Watching Machi, Shizuku, and Kortopi vanish into the distance, the remaining Spiders fell silent.
"Sosuke Aizen..." Bonolenov grumbled, his voice muffled by his bandages. "That guy stole Meteor City right out from under us. He's our enemy."
"Compared to the monster we're facing now, there are no absolute enemies. Only absolute interests," Shalnark reasoned, adjusting his collar. "We need a partner strong enough to deal with him."
"Let's move," Phinks ordered. "For the next few days, we stay completely hidden. If we get an opening, we capture his friends and use them as hostages. Otherwise, we wait for Machi's news."
"It's our only play," Franklin sighed heavily. "Rest easy, Feitan. We'll get your revenge."
"Let's go."
An Abandoned Factory.
Chrollo and Hisoka sat in heavy silence.
Without bothering to hide his intentions from the Magician, Chrollo pulled out his burner phone and dialed a highly restricted number.
"Connect me to the Zoldyck Family," Chrollo said calmly. "Tell them I have a contract worth 100 billion Jenny."
"The Zoldycks?" Hisoka chuckled softly, shuffling a deck of cards. "If my memory serves me right, one of Ryker's little friends belongs to that family. They are the world's premier assassins, but I doubt they'll take a contract against their heir's friend..."
"For an assassin, if the price is right, they will kill their own flesh and blood. Let alone the Zoldycks," Chrollo smiled thinly.
Unlike a lone wolf like Hisoka, the Phantom Troupe had extensive experience dealing with the underworld. Chrollo knew how assassination families operated. They were hounds; whoever threw the meatiest bone controlled the leash.
The prophecy had warned Chrollo to flee East and avoid the demon. To run meant abandoning his ideals. When he founded the Spider, he promised that the Troupe would be a sanctuary. No matter their sins, the Spiders protected their own. But the prophecy made it clear: staying meant total annihilation.
Despite his cold logic, Chrollo couldn't just walk away and do nothing. If he couldn't fight Ryker himself, he would buy someone who could.
"Hello. I am Gotoh, head butler of the Zoldyck Family. How may I help you?" a deep, professional voice answered. Even hearing a 100 billion Jenny figure didn't seem to faze him.
"I need you to eliminate a target. If successful, I will pay 100 billion Jenny, or items of equivalent value," Chrollo stated.
"Please specify the target."
"Professional Hunter, Ryker. Given your family's network, you should have no trouble finding him," Chrollo said.
One hundred billion Jenny. It was arguably the highest bounty in the history of the underworld. Paying it would bankrupt the Phantom Troupe, forcing them to sell off years of hoarded treasures. But money meant nothing to Chrollo right now. He just needed his family to survive.
The Zoldycks were absolute professionals. They never asked why, and they rarely cared who. There was only one recorded instance of them refusing a contract: an assassination request on Isaac Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Association.
Killing Netero was suicidal, and failure meant invoking the wrath of the entire Hunter Association. Aside from that, the Zoldycks took every job.
However, Chrollo frowned. The line was silent for far too long.
Finally, Gotoh spoke.
"I sincerely apologize. We cannot accept your commission. This request exceeds our operational parameters."
Gotoh was polite, but firm.
"A butler doesn't have the authority to reject a contract of this magnitude," Chrollo narrowed his eyes. "Put me through to a member of the main family."
"Very well."
A few minutes later, a different voice came on the line. It was flat, lifeless, and devoid of emotion.
"If you had made this request a few months ago, I might have considered it. But as of now, your request is invalid," Illumi Zoldyck said blankly. "The Zoldyck Family does not accept any contracts regarding Ryker. Since this is your first offense, I'll let it slide. But if I catch you trying to place a hit on him again, I will personally come and take your head."
Illumi's dark, dead eyes practically stared through the phone.
A few months ago, Illumi had fought Ryker—and the entire Zoldyck Family had been absolutely rolled. Since then, Zeno had issued a strict, family-wide decree: Ryker was an eternal ally of the Zoldycks. Illumi, being a pragmatic assassin, had wisely deleted any lingering thoughts of killing the boy.
Click.
The line went dead.
Chrollo and Hisoka stared at the phone in stunned silence.
"Heh... hehehe..." Hisoka burst into twisted laughter. "It seems little Ryker has far more influence than we thought. He actually made the notoriously stubborn Zoldycks classify him as an 'Untouchable,' right alongside Netero."
Hisoka's golden eyes gleamed with dangerous excitement.
"The Zoldycks..." Chrollo muttered, his brow furrowing deeply.
He hadn't expected this. For a legendary assassin family to unanimously reject a hundred billion Jenny meant only one thing: they had already fought Ryker, and they had lost so badly that they refused to ever cross him again.
"Put the bounty on the open market," Chrollo sighed, rubbing his temples as he dialed an underworld broker. "Let the families just below the Zoldycks handle it."
Within minutes, the Dark Web exploded.
[Target: Professional Hunter - Ryker]
[Bounty: 100,000,000,000 Jenny]
It sat firmly at the top of the blacklist, surpassing even Netero's 80 billion Jenny bounty by a staggering twenty billion.
The underworld went into a frenzy. Every assassin, mercenary, and bounty hunter smelled blood in the water.
"You're backing yourself into a corner," Hisoka noted. "Putting out an open bounty like this means a fight to the death."
"Do you really think we have a second choice?" Chrollo smiled dryly. "If it were you, you'd do the same."
"Hehehe~." Hisoka covered his face, his shoulders shaking with sadistic glee.
It was true. Ryker was a fruit that had ripened far beyond anyone's expectations. He was too strong to be plucked normally. If Hisoka wanted to taste that fruit, he needed to be smart about it.
"Let's go," Chrollo stood up. "We need to have a chat with the Ten Dons. They're just cannon fodder, but even cannon fodder has its uses."
Kukuroo Mountain. The Zoldyck Estate.
"Young Master Illumi," Gotoh bowed slightly. "Someone is targeting Mr. Ryker and Master Killua. Should we..."
Gotoh wanted to report this directly to Silva.
"Heh. A 100 billion bounty. It seems Ryker really pissed someone off this time," Illumi said, his face expressionless. "If we took that contract, the family wouldn't have to work for years... Ah, well. If Killua dies in the crossfire of this assassination wave, then he wasn't fit to be a Zoldyck anyway. My foolish little brother~."
Gotoh sweatdropped. "..."
Despite his harsh words, Illumi immediately walked to the main hall to inform his father and grandfather. The Zoldycks were formally allied with Ryker now.
"Oh? A hundred billion?" Silva Zoldyck raised an eyebrow. "That's unprecedented. Is it the Ten Dons?"
"No. The voice was young, authoritative. Probably the Phantom Troupe," Illumi reported. "Not many organizations have that kind of liquid capital."
"AHHH! THE PHANTOM TROUPE?!" Kikyo Zoldyck shrieked, her electronic visor flashing wildly. "They are ruthless killers! Is my precious Killua in danger?! Silva! Go right now! Protect our son!"
Kikyo seemed to conveniently forget that she, too, was a ruthless killer.
"Mom, relax. Killua has thick skin. He won't die that easily," Milluki snorted, eating a bag of chips.
Kalluto stood silently to the side, maintaining a cold, arrogant expression.
"Heh. The Phantom Troupe," Silva cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing like gunshots. "They've made a lot of noise over the years. Their reputation is garbage. Prepare to move out. If they are targeting our ally, then as allies, we must intervene."
Silva had personal history with the Troupe. Three years ago, he killed one of their members (Spider #8) and fought Chrollo to a standstill. He was eager to see how much the Danchou had grown. Furthermore, cementing a good relationship with Ryker was vital for the family's future.
"Hold on."
An old, hunched figure walked into the room, his hands clasped behind his back. Zeno Zoldyck.
"A hundred billion bounty means the Troupe is backed into a corner. From the looks of it, our young friend Ryker has the upper hand," Zeno analyzed shrewdly. "He hasn't asked for our help. If we blindly intervene, it might annoy him. Illumi, call little Ryker. Inform him of the bounty. Let him decide if he needs our assistance."
Illumi blinked. "..."
"Well? Go on," Zeno frowned.
Illumi sighed and pulled out his phone. It seemed his grandfather really, really wanted to stay on the monster's good side.
Yorknew City. The Underground Bunker.
"FUCK!"
A blonde, heavily scarred mafia boss slammed his fist onto the mahogany table. "Our Shadow Beasts are all dead! Wiped out by those Spider bastards!"
"Shut up!" A fat man in a sharp black suit barked. "Raging won't fix anything! The Troupe's strength far exceeds our estimates. We need to figure out how to survive the incoming crisis!"
"He's right. We completely offended those lunatics. They might come knocking on our door next!"
"Let them come!" another Don sneered. "We have thousands of men! Guns! Artillery! Even without the Shadow Beasts, no one can touch us down here!"
"What about the assassins we hired?!"
"Boss... the underworld assassins are refusing our contracts," an aide reported, trembling. "They've all picked up a new target. Someone just posted a 100 billion Jenny bounty on the Blacklist!"
"A HUNDRED BILLION?!"
"Yes, sir. It's for a Hunter named Ryker. The assassins are acting like starving dogs fighting over a bone. Unless we increase our payout significantly, no one is going to take our hits against the Troupe!"
"FUCK! IDIOTS! DAMN IT ALL!"
The underground bunker erupted into chaotic shouting as the Ten Dons panicked.
Suddenly, the lights in the bunker flickered violently.
The room went dead silent. The Ten Dons froze, their faces draining of color as the temperature in the room dropped...
Read ahead with 30+ chapters now with daily updates!
Get 40% OFF for limited time only.
@patreon.com/Authorizz