Chapter 73: The Most Dangerous Place in the World
"Boss, are you serious?"
"The Yorknew Underground Auction is gathering all the mafia organizations from around the world. If we do this, it would mean making enemies of all the criminal organizations worldwide, boss!" Uvogin stood up and shouted.
Chrollo glanced at Uvogin who had raised the question, then swept his gaze over all the other troupe members present, taking in their varied expressions.
"Haven't we already made enemies of all the criminal organizations in the world?" Chrollo closed the book in his hands and spoke slowly. "Shalnark, brief everyone on the current situation in Yorknew City."
Shalnark, who was usually responsible for intelligence work, spoke up: "In the two days before we arrived in Yorknew, including today, there have been a total of 27 massacre incidents targeting mafia organizations within Yorknew City."
"According to the few surviving witnesses, it was our Phantom Troupe that committed these major crimes."
Shalnark's eyes swept over everyone as he continued: "Clearly, this is a group committing evil deeds under our name."
"For imposters pretending to be us to appear precisely at this time, as if they knew we were coming all along—this is too much of a coincidence! Someone among us must have leaked information!"
Upon hearing Shalnark's words, Uvogin roared angrily, swinging his right fist and shattering the nearby stone wall.
The others wore varied expressions, remaining silent. Though Uvogin was usually crude and reckless, his suspicion wasn't entirely unfounded this time—the timing was indeed too coincidental.
Over the years, there had been impostors claiming to be their Phantom Troupe, like the fraudster in the Trick Tower during the Hunter Exam. But to strike at this precise moment and on such a large scale...
It was clearly targeting them.
It felt like someone was openly declaring: "I've set a trap for you—will you take the bait?"
This wasn't mere framing; it was a bold, overt scheme.
And the only ones who knew about their current whereabouts were members of the Troupe itself.
Chrollo observed everyone, paused briefly, and spoke: "The Bible says Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver... So what would the traitor among us betray me for?"
"Think about it... What benefit could they gain by selling us out to the mafia?"
"Money? Fame? Status???"
A faint smile curled at the corner of Chrollo's lips.
"Uvogin, tell me—would any of you truly be satisfied with such things?"
"No," Uvogin replied after serious consideration.
"Exactly." Chrollo concluded the matter decisively. He stood up, looking at the Troupe members, and continued, "There are several possible explanations for this situation."
"First, this group shares our target—the treasures at the underground auction—but they intend to pin the blame on us. They didn't anticipate our arrival; it's purely coincidental."
The others pondered this. Their Phantom Troupe was indeed the perfect scapegoat.
"Second, they're targeting the mafia, possibly for revenge, and again using us as cover."
This scenario was similar to the first—whether these hidden foes were after treasures or the mafia, it had nothing to do with the Phantom Troupe. It was merely a coincidence.
"Lastly, they're targeting us directly."
Silence fell over the room, a murderous aura permeating the air.
Chrollo looked at these brothers who had followed him since childhood, pleased with their reactions.
"They learned about our plans for Yorknew City through some method unknown to us—perhaps a predictive ability or tracking skill. Of course, we'll only know the specifics once we capture them."
"Boss, even under these circumstances, do you still plan to steal all the treasures from the underground auction? Right now in Yorknew City, those mafia organizations, aware that a top-tier thief group is here, must be heavily guarded," Nobunaga spoke up.
Chrollo glanced at Nobunaga and chuckled lightly, "What, are you scared?"
"No." Nobunaga dug a finger in his ear casually. "My blade hasn't tasted blood in a while. Just give the order, Boss."
"Good. Now, I, Chrollo, command you in the name of the leader: kill every last one of them!"
Those who stand in our way shall die!
...
Yorknew City, a certain hotel.
Seeing Kurapika's face again, Mord still couldn't help but marvel at how a man could possess features more delicate than a woman's.
"I assume Hisoka has already approached you, so I'll skip the pleasantries. He and I are planning to deal with the Phantom Troupe, and we need your help," Mord got straight to the point.
"As long as the Troupe members can truly be brought to justice, I can temporarily follow your lead," Kurapika looked at Mord, hesitated for a moment, then continued, "But there's one thing I must obtain from this underground auction. I hope your plan won't interfere with this matter."
What Kurapika wanted was naturally the Scarlet Eyes—the true reason he had joined the Nostrade family.
"Don't worry, the two matters won't conflict. What you want won't slip away," Mord stated. "The first underground auction begins tonight, and this is when the Troupe will make their move. They'll deploy most of their combat force to seize the treasures from the Yorknew Underground Auction."Your target isn't the members coming to Yorknew," Kurapika keenly discerned the implication in Mord's words.
Mord didn't conceal this and directly revealed the plan. "To catch the bandits, first catch their leader. Our target is Chrollo, the head of the Phantom Troupe—the true source of all these evils."
Mord glanced at Kurapika. Just mentioning the name was enough to cause Kurapika's terrifying killing intent to involuntarily spill out.
"If there are no issues, we should depart now."
"Will the underground auction venue be particularly dangerous tonight?" Kurapika suddenly thought of someone and asked.
"It's probably one of the two most dangerous places in the world right now," Mord replied.
Then, right in front of Mord, Kurapika made a phone call to Melody. Among the Nostrade family, Melody was undoubtedly the person he valued most.
Mord didn't rush him, watching as Kurapika finished giving his instructions.
In truth, even without Kurapika, tonight's underground auction would be completely different from the original timeline. After all, the people who attended the auction back then hadn't even brought weapons inside, and were completely wiped out by Franklin's gatling gun while completely unprepared.
"You just said the underground auction venue is one of the two most dangerous places in the world tonight. Then where is the other place?"
Mord smiled. "That would be where we're about to go."