Morena's intel wasn't particularly detailed.
But now that the origins of the Ark were known, studying its rules became far more straightforward. There was at least a direction to pursue—it wasn't like blindly stumbling in the dark anymore.
Without this knowledge, even Illumi wouldn't have dared to use his puppeteered "Needlemen" to infiltrate and probe the situation. After all, Needlemen carried his aura. If any ability could trace aura back to the user, Illumi himself would have been at risk.
That kind of gamble wasn't something Illumi could afford.
But now that they understood the Ark's origin, they could reasonably deduce that the Ten Dons didn't have absolute control over it. Otherwise, the Ark would have been active at least once—it hadn't moved at all since its acquisition, according to the Underworld Mafia's records.
Meanwhile, news of the Phantom Troupe's attack on the auction had reached the ears of the Ten Dons.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Park, give us an explanation!"
"You said the Phantom Troupe had been dealt with! What's happening now?!"
The one in charge of Aurean immediately tried to contact Oster—but got no response.
Frustrated, he went personally to Laboratory No. 2 and forcibly opened Oster's secret lab—only to find it empty. No one there. Nothing inside.
When he brought this news back, the Ten Dons expressions darkened further.
"Park!" one of them spat, but quickly calmed himself. "There are two possibilities. Either Park was killed by the Phantom Troupe, and the Park who returned to Aurean was a fake… or Park made some sort of deal with them."
"The second scenario is less likely. We could offer resources that the Phantom Troupe couldn't possibly match. But it doesn't matter anymore."
"What matters now is how we handle this situation. The Phantom Troupe is still out there. And it's clear they're deliberately targeting us."
"We have to eliminate them. Kill them all—leave no survivors."
Another one of the Ten Don replied with a grim tone.
"And how exactly do we kill them? The Shadow Beasts were wiped out. Park is gone. Who do we even have left? Do you think ordinary thugs can handle the Phantom Troupe? Impossible."
Someone spoke up cautiously. "Didn't that bodyguard from Nostrad's group manage to take out a Troupe member?"
"That was pure luck," another shot back. "That Troupe member had already fought four Shadow Beasts and was gravely wounded when the Nostrad bodyguard struck. And even if that man could fight… he's just one person."
"The Phantom Troupe is truly vile… What did we ever do to them? Did we kill their parents or something?" someone muttered bitterly.
Finally, a long-silent Ten Don spoke up.
"Then hire assassins."
His tone was cold and decisive.
"It's obvious now: the Phantom Troupe is focused entirely on us. If we don't resolve this, our entire organization is at risk. We have no fighters left. Then we must look outside."
"There are many killers in this world. I refuse to believe none of them can match the Phantom Troupe."
"We have money. That's all we need."
This proposal quickly gained support. In truth, the Mafia had no other option left.
They immediately began contacting professional assassins—among them, the Zoldyck family.
The call reached Silva.
At present, Silva was head of the family.
"What do you think, Father?" Silva asked quietly, looking across the table at Zeno.
Zeno hesitated for a moment.
"What's Illumi's situation?" he asked.
"Illumi accepted a contract from the Phantom Troupe—to assassinate the Ten Dons. The price they offered is more valuable than what the Mafia is offering."
The Mafia could only offer money. But the Phantom Troupe's payment included something else—something of far greater value to the Zoldycks.
To a Nen-using assassin family like theirs, money was nearly worthless compared to that other reward.
"Let's at least go and take a look," Zeno said finally.
"Alright," Silva agreed. "I'll go with you. They're all in Yorknew anyway. It's been a while since I last saw them. This is a good opportunity."
If Silva had been a brand-new family head, Zeno wouldn't have spoken up. He would have let his son think and decide independently.
But Silva had proven himself competent enough in the role. Zeno no longer needed to hold back.
The Ten Dons, meanwhile, were receiving enthusiastic responses from hired killers.
With their high payments on the table, most assassins accepted.
"Excellent… excellent," one of the Dons murmured with a grim smile.
"These are elite killers—people who've taken countless lives. The Zoldyck family, the world's number-one assassin family. The world's number-two assassin family. I refuse to believe the Phantom Troupe can survive this." ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel✦fire.net
"This time… they will all die!"
But while the contract had been accepted, the assassins still needed time to travel to Yorknew.
Until then, it was still the Phantom Troupe's killing spree.
Hundreds of Underworld Mafia officers had already fallen to the Troupe's attacks.
......................
Outside the building, Kurapika stood alone.
On the surface, he was keeping watch. In truth, he was waiting for an opportunity. If any Phantom Troupe member approached and fell into an ambush… he would strike.
At that moment, a group of terrified Mafia soldiers came fleeing toward his position. Their faces were pale and panicked.
Something terrible was chasing them.
Kurapika's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Phantom Troupe?" he murmured, tension rising. He readied himself.
Behind them, Hooker appeared!
He was moving fast—blindingly fast.
His fingers were shaped into deadly claws.
With a sharp slash, he cut into his prey, each strike leaving wide, bloody gashes. One by one, the fleeing soldiers fell.
Kurapika made his move.
He had concealed himself carefully, hidden in the shadows. The instant Hooker passed near, he attacked without hesitation.
"Middle Finger—Judgment Chain!"
Hooker couldn't react in time.
With his Scarlet Eyes activated, Kurapika's Nen level was at least equal to Hooker's.
And more than that—his abilities were bound by strict vows and conditions…