Shalnark looked at Chrollo and hesitated slightly.
"Boss, what about Uvogin and Kortopi?"
Chrollo was silent for a moment.
"Preserve their bodies for now. Once this is over, we'll bring them back to Meteor City for burial."
"And Shalnark—about replenishing the Troupe's numbers, I need you to take that more seriously."
So far, the Phantom Troupe had lost three members: Machi, Uvogin, and Kortopi.
They were in dire need for some new blood.
..........................
Ron noticed a figure catching up behind him. He turned and saw Hooker approaching, expression calm.
If it had been the entire Troupe, Ron might have taken it seriously. But just one person? Not worth his concern.
"Is there something you need?"
"Ron, sir—I was one of the victims at Experimental Base No. 2. When I escaped from Aurean and was being hunted by the Underworld Mafia… you were the one who saved me," Hooker said quickly. "You also told me that if I had nowhere to go, I should head to Meteor City. I never forgot that."
Hooker gave a deep bow.
Hearing his words, Ron finally remembered. He had indeed helped someone like that before and said those words.
"No need for thanks," Ron said, waving a hand. "It was just something I did in passing."
"No, maybe for you it was casual—but for me, it meant everything. Without you, I wouldn't be alive today—I'd have died back then."
"Please, let me have a way to contact you. If there's ever anything you need help with, I want the chance to repay the life you saved."
Ron hesitated, then nodded.
He gave Hooker an email address.
"If I need you, I'll reach out. For now, go back. Looks like your Phantom Troupe's situation isn't looking so good."
Ron turned and left. This time, Hooker didn't follow.
Ron walked toward the Yorknew district, specifically to the hotel he had arranged earlier. After completing the transaction with Machi, he had given her this address.
Hooker returned to where the rest of the Phantom Troupe had regrouped.
Not long after, news of the biological squad's complete annihilation reached the Underworld Mafia. The Ten Dons received the message first—and exploded in anger.
In the Underworld Mafia's meeting room, Oster was summoned once again.
This time, the Ten Dons were even more aggressive than before.
"Park, these were the people you sent?"
"Where did you get the confidence to say those things could kill the Phantom Troupe?"
"And look what happened!"
"The Troupe's fine—and your entire squad is dead!"
"Park, we need an explanation. Were you playing us before?"
The Ten Dons had some knowledge of Nen, but not enough. If they had, they wouldn't have relied so much on the Shadow Beasts.
In reality, the Shadow Beasts weren't that strong. But given the Mafia's limitations, they simply couldn't hire top-tier Nen users—there was nothing to attract them.
So the Ten Dons had no clear concept of the Troupe's true power. To them, the Shadow Beasts and the biological squad were comparable in strength.
And both had been wiped out.
If that was the case, then what had they gained by giving Oster so many resources? It seemed like a complete waste.
Oster had promised so much before. Now the Dons felt misled and were furious.
"My entire squad was wiped out?" Oster was momentarily stunned.
Truthfully, this went beyond his expectations. He hadn't done deep research on the Phantom Troupe, but from what he knew, they were just an A-rank criminal group. Even the Shadow Beasts had caused them some trouble.
But the experimental squad he had sent was far stronger than the Shadow Beasts. Why had they been completely destroyed? Was the Troupe really that powerful? Just an A-rank bounty target?
It didn't make sense.
"What about the Troupe's casualties?"
"Minimal. They barely suffered anything."
Oster's expression flickered. His interest in the Phantom Troupe grew.
"Bosses," he said after a pause, bowing slightly, "I swear I didn't deceive you. The experimental subjects really were much stronger than the Shadow Beasts. If you don't believe me, we can run a test."
"I still have two left."
"There are backup Shadow Beasts, too." This text is hosted at novel⦿fire.net
"Let's pit them against each other. I guarantee my test subjects will crush the Shadow Beasts. If they don't, you can punish me however you want."
One of the Dons snorted.
"Then why did they fail?"
"Because the Phantom Troupe's strength was beyond my projections. The gap between them and the Shadow Beasts is enormous. It's not that my test subjects were too weak—it's that the Troupe is too strong."
"I'll go personally this time. I'll bring my last two test subjects and take down the Phantom Troupe myself. I'll bring them back to the lab—turn them into experimental weapons to serve the Underworld Mafia."
One of the Dons smiled.
"Now that's more like it. But Park—are you sure you can do it?"
Oster was fully confident in his own strength.
He knew exactly how strong he was. He had already reached the peak of A-rank Nen users—just a step away from touching the S-rank threshold. In aura, ability, experience, and technique, he had no weakness.
No matter how strong the Phantom Troupe was—how far could they go?
Besides, the two test subjects he had left were highly unique.
One was the most successful product of Experimental Base No. 2.
The other... was its greatest failure.
But failure didn't mean weak.
On the contrary, that failed subject was extremely powerful.
Just... hard to control.