The battle footage from the corridor played on the television. Through the listening devices Luo Ning constantly adjusted, the voices of Shalnark and Nobunaga finally came through clearly.
Luo Ning tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
The effectiveness of ninjutsu in combat was outstanding. Even a C-rank technique, if used well, could produce results far exceeding the raw power of the Big Bang Impact in his hands.
The key lay in the energy output.
The burst of "Aura" limited the destructive force of a punch. However, the execution of certain ninjutsu did not impose such limits on the amount of chakra output.
In a direct trade of blows, Luo Ning would definitely lose. But when a burst of ninjutsu met Uvogin's Big Bang Impact, he actually had the ability to leave a wound on the opponent!
This preliminary probe made the tactical strategy for his upcoming arena match much clearer.
However, listening to the voices from the bug, Luo Ning was also deep in thought.
If the Phantom Troupe had truly sent five people, his best choice for the next battle would actually be to forfeit immediately. Otherwise, even with his abilities, getting cornered could result in being killed within the arena.
And from what Shalnark implied, they had no intention of letting any of the spectators in the arena that day go.
They really were a lawless bunch.
Luo Ning played with a black card in his hand. It contained his recent earnings—a full 4.6 billion Jenni.
It wasn't an especially large amount, but it was enough to arrange his upcoming plans.
Five or more members of the Phantom Troupe? Luo Ning's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He didn't plan on running; he only hoped that everything he had arranged would go smoothly.
Room 2333 had been sealed off, and Luo Ning's new room was number 2412.
Information about the match appeared on the room's wall.
[BATTLE DATE DETERMINED
227TH FLOOR ARENA
STARTING MAY 12TH AT 3:00 PM!]
The combatants were Luo Ning versus Uvogin.
As this news was confirmed, the advertisement slots and promotional displays throughout the arena began to change.
"'The Genius Youth,' 'The One Favored by the God of Combat,' 'The Radiant Supernova'—Luo Ning! On May 12th, he will face 'The Blood-drinking Savage,' 'The Big-arm Gorilla'—Uvogin! Be there or be square on May 12th at 3:00 PM, locked onto the 227th floor arena!"
Bang!
A pebble shot out, shattering the television in the restaurant on the 201st floor.
Waiters rushed to check the damage in a panic, but more people were peeking with snickers at a tall man in the restaurant wearing a bearskin vest with his chest exposed.
Because this man was the "Big-arm Gorilla" from the TV—Uvogin!
"He spent money," Shalnark said simply. "He spent a lot on promotion and publicity."
"Who was it? I'm going to take them out." Uvogin noticed the gazes from the people nearby, but he couldn't actually kill everyone here.
He was, after all, participating in a fighting tournament. If he went on a killing spree in the restaurant, he would simply be expelled from Heavens Arena.
"Milia, a gold-medal manager. However, she should be on guard against us. I can't find any recent information on her online, and even the info-brokers I found on these floors haven't revealed anything. It seems she has quite a bit of influence in Heavens Arena."
Shalnark hadn't forgotten to investigate the identities of those around Luo Ning.
"A gold-medal manager?" Uvogin remembered a person dressed in a suit and leather shoes.
Back when he had qualified for the 200th floor, such an elite professional had approached him, wanting to build his image and create hype to gain more attention, money, and fame.
He hadn't cared about such things, so he had naturally driven the person away.
"Fine, I'll endure it." Uvogin suddenly gulped down a large glass of water, as if trying to suppress the fire in his heart.
In a corner that Uvogin and the others hadn't noticed, Kurapika had already changed out of his highly characteristic ethnic clothing.
He was now wearing a set of black casual clothes, a baseball cap on his head, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, making him look quite refined and scholarly.
He ate the dishes on the table slowly, but his gaze had already observed Uvogin and the others.
He had some suspicions about the trio's identities. Although he couldn't be 100% certain, the probability that these three were members of the Troupe was extremely high.
The conflict that had occurred on the 200th floor hadn't been kept a secret.
After all, the name Luo Ning was currently at the peak of its popularity in the arena, even showing signs of catching up to the Floor Masters.
Therefore, anything that happened to Luo Ning would quickly spread everywhere. As for whether the information was true, that depended on the judgment of the person receiving it.
The news Kurapika had received was that Luo Ning had crushed Uvogin's momentum on the 200th floor, even making Uvogin spit blood and suffer injuries in just one encounter.
However, it was also because of this contact that Uvogin was filled with rage toward Luo Ning, leading him to recklessly choose to apply for a match against him.
One could say that in this version of the news, Uvogin appeared to be completely brainless.
It certainly fit his title of the "Big-arm Gorilla," but Kurapika felt things wouldn't be that simple.
Thinking back to the information about the attack on room 2333 a few days ago, and the report he had seen about the door of room 2333 being slashed, he was certain that the one who attacked the room was the dead-eyed young man sitting next to Uvogin—the one who wouldn't let his long blade be further than an arm's reach away even when sitting down.
And who would want to kill Luo Ning most at this time?
The answer was obvious: members of the Phantom Troupe!
The more certain he became of this answer, the more Kurapika didn't dare to get too close to those three.
Hatred was brewing in his heart, but even just sitting here, he could sense the terror of those three.
In terms of strength, they were simply on a different dimension.
Kurapika knew clearly that if he dared to let his killing intent explode now, then before he could even rush over, he would be killed before getting within five meters of their table!
Cold sweat broke out on Kurapika's forehead.
'Is this the kind of monster Big Brother Luo Ning has to face next?'
Kurapika swallowed hard in secret. It wasn't until Uvogin's group of three left the restaurant that his tense nerves finally relaxed.
Right at that moment, a figure sat down in the seat opposite him.
"How is it? Did you sense the gap?"
The familiar voice made Kurapika snap his head up, his eyes instantly entering the Scarlet Eyes state.
"Big Brother Luo Ning!" Kurapika's voice trembled with a hint of excitement.
"Shh!" Luo Ning made a gesture to keep it down. Fortunately, Kurapika's voice hadn't attracted much attention.
Perhaps it was because the oppressive atmosphere brought by Uvogin's table earlier had caused many people to choose to pay their bills and leave early, resulting in almost no other customers nearby.
Looking at Kurapika's bright red eyes, Luo Ning stood up and led him toward the private booths of the restaurant. "Come with me for now."
Kurapika pulled down the brim of his hat and quickly followed Luo Ning's footsteps.
However, his expression had already become somewhat unnatural, and large tears were streaming from his eyes.
Luo Ning noticed Kurapika's small movements. After all, although Kurapika was trying his best to suppress himself, the sound of his sniffling still leaked out.
With a slight sigh, Luo Ning slowed his pace and reached out to take Kurapika's hand.
At this time, Kurapika was only thirteen years old. Furthermore, he had lived in his clan's territory since childhood and had only recently begun to come into contact with the outside world. Even though his experiences were already shedding his naivety, when faced with his only remaining family member, he still revealed his most fragile and authentic side.