"Did they hide in advance?" Franklin mused, "They must have known about our plan beforehand and made corresponding arrangents."
"So, are they planning to ambush us~??" Feitan's narrow, fox-like eyes squinted, "We've beco the prey they're targeting."
"The roles of hunter and prey can be swapped at any mont," Machi said calmly. "The Shadow Beasts, they're the real beasts here. In terms of roles, they're more suited to be captured by hunters."
Shalnark chuckled as he added, "Indeed, they are."
None of them seed to take the so-called Shadow Beasts seriously. Since there were no auction items left here, there was no point in staying any longer. After regrouping with Uvogin outside, they all boarded the hot air balloon and departed.
A long while later, the mafia's vehicles finally arrived. Upon seeing the empty hall and the vacant safes, they were instantly thrown into chaos.
"What on earth happened?!"
"Where are the auction items?! And the participants?!"
"Why has everyone disappeared?!"
"The sll of blood... the room is filled with the stench of blood!!"
As the pungent scent hit their nostrils, the mafia mbers' eyes twitched uncontrollably. One of them attempted to step inside.
"Thud."
It was as if sothing invisible had tripped them, causing them to stumble and fall to the ground unexpectedly.
"Is this... blood?!"
Getting up, they felt the sticky liquid on their face and hands, and the sll grew even stronger. Their expressions turned even more grim. Realizing sothing was amiss, they imdiately began to investigate the scene.
Then...
"Bodies!! They're all bodies and their spilled blood!!"
"Everyone who ca for the auction is dead!!"
"The bodies and bloodstains, we can't see them even though they're right here!!"
"Are they invisible?!"
Voices of panic echoed through the chaotic venue, and calls were made rapidly. News of the massacre at the underground auction house spread swiftly to various mafia families.
"Captain Dalzollene said Basho and Squala would co to assist us," lody said, hanging up her phone and turning to Kurapika.
"Can we find Ivlenkov, Tocino and Baise?" lody asked, though she had a sinking feeling they might have perished in the chaos.
"Judging by the sll of blood, my blade tells Tocino and Ivlenkov no longer have any signs of life," Kurapika replied with a calm face, though his eyes showed a hint of regret. They were, after all, forr colleagues.
"But as for Baise, I haven't sensed any sign of her death."
"Could Baise still be alive?" lody's eyes lit up slightly.
"That's possible, but we can't rule out that she might have been captured by the enemy. After all, Baise..." Kurapika left the sentence unfinished, but lody, as a fellow woman, understood his implications. Her montary relief turned heavy once more.
"Who could have done this?" lody asked.
"I suspect it's the Phantom Troupe," Kurapika replied. "Captain Dalzollene ntioned the chaos they've been causing in the city."
Just as he finished speaking, lody's phone rang.
"It's Baise!!" Seeing the number, lody quickly answered. After a brief conversation, she hung up, genuinely relieved.
"Baise had left for so errands and escaped the disaster," lody explained.
"I see..." Kurapika fell silent. Leaving Ivlenkov and Tocino behind during work hours, what could have been so important?
---
Baise always struck Kurapika as soone who took her work very seriously. "Could it be her Nen ability that gave her the foresight to leave?" Kurapika pondered.
Since becoming colleagues, he had a general understanding of most of his coworkers' Nen abilities, except for Baise's, which remained a mystery to him.
Kurapika attributed this to the possibility that Baise's Nen ability might be related to danger sensing.
Of course, there was another scenario he hadn't ruled out: Baise might have been forewarned about the operation and knew where the danger was coming from, allowing her to evade it in advance.
However, their boss Neon's fortune-telling Nen ability could only predict danger at the auction that night, not anything more specific.
How could Baise know the exact details of the threat unless she had soone within the Phantom Troupe tipping her off? But that seed impossible...
Kurapika shook his head internally, dismissing the idea. It was best to eliminate one possible correct answer from consideration. Regardless, the fact that Baise was safe was good news for them.
As Kurapika and lody planned to regroup with Basho and Squala to find Baise, a sudden shout erupted from the mafia mbers present. "Did they spot those guys' hot air balloon out in the desert?!"
Others quickly received the news, and chaos ensued.
"We have to show those guys who's boss!!"
"Let them know whose turf this is and whose word is law!!"
"Even if they're the most notorious cri group in the world, they dared to ss with us, and they'll face dire consequences!!"
"I'm going to rip those bastards' heads off and use them as soccer balls!!"
"Let's go, let's go!!"
A large group of mafia mbers surged towards their cars.
"Should we go as well?" lody asked Kurapika.
"That's not for us to decide," he replied calmly. "The boss's father and Captain Dalzollene will likely give us instructions..."
Before Kurapika could finish, his phone rang.
"Looks like you were right," lody smiled as she glanced at the caller ID on Kurapika's phone.
The mafias around the world wouldn't miss this chance to prove their loyalty to the Ten Dons and showcase their strength.
The Phantom Troupe had attacked the city's underworld just yesterday and then struck the underground auction today, leading to a horrific massacre. This was a direct affront to the mafias worldwide and a slap in the face to the Ten Dons.
Naturally, the Ten Dons wouldn't let the perpetrators of these heinous acts go unpunished. This provided an opportunity for other mafia mbers.
Capturing even one mber of the Phantom Troupe would be a significant achievent. Such a feat would surely earn them favor with the Ten Dons, paving the way for rapid advancent.
As the mafias scrambled into action, high above, in a large hot air balloon, several Troupe mbers stood together. Uvogin was scratching his chest hair while reporting the situation to Chrollo over the phone.
"Just as we expected," Chrollo chuckled. "The Ten Dons had already moved the auction items."
"So what do we do next?" Uvogin asked.
"We don't need to act ourselves," Chrollo replied. "The mafia and the Shadow Beasts will co to us."
The hot air balloon carrying the Troupe mbers slowly descended onto a desert wasteland. Eager to make a na for themselves with the Ten Dons, so mafia families had already rushed to the predicted landing site.
Kurapika and lody, after regrouping with their colleagues, were on their way to the hot air balloon's landing site, driven by Light Nostrade's similar ambitions.
Inside the car, Kurapika was much calr than during his initial encounter with the Spiders.
Having learned that the Phantom Troupe were rely scapegoats for the V5 and had no direct connection to his clan's massacre,
Kurapika now viewed the Troupe as just another criminal organization, devoid of any special significance. His deanor was notably composed.
Read till the Dark Continent Arc at:
[email protected]/NenMaster
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