At night, on the rooftop of a container warehouse in the harbor's logistics and transport area, Allen stood bathed in the bright moonlight, letting the slightly salty sea breeze wash over his face.
He wondered if it was due to the influence of his Night Elf bloodline, but he was becoming increasingly fond of nocturnal activity.
Especially when the moonlight shone on him, a strange reaction would occur in his body, as if he felt a mysterious summoning.
This must be the Night Elves' natural affinity for moonlight, right? After all, the Moon Goddess, Elune, is the patron deity of the entire Night Elf race, as well as their sole spiritual solace and faith.
Just as Allen was perplexed by this unprompted reaction, Lupos suddenly nudged his arm lightly with his head, his two glowing green eyes fixed on the red container in the distance.
A dark, furtive shadow was seen cautiously looking around for a long time, and only after confirming no one was following did he silently slip into the container through the open door.
"How many is that now?" Allen asked directly.
Reese replied through gritted teeth: "The sixth! Only two more until all members of The Raven are here. You really are terrifying! You actually predicted the target's thoughts and actions down to the last detail."
From the contorted expression on her face and the anger and hatred flickering in her eyes, it was clear how unsettled she was internally.
This was hardly surprising.
After all, she and Luna were still teenage girls back then, an age when friendship and partnership are most valued. It was entirely possible that the deceased included close individuals like lovers, elders, or Nen masters.
Luna's complexion was similarly poor; she was trembling slightly and uncontrollably, completely lacking the cheerful, conversational demeanor she usually displayed.
"Prediction?" Allen smiled meaningfully and shook his head. "No. You're mistaken. I didn't predict their thoughts and actions. It's that the members of The Raven are no longer the desperate scoundrels they were ten years ago. Look at their current identities and resumes: more than half of them have transformed into business magnates, and others have entered government departments as bureaucrats and politicians. This means they are more afraid of their past as assassins being exposed than they are of your revenge."
"So you deliberately used your Nen ability to leave information along these people's mandatory routes, making them anxious and forcing them to gather to discuss countermeasures?"
Luna instantly realized what Allen's confusing minor actions had been for.
It turned out that these powerful enemies who once instilled terror in her had long been corrupted by power, wealth, and various luxuries; even their way of thinking had begun to change.
If they had encountered this threat in the past, the first reaction of The Raven's members would definitely not have been to gather and discuss countermeasures; instead, they would have tried every possible means to find the mastermind and brutally kill them to eliminate future trouble.
"Ah, exactly! You see, while they are still wanted criminals on the Hunter website, apart from the two of you, there are no witnesses, photos, or criminal evidence. Combined with their current social status and influence, they might even be able to simply deny everything and get away with it. Moreover, if I were to eliminate them one by one, the remaining members might instantly figure it out and use the political power they wield to pressure the Hunter Association, forcing me to stop. So, I had no choice but to use a little trickery, gather them all together, and then dispose of them all in a way that remains unknown to the outside world."
Allen openly explained the plan he had formulated.
To be honest, ever since he investigated the current identities of The Raven's members, he realized that the real difficulty of this hunt wasn't the combat, but how to minimize the political fallout resulting from their deaths.
In the world of Hunter x Hunter, a world with strong governments, simply charging forward while ignoring morality, law, and basic social norms won't work; one must use one's brain.
Just look at the Phantom Troupe's actions in Yorknew City.
While their initial frontal assault was indeed brazen and reckless, in the end, didn't they hire the Zoldyck Family to kill the Ten Dons, cleverly stage their own deaths to escape, and utilize Kortopi's Conjuration ability to steal all the auction items without anyone knowing? They didn't foolishly fight to the death.
In fact, practically no one who has survived in this world full of unexpected dangers and risks is a brainless brute.
Even Gon, who is criticized by many and often acts headstrong, isn't brainless; he is simply obstinate and unwilling to admit defeat.
"So you plan to kill them all as quickly as possible, like you did with the Heavens Arena Floor Masters, rather than taking their abilities one by one?" Reese asked with a bloodthirsty curl of her lips.
"No. Using that method is too conspicuous, and I don't intend to get involved in this kind of trouble, which might involve government interference. In fact, tonight you will witness the members of The Raven killing each other. Ah, the last two people have arrived. It's time to take action."
The moment he finished speaking, a bizarre hat suddenly appeared on Allen's head, featuring a peculiar design with a black-and-white disk spinning continuously on the forehead—the Gnomish Mind Control Cap!
The Gnomish Mind Control Cap!
Also known as the 'artifact of cliff jumping' or 'ocean dumping,' it's a popular gadget played with in various creative ways by players in the game.
He himself had, on more than one occasion, used the Mind Control Cap to directly throw opposing faction max-level 'main characters' who actively attacked him on the Booty Bay ship into the Great Sea, letting them die from fatigue exhaustion in the middle of the ocean, forcing them into a weak resurrection at a graveyard and requiring costly gear repairs.
Similarly, there were numerous instances of him controlling enemies who tried to ambush him in the wilderness, making them rush into monster packs to be beaten to death, or directly throwing them from high places to die from fall damage.
As someone with a strong tendency for collecting, Allen would never be satisfied with choosing just one Engineering specialization and abandoning the other. He had long since utilized the method of deleting and re-learning to craft every enjoyable item from both Gnomish and Goblin Engineering.
In addition to this item, he also activated the Manipulation-type Nen ability he plundered from a Floor Master: Undying Reaper.
"Your hat seems a bit... unusual. Is it a Nen ability too?"
Luna stared at the continuously spinning black-and-white spiral disk on the front of the Mind Control Cap, an extremely strange expression on her face.
"Unusual? No need to put it so nicely; I know how bizarre and ugly it looks. But trust me. This thing is more terrifying than any ability you've ever seen. If it weren't to cover my tracks, I wouldn't easily bring it out."
With that, Allen leaped down from the warehouse roof and walked straight toward the container that was now filled with people.
Next, he would use an entirely different method to end the lives of the eight members of The Raven, a method that would look exactly like mutual slaughter.
Watching Allen's receding figure, Reese suddenly couldn't help but ask: "Shouldn't we go help?"
"Help? There's no need for that extra trouble. Those guys, having lost their will to fight, are no match for Allen anyway. They won't even know who killed them before they're all dead."
Bodoro replied casually while stroking the smooth, soft fur of the Shadow Wolf Alpha, Lupos.
After spending some time together, Lupos had accepted the man who was always by his master's side and no longer maintained a 'keep away' posture.
Reese and Luna clearly didn't fully grasp the meaning of that statement.
But before they could say anything more, they heard piercing screams and panicked shouts erupting from the direction of the container.
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr-eon if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]