The sun is rapidly descending as Alex leaves the luxurious Hotel Beitacle. Not quite familiar with the city of Yorknew, he approaches the first taxi he can find, confidently walking onto the street and blocking it.
"Drive me to the Cemetery Building!" Alex says as he forcefully sits down next to the driver.
"... You are supposed to sit in the back," the Driver mutters. "In any case, I can't fulfill your request; the damn building is barricaded off by the military. I've also heard bad rumors, you'd best stay far away... although, judging from how you're dressed, you might fit in," the driver notes, his face growing more solemn with every passing second.
"Just drive me there; I'll tip you extra. You won't get in trouble, I'm a Hunter," Alex explains confidently.
"Okay..." the driver replies, his face resigned.
Thanks to Yorknew's awful traffic, the car only proceeds slowly, slightly annoying Alex.
After a while, Alex simply asks the driver for directions and gets out of the car after throwing him a few bills.
Alex, carrying his clingy pet, which seems to be in a great mood, walks through the dark city.
❤️ Princess Jewel likes the atmosphere. So many people are busy and unaware... yet it's clearly the scene of a large battlefield. Soon, the battles will begin again.
"Do you like battlefields?" Alex wonders. "Didn't figure you to be the type for slaughtering."
Princess Jewel likes them... she can't change who she is... the feeling of bloodthirst is not something she can completely suppress. She enjoys fighting, killing, and wars. This particular city makes an excellent battlefield. Princess Jewel has had so much fun, she wishes this mission would never end.
"Damn... you are hardcore..." Alex mutters, only now realizing that despite her silly antics, his pet is the peak of the Thornback species, the urge to hunt, kill, and feast on her prey deeply ingrained in her blood and being.
As Alex closes in on the Cemetery Building, he sees the entire street closed off. Dozens of heavily armed soldiers are blocking the path.
Alex ignores them and just keeps running.
However, to his absolute surprise, the soldiers salute. "Welcome... ummm... Hunter Kerber. Please go ahead."
"Heh, okay," Alex replies, happy that for once things are progressing smoothly.
Running through the large building, Alex doesn't encounter any problems.
Despite his heavily armed and out-of-place appearance, he enters the building, and immediately a female secretary approaches him.
"Hunter Kerber, please follow me," the secretary says, leading Alex through the building.
"Sure," Alex replies, grinning.
My mask saved my ass... this is almost too funny. I'm being treated as a VIP, hehe.
Princess Jewel is so excited. Soulmate... will Soulmate backstab the Mafia?
Of course! Literally... though I'll leave the stabbing to you and focus on the slashing instead, hehe.
❤️
Following the secretary, Alex is led into a room with a tense atmosphere.
Looking around, Alex spots Kurapika, Light Nostrade, Zeno, Silva, the other six assassins, various Mafia bodyguards, and Zenji, who's in charge of the operation and under direct orders from the Ten Dons. Finally, Menchi is standing close to a wall and perks up as she sees him, walking over to him.
Not intimidated at all, Alex happily walks over to the others, who are sitting on a few chairs and a couch, looking a little silly.
"Why, hello there," Alex says, as everyone stares at him, some surprised to see Alex with his casual attitude and eccentric weapons.
"Sorry for being late, I had this really pleasurable session with that masseuse, the... special blonde at the Hotel Beitacle... Yorknew traffic is really quite the bitch," he says.
"Hey! What are you saying?!" Menchi yells, glaring at him as she approaches him, the others looking incredibly confused.
Soulmate's joke is highly inaccurate. Menchi does not need to worry.
"Fine... well, that should have been obvious. With you around, that much I should have been able to guess," she states, looking visibly relieved.
"Ahem!" Zenji loudly clears his throat.
"Sorry about that," Alex says, smiling, his words not matching his appearance. "You may begin."
"... It's fine," Zenji, the small yet quite chubby Mafia capo, says, doing his best to hold back his rage as the veins on his bald head pop out.
Not wasting any more time, Zenji speaks up: "Since everyone's here, let's begin. The job is to kill the Phantom Troupe. When the auction begins at nine, they may show up again. Eliminate them if they do. You're free to use any means you want."
"We're all after the same target; let's pick code names," one assassin suggests.
Yawning, as the assassins pick various colors as names, Alex approaches Zenji.
"Yo... how much is the bounty in the first place? You didn't even tell us. Do you expect me to kill without any reward?" Alex asks.
"Um... the bounty is the one on the posters. 2 billion per member and 5 billion for the masked Butcher," Zenji explains.
"Fine... a little stingy if you ask me," Alex replies, right in time to hear the assassins yell out, "Silva and Zeno? Of the Zoldyck Family?"
"Let me know if you want someone killed. I'll give you a thirty percent discount for being in the same line of work as us," Zeno says proudly, a hint of amusement on his face.
"I heard the Zoldycks are in decline; no wonder, since you're even handing out discounts now," Alex jokes with a grin. "A little desperate to beg for business even on such an occasion."
Glaring at Alex, Silva does not speak up, but his eyes look like those of a predator eyeing its next prey.
"You are quite misinformed," Zeno replies calmly.
"No, no... you are the one who is quite misinformed," Alex counters. "I heard you Zoldycks already tried to assassinate the Troupe earlier, and one of you got taken out. I've got a friend with a Hatsu that's incredible at obtaining information. Consider this one a freebie. So are you here to avenge whoever got killed and earn a little bit of money on the side?"
Everyone begins to mumble to each other, and even Kurapika looks visibly shaken.
"Explain yourself," Zeno says in an icy, cold tone.
"Will you pay me for details? I need money... or else I wouldn't do this crap... my info is good, I promise." Alex says, pressing his hands together.
Zeno speaks, his voice controlled, yet clearly menacing as his Aura surges out of his body. "I'll pay you, I promise that on my honor; however, should your information be false... you'll be paying the price, I promise you, young... Hunter, was it? Quite a suitable job for someone like you, as you seem to be quite the thrillseeker."
His Aura makes everyone in the room shudder, even the assassins, strong Nen users themselves, with the exception of two, who seem more formidable, as well as Kurapika, who begin to shake.
Alex and Menchi, on the other hand, are completely calm.
"How about 500 million?" Alex asks.
"Deal," Zeno says. "Speak now."
Alex looks a little confused, glancing at the others. "Do you want the others to hear it?"
"It doesn't matter!" Zeno replies forcefully.
"Well, I can promise you that a member of the Zoldyck Family with long black hair, who fights using some sort of weird needles, alongside a man in some sort of weird jester costume carrying playing cards, was in a battle against the Troupe. My friend recognized a man with sleek black hair, a cross on his forehead, holding a black book, wearing a coat with a reverse cross on its back. He appears to be the leader of the Troupe. For some reason, he used a bunch of different Hatsus that seemingly belonged to multiple categories and had no connection to each other. According to my source, he is a prodigy, and he has never seen someone like him who can use multiple categories at once," Alex says, before adding, "So my comment about your family declining... sorry about that. Honestly, against someone who can use all categories, I would probably struggle as well... it's only natural to get beaten by such monsters."
"Anyway..." Alex continues, "He is sure about the Zoldyck member, since he overheard him say the job wasn't worth it. Initially, they were just fighting the black-haired prodigy, but the two of them were quickly ambushed by someone with a Katana, a woman holding what looked to be a vacuum cleaner, as well as someone else with a revolver. In the end, both of them died, and my friend is pretty sure the killers are Troupe members," Alex explains. "However, he fled at some point because, even with his Hatsu, he feared that he might get discovered, so he only saw their demise from far away."
"Illumi..." Silva says, his eyes now fully enraged, unable to stop himself from standing up. "That guy... I recognize his general features. I let that guy escape once... he'll die this time."
"Silva!" Zeno yells. "Calm down."
"Hunter... you are sure about that?" Zeno asks, looking at Alex.
"Yeah, why would I lie to you? Honestly, I'm only doing this job because I desperately need money for the next expedition. Also, there are so many scapegoats and distractions around who've decided to die for me. Without them, even I wouldn't challenge the Troupe... but in this situation, I might be able to pick up a head or two."
The other assassins look visibly shaken and annoyed, but ultimately decide not to confront Alex, who radiates confidence and dares to speak with the Zoldycks on equal terms.
Hehe...
Soulmate is so smart! Now, without Illumi around, the Troupe, especially Chrollo, will have to fight the assassins to the death. A scheme that reminds Princess Jewel of Manipulator Rishi. Still, this feels exactly like Soulmate. Princess Jewel is so proud.
Indeed... I told you I would take charge of the situation.
"We'll act on our own..." Zeno says, staring at the others. "Don't get in our way!" He then glances at Alex. "You'll get your payment... consider it a promise."
"Okay, thanks... don't die or I won't get paid, okay?" Alex replies.
Silva does not reply and, together with Zeno, walks away to the corner of the room.
Alex also steps aside, together with Menchi.
However, he is surprised when Kurapika approaches him.
"I have questions... you saw the Troupe fight? I need more information about them," Kurapika states.
"Who are you? Can you also give me 500 million as well?" Alex asks.
"No... tell me anyway," Kurapika says, his eyes ice cold.
"I ask again, who the hell are you? A weakling like you should know his place," Alex says, taking a step forward and briefly activating Ren.
Looking frustrated and overwhelmed, Kurapika can't help but take a step back, causing Zenji to snicker. Everyone else, including the Zoldycks, also stares at Alex, most of them unable to believe Alex's rather powerful Aura and unbridled confidence.
"Hehe, Nostrade. It looks like while you rub your hands together, your vast fortunes still can't buy you competent men... how pathetic." Zenji glees.
I won't get involved.
Alex now walks away with Menchi, the two of them huddling together.
"Are you sure... this will work out?" Menchi whispers.
"No... but I'll do my best to make sure it does," Alex replies honestly.
Princess Jewel will enforce Soulmate's will!
Finally, as the clock passes 9 PM, Alex hears shots outside.
"It has started!" one of the assassins yells, and the room quickly begins to empty.
"What do we do?" Menchi asks as the others leave, most of them in groups. Finally, with the room empty, Alex relaxes even more.
"Hehe," He laughs. "Absolutely nothing. I don't want to kill these assassins, and I don't want to get involved with Kurapika either. He'll leave on his own soon enough. My idea is that we'll stalk Silva and Zeno... since the latter can use En, we'll stay away until the fight begins. Then we let them fight with Chrollo... and if we spot an opportunity, we take them out."
"Risky, but... it looks like you thought this through," Menchi replies. "I'm with you to the end."
Princess Jewel as well!
"This is the highlight and most dangerous part of this mission! Let's end this with a bang!" Alex announces.
---------------------------------------------------
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