The mountain wind after autumn's arrival wasn't quite biting, but it was cold enough to seep into one's veins.
On the cliff's edge lay a recently deceased corpse, chilled by the mountain breeze.
Beside it sprawled a man with his limbs twisted into unnatural angles, his thick eyebrows furrowed as low groans mingled with the howling wind.
Law sat atop the thick-browed man, the cigarette between his lips burning down to the filter in no time, perhaps due to the strong wind.
"It seems you lack the ability to kill yourself. What a pity."
Law stood up, flicked away the cigarette butt, and hoisted the thick-browed man with one hand before leaping off the cliff into the night, carried by the evening wind.
The thick-browed man's groans instantly rose several pitches in terror.
Then, he watched as this man who had appeared out of nowhere began walking through the air with him in tow. His heart felt as though it had been shoved into a freezer at minus eighteen degrees… frost creeping in, suffocation setting in.
Having trained in Nen for over a decade, his deeply ingrained beliefs were utterly shattered.
'Suicide, suicide…!'
He wailed inwardly, yet now he couldn't even end his own life.
…
Inside the estate, blood soaked the grass.
The security team surrounded the black-clad man. Despite their overwhelming numbers, nearly twenty of them had been killed in just a few minutes.
Fortunately, their numerical advantage, coupled with home turf and the fact that Kenda hadn't ordered a capture alive, along with the intruder's injuries, meant they eventually gunned the black-clad man down in a hail of bullets.
As soon as the result was confirmed, Kenda, who was in the study, received the news immediately.
"Ellie, the intruder has been eliminated."
Kenda turned to Ellie, who was buried in paperwork, and reported.
Ellie paused, set down the document in her hands, and looked up at Kenda, "Casualties?"
Kenda lowered his head slightly and replied, "Twenty-four dead."
"Superior equipment, numbers, home advantage, and the intruder was already injured by you… yet we still lost twenty-four." Ellie sighed softly.
Kenda's expression stiffened, unsure how to respond. Despite facing at least one or two intrusions every month, the security team's combat effectiveness had stagnated, no matter how harsh their training.
Ultimately, the gap between Nen Users and ordinary people was the deciding factor.
"Double the bereavement compensation." Ellie turned her head, gazing at the shattered window now in ruins, and said calmly, "If quality can't be improved, then make up for it with quantity. You know what I mean?"
"Understood." Kenda nodded. He knew Ellie was referring to establishing a pipeline to continuously replenish security personnel… whether through private channels or by contracting with bodyguard agencies.
"I have work to do. Handle the rest, including tonight's sniper." Ellie picked up the documents again. Beside her stood a doll about half a person's height.
"Yes!"
Kenda acknowledged and leaped straight out of the broken window, heading toward the spot where the black-clad man had been killed.
The disturbance was thus concluded. The cleanup crew worked with practiced efficiency, swiftly disposing of their comrades' bodies… only the black-clad man's corpse was left untouched.
Kenda crouched beside the body, staring at the bloodied, bullet-riddled face of the black-clad man. A flicker of anger passed through his eyes before he looked up at the surrounding subordinates.
"I've said it before… when dealing with intruders, whether dead or alive, do not shoot them in the face."
At Kenda's words, the surrounding subordinates all lowered their heads in silence.
Kenda sighed softly, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the blood from the corpse's face. Then he beckoned to the nearest subordinate.
The subordinate quickly stepped forward.
"Give me your phone." Kenda ordered.
Without hesitation, the subordinate handed over his phone.
Kenda took it, snapped a photo of the corpse's face, which is now marred by several bullet holes, and tossed the phone back, "Take this to the R&D department. Have them restore the facial features as much as possible, then dig up this man's background."
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate took the phone and headed toward a building shrouded in darkness.
Kenda slowly stood and walked back toward the estate, tossing out one last order as he left: "Dispose of the body, then return to your posts."
About twenty people remained on the scene. At Kenda's command, they immediately began to move.
Just then, a rushing wind howled through the air above.
The crowd looked up at the sound of the wind and froze in shock. A dark figure was descending from the sky, holding a person in one hand, stepping through the air as if walking on solid ground before landing right in front of Kenda.
Whoosh!
The security team instantly raised their guns, but none dared to fire… not with Kenda standing in the line of fire.
Hearing the wind and seeing the dark figure land directly before him, Kenda abruptly opened his Aura Nodes, unleashing a surge of Aura.
"Kenda."
At this time, the dark figure called his name.
The flow of Kenda's Aura stuttered. Recognizing the newcomer, he exclaimed, "Law?!"
The moment he spoke, he raised a hand behind him toward the security team and ordered in a low voice, "Stand down. He's an ally."
Hearing this, the security team slowly lowered their weapons, though their expressions remained filled with awe as they stared at Law.
This man had just walked through the air, bypassing their entire perimeter.
Thud.
Law tossed the man he was holding onto the ground and said, "Just caught the sniper. Is Ellie alright?"
When Kenda heard this, his eyes flickered with relief, and he replied: "She's fine."
As he said this, he glanced at the thick-browed man, whose limbs broken, breathing shallow, and was stunned that Law had suddenly appeared, even helping them capture the night's biggest loose end.
Seeing this, a possibility arose in his mind, 'Could it be that the shot that missed the target just now was due to Law's interference?'
"This guy's a Nen user. He can conjure a sniper rifle. I left him alive on purpose… if you want to interrogate him, go ahead." Law looked at Kenda.
"He fired one shot, but it missed." Kenda said.
"Yeah. I couldn't stop him from pulling the trigger, but I managed to throw off his aim." Law glanced toward the mansion, "Is Ellie asleep?"
'So it really was him.' Kenda silently thanked Law before replying, "No, she's in the study."
"I'll go see her. This guy's yours." Law strode toward the mansion.
"Got it."
Kenda nodded, his gaze turning cold as he stared at the thick-browed man.
…
Law made his way to the study with practiced ease, noting the shattered wall and ruined window from the sniper's Nen Bullet. Then, with a light leap, he passed through the broken window into the room.
Whoosh!
A shadow darted from the direction of the desk… it was the golden-haired doll standing guard beside Ellie.
"Stop!"
Ellie's voice rang out.
The doll halted abruptly, its hollow eyes fixed on Law, its upper and lower lips clacking together unnervingly. In dimmer light, the sight would have been downright chilling.
Law studied the increasingly autonomous puppet doll, realizing that Ellie had needed to verbally command it to stand down, 'This isn't just ordinary Manipulation. Has Ellie's Nen undergone some kind of change while I was away?'
He mulled over the thought silently before looking up at Ellie, whom he hadn't seen in so long.
"Law!"
Ellie shot to her feet, her face alight with joy.