"Boss, Gin's communication."
As soon as he disconnected from Greed, King Bradley's communication immediately came through.
"Boss, the current Hunter Association Chairman, Isaac Netero, wants to meet with us," King Bradley's solemn face appeared on the screen, and he said in a deep voice, "Also, he wants to meet with Pride."
"Hmph hmph..." Illumi heard this and chuckled softly, "It seems that Beyond's encounter put a lot of pressure on him. He's finally going to list the Dark Continent as a taboo."
"Are we going?"
King Bradley asked with a frown.
"No." Illumi stood up, turned and walked to one side, looking out at the night sky, "We are not a government agency, nor are we a legal civilian organization."
"There's no need, and no obligation, to participate in and abide by the rules set between the V5 nations and the Hunter Association."
"We are not bound by national powers."
"I understand."
King Bradley nodded slightly, the screen went black, and the communication ended.
"Inform Therion, there's work to be done."
"Yes."
Illumi ordered, and Ikusabe's voice sounded in his earpiece.
"Aren't you still carrying your Hunter licenses?" Kipseal said, pouring himself a drink, "I heard the Hunter Association Chairman is the world's strongest Nen user."
"Strongest?" Illumi's lips parted slightly, "That was half a century ago."
"I see." Kipseal looked up at Illumi standing by the window, then put down his wine glass and slowly stood up.
"What, no more hesitation?" Illumi turned to face Kipseal directly, asking with a smile.
"Sins don't extend to parents, misfortunes don't extend to wives and children." Kipseal stood up and shook his head, seemingly trying to shake off the troubles in his mind, speaking disjointedly as if drunk, "But before that, there's a prerequisite..."
"Benefits don't extend to parents and children."
Kipseal steadied himself, raised his head, and his pupils were filled with killing intent.
"KCK-I class aircraft has reached target location [SATOVIE]. Landing at designated coordinates in thirty seconds. Please prepare."
A female electronic synthetic voice sounded inside the Night Raven Aircraft.
Thirty seconds later, the Night Raven Aircraft arrived over the seaside villa complex of Satovie. With a roar of its engines, it descended into the villa's garden below.
"What's that sound?"
Inside the villa, a bodyguard in a gray suit's earlobe twitched slightly; he heard something.
"What's wrong?"
His companion looked at him in confusion.
"I hear a strange sound, like an engine." The gray-suited bodyguard cocked his ear and listened carefully again. His expression suddenly changed, and he ran towards the garden, "It's in the garden!"
The other six bodyguards heard this, immediately dropped what they were doing, drew their guns, and rushed towards the garden.
"Where is it!?"
The bodyguards successively rushed into the garden, but the garden was empty. No enemies appeared as they had imagined.
"Check the garden."
The gray-suited bodyguard ordered the others.
"Buzz~"
Just as they were about to search the garden for suspicious individuals, a peculiar engine roar sounded above their heads.
"It's above!"
The gray-suited bodyguard suddenly looked up at the dark sky above the villa and shouted.
"Boom~!"
The moment the bodyguards looked up, a colossal object descended from the sky.
The colossal object, just as it was about to touch the ground, emitted a large amount of white airflow from its bottom, raising a violent storm in the garden that made everyone unable to open their eyes and forced them to raise their arms to shield their faces.
It wasn't until the storm naturally dissipated that the bodyguards dared to lower their arms and look up.
"Gulp... What is this?"
At this moment, the bodyguards stared dumbfounded at the Night Raven Aircraft suspended about fifty centimeters above the ground.
"Sci-fi movie?"
One of the bodyguards, with a look of disbelief, surveyed the mysterious aircraft in front of him, saying jokingly.
"Don't get distracted!"
Only the gray-suited bodyguard remained vigilant. He gravely raised his pistol in front of him, found a pillar for cover, and intended to observe secretly.
Seeing his actions, the others snapped back to attention, each finding cover and preparing for battle.
"Click~"
The left cabin door of the Night Raven Aircraft opened, but no one stepped out from it.
"If anything comes out, don't shoot yet. Wait for my order."
The gray-suited bodyguard commanded the others through his earpiece. The other bodyguards nodded.
The bodyguards peered intently into the cabin door, but there was only darkness inside; they couldn't see anything.
"Uncle Douglas, what happened?"
Just as the bodyguards were fully concentrating on the dark cabin door of the Night Raven Aircraft, a tender child's voice sounded behind them.
Turning around, they saw a blond girl in pale gold pajamas slowly walking towards the garden.
The girl, estimated to be ten years old, wore soft, pale gold pajamas. She held a green turtle doll in one arm, and with the other hand, rubbed the corner of her eye as she walked, looking like she was half-asleep.
"Tess! Go back!"
The gray-suited bodyguard's eyes widened, and he softly ordered the girl.
"What is that?"
But the blond girl's attention was currently focused on the Night Raven Aircraft in the garden.
Gazing at its futuristic, sci-fi design, its dominant wingspan, and the thrusters spewing white airflow.
The girl's eyes were filled with curiosity.
"Tess, go back..."
The gray-suited bodyguard softly ordered again, but the girl continued to walk towards the garden.
Seeing the girl disobey him, the bodyguard's face immediately grew anxious. He looked back at the dark cabin door, which still had no one emerging, and pressed his finger to his earpiece, saying, "Cover me!"
"Okay."
While receiving a response from his colleague, the gray-suited bodyguard adjusted his posture, intending to quickly rush to the blond girl's side and take her away from here.
However, just as he took his first step with his right leg.
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out, making his advancing footsteps suddenly halt.
Hearing the gunshot, the other six bodyguards all turned their heads, looking at the blond girl standing in the middle of the garden corridor. Their faces instantly froze.
"Thud."
The blond girl, holding the doll in her arms, fell backward. Blood gushed from the back of her head, spreading across the ground.
The fallen girl's head drooped limply to the right. A trickle of fresh blood flowed from the bullet hole in her forehead, her eyes still holding the curiosity she had in life.
"Tess~!!!"
Suddenly, a female scream echoed from the end of the garden corridor.
The bodyguards looked over and saw a blond middle-aged beautiful woman in white pajamas covering her mouth with both hands, looking at the girl's corpse lying face up, tears streaming down her face.
"Madam! Hide quickly!"
The gray-suited bodyguard sharply shouted at her, his tone anxious.
"No! Tess! My daughter..."
The middle-aged beautiful woman took a step, about to rush towards her daughter's corpse, but three servants standing behind her held her back, not letting her take another step forward.
"Wuwuwu... Tess..."
The middle-aged beautiful woman couldn't break free from the servants' grip and could only kneel in place, her face bathed in tears.
"Someone's coming out!"
At this moment, a bodyguard's voice sounded in his earpiece. The gray-suited bodyguard immediately returned behind the pillar, poked his head out, and observed the situation in the garden.
"Thump..."
An "Emer" squad member in power armor stepped out of the cabin door. His heavy body landed on the garden grass with a dull thud.
Subsequently, twelve "Emer" squad members continuously stepped out from the cabin door, forming two neat lines on either side of the door.
"Damn it, what kind of monsters are these?"
A bodyguard looked at the power armor and muttered to himself.
"Should we shoot?"
A bodyguard asked.
"Move... no, wait." The gray-suited bodyguard was about to give the order, but a figure stepping out from the cabin door made him hesitate. "I've seen that person."
"Who?"
"Former CEO of Walton Industries, Kipseal Aguilar."
"What!? Wasn't he dead?"
The gray-suited bodyguard's words immediately caused a series of exclamations.
"After all these years, this place hasn't changed at all."
Kipseal stepped out of the cabin door, surveying the magnificent villa in front of him. His gaze swept over the surprise in the middle-aged woman's eyes at the end of the corridor, then over the girl's corpse lying not far away.
"In all these years, only I have changed."
Kipseal remarked in a deep voice, then stepped towards the middle-aged woman. In his right hand, he held an Astra.
"Prepare..." The gray-suited bodyguard, his expression grim, raised his pistol, aiming at the unsuspecting Kipseal.
"Fire!"
"Swish swish swish...!!"
As soon as the bodyguard's words fell, seven consecutive high-energy lasers passed through the wall, pierced through the bodyguards' bodies, opening a hole in their hearts.
"Bang... bang..."
Accompanying Kipseal's advancing steps, one bodyguard after another fell from behind the pillars. Their guns dropped to the ground, and blood spread across the ground.
"Aah~!!!"
At the end of the corridor, the three servants, seeing the fallen bodyguards, screamed in fright and fled into the villa.
"Many years no see, you are still as charming as ever."
Kipseal stepped over the girl's corpse, walked directly in front of the middle-aged beautiful woman, and looked down at her.
"Carlyle."
"Why?"
The middle-aged beautiful woman named Carlyle looked up, her bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely at Kipseal. Her voice contained anger and confusion.
"You are not a fool." Kipseal expressionlessly raised his pistol, aiming it at the middle-aged beautiful woman's forehead, "Carlyle, you should know."
"Tess is innocent!"
"If you want revenge, you should seek out Walton!"
"Not kill a ten-year-old child who called you uncle!!!"
Carlyle's emotions collapsed. She knelt on the ground, her face filled with rage as she fiercely shouted at Kipseal.
"She is not innocent."
Kipseal said this one sentence expressionlessly, then pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out. The middle-aged beautiful woman Carlyle's body trembled violently, a bullet hole appeared in her forehead, and she fell backward to the ground, her face covered in blood and disfigured.
"You are not innocent either."
Kipseal uttered his final words, then tossed the Astra in his hand onto Carlyle's corpse.
This antique pistol, which the Wilbert couple had personally given him at the celebration banquet when he took charge of Walton Industries.
Now, he returned it to them.
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