While Luo Ning was resting, Uvogin and the others had already avoided the police search and appeared inside a residential home.
The owners of the house, a young couple, already lay dead in a pool of blood.
"I was careless." Uvogin sat down casually on the sofa, his eyes filled with a trace of frustration.
He wasn't surprised by Shalnark's appearance at all. Yesterday, he had received word that Shalnark would be coming over with Nobunaga Hazama. This was because after Kortopi returned and told Chrollo Lucilfer about Luo Ning's Nen ability, Chrollo had become curious. He wanted Uvogin to refrain from killing Luo Ning too quickly and instead bring him back for observation.
"Were you thrown off the airship?" Shalnark looked at the disheveled Uvogin, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably.
It had been a long time since this man, strong as a bear, had been played with like a stray dog.
Uvogin didn't make any excuses. "That guy was trying to kill me back there! If I hadn't spotted the police officer you were controlling in the crowd, I think he would have launched a sneak attack on me."
Falling from a height of several dozen meters wasn't enough to cause Uvogin significant harm. Lying there in a weakened state was partly an act he performed on purpose; additionally, the fall from such a height had indeed caused his internal blood and energy to churn for a while.
The blood he spat out was real, but waiting for the opponent to strike so he could find an opportunity to counter-kill was his strategy!
Luo Ning was too slippery!
This was Uvogin's most honest feeling after two consecutive attempts to hunt Luo Ning down.
"He probably noticed something unusual, but I'm curious how he found out," Shalnark said, a look of confusion in his eyes. He believed his control over the police officer had been perfect; he hadn't even looked toward Luo Ning while approaching the crowd.
How could he have been discovered?
Uvogin shook his head. "He is improving very quickly, and he is extremely cautious."
Even though he had been bound to the exterior of the airship earlier and couldn't move easily, the strength the opponent displayed was far greater than when they first encountered each other in the forest.
"Where was the airship you were on heading?" Shalnark suddenly asked.
Uvogin thought for a moment before saying, "To the Northern Continent."
"The Northern Continent? Is he just running blindly, or is he leaving with a specific purpose?" Shalnark couldn't help but ponder.
Uvogin stretched his body. "Since we failed to catch him this time, it will likely be even harder next time. That kid is as slick as they come. If he weren't a member of the Kurta Clan, I'd actually admire him. He's brave, decisive, and possesses great combat talent and intelligence. Most importantly, he's arrogant enough."
"You think that highly of him?" Shalnark was somewhat surprised.
"Yeah." Uvogin nodded seriously. "I expect that after we leave, he will choose another airship to depart Yanshui City quickly. When that happens, I'll need your help to find him."
"It will probably be difficult to catch him in the short term. I didn't see him on the passenger records earlier, so he must have snuck onto the airship anonymously," Shalnark shrugged. "Besides, we still have things to do. Let's go regroup with the Boss first."
"Is there more work? I thought we were done after harvesting the eyes," Uvogin said, sounding a bit displeased.
"Just tying up loose ends. The Boss said we might dig up some clues we want," Shalnark replied.
Uvogin's displeasure vanished instantly upon hearing this, replaced by a surge of killing intent that erupted from his body.
"Fine."
"By the way, next time you go looking for him, let's go together," Nobunaga Hazama finally spoke up.
The abilities Luo Ning had displayed had also piqued his intense curiosity. However, the next time they met, he would definitely cut the boy's real body in two!
...
Heavens Arena was located in the Karterbury Federation on the Northern Continent.
On the seventh day after the attack, Luo Ning arrived here after transferring between several airships. The atmosphere here was thick with the spirit of combat; even while taking a taxi, he could hear the driver chatting with colleagues over the radio about who had won a match that day.
Advertisements for Heavens Arena were plastered in every street and alleyway.
Burly, muscular men could be seen everywhere on the streets. Fighting had become the most fashionable and popular pastime here.
The driver wasn't particularly talkative—perhaps it was Luo Ning's somewhat refined and cold appearance that kept the driver's potential chatter at bay.
After getting off at Heavens Arena, Luo Ning looked up and found he couldn't even see the top of the building.
However, he had picked up a city brochure in the taxi. The main highlight was this 251-story, 991-meter-tall structure, the fourth tallest building in the world. Its internal facilities were extremely comprehensive, and it was known as the Holy Land for fighters.
When Luo Ning arrived, the queue of people signing up already extended far outside the building.
From the looks of it, hundreds or even thousands of people signed up every day. This was normal, considering that, according to the introduction, an average of 4,000 people were steadily progressing to higher floors every day.
After receiving an application form, Luo Ning joined the end of the line.
In the name column, he wrote "Luo Ning" without any concealment. For the combat experience column, he casually wrote "ten years."
If he remembered correctly, when the twelve-year-old Killua Zoldyck came here, he had also filled in ten years.
None of that really mattered, though, because there were no restrictions in Heavens Arena matches. As long as you could knock down your opponent, it was fine. Once you reached the 200th floor, you could even use weapons. Because of this, Heavens Arena also had a less-than-pleasant nickname: the Holy Land of Barbarians!
After submitting his application, Luo Ning officially stepped into this massive sanctuary of combat.
As soon as he entered, the blood-pumping sound of cheering reached his ears.
Many people sat in the massive spectator stands. Directly below were sixteen neatly arranged fighting rings.
People whose numbers were called constantly stepped onto the rings to fight, and from time to time, enthusiastic cheers would erupt from the front rows near the rings.
Luo Ning's number was 2025.
He found a random seat and sat down, observing the battles on the rings below while waiting for his number to be called.
He could see many others like him in the nearby seats, waiting for their turn.
Luo Ning's plan was to fight his way to the 100th floor as quickly as possible. That way, he would have his own private room, and the money he earned would be enough to cover his daily expenses.
Afterward, he would slowly climb to the higher floors while starting to learn more about this world and gathering information to find a suitable Mafia group.
Additionally, he planned to sign up for the Hunter Exam. A Hunter License was a very useful thing to have. Participating now meant he likely wouldn't encounter any freaks, and with his abilities, he could obtain the license quite easily.
However, the Yorknew Auction was held in September, and the Hunter Exam wouldn't take place until the beginning of next year. He still had plenty of time to prepare.