Uvogin and Kortopi's bodies had been temporarily buried underground, but this was not a permanent solution. Chrollo intended to bring them back to Meteor Street for a proper burial once the situation in Yorknew City was resolved.
"Shalnark, Pakunoda, Hooker—none of you will participate directly in the fighting this time," Chrollo said calmly. "The enemies we're about to face are stronger than the last. Frankly, the three of you don't have the combat power for this kind of confrontation. Shalnark, I want you to try hacking into Yorknew's surveillance systems and provide us with intel. Pakunoda, Hooker—you'll assist him."
Shalnark and Pakunoda's lack of combat strength was well-known, but Hooker's case was different. He had real fighting capability. The reason he was pulled from the frontline wasn't ability—it was trust. Chrollo no longer had complete confidence in him, and Hooker understood that. He didn't argue. His role and identity were... complicated.
Chrollo then turned to the others.
"We don't know exactly how many opponents are coming, but it shouldn't be more than six. Likely two, maybe three or four. We'll split into small teams based on that."
He laid out the formations.
"Franklin and Bonolenov."
"Nobunaga, Hisoka, and myself."
"If there are three enemies, we go with this arrangement. If it's two, Franklin and Bonolenov will remain on standby to support. If it's four, I'll handle one alone."
Nobunaga glanced toward Hisoka with visible displeasure. He never liked the man. And now they were going to be on the same team? But he also knew that after Uvogin's death, he didn't have any other strong partners left. Pairing with Hisoka was a tactical necessity.
"This setup is final. No one's allowed to question it," Chrollo said firmly. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on NovєlFіre.net
Then Shalnark raised a new idea.
"Chrollo, Ron is incredibly strong. Could we try commissioning him for help? He accepted Machi's request, so it stands to reason he might accept one from us too."
That caught the attention of several members. Ron's strength had left a deep impression on them. If they could secure his assistance, their chances against the Underworld Mafia would improve drastically.
Chrollo looked intrigued but hesitant. "But what could we offer him? Nen users at his level aren't moved by small things. And the Phantom Troupe has already spent most of our valuable resources."
When they had hired the Zoldycks to assassinate the Ten Dons, they'd already used up the most valuable items they'd spent years collecting. What could they possibly offer now that would interest Ron?
Someone suggested using what had been offered to the Zoldycks. "If we fail this time, killing the Ten Dons won't matter. What's happening now is more important."
Chrollo fell silent, thinking it over. Then he turned to Hooker.
"Hooker, did you get Ron's contact information?"
"I got an email address."
"Send him a message. Tell him we want to hire him."
The email was sent shortly after. Hisoka glanced at Chrollo but said nothing.
Meanwhile, Killua was watching Milluki.
"Brother, still can't get through to Cousin Ron?"
Milluki shook his head. "He's probably busy. You wanted to show him your new ability?"
"I wanted his advice," Killua replied.
"What about my advice?" Milluki asked, clearly displeased.
"I'd rather not," Killua answered bluntly.
Milluki's expression soured. "Killua, you think I'm not your match when it comes to Nen?"
"You threatened me at home last time. You do realize I could've killed you instantly, right?"
Killua looked at him calmly. "But you're not stronger than Cousin Ron, are you?"
"That's different. Ron started learning Nen earlier than I did."
"But you're older than he is."
"My ability isn't combat-oriented."
"Even so, the gap between you and Ron isn't small."
Milluki's face twitched, and he muttered through gritted teeth, "You don't want the Greed Island login access anymore, is that it?"
Killua immediately backtracked. "I'm sorry, Dear Brother. It's my fault. Please don't hold it against me."
"Hmph. That's more like it."
Milluki paused, then said seriously, "Among the brothers, you have the most talent—even more than me or Big Brother. Even Kalluto can't compare. That's something both Father and Grandfather have confirmed."
"But Ron's different. He's not part of our direct line. He was raised by Great-Grandfather himself."
"If Great-Grandfather personally trained him, it means Ron's talent is extraordinary—possibly even beyond yours. And the kind of training he received can't be compared to what we had."
"Ron's strength is natural. It's normal for him to be that strong when you combine all of that."
"Father and Grandfather are harder to gauge, but based on my estimates, Ron's current strength probably surpasses Big Brother's."
Milluki paused again before continuing.
"I've been learning more about what Ron went through over the years. His power didn't come from talent or training alone—it's also tied to his own effort."
"You might have talent, Killua, but if you don't work for it, or if you go the wrong way, you'll never catch up to Ron."
Killua looked at him with a slightly different expression. Milluki had never spoken to him with this kind of seriousness before.
"I understand, Brother."
His face grew solemn as well. Milluki nodded and said no more.
Killua turned his gaze toward the room. Gon was inside, trying to develop his own abilities, but progress was slow. Leorio, meanwhile, had gone out to the Bull Market again. After learning the extent of Killua's and Gon's strength—and hearing about Kurapika—Leorio had become deeply envious. He had asked them to teach him more about Nen: Ren, Zetsu, Gyo. But like Ron before them, Gon and Killua had turned him down.
Leorio had no choice but to wait for the Hunter Association to assign him a mentor.
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