Chapter 288: The Strongest Human's Astonishment x Kurapika First Enters the Zoldycks
Kurapika kept his small hands tucked inside his sleeves, silently clenching them into fists. Since things had reached this point, he could only steel his resolve and step off the vehicle...
Click... click... Near the bus door, passengers were already raised their phones or pointing telephoto lenses, snapping pictures frantically at the "Gate to the Underworld." For ordinary people, the "mysterious Zoldycks" coupled with the massive title of the "world's number one assassin family" was undoubtedly highly attractive. Being able to take a tour here meant they would have something to boast about for the rest of their lives.
Kurapika was put on the spot by Netero's words, and he got off the bus with a tense face. This journey had been relatively smooth, as he didn't encounter any arrogant thugs trying to claim bounty over the Zoldycks. However, in the young boy's view, the annoying old man who followed him off the bus and the green-skinned, mung-bean-eyed creature were far more terrifying than any thugs...
But since he was already here, Kurapika braced himself, stood on his tiptoes, and tilted his small face to look at the Testing Gate. The towering, majestic mountain gate blocked the outside world like a barrier. It was like a giant, man-eating beast lying right across his vision, imposing without being angry, invisibly bringing an immense wave of pressure. Kurapika abruptly froze in his steps, his breathing uncontrollably turning rapid and constrained.
The doors of the red bus closed with a creak. Netero and Beans were the last to step off. Sweeping his large sleeves, the old man strolled over to Kurapika's side and cast a glance at him. This time, he didn't continue teasing, but chuckled softly and said, "Young man, this old man is heading off now~"
With just that word "young man," he subtly exposed Kurapika's lie.
Kurapika lowered his eyelids in embarrassment. Following that, the old man's leisurely voice echoed in his mind once more: "It is a good thing for a young man to know how to protect himself, and your quick wits are commendable. But imitating others and lying is, after all, a bad quality..."
Kurapika's small face flushed hot. He cast a glance around and realized that he was the only one who had heard those words. Everyone else, including the ticket lady and the camera-wielding tourists, was busy taking photos and checking in, completely ignoring him.
Kurapika bit his lower lip, took a step forward, and put his head down to follow Netero's footsteps...
"I didn't lie. My family is right inside."
The young boy insisted. Following that, amidst Netero's mischievous long laugh, they arrived angrily before the towering "Testing Gate."
The actions of the three finally caught the attention of the ticket lady and the host of tourists...
"Hey~ you guys over there, what are you doing? Come back quickly, you can't go over there!"
"Oh my... how reckless. There's even a small child. Where are the adults of his household, how are they looking after the kid? Do they not want their lives?!"
The ticket lady and several well-meaning tourists called out anxiously from behind...
Netero didn't stop his steps.
Kurapika bit his lower lip, not turning his head once.
Fifty meters... thirty meters... twenty meters... The old and young figures, along with Beans, completely ignored the shouting, drawing closer to the Testing Gate step by step. At a certain moment, amidst his fluttering hair and beard, the old man split a sliver of his focus to quietly cast a suspicious glance at Kurapika. For the first time, a trace of astonishment surfaced on his face... This kid was incredibly shrewd and definitely not a fool.
To still steel his resolve and forcefully follow him up to this point... could he truly have family inside?
Amidst his fluctuating thoughts, the fifty-meter distance in front of the mountain gate vanished in a flash. The Testing Gate had arrived!
Netero halted his steps, tilted his head to scan Kurapika, and asked in a muffled voice, "Young man, do you know where this is?"
Kurapika lowered his eyelids, facing the Testing Gate silently. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I know. The world's number one assassin family... the estate of the Zoldyck family."
"Since you know, aren't you afraid?" Netero raised an eyebrow.
Kurapika clenched his small fists: "I told you, my family is inside."
At the right moment, the sound of footsteps traveled out from the guardhouse by the gate. Zebro, who spent his days inside the guardhouse either drinking tea or reading the newspaper, had a receding hairline that made him look increasingly bald with barely any hair left on top. Hearing the commotion, he put down his newspaper, pushed open the small door of the guardhouse, and stepped outside...
At his very first glance, he saw Netero standing right before the gate with his hands behind his back alongside Beans.
Zebro's expression shifted completely, his memories instantly pulling back to his childhood. Once, right here at this exact spot and at this exact time, he had seen these two. Recognizing Netero's identity in a single fraction of a second, he adhered to etiquette, took off his hat, and saluted Netero: "Zebro greets the Chairman."
They know each other?! Kurapika's expression froze.
The uncle who took off his hat was wearing a security uniform, clearly the guard of the gate. Yet, he was saluting this annoying old man beside him... Kurapika's eyes widened. Looking up at Netero, he was met with Netero's blinking, half-smiling gaze.
"Hohoho... In the blink of an eye, several decades have passed. The little brat who used to follow Zzigg around has grown this large too..."
"The Chairman has an excellent memory," Zebro put his hat back on, straightening his back in a completely poised, neither servile nor overbearing manner as he said, "I wonder if you informed the Master before your arrival, or should I place a call in advance to check for you?"
Zebro had only seen Netero three times in his entire life, excluding this instance. The first time, Netero had walked in standing straight, but the second time wasn't pleasant at all. With a massive clang, Netero had been unseemly kicked out. Therefore,
Zebro understood very well that this "strongest human" standing before him—the "Chairman" who held both honorary and actual power over the Hunter Association within his grasp—was absolutely not an honored guest to the Zoldycks, let alone someone who shared a close friendship with them!
Netero didn't answer.
The old man scanned Kurapika with a beaming smile, curious as to what kind of expression and actions the boy would display at this moment.
However, before Netero could discern anything, Zebro followed his gaze. Having been completely occupied by Netero's arrival earlier, he hadn't noticed that a child was standing beside him, wearing traditional tribal clothing nearly identical to what Kurajin wore when she first entered the mountain... Zebro's eyes lit up. Instantly shifting into a warm, kind smile, he took two quick steps forward.
Brushing past Netero's shoulder, he arrived by Kurapika's side, grabbing his small hand in one swift motion: "How is it that you've only just arrived, child? The Young Master instructed that once you get here, you are to go see him right away."
Netero: "..."
Beans: "..."
The two froze simultaneously. Snapping back to reality, they exchanged a glance, completely dumbfounded...
Beside them, his small hand suddenly caught in Zebro's warm, robust grasp, Kurapika's body tensed up, visibly becoming restrained for a fraction of a second. Looking up to meet Zebro's warm, kind smile, the young boy cast a glance at Netero, allowing himself to be led along in a daze.
Moving his feet along with Zebro, who personally pushed open the Testing Gate for him, he followed the old gatekeeper inside silently.
Rumble~ The towering Testing Gate was lifted and dropped, causing the ticket lady and the host of tourists watching from fifty meters away to widen their eyes in shock. An unknown voice shouted, "That child... could he be one of the young masters of the Zoldyck family?"
As the words fell, it was like a massive stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly generating a massive uproar!
Someone slapped their thigh in utter annoyance: "Ah! If I had known he was, I should have asked him for an autograph... An official autograph from a direct descendant of the world's number one assassin family, even if I sold it, it would fetch quite a bit of money..."
"Hmm, I think at least a few tens of thousands of Jenni... The crucial point is, didn't we just miss out?"
"Yeah... who could have imagined that a child from such a grand family would ride the same bus as us?"
Annoyance... pity... regret... filled the air...
In front of the tightly closed Testing Gate, only Netero and Beans remained in the blink of an eye, standing there in isolation like two wooden stumps. At this moment, Beans finally seemed to pull his thoughts away from the scene he had just witnessed. Casting a careful look at Netero, he said, "Chairman, what should we do?"
Netero remained silent for a long while. He truly hadn't expected that a kid met along the way would actually share such a deep history and connection with the Zoldyck family. Looking up at the seven layers of the Testing Gate spanning across his vision, blocking the way forward and separating him from the Zoldycks into two worlds, the old man eventually spoke leisurely: "Place a call to Zeno."
Visibly to the naked eye, Beans let out a sigh of relief. He hastily fished out his phone, appearing terrified that Netero might regret it in the next second and choose to force his way inside... Although anyone could enter the mountain as long as they could push open the Testing Gate, preventing them from being eaten by that beast named Mike, the problem wasn't Mike. The problem was the one standing behind Mike, behind all the Zoldycks!
Beans recalled the scene of witnessing Netero being kicked and battered all the way down to the foot of the mountain by that entity in the past, being thrown right out of the Zoldyck estate. He uncontrollably shivered, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and dialed Zeno's number...
A few leisurely minutes passed,
Zebro, having seen Kurapika off, opened the Testing Gate from the inside. Clearly having received instructions, he cast a calm glance at Netero and said, "Chairman, the Master invites you inside."
Netero swept his large sleeves, "Beans, let's go."
Subsequently, lifting his foot and stepping inside, it once again triggered a massive uproar from the ticket lady and the tourists. As the Testing Gate fell heavily behind them, entering the mountain, he stood right beside Zebro.
"Chairman, this way please." There was only one small path leading up the mountain, and Zebro gestured with a single hand.
Netero paced forward, stepping up the stairs. Moving all the way up with his back to the mountain gate, he arrived at the mountain guard checkpoint and halted his steps.
He vaguely recalled that in the past, there should have been a guard butler stationed here. At that time, it was a scar-faced kid who, much like Zebro, liked to follow Zzigg around. Now, times had changed and things were different...
There was no news of Zzigg, and the mountain guard seemed to be gone as well... Filled with immense emotion, Netero cast a side glance at Zebro and asked, "Is there no longer anyone guarding the mountain now?"
Although the Testing Gate was heavy, the world didn't lack extraordinary individuals, and someone would eventually be able to push it open. Reaching this step, a mountain guard was required to handle things.
"There is," Zebro said with a beaming smile. "Kurajin's little brother arrived, and the Young Master specifically instructed to grant her a week of leave to take Kurapika around the mountain properly."
Kurajin's... little brother?
Netero froze, realization striking him: "That child is?"
"He is Kurajin's little brother. Kurajin is the Young Master's personal butler. Along with Gotoh, they serve the Young Master together. Right now... she is responsible for guarding the mountain."
So that was how it was...
The mist completely vanished and the riddle was solved. Netero calmly stroked the white beard beneath his chin and said, "It seems this Kurajin is quite valued by your Young Master."
Zebro chuckled and said, "That is only natural. The Young Master... always treats his own people like family. Kurajin is like this, and that kid Gotoh has struck absolute gold."
Netero nodded, briefly searching through his memories. Finally, in an inconspicuous little corner, he located a portrait.
That was a young butler with a trace of stubble beneath his chin, his expression always somewhat melancholic, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses permanently resting on the bridge of his nose... During the Hunter Exam, he stood completely inseparable from Roy's side, alert to the surroundings at all times, prepared to block any danger or blades that might lash out at Roy. It was visible... that he was a qualified, loyal, and excellent butler...
The old man calmly lifted his foot again, casually conversing with Zebro as he asked out of curiosity: "What do you mean by striking absolute gold?"
Mentioning this... Zebro spoke with no small amount of envy: "I am not entirely clear either. I only know that once he wakes up, that kid is bound to soar into the heavens. From now on, things will be completely different..."
Zebro hadn't been present at the scene at the time, and ultimately hadn't witnessed the image of Gotoh receiving the First Embrace and falling into a deep sleep.
He merely caught a few glances occasionally when returning to the butler villa during shift changes at night. Every single time, he would see... Tsubone standing blankly, staring at that blood cocoon wrapping him up...
And for that number one figure of the butler sphere—an existence who had followed Zzigg since childhood—to be silently paying attention...
Zebro was a naturally clever and smooth individual, otherwise he wouldn't have become the helper and guide to the young ones—Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika—in the original story. He instantly discerned that things were far from simple.
Tap... tap... The sound of footsteps echoed through the silent Kukuroo Mountain...
Chatting all the way as they stepped up the stairs, they reached halfway up the mountain. Sitting deep within the forest beside the shaded path, the butler villa—which was far from inferior to any ordinary villa outside—loomed right before their eyes.
Netero suddenly spoke: "Ask Roy if... this old man can go take a look?"
Look at whom... merely based on the direction of Netero's gaze, it was completely self-explanatory.
Zebro was caught in a bit of a dilemma: "Chairman, the Master is still waiting for you in the study."
"He knows I am here." Netero's white beard twitched. Looking down the long stretch of stairs towards the ancient castle steeped in the aura of time at the very peak of the mountains, he said calmly.
Before Zebro could react, the phone in his pocket rang immediately. Upon connection, Roy's familiar voice traveled out from within: "If the Chairman wants to take a look, let him look. It's not some unseemly matter anyway."
Finishing his sentence, the call was disconnected with a clack.
Holding his phone, Zebro bowed and responded, "Yes."
Straightening his back once more, he gestured with a single hand toward the butler villa for Netero: "Chairman, please."
Netero gave a distant nod toward the peak of the mountain, turned around alongside Beans, and followed Zebro's footsteps, walking through layers of forest to arrive at the butler villa.
Closer, the few hundred meters of distance took a mere two or three minutes...
The exact instant Netero arrived before the villa doors, his gaze abruptly focused on the second floor.
The northernmost bedroom, facing the morning sun, caused his brows to tighten in a flash!
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