Book 7: Chapter 24: The Chase

“We’ve recruited someone really dangerous!” Liza put down her phone and sighed, her smile bitter as she looked at Yin. “This Qin Lun… perhaps not physically stronger than the Phantom Troupe members, but in cunning… few could match him. He’s a viper!”

“Mmm. We both got the Phantom Troupe intel at the same time. We gambled, just focused on tightening defenses. Yet he’d already planned a big surprise for the Troop. No wonder he asked us to help gather explosives from the Mafia two days ago. Looks like all twenty-plus kilograms of that TNT ended up stuffed inside that puppet doll.”

Yin shrugged helplessly. “Thankfully, he’s on our side and didn’t help those monsters from Meteor Street… Honestly, I really wanted to stick around and see if he could actually get the better of the Phantom Troupe!”

“That’s too dangerous! He’s a Meteor Street thug! He doesn’t fear death; we’re nothing like him!” Liza shook her head, her expression gloomy. “Besides, I’m a Manipulation Type focused on disguise. You specialize in Perception. Neither of us are powerhouse fighters. Let’s not wade into that mess.”

“Alright. Then we’ll do that thing for him, consider it repaying the favor!” Yin nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“Mmm. According to his analysis, there shouldn’t be many guards left there. If we’re going to act, now’s the time!” Liza said cautiously.

“Agreed!” The two exchanged a glance, then immediately dashed off, swiftly vanishing into the darkness of the night.

…

“No, No…” Neon’s screams echoed through the top-floor suite. The young lady of the Nostrade Family woke up to discover she’d missed the Auction entirely. Her temper flared once more.

“That beast Dalzollene! He didn’t even wake me! Where is he now?”

“Ms. Neon, a huge incident occurred at the Auction,” the maid Arissa explained what had transpired. “All the bidders are missing. A huge explosion happened at the scene. It seems Shachmono, Ivanov, and Baise ran into trouble too. Captain Dalzollene has gone to handle it.”

“Is that so?” Neon quieted down, a worried look on her face. “I hope they’re okay…”

Maid Arissa exchanged a look with her sister Eliza, a small smile tugging at their lips. Though spoiled, Neon had a kind heart. Even though she often yelled at Dalzollene, she genuinely cared for her subordinates, never acting like a haughty young mistress. She was truly concerned for the guards’ safety.

“They’ll be alright!” Eliza stepped forward, handing the phone to Neon. “Miss, it’s your father.”

“Daddy! When are you getting here?” Neon’s voice sounded lonely.

“Okay, fine…” After the call ended, Neon’s mood noticeably improved. She looked up cheerfully. “Daddy says he’ll arrive tomorrow! If the attack is resolved, he’ll come with me to the Auction!”

“Miss Neon, I’m afraid you won’t be attending any auction.”

Just as Neon rejoiced, the suite’s window shattered with a deafening crash. A nimble, masked figure broke in from outside.

The moment he entered, the masked man moved swiftly. His hands lashed out like knives, swiftly knocking Eliza and Arissa unconscious.

“Wh-Who are you?” Neon shrank back fearfully, grabbing a fluffy teddy bear to use as a shield.

“Relax. I won’t hurt you,” the masked man said, polite as any noble, even offering a small bow. “I just need you to disappear for a few days!”

“Huh? Your voice sounds familiar…” Neon suddenly frowned, a strange expression crossing her face.

“My apologies!” The masked man cut her off, not wanting to linger. He leaped forward, delivering a precise chop to the back of Neon’s neck.

The masked man grabbed a coat from the room, draped it over Neon’s shoulders, and placed a wide-brimmed hat on her head. Leaning the unconscious girl on his shoulder, he pushed open the suite door.

In the living room, Squala, the Dog Handler, sat on the couch. Yet, seeing the masked man supporting Neon, he smiled instead. “Yin? All settled?”

“Hehe. Those maids were just ordinary people; they didn’t have time to react.” The masked man supporting Neon pulled off his mask, revealing Yin’s smiling face. “What about you, Liza? Handled the outside?”

“It was just as Qin Lun said. They’d all gone chasing the Phantom Troupe. Only five guard dogs remained in the hallway!” The figure that looked like Squala approached, taking Neon from Yin. “Luckily, I disguised myself as Squala, fooling them nicely.”

“Let’s go then. Take her to hide in that little town in the suburbs. Once things calm down here, we’ll send her back to the Nostrade Family.” Yin took off his dark stealth suit, straightening the collar of his white jacket.

…

Stepping out onto the street, Qin Lun glanced at the Love Hotel building. Fine cracks spiderwebbed its outer wall, making him curl his lip disdainfully. He wasn’t a demolition expert; twenty-plus kilos of TNT had been more than he’d known what to expect.

But looking now, the blast wasn’t nearly as big as he’d pictured. Inside that freezer, he’d only felt a slight tremor. All that tension for nothing.

A touch of regret filled him. If Yin and Liza had given him several times more TNT, enough to collapse the whole Auction Building outright… he might have managed to kill one or two Troupe members.

“Franklin is an Emission Type Nen user. The ability he revealed was Machinegun Hands. That girl Shizuku is likely Conjuration. Her Nen Ability is Blinky, a conjured vacuum cleaner. As for Feitan…”

The memory of Feitan made Qin Lun’s expression turn serious. “Gannett’s Left Eye” had shown him the inhuman speed of that sharp-eyed youth during the final moments.

In the explosion’s instant, Feitan had conjured something like a miniature sun. It largely nullified the blast’s energy directed at the trio. Otherwise, Franklin would have been injured; Shizuku, being the weakest, would probably have been crippled or killed outright.

“That guy is likely Transmutation or Specialization. His strength places him at the pinnacle even among High-Rank Apostles. Ruthless, decisive – easily Joey’s equal. Planning against him is beyond my current capabilities.”

Qin Lun stroked his chin, his consciousness diving into the glowing letters of the ‘Death Notice’. On the quest list, he circled Feitan’s name separately.

Now, the Main Quest section displayed more details:

‘Carnage Feast (Lieutenant Colonel Rank): Apostle 70053 has joined the Hunter Side of this Historical Plot! Main Quest content begins: The Apostle must kill one or more official Phantom Troupe members within this world’s remaining time. Reward based on specific targets and quantity slain.’

[According to current intel: Hunter Side – Kurapika (ability unknown), other members unknown.]

[Phantom Troupe – Feitan, Franklin, Shizuku. Other members unknown.]

[Feitan: Transmutation or Specialization. Extremely dangerous. Recommend abandoning this target. Abilities: Metallic Body Refining, High-Level Pyrokinetics.]

[Franklin: Emission Type or physically modified Enhancement Type. Abilities: Machinegun Hands.]

[Shizuku: Conjuration Type or Manipulation Type (via rare creature). Abilities: Conjured Vacuum ‘Blinky’.]

‘Quest Failure Penalty: Deduct 30 Soul Lifespan Points, reduce Soul Life Limit by 15 points. Upon departure from this world without quest rating, additional penalties apply.’

‘Special Note: Killing three or more Troupe members grants immediate Gold Quest Rating upon return. Killing six or more elevates rating to Mid-Magic World Silver. Destroying the entire Troupe (including Leader) elevates rating to Mid-Magic World Gold.’

‘Warning 1: Once aligned with a faction, combat actions fall under this World Law. Example: If confirmed aligned with the Phantom Troupe, the Apostle is recognized under World Law as a Peripheral Member of the Troupe.’

‘Warning 2: An Apostle undergoing Class Change who fails to gain a Quest Rating upon return will be forcibly deducted 50 Soul Lifespan Points by the Shattered Starry Sky and have Soul Life Limit permanently reduced by 20 points.’

The altered quest details matched Qin Lun’s expectations—except one lingering confusion: that first warning. It had turned grey the moment he’d confirmed aligning with the Hunter Side. It meant the Shattered Starry Sky now deemed the warning’s implied consequence impossible.

‘Kurapika and the Mafia thugs should’ve spotted the Troupe trail by now.’ Qin Lun started the car, screeching out of the alley. After a quick scan of the streets, he drove determinedly towards a specific direction.

While driving, Qin Lun pulled out his phone and dialed Kurapika.

“Qin Lun?” Kurapika’s voice, hesitant, crackled from the speaker. “Where are your trio? What happened at the auction hall just now?”

“We weren’t at the venue. The ‘Ten Dons’ suspected the Phantom Troupe might strike but only moved the auction items. They didn’t deploy their elite Shadow Beasts.”

Qin Lun chuckled lightly into the phone. “They’re certainly rushing over now. The Syndicate drastically increased bounties on the Phantom Troupe. Each Troupe member is now worth 2 billion Jenny.”

A faint whistle sounded from Kurapika’s end—likely his comrades hearing the bounty figure. Qin Lun smiled inwardly. His reason for calling was precisely to recruit cannon fodder for the endgame. He couldn’t have Kurapika fighting alone.

The deep hatred Kurapika held made abandoning the chase unthinkable. Qin Lun didn’t know the original outcome, but with his ambush landing the first blow, the coming clash would be more brutal. Kurapika currently lacked allies; Qin Lun resolved to bolster the ‘Hunter Side’. Revealing the enormous bounty aimed to bolster Dalzollene’s men, smothering their fear of the Troupe, pushing them to fight alongside the desperate teenager.