Everyone turned quickly at the sound of the voice.
A few figures stood ahead, blocking their way.
"We discovered this place. We can’t let you just stroll in."
Kaizen frowned slightly.
Those who came here were no strangers to danger. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ noveⅼfire.net
They had the power of perception and were quite clever.
They hadn’t directly shared their findings, but they hadn’t completely blocked access either. Instead, they had suggested negotiating terms.
This would provoke resistance, but it wouldn’t be strong enough to prevent compromise.
This group aimed to maximize their benefits.
"In fact, it’s not just the Zoldyck family pursuing this for profit," one of them explained. "Others are here for the same reason. But some act on emotion."
"There’s no right or wrong in these approaches, just different personal styles."
Soon, several factions had reached an agreement.
A member of the Aiyi family stepped forward to speak with Kaizen and the others.
"The deal’s been made. You can all enter, but once you’re in, no one knows what will happen."
"Whether you go in or not is your choice."
"If you don’t enter, you’ll forfeit the 10 million monks."
Life and death after entering is in your hands.
"Everyone here is a seasoned nen user, so I’m sure you understand the rules."
A passage appeared in front of them, opening up to a mountain wall.
There, hidden in plain sight, was a cave, well-concealed and nearly impossible to detect from the outside.
It had been purely by chance that the entrance had been found.
One by one, the group began to walk in.
Kaizen was among the last to follow.
Suddenly, a figure caught Kaizen’s attention.
He recognized them immediately.
It was Franklin, one of the members of the Phantom Troupe.
Franklin, known within the organization as a calm and reliable figure, was an Emitter with the ability to turn his aura into dual machine guns.
In the original events, his personal strength wasn’t shown in detail, but Kaizen could sense that Franklin was no weakling.
"Franklin’s power is still greater than mine right now," Kaizen thought. "From Uncle Silva’s analysis, it’s about a B-level strength."
"The Phantom Troupe can’t be underestimated."
Though Kaizen wasn’t worried. Franklin was in his twenties, while Kaizen was still just under twelve. By the time Kaizen reached his twenties, he was confident he’d surpass Franklin.
Franklin caught Kaizen’s gaze and briefly looked back, but Kaizen had already turned his eyes away, ensuring he wouldn’t be noticed.
Soon after, Mond turned to Kaizen.
"Kaizen," Mond said quietly, "once we’re inside, we should stick together."
"The situation in there can be unpredictable. Traps are the least of our concerns."
He understood the unspoken meaning in Mond’s words.
Once inside, traps and mechanisms wouldn’t be the greatest danger.
The real threat would come from other people.
These people were competitors, and once inside, they could easily split off and turn on each other. The dynamics would change, and those with malicious intent might strike.
Mond entered the cave first, and then it was Kaizen’s turn.
An all-too-familiar aura surrounded him.
Kaizen’s eyes widened slightly.
"The same kind of aura I felt from Kolossim and Ganlu Temple."
"It’s no wonder the Kurta could hide so well for so long."
"All this time, they’ve been hiding their nen."
"Seems like the Kurta tribe might have been using a movable form of nen, just like Kolossim."
Kaizen’s interest piqued immediately.
It was more powerful than a Nen tool, with far more potential.
If used correctly, it could defeat enemies across multiple levels—or even multiple opponents.
Kaizen longed for a Nen that powerful.
But Kolossim’s Nen belonged to Fiora Kingdom, and Ganlu Temple’s Nen couldn’t be moved.
Kaizen couldn’t get his hands on either.
But now, the situation with the Kurta tribe’s Nen was different.
This Nen was likely mobile.
It didn’t matter if he brought it back to Zoldyck Manor or kept it elsewhere.
Furthermore, the fall of the Kurta tribe was a tragedy that couldn’t be undone.
There were too many Nen users in this place.
In addition to the Phantom Troupe, there was also the Aiyi family.
And there were contractors like Kaizen.
Kaizen wasn’t interested in the Red Eyes. He was more focused on acquiring the Nen abilities of the Kurta tribe, though others might have different intentions. They were all hunting for the Kurta tribe’s Red Eyes.
Kaizen didn’t have the power to protect the Kurta tribe, nor did he have any obligation to do so.
He was a member of the Zoldyck family—what was the point of risking his life for a tribe he’d never met?
Moreover, Kaizen knew he couldn’t save them.
If there were only a few Nen users, Kaizen could rely on the Zoldyck family’s reputation to intimidate them into backing off. But with so many people around, would they really fear the Zoldycks?
In the original events, after Silva killed Phantom Troupe’s No. 8, Chrollo actively sought revenge, which made Silva’s life more complicated.
And in the case of Yorknew, Chrollo still attempted to steal abilities from Silva and Jeno, despite working with Illumi.
Chrollo showed no fear of the Zoldyck family.
This wasn’t just any gang family.
It was an empire, linked directly to the Kakin royal family.
The same empire that was about to push V5 into V6.
Kaizen learned during his time in Fiora Kingdom that powers on the scale of V5 didn’t fear the Zoldycks.
Even common folk in these empires felt no trepidation toward the Zoldyck name.
This was the pride of a grand nation.
Kaizen could only think one thing: "I have to acquire that!"
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