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Chapter 155: The Suppressed Troupe
Various players who had been keeping an eye on the Phantom Troupe trio checked their Binders, only to find the names of the three mass murderers had gone dark.
There were only two possible explanations for this: either they had left the game, or they had been killed.
The first option was impossible. Just earlier, someone had proudly broadcasted that they had stolen the Troupe's [Leave] card.
That left only one conclusion: all three of them had been wiped out by Kurapika's team!
But this revelation shifted the dynamic. The most feared entity in the game was no longer the trio of homicidal maniacs. It was the group that arrived shortly after—Ronin's team, who were also employed by Battera.
Suddenly, everyone cared very deeply about what Ronin's team planned to do next.
Nickes pondered this exact question. Standing right beside him was Genthru, who was supposed to be hiding safely in a non-combat zone.
Genthru hadn't anticipated this sudden turn of events. His original plan was to let the three murderers run wild, creating chaos that he could exploit. He wanted to quietly monopolize all the Designated Slots the allied group had gathered, dismantle the organization, and then build a new one to restart the hoarding process.
Now, that plan was in ruins. Without any unexpected developments, he would have to return the cards he currently held to the other members.
He was incredibly reluctant to do that.
Another pressing concern was Ronin's team. Would their overwhelming display of power make them the leading force in clearing the game? If so, Genthru needed to figure out how to feign compliance, get close to them, and find an opportunity to plant his bombs on them.
The Bomber's grand scheme had begun, but the name 'The Bomber' didn't carry enough weight yet.
However, approaching them under the guise of wanting to join forces to hunt down 'The Bomber'—framing it as targeting a player-killer who stole cards—probably wouldn't raise too many red flags.
No. It's too risky right now.
I need to figure out how to feign compliance, get close to them, and plant my bombs on them. Only then could he guarantee they wouldn't suspect him.
Nickes wasn't the only one wanting to make contact with Ronin's team. However, quite a few players silently backed down, unwilling to interact with Ronin without knowing his true stance and methods.
In the end, including Nickes and Genthru, only seven people chose to use [Accompany] to meet with Ronin.
.....
While Ronin and his team were busy dealing with the aftermath inside the game, back in the real world, inside a quiet residential apartment...
Shalnark, Machi, and Nobunaga were gathered together. In front of them sat a game console—the key to entering Greed Island.
However, on the television screen, the avatars representing Phinks, Feitan, and Bonolenov had all gone dark.
Anyone who had played the game knew exactly what that meant.
All three of them were dead!
They had actually arrived at the address Feitan left them three days ago. None of them had any real interest in entering the game, and Shalnark had just intercepted a promising lead on a pair of Scarlet Eyes. So, they decided to crash at the apartment temporarily. Based on Feitan's last message, it should have only taken them a few days to heal Bonolenov and log out.
No one could have predicted that in just a few short days, the three of them would meet their end.
The first person Shalnark suspected was Ronin.
According to the intel Feitan had sent back, there was absolutely nothing inside the game capable of threatening the three of them. Sure, clearing the game was incredibly difficult and required massive amounts of time to explore and gather cards, but they were never there to clear it. They only wanted to collect enough spell cards to trade for [Breath of Archangel]. It should have been a walk in the park.
Even if they had been a bit arrogant, wiping all three of them out almost simultaneously should have been completely impossible. Even if Ronin had made a move, Shalnark didn't believe he could kill all three of them at the exact same time.
"Should we go in and check?" Machi asked, her expression dark.
She hated feeling this passive. The constant stream of bad news made her feel as powerless as she had when she was a child, staring at Sarasa's mutilated body for the first time.
Shalnark shook his head.
"Whether Ronin chased them into the game, or they ran into some other monster in there, going in now won't give us any answers. It'll just expose us and put us in danger."
He let out a heavy sigh. "Besides, if it really was Ronin who went in after them, I think Feitan's death was exactly what he was mentally prepared for."
Bang! Nobunaga slammed his fist into the wall. "Damn it!"
When had the Phantom Troupe ever been this pathetic? But ever since they crossed paths with Ronin, the word 'pathetic' seemed to have become their defining trait.
"Are we just going to let him do whatever he wants? Is there still no word from the Boss?" Nobunaga couldn't hold back his frustration.
Even throwing their lives away in a final, bloody clash with him would be better than sitting here, watching him slowly devour them piece by piece!
Shalnark shook his head again. At this point, with Ronin holding all the cards, Shalnark honestly didn't know what they could do. Aside from trying to secure the Scarlet Eyes, there didn't seem to be any viable strategy to restrict him.
"I'm heading back to Meteor City," Machi said, standing up. Her face was completely devoid of emotion.
Continuing to hunt for the Scarlet Eyes felt entirely pointless to her. She'd rather return to Meteor City and wait for Ronin to knock on their door, or wait for the Boss to summon her for one final, desperate struggle.
Yes, a struggle. Machi had a sinking premonition that this time, the Troupe was truly going to be annihilated.
She wasn't afraid of the Troupe ending. She was only filled with regret that they had never managed to find the bastard who killed Sarasa.
Shalnark opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to stop her.
As Machi walked past him, Nobunaga stood up and followed. "You're not coming?"
"I'm going to get those Scarlet Eyes. Once I have them, I'll head back to Meteor City on my own. Don't worry," Shalnark replied.
Nobunaga didn't try to persuade him otherwise, but an inexplicable, suffocating pressure settled over the room.
At some point, Ronin's very existence had transformed into a Sword of Damocles hanging directly over the Troupe's collective neck. No one knew when the blade would fall, or whose head it would claim next.
Staring at the empty room, Shalnark packed up the game console and chose to leave as well.
.....
Inside the game, Ronin met Genthru for the first time.
However, he didn't show any sign of recognizing him. Instead, he worked with Kurapika to usher the seven arrivals into the hotel's reception room.
Ronin knew exactly what they wanted. They were trying to gauge his plans for clearing the game, how he intended to divide the spoils of victory, and whether or not he was going to start 'downsizing' the players on Battera's behalf.
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