Book 7: Chapter 37: The Second Person on the Hunter Side |
The massive explosion was like the opening note of a war symphony. Gunfire and shouting erupted from all directions across the block centered around the Graveyard Building.
“These bastards! This neighborhood isn’t just full of gangsters; there are many innocent people too!” Kurapika suddenly stood up, looking out the window at the panicked pedestrians fleeing for their lives, his expression a mix of shock and anger.
“From the sounds, it seems like all the roads connecting to this block are engaged in battle.” Melody closed her eyes and listened for a moment, her face turning pale. “It looks like the Troupe has really deployed many people. They plan to encircle and wipe out the Mafia… Huh, Kurapika, where are you going?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to break a hole in the Troupe’s encirclement so those innocent people can escape the crossfire.” Kurapika clenched his fist tightly.
“Have you already forgotten the lesson so quickly?” Qin Lun said calmly. “If you fail, you’ll only cause more casualties.”
“…” Kurapika was stunned, his expression extremely complicated. He glanced out the window and slowly sat back down.
“That’s more like it!” Qin Lun smiled slightly. “Since you’d rather have blood on your hands than see the Troupe eliminated, I’ll naturally help you.”
Qin Lun pulled out a densely written letter from his pocket and handed it to the two. “From last night until now, the Troupe has done a lot, and I haven’t been idle either. This is the Nen Ability information on the members who have already made a move.”
Kurapika and Melody exchanged surprised glances, took the letter, and began reading it carefully.
A cold light flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes. “Your ability specifically targets the Troupe. It seems incredibly powerful but actually relies heavily on the element of surprise. Once the Troupe fully understands your ability, you’ll be defenseless.”
Kurapika frowned, his expression somewhat dismissive.
“Haha, you think I’m exaggerating?” Qin Lun said with a laugh. “The Judgment Chain can force a target into a state of ‘Zetsu.’ That ability is indeed powerful; no Troupe member can resist it. But don’t forget, the prerequisite for using this ability is that you must first bind them.”
“Some Troupe members are around your age, but they’ve had to fight for survival since they were born. Every thug who survived to adulthood in Meteor Street is a battle-hardened veteran. Once they know the secret of your chain, there’s no hope of it ever touching them.”
Qin Lun spoke seriously. “Look at these seven Troupe members on this list. First, consider Feitan, Nobunaga, and Finkes. Feitan is small in stature but moves as fast as lightning. With that fighting style, even without knowing about your chain, you couldn’t catch him.”
“Nobunaga is a swordsman. Unless you take his long sword away first, it’s hard to imagine him being bound by your chain. There’s no information on Finkes’s Nen Ability yet, but from the basement surveillance footage, we can see his mobility is on par with Feitan’s. He’s a strong fighter who balances power and Agility.”
“Then look at the young woman Machi and the cheerful boy Shalnark. Machi uses needles and thread as weapons. Her specific Nen Ability is unknown, but I suspect she’s the Troupe’s medic. Infusing powerful Nen into needles and thread would be enough to entangle with your chain, so she’s also a target to avoid.”
“Shalnark is likely a Manipulation type Nen Ability user. He uses a cell phone to control puppets in battle, and no other abilities have been observed yet. Until his puppets are used up, you won’t be able to handle him quickly either.”
“His role in the Troupe is probably intelligence gathering and disguise, which also means he rarely chooses to fight to the death. He might retreat as soon as his puppets are gone.”
“Overall, out of these seven Troupe members, the opponents you have a chance of binding are only Franklin and Shizuku, plus the already deceased Uvogin. Franklin’s Nen Ability is a machine gun from his hands. To capture him, you’d have to rely on a surprise ambush. Otherwise, we might end up severely injured ourselves.”
“As for Shizuku, she might be the weakest link among all the Troupe members. Besides Uvogin and Franklin, she’s currently the only one you have hope of catching with your chain in a direct confrontation!”
Kurapika and Melody looked at Qin Lun with strange expressions, as if the person sitting before them wasn’t human but some kind of alien creature.
“You… have you really never had any contact with the Troupe in Meteor Street before?” Kurapika couldn’t help but ask.
“Well, actually, I wanted to ask you too. Kurapika and I are seeking revenge for our clan and comrades. But why are you hostile to the Troupe?” Melody asked curiously.
“Adventure and curiosity are my only pursuits. Fighting strong opponents greatly satisfies these desires.” Qin Lun said with a grin. “Because the Phantom Troupe is strong, they are the prey I crave. Even without the mission to assist the Mafia, I would find an opportunity to fight them.”
“I believe you!” Kurapika suddenly sighed, his expression odd. “You remind me of someone I know. In fact, I saw him just last night.”
“Oh, is he a friend of yours?” Qin Lun’s eyes lit up. He remembered Melody saying that Kurapika wasn’t in the basement because he went to see a friend, which helped him avoid the Troupe’s attack.
The Hunter Side only had Kurapika so far. If there were a few more combatants, the success rate of capturing Troupe members would be much higher.
“That freak is not my friend; it was just a transaction!” Kurapika’s face darkened. “His name is Hisoka. I met him during the Hunter Exam. He’s now joined the Troupe with the goal of fighting the Troupe Leader, Kuroro.”
“Is he strong?” Qin Lun acted as if he didn’t hear Kurapika comparing him to a freak. He just looked at the new prompt on the Death Notice, his eyes slightly brightening. Although Hisoka was currently part of the Troupe, in the Main Quest, he was classified under the Hunter Side.
Hisoka was the second companion from the Hunter Side to appear in Qin Lun’s sight. And given Hisoka and Kurapika’s differing stances, it seemed Hisoka might be Qin Lun’s best partner.
In other words, Kurapika was no longer indispensable in Qin Lun’s mind…
“Very strong. Even now, I’m not his match!” Though reluctant to admit it, Kurapika nodded honestly.
“So, once the Troupe’s numbers are reduced to a certain point, he can help us contain the Troupe Leader.” Qin Lun smiled. “What was your transaction with him?”
“He gave me some intel on the abilities of certain Troupe members. Besides the ones you just analyzed, there’s also info on the Troupe Leader and another woman named Pakunoda.” Kurapika said cautiously.
Though Qin Lun had seen the Troupe Leader Kuroro Lucilfer at the airship dock, he didn’t know Kuroro’s Nen Ability. After Kurapika explained it to him, he immediately realized that his decision not to follow onto the airship back then was very wise.
Kuroro’s Nen Ability was called “Skill Hunter.” It allowed him to steal other Nen users’ abilities and record them in his materialized “Bandit’s Book.” However, once the original owner of a stolen ability died, that ability would vanish from the book.
Kuroro had founded the Phantom Troupe for some years now. The number of outstanding Nen Abilities he had stolen was countless. Moreover, he himself possessed extremely high combat intelligence and was battle-hardened, truly deserving to be called the number one of the Phantom Troupe.
The other woman, named Pakunoda, worked with Shizuku and Shalnark in the Troupe to gather intelligence. Her Nen Ability was very mysterious. The known information Hisoka revealed to Kurapika was an ability called “Memory Reading.”
Pakunoda could touch an enemy’s body and extract their true, innermost memories, almost eliminating the need for interrogation entirely.
“Just by touching their body, she can get their memories?” Qin Lun was slightly stunned. This kind of Nen Ability wasn’t very useful in combat, but from a certain perspective, it was truly terrifying.
“Qin Lun, I know you originally chose Shizuku as the first target. But this Pakunoda seems to pose a greater threat to Kurapika. If the Troupe finds out about Kurapika’s ability, we’ll have completely failed. Shouldn’t you consider changing the target?” Melody asked worriedly.
“Haha, I haven’t chosen a target yet!” Qin Lun laughed and shook his head. He looked at the chaotic scene outside the noodle shop and said slowly, “The Troupe should already be aware of our existence, but their attention will be focused on me. They won’t act alone now; they’ve probably split into small teams of two or three.”
“Yeah, although the battle locations are far from us, I’ve listened carefully. There are currently four separate battlefields surrounding this block.” Melody closed her eyes to listen and spoke softly.
“The three of us will split up first for reconnaissance and communicate via cell phones. Once we confirm a target, we’ll regroup.” The waitstaff in the noodle shop had already all fled. Qin Lun stood up and walked towards the door. “That’s it then. Good luck to you both!”
“Melody, be careful!” After Qin Lun pushed the door and left, Kurapika said with a serious expression.
“Yeah, I’ll only listen from a distance!” Melody nodded with a smile. She paused, then asked the boy, “Kurapika, why didn’t you tell Qin Lun about Gon and the other two just now?”
“I don’t want to involve Gon and the other two in this matter. Gon and Killua have only just started learning Nen Ability, and Leorio hasn’t even begun learning it yet. Having them participate is just too dangerous.”
Kurapika said somewhat helplessly, “Besides, Dalzollene and the others already reminded us with their lives: cooperating with a devil like Qin Lun, if your strength is even slightly lacking, he’ll use you as bait and sacrifice. Gon and the others are my friends. I don’t want them to be harmed or killed by Qin Lun!”
“You’re right.” Melody nodded in agreement with a bitter smile. “Well then, let’s begin. Let’s give the Phantom Troupe a lesson they’ll never forget!