No, I’m just trying to identify a possible bug in the system that might make it impossible for someone to achieve Reader status even when they have read every existing post in this thread. If the post numbered 5 was deleted, you can’t read it, and that’s obviously not your fault. It disappoints me to be unable to find a solution to this problem.
EDIT:
By the way, I believe there are no missing posts in the thread What’s your least favorite taxa to see while iNatting?. The final URL there is number 113, which might be the locking of the thread at the very bottom. 
EDIT (March 20, 2024):
I now see that the final URL in that thread ends with 115. The status of the hypothesis that a gap in the sequencing of post numbers in a thread may present a challenge to the granting of a Reader badge via reading that entire thread remains uncertain to me. At this time I will leave it to others to provide additional insight regarding this issue.
To all readers of this forum, best wishes for happy reading go to you, regardless of whether or not you are pursuing the challenge of a Reader badge. There is much content worth reading here in threads both short and long, whether they contain only a single post or as many as 1699 posts (for example, the “What is your Favorite Lifer from this week?” thread). 