  We consider the Cauchy problem for semilinear wave equations with variable
coefficients and time-dependent scattering damping in $\mathbf{R}^n$, where
$n\geq 2$. It is expected that the critical exponent will be Strauss' number
$p_0(n)$, which is also the one for semilinear wave equations without damping
terms. Lai and Takamura (2018) have obtained the blow-up part, together with
the upper bound of lifespan, in the sub-critical case $p<p_0(n)$. In this
paper, we extend their results to the critical case $p=p_0(n)$. The proof is
based on Wakasa and Yordanov (2018), which concerns the blow-up and upper bound
of lifespan for critical semilinear wave equations with variable coefficients.
