyone who wore glasses had to check if their specs were secure and sturdy. Special note from Jack Young: If you end up in one of those dumb situations—“Oh no, my glasses fell off! I can’t see!”—don’t blame anyone for not saving you.
On this rule, Femi Foster was the first casualty.
Food: Every type and quantity of food had to be planned out to minimize shopping trips, and every trip required at least two people together. For cooking, Jack Young took the lead in making a kitchen safety manual. Gas valves, circuit breakers, and the like had to be checked constantly. Special note from Jack Young: If you love eating fish, tough luck—plenty of people choke to death on fish bones every year. Death would be thrilled.
This rule hit Tilia and Bartley hard—both are fish lovers.
Shelter: Kevin graciously offered his house in the suburbs. It’s secluded, no tall buildings nearby—no worries about stuff falling from above. It’s close to a big supermarket and hospital, so less time spent out on the road. Under Jack Young’s direction, the house was almost completely emptied. All the random toys and decorations were tossed out, and during the group move, they uncovered Kevin’s stash of ‘romance movies.’ Special note from Jack Young: No ban on self-pleasure, since that’s basically impossible to police. Just make sure the aftermath doesn’t make someone slip and fall.
On this one, everyone’s gaze was like bullets—Kevin got shot so many times he looked like a beehive. Wendy’s glare was especially fierce, and Kevin was forced to kneel in defeat.
Transportation: All overly complicated vehicles were banned. Given Death’s history of attacking people in vehicles, anything with an engine was off-limits. First, those flywheels alone are murderous weapons; second, you can’t guarantee the cylinder or fuel tank won’t just blow up. Walking is recommended. If you absolutely need a ride, Julie offered up an old electric scooter. Sure, batteries occasionally explode, but that only happens when charging, so it’s safe to use.
On this rule, Cool B accepted his fate and metaphorically shot himself.
With these strict rules in place, the survivors moved into Kevin’s house. During this time, Cool B explained how he’d saved someone. Turns out, during the car accident, just as Jack Young sped past the tumbling car, Cool B—sitting in the back seat—spotted an old man about to get hit. Instinctively, Cool B kicked him out of harm’s way. Looking back, with the speed of the motorcycle and the force of his kick, he’s not even sure if the old guy lived or died.
After Cool B described what the old man looked like, Femi Foster started using his connections to track the guy down. Plenty of people got hurt at the plaza that day, and Femi Foster wasn’t exactly a criminal kingpin, so it took some time. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew stayed holed up, living cautiously but at least in peace for a while.
Jack Young, meanwhile, was racing against time to train in the Prajna Technique. In a world full of danger, Death could attack in any way. Unless you’re invincible, being super-aware is more important than brute strength. So Jack figured that if he could master the fourth level of Dragon Elephant Technique, it’d be a huge help for survival.
The fourth level of the Prajna Technique is called Subtle Touch, which lets you sense tiny changes in an object’s whole by touching just a part of it.
Of course, nothing’s perfect—some things are easier to sense than others. Solid, simple objects are easier to read, while fluids, chaotic, or complex stuff is much harder. The official way to train the Prajna Technique is to close off your sight and hearing, and sense the world with only your touch. In this lonely, silent world, you strengthen your tactile abilities. Depending on talent, mastering the fourth level can take anywhere from three years of sitting still to just a few moments.
But that training method just wouldn’t work for Jack Young right now. First, the world’s too dangerous to cut off your best senses. Second, honestly, Jack didn’t even know how to block out sight and sound. Sight is easy enough—just find a thick black cloth and cover your eyes. Not perfect, but it’ll do.
But hearing is a whole other story. Jack’s ‘Rain Listening’ skill constantly bombards him with info. If he doesn’t cover his ears, he can hear Tilia and Bartley getting cozy through several walls. He can even hear Cool B gasping and yelling “OH, Baby, yeah!”—and trust me, Cool B’s room only has him in it, so Jack’s special note wasn’t just for Kevin.
For Jack, this isn’t just eavesdropping—it’s like a live broadcast right in his face, leaving him with nothing but exasperated lines on his forehead. Even if he covers his ears, cutting off outside noise, he can still hear his own blood flowing like listening to a seashell. Basically, Jack’s super-sensitive hearing lays out the whole world of sound for him. Cool ability, sure, but now it’s just making it harder to level up.
He had no idea how the old masters who trained in the Prajna Technique solved this problem, but it probably came down to two methods. One, use meridian knowledge—either internal energy or acupuncture—to temporarily make yourself deaf. Two, have god-level meditation skills and just mentally tune out all sight and sound, convincing your subconscious you’re deaf and blind. Neither method worked for Jack, so he had to find a third way.
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, click next page to keep reading!
Break through with brute force!
Basically, by training the Seven Wheels and Three Meridians, you boost your mental power, which naturally helps you level up the Prajna Technique. Jack Young had already unlocked the Brow Wheel, and only had the last of the Seven Wheels left: the Crown Wheel.
Seven days passed in quiet training. During those seven days, nothing happened—no attacks, no dangers, no accidents. Life almost felt normal again, and it seemed like Death had retreated into the shadows, stymied by their defensive strategy.
Maybe Death had given up? That thought popped into many minds, and everyone started to relax. Still, Wendy and Kevin stayed alert—having survived Death once, they knew Death could wait forever. With their reminders, everyone managed to keep their guard up.
But regardless, Death’s inactivity was a good thing.
Only one person grew more troubled: Jack Young.
Over those seven days, Jack realized his Prajna Technique hadn’t advanced at all. Training the Wheels and Meridians isn’t about sudden enlightenment, but you still need to calm your mind. But with everything going on, he just couldn’t relax. Even though things were peaceful, he felt a restless energy lurking all around, quietly growing.
Just then, someone knocked on Kevin’s door. "Anyone home? I’m the police. Someone called in saying you guys are acting weird and suspects you’re having a drug party. Please cooperate with the inspection." The knocking continued, loud and insistent. Apparently, their odd behavior had made the neighbors suspicious.