Kurapika's Chain Jail could force a Phantom Troupe's member into a state of Zetsu.
In that situation, pulling out a pistol and blowing their head off would have sufficed.
If he wanted to extract some information through interrogation, using the chain wasn't the only option, as there were many methods one could think of.
Seeing Kurapika remain silent, Law shook his head slightly and reminded him, "The ligature marks will expose some information about your ability. If other members of the Troupe see Franklin's corpse, they can easily tell from the marks that they were caused by a chain."
"From that, they can deduce the high possibility of you being a Conjurer or Manipulator, and then gather more information based on that."
"Whether their speculations are confirmed or not, they will at least be prepared in advance."
"Is that the result you want to see?"
Kurapika lowered his head, saying wearily, "I understand."
The process of killing Franklin wasn't complicated, and using the Guardian Chain as a counter, it could even be described as easy.
So, that weariness stemmed from his spirit, not his body.
Law looked at Kurapika, sighed softly, then turned his head to look at the road outside.
"The Mafia's usual method for establishing authority is to desecrate corpses. They typically ensure the face remains intact, then subject the body below the neck to extreme mutilation."
"After processing the corpse, they take pictures or videos and post them online."
"It's both a show of authority and a warning."
"Thanks to their overbearing style, even if the Troupe sees the photos the Mafia puts online, they'll only see a mangled and bloody corpse."
The corpse being utterly destroyed indirectly erased the traces Kurapika had carelessly left behind.
But such good fortune isn't available every time, which is why Law specifically brought it up.
Kurapika listened silently and took it to heart.
He also realized the mistake he had made.
"Let's go back. We'll wait for the Troupe's next move," Law said.
"Mm."
On the road, Franklin's corpse had become a horrific sight. Several mafia members were using cameras and camcorders to photograph Franklin's corpse from all angles.
Probably, Franklin would never have imagined in his life that he would end up like this after death.
In the past, it was him using his Double Machine Gun to tear his enemies' bodies apart.
Now, through a twist of fate, his corpse had the misfortune of experiencing it firsthand.
Perhaps this was karma.
Over on Gold Cup Road F, the mafia members discovered Shalnark's corpse. They didn't treat Shalnark's body the same way they treated Franklin's. Instead, they directly took Shalnark's corpse away.
Later, they planned to chop Shalnark's corpse into over a hundred pieces, remove the internal organs, and then haphazardly stitch all the parts back together.
Meanwhile, the four Shadow Beasts members who were dispatched first had all been defeated and killed.
Gold Cup Road A.
Rabid Dog's corpse was displayed in the middle of the road, his death extremely miserable.
His proud, sharp teeth were smashed down to the roots, his eyeballs were gouged out, and large parts of his ears were missing. Judging from the wounds, they were torn off by brute force.
Similar blunt force tearing injuries were found all over his corpse, involving areas including his palms and soles, as well as his chest and abdomen. The fatal wound was likely the bloody hole in his throat.
From the outcome, it appeared Rabid Dog was completely tortured to death by Feitan.
Gold Cup Road B.
Leech's death was much more straightforward than Rabid Dog. Facing the Enhancer, Akatake, he had his head directly blown off, leaving only a headless corpse.
Gold Cup Road C.
Porcupine lay on the ground, covered in blood, devoid of any breath.
He died at the hands of Shizuku. The hair all over his body, along with his skin, had been torn off, which was why his entire body was seeping blood, as if he had just been soaked in blood.
Gold Cup Road D.
Worm's smooth, glossy skin was completely peeled off. The incision was a single tear running from the back of his head down to between his buttocks, then the entire human skin was peeled off in one go.
The skinning method was exceptionally simple and neat. The peeled skin was simply placed right beside Worm's body.
The corpses of the four Shadow Beasts' members were discovered one by one by the Mafia.
The clock hand was moving towards midnight.
At an intersection leading out of Yorknew City, Chrollo stood silently with several members.
The first to arrive was Akatake.
His fight ended very quickly, which was why he arrived at the rendezvous point first.
The second to arrive was Bonolenov. It took him a bit more time because he took the effort to peel the enemy's skin off completely.
The third to arrive was Shizuku. The enemy's ability to freely control the hardness and softness of his body hair caused her some trouble, which delayed her a bit longer.
The fourth to arrive was Feitan. He could have finished his opponent quickly but chose to slowly torture him to death, which was why he arrived last.
After waiting for these four members, there was still no sign of Franklin and Shalnark.
Time slowly approached midnight.
There were no clouds tonight, the moonlight was bright and clear.
Chrollo had his hands in his coat pockets, looking in the direction of Yorknew City.
"Why haven't Franklin and Shalnark arrived yet?" Shizuku asked curiously after waiting for a long time.
No one answered her question, but they vaguely guessed something.
When the clock passed midnight, September 1st ended, ushering in September 2nd.
Chrollo's brows furrowed slightly.
This situation wasn't optimistic. Even if there were six remaining Shadow Beasts' members, divided into two teams to deal with Franklin and Shalnark, given their abilities, even if they couldn't win, they should have been able to escape.
Especially since they knew the Troupe was waiting here for them, so leading the enemies here would have been the natural course of action.
But...
"Let's go back."
Chrollo suddenly turned around, the hem of his coat swaying.
"Aren't we waiting for them anymore?" Shizuku asked blankly.
Chrollo was silent for a moment, then replied, "If they could come, they would return directly to the base."
Hearing this, Shizuku nodded in understanding.
The other members didn't speak, but they all guessed that Franklin and Shalnark were most likely dead.
The Troupe returned to one of the buildings in the unfinished construction zone.
When they left, the white candles placed around the area were still more than half their height. Now, upon returning, they had all burned out and extinguished.
A short while later, new candles were lit one by one, bringing a flickering light into the building.
The eleven remaining members of the Troupe sat around separately. No one spoke, and the building was completely silent.
Shalnark was responsible for handling and analyzing intelligence within the Troupe and also served as the Troupe's strategist, holding a pivotal position.
If something happened to him, it would be difficult to find a suitable replacement immediately.
The time reached 4 a.m.
Pakunoda's face was slightly grim as she handed her phone to Chrollo.
Chrollo took the phone and saw the two pictures on the screen. A cold glint appeared in his deep-set eyes.
"Show them," He said calmly.
Pakunoda complied, holding the phone up for everyone present to see.
Then, they all saw the pictures depicting the state of Franklin and Shalnark's corpses.
"Was it the Shadow Beasts?" Cipher asked.
No one answered.
'Could the Shadow Beasts have killed Franklin and Shalnark...?'
Hisoka's eyes revealed a glint of interest.
However, based on the descriptions from Feitan and the others, the Shadow Beasts' abilities were unique but still rather conventional.