Chrollo's expression didn't change. If anything, he looked mildly inconvenienced. He lowered the phone and turned to face Machi. "Number Four confirmed it."
Machi's fists clenched, then released. Her jaw tightened. "Do we retaliate?"
"Against who?" Chrollo asked.
"The black-haired woman," Machi said. "The one who claimed she was from Meteor City. Before the airship exploded. She could be a lead."
Chrollo shrugged. "I'd rather fill Kortopi's position than chase an unconfirmed killer. Someone like that black-haired girl you mentioned, for instance."
"I've already asked the cleanup crew to check the survivor lists from the search and rescue," Chrollo continued, flipping open a book he'd been holding. "But honestly? I don't think we'll find her. Or whoever controlled Kortopi. The girl was from Meteor City, which means no real identity records. And if she does have documentation, it's fake. Probably multiple fake IDs."
He paused, running a finger down the page.
"The Troupe is what matters."
"Members can be replaced."
"Including me."
The founding principle of the Phantom Troupe echoed in Machi's mind. The spider's head could be cut off, and the body would survive. The spider was eternal. Individuals were expendable.
She was quiet for a moment. "If we can't find her, we could go back to Meteor City. Fill the Number Twelve vacancy there."
"Mm." Chrollo turned a page.
Machi's eye twitched. "Boss. You're not planning to return to Meteor City anytime soon, are you?"
Chrollo glanced up. "Machi. We're thieves. We have something we want to steal right now. Shouldn't we see it through?"
"The clues to King Wangu Hui Guo Rou's treasure aren't exactly easy to find," Machi said. Then, after a beat: "Also, why do you keep calling Number Four 'Number Four' instead of using his name?"
Chrollo turned another page. "Mm. Just occurred to me. Machi, are you doubting Omokage's abilities?"
"I'm not doubting his abilities. I'm doubting his brain." Machi folded her arms. "He keeps shapeshifting all day. Who knows if it's scrambled his head or not."
In the alley, the gang members who'd just finished dealing with a traitor turned toward the entrance, weapons half-raised. The man leading them had dark skin, thick lips, and messy gray hair that fell past his shoulders. His eyes were cold and flat.
"Come out!" the Shadow Beast known as Purple Ape barked.
Liam scoffed internally. Just because you said so?
He activated Zetsu, sealing all his aura nodes, and slipped away as quietly as smoke. Let them fight the air.
The gang members, led by Purple Ape, waited. No one emerged. They rushed out of the alley onto the main street, scanning the crowd. Searching for the intruder among the passing pedestrians.
Nothing.
It was like the person had never existed.
Purple Ape's jaw tightened. Nen user. Had to be. Unfortunately, he wasn't skilled with En, so there was no way to detect someone using Zetsu in such a crowded area. Whoever it was had already blended into the masses and vanished.
"Handle the body," Purple Ape muttered, waving a hand at his subordinates. He pulled out his phone and made a call before heading back into the alley.
Less than thirty seconds later, half of Purple Ape's face reappeared at the alley entrance. His cold eyes glowed faintly with aura. He activated Gyo, scanning everyone on both sides of the street. Everyone's aura looked normal. Ordinary. Nothing suspicious.
Either the intruder was long gone, or they were very good at faking it.
Across the street, Liam sat in a roadside coffee shop, sipping an overpriced latte and watching Purple Ape's paranoid surveillance routine. The Shadow Beast stared at the crowd for a solid two minutes before finally retreating into the alley again.
So that's a Shadow Beast, Liam thought. He'd only caught a glimpse of the man's aura before activating Zetsu, but it had been strong. Really strong.
Even at full capacity, there was a noticeable gap between Liam's total aura and Purple Ape's. And right now, Liam was nowhere near peak condition. He'd been training on the train all morning, then walking around the city. His reserves were depleted.
Sure, Nen battles weren't purely about aura capacity. But Purple Ape was clearly not an easy opponent.
In the manga, the Shadow Beasts had gotten demolished by the Phantom Troupe. Bitten, punched, crushed. The entire group of ten wiped out like they were nothing. But that didn't mean they were weak. It just meant the Troupe was absurdly strong. Uvogin had tanked an RPG with his bare skin, and even he'd gotten hurt by the Shadow Beasts. The Porcupine had pierced his fist. The Rabid Dog had bitten through his shoulder muscle. Those weren't feats ordinary Nen users could pull off.
The Ten Dons ran ten major gangs across the known continents. Each Don had thousands of subordinates, and their strongest enforcers were the Shadow Beasts: ten Nen users, each one a specialist in their field.
Liam had speculated in his past life that the Ten Dons were probably backed by V5. The five superpowers controlled five continents, and conveniently, there were ten major gangs operating across those five continents. Ten Dons. Ten Shadow Beasts. One per Don. It was almost too neat.
Were the Shadow Beasts just V5's sanctioned enforcers? Black gloves for dirty work?
Liam shook his head. Not his problem. He had places to be.
He pressed a hand to his chest. Including the two deaths he'd absorbed at the Testing Gate earlier, that made three strands of death energy today. Fortunately, his heart was nowhere near the transformation threshold yet.
He finished his coffee, left a tip, and asked the owner for directions to the nearest department store. Then he walked out and headed straight for the mall.
In the Terra Nation, in the city where Heavens Arena stood tall, Shizuku was in her hotel room. She stood in the center of the floor, wrapped head to toe in Ken, practicing her aura control.
Then the Ring B on her index finger pulsed.
She blinked. Wait. It's daytime.
She glanced at the window. Sunlight streamed through the curtains. She connected to the Moon Mark anyway.
Liam's voice immediately flooded her mind. [Shizuku, you there? Shizuku?]
[How far does your Moon Mark reach during the day?] Shizuku asked, walking over to grab her phone. Liam's last text had been three hours ago. [Did the train you're on enter range already?]
[Well, about that...]
Liam's voice was vague. Evasive. They chatted for a bit. Then, suddenly:
[Doraemon, come to the window.]
Shizuku opened the window and looked down.
Liam stood on the street below, across from her hotel. When he saw her appear, he grinned and waved.
[Didn't you say you'd need several more days by train?] Shizuku transmitted through the ring while opening the door and heading downstairs. She walked out of the hotel lobby and stopped on her side of the street, staring at him.
[Yeah, I switched to an airship,] Liam replied. Cars passed between them, but the Moon Mark let them talk effortlessly. He gestured to a heavy backpack slung over one shoulder. [I was worried the airship might explode again, so I bought a parachute. Fortunately, I didn't need it!]
Liam crossed the street, dodging a taxi. He opened his arms and smiled. "Haven't seen you in a few days. Did you miss me? Come give me a hug."
"Chirp!" Jaku flew over happily, flapping straight toward Liam's face.
"Get lost!" Liam swatted the bird away.
Shizuku's lips curved slightly. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug.
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