On the return trip, Roy, as the squad leader, still had to serve as the driver for his little team member, Kisho.
But this time, he was much calmer.
While driving, he used the corner of his eye to observe the boy sitting beside him, eyes half-closed, resting with his eyes shut.
He had a feeling that this boy would definitely be valued by the family head and then entrusted with important responsibilities.
He had seen far too many capable people come out of Meteor City, but at this boy's age, those who could possess Nen ability at this level were extremely rare.
Most importantly, the boy's mind was very agile. He did not look at all like some inexperienced kid who had just crawled out of Meteor City. He knew how to use everything in his surroundings that could be exploited to help him complete his missions.
"Promising material." Thinking this, Roy, with great calculation, drove the car even more steadily.
"Although there was a tiny bit of unpleasantness before, starting from now, it's not too late to build a good relationship with him."
...
In the night, Roy drove a sedan he had no idea where he got from, speeding along the mountain ring road.
The car quickly left Lashan City and drove onto the winding mountain road, heading at full speed toward the manor where the Bankro family was located, deep in the mountains.
Kisho looked out the window, silently memorizing the route in the darkness.
After leaving that not-so-large city, the car drove for about two hours, at a speed of roughly one hundred miles per hour—only by remembering the route could he quickly carry out a strategic transfer after obtaining the inhibitor.
Another ten or so minutes passed, and the car reached the mid-mountain area. After turning past the final large bend, the enormous courtyard of the Bankro family, filled with castle-like, magnificent buildings, entered Kisho's field of vision.
"Beep beep—"
The sedan stopped in front of a ten-meter-tall iron gate carved with patterns of exotic beasts.
Roy opened the car door and stepped out, standing before the gate. After the people in the monitoring room saw who it was, the heavy iron gates slowly opened to both sides.
Roy returned to the car, turned his head toward Kisho, and said in a low voice,
"It's already too late today. I'll take you to the dormitory first. Tomorrow, I'll bring you to meet the family head."
Kisho gave an "Mm."
After receiving his response, Roy continued driving forward.
The heavy iron gates closed behind them. The car moved along the wide main road, but every so often, they passed through checkpoints equipped with detectors.
Instead of heading toward the massive castle straight ahead, the car turned at a fork in the road, drove for another ten or so minutes, and stopped in front of a luxurious building.
Although this building was not as imposing as the towering, cloud-piercing castle in the distance, it was certainly not inferior—using such a structure as "staff dormitories" showed just how much money the so-called "Bankro" family had accumulated through drug trafficking.
Beneath all that wealth, who knew how much blood, tears, and how many corpses were buried.
Kisho's expression remained calm, but a trace of disgust flickered faintly in his eyes before quickly disappearing.
"We're here," Roy said, then opened the car door and got out.
Kisho also pushed open the door and stepped out, standing in front of the car together with Roy as he walked over.
"I'll take you to where you'll be staying tonight. If nothing unexpected happens, after I introduce you to the family head tomorrow, you won't need to live here anymore."
Roy stared at Kisho and spoke in a tone that carried a hint of inquiry.
Kisho nodded.
...
Roy led Kisho toward the residence. As they walked up the steps in front of the building, the corridor lights that had been off all turned on at once.
He took out a card and swiped the door open, then glanced sideways at Kisho, signaling him to follow.
The interior layout of the building was somewhat similar to a hotel. In the lobby stood a long table, with sofas placed on both sides.
At both ends of the lobby were curved staircases leading upward. From there, one could see the second and third floors, with many tightly closed room doors.
Roy led Kisho up to the third floor, used his card to open the door to one of the rooms, and said,
"Make do here for one night."
Kisho glanced into the room. There was a bed that looked very comfortable to lie on, a desk with books placed on it, and a television hanging on the wall.
He could not understand why this room was described as "making do."
"Ahem, just making do for one night," Roy said. Seeing Kisho stay silent, he thought the boy was dissatisfied. He cleared his throat and continued, "The access card is on the table. You can use it to open the main door and your room door."
"Oh." Kisho walked into the room, then turned back. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
"Not for now," Roy replied. He looked at Kisho, gestured with his eyes at his height, and frowned slightly. "...There aren't any clothes suitable for you, but no rush. Tomorrow I'll bring a tailor over."
Kisho turned his head and looked at him, utterly puzzled.
"...You're not planning to meet the family head wearing what you're wearing now, are you?"
Roy understood the look in his eyes, and an expression of "this kid really is sloppy and doesn't understand etiquette" appeared on his face.
"Oh." Kisho shrugged.
The door closed behind Roy.
Roy took out his phone, dialed a number, then walked down to the lobby and sat on a chair in the center.
About half an hour later, Idiya Fugray pushed the door open and walked in, sitting down across from Roy.
Roy stared at her and asked, "How was it?"
"Group One completed the mission; Group Two failed—one died," Idiya Fugray replied calmly.
She raised her hand and brushed back her hair.
"The one who died was from Eros's side."
"Breaking both sides apart and reorganizing them, then using temporary missions for testing, really can identify the unqualified ones. The people sent over by Eros do indeed seem a bit uneven. Next time, should we still trade with him?"
"Whether to proceed with a trade will be decided by the family head."
Roy adjusted his glasses, paused for a moment, then continued,
"But in my view, everyone in this batch combined doesn't measure up to that kid—"
When he said the word "lkid," he clenched his teeth slightly. "That kid is worth cultivating."
"If you say so, then it seems the mission on your side must have been successful?" Idiya Fugray asked.
"...There were some unexpected developments, but the result was acceptable," Roy said.
He fell silent for a moment, and the emotion in his eyes turned vicious.
"Later, have people detain everyone who has had contact with Saro recently—including the two drivers who went with us to Meteor City."
Idiya Fugray was slightly stunned. As if realizing something, her expression changed.
"You mean—"
"Exactly as you think."
Roy slowly nodded, confirming her guess. His voice sank to a frightening depth:
"No one can betray the Bankro family without paying any price."