Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all advance chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
───────────────────────────
Chapter 75: Action & Not Worth It
Ronin quickly got Hisoka's number from Milia. After thinking it over, he simply forwarded the number to Kurapika.
He then called Kurapika to explain the situation.
"I don't know what he told Milia to make her think he could help us, but I just made contact with him using a different identity. I know his goal."
Ronin spoke concisely. "Hisoka's goal is a one-on-one fight with the Phantom Troupe's leader, Chrollo. However, his moral baseline is hard to gauge, and it's unpredictable what he might do to achieve that goal. So, whether to play along with him depends entirely on your judgment during contact. One thing is certain: after he achieves his goal of fighting Chrollo, his target will likely shift to me."
"Will that be trouble?" Kurapika asked the key question.
"No," Ronin replied without hesitation.
Hisoka's combat intelligence and talent were undeniable, but Ronin had more confidence in himself.
"Alright, I understand. Leave it to me," Kurapika said confidently.
Standing at the edge of the roof, Ronin looked down and saw Mafia members suddenly opening fire on their own comrades, sweeping them with bullets.
The Phantom Troupe had begun their operation!
That scene was likely the work of Shalnark's Black Voice.
Hanging up the phone, Ronin didn't intend to return inside the building immediately. Instead, he stood on the edge, enjoying the cool night breeze.
Meanwhile, on the middle floors of the building, two figures were slowly walking downstairs.
A massive En radiated from the shorter figure, instantly covering a radius of one hundred meters centered on him.
This range was enough to encompass the entire Cemetery Building.
The one releasing such a massive En was Zeno Zoldyck.
"This job really isn't worth the money," Zeno sighed from the bottom of his heart. He also sensed Ronin on the roof. "That reckless brat is slacking off now."
At the same time, Ronin sensed the En.
During his fight with Hisoka, this En had appeared briefly. Judging by the aura, it was Zeno's. It felt different from the anomaly he had sensed during the fight.
However, one of the Shadow Clones he had sent out was now approaching the Zoldycks' location.
Zeno, still maintaining his En, seemed to sense something sudden. He nodded slightly to Silva beside him. Silva rapidly released more aura, and in the next second, both of them accelerated, rushing downstairs.
Down below, in front of the vault, Chrollo and his group appeared openly.
There were five of them. Led by Chrollo, he was flanked by Pakunoda and Kortopi, with Bonolenov and Franklin protecting the perimeter.
Pakunoda placed her hand on the building manager in charge of the vault.
She quickly extracted the method to open the vault from his memory. But when she opened it, all five Troupe members frowned.
"In his memory, only a young man wearing flip-flops and round glasses entered the vault. After he left, the vault was never opened again," Pakunoda quickly described the scene from the manager's memory.
Chrollo's eyes lit up.
He had been specifically looking for a user with a spatial storage ability but had never found one. He didn't expect the Mafia to have such talent.
"Remember his face. He likely used an ability to move all the items. Find him," Chrollo turned away, not sparing the vault another glance.
Just then, a booming sound came from above.
"It seems Phinks and the others we left upstairs have engaged the enemy," Pakunoda said.
"The items aren't here. We should stick together. Ronin likely won't show up, so let's retreat," Chrollo analyzed rationally.
In this situation, the Troupe had become the target in the light, while Ronin—the one being hunted—had become the one hiding in the dark, holding the initiative. It was an unpleasant feeling.
"This doesn't feel like something the old Ronin would do. Someone is strategizing for him," Chrollo deduced. "We need to find that person. Otherwise, with them assisting Ronin, killing him will be even harder."
"Ronin should have a man and a woman with him. The man's identity is unknown, but the woman seems to be the deceased daughter of the Nostrade family," Pakunoda said as she kept pace with Chrollo.
She had previously searched the memories of ordinary people who had witnessed Ronin's group fighting the Shadow Beasts. She had seen the two companions in those memories.
She recognized Neon only because they had captured Light Nostrade earlier to facilitate their operations in Moltine City. While checking Light's memory, Pakunoda had seen his daughter, Neon.
According to Light's memory, Neon was just a girl with odd hobbies who liked fortune-telling shows. But if she were truly useless, Ronin wouldn't keep her around. Neon must have some special quality that even her father didn't know about.
As for the boy, Pakunoda had absolutely no impression of him.
...
When Ronin's Shadow Clone reached the first floor, he saw two fresh corpses in the lobby.
One was the youth with the Mohawk, his body snapped in two, blood pooling everywhere, still clutching his baseball bat.
The other was the girl with the red wavy hair. Her death was more gruesome—dozens of bloody holes punctured her body, all made by a rapier.
Both had been hired by the Ten Dons to handle the Phantom Troupe, but from the looks of it, the gap between their strength and the Troupe's was simply too vast.
Zeno and Silva stood on the stairs of the second floor, looking down at the three Troupe members who were looking up at them. They didn't attack immediately.
"Three on the first floor, five in the basement, and three more on the perimeter. That repairman died outside; he's been hung up," Zeno said, retracting his En.
"This business really is a bad deal," Silva flexed his fingers, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Need to make a move? Are you confident? I can help stall one of them for about two minutes," Ronin's Shadow Clone approached and proactively offered his assistance.
If he could get the Zoldycks to commit, even if they only killed two members, it would be a huge help to Ronin.
───────────────────────────
Support this fanfic by leaving positive reviews, comments, and Power Stones!
For advance chapters, visit:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations