Book 7: Chapter 38: One Move Behind

Qin Lun walked out of the noodle shop and glanced back, a meaningful smile curling his lips. Instead of heading toward the battlefield, he turned and slipped into a shadowed alley beside the shop.

Tap tap tap! Deep inside the alley, Qin Lun stopped in front of an entirely unremarkable house. He knocked on the door in a rhythmic pattern.

“Mr. Qin Lun!” A massive man dressed in a black suit emerged after the door opened. He cautiously scanned the surroundings before beckoning Qin Lun inside.

“Is everything ready?” Qin Lun inquired coolly.

“All prepared exactly as you instructed, sir. The observation balloons are already airborne!” The imposing man bowed respectfully.

“You will follow my orders, no matter what, correct?” Qin Lun gave a faint smile as he stepped into the house.

Inside the ordinary-looking house now sat an array of surveillance equipment. Flickering screens showed camera angles positioned high above – nearly all the streets around the Graveyard Building lay clearly visible from this aerial view.

“Yes, Mr. Qin Lun! The representative of the Ten Dons instructed our team. Any order from you, even if it means certain death, must be obeyed!” The big Mafia man swallowed hard, a bead of sweat the size of a pea rolling down his forehead.

“Hehe, relax, I won’t be sending you to die.” Qin Lun lightly patted the big man’s shoulder and said offhandedly, “The person I instructed you to locate, have you found him yet?”

“N-no, not yet!” The mobster eagerly pulled over an armchair for Qin Lun to sit in, then softly explained, “Based on the description you gave, we’ve searched all afternoon today. We haven’t seen him anywhere in Yorknew City. Unless he’s deliberately hiding… then that person might not have come to Yorknew City at all.”

“Could my judgment have been wrong?” Qin Lun muttered almost inaudibly. He turned his gaze to the surveillance screens, his voice flat. “No matter. The explosives are planted, correct?”

“Yes, Mr. Qin Lun! We leveraged our connections at City Hall. City construction crews planted the dynamite at the exact locations and structures you specified. The remote trigger is installed right here on the console.” Whether the room was too warm or not, the mafioso discreetly wiped away sweat.

“Mmm, good work.” Qin Lun swept his eyes over the row of red buttons on the console but said no more. He quietly watched the screens displaying the raging battle.

Upon receiving his Main Quest, Qin Lun had used every means possible to force Kurapika into an alliance. However, the youth couldn’t possibly place his full trust in Qin Lun, just as Qin Lun wasn’t about to put all his eggs in Kurapika’s basket.

Kurapika was a crucial weapon and trump card against the Troupe, but he wasn’t Qin Lun’s ideal tool. Qin Lun was a master schemer, exceptionally skilled at leveraging power. If he didn’t utilize Yorknew City’s vast Mafia forces, he would have truly lost his mind.

By capturing the surveillance footage of the auction attack and orchestrating Uvogin’s death, Qin Lun had successfully earned the Mafia’s trust.

When contrasted against the utter defeat of the Shadow Beasts, the Ten Dons’ representative in Yorknew had readily handed Qin Lun a team of men. They blocked off streets, deployed surveillance balloons, and planted directional explosives per his orders. Had the assassins hired by the Mafia not been so arrogant, the Ten Dons’ representative would have even wanted Qin Lun to lead them against the Phantom Troupe.

Unfortunate! Time was far too short. Even knowing the Troupe would launch a frontal assault on the Graveyard Building tonight, he could only secure an initial advantage. If he had just one more day, Qin Lun felt certain he could eliminate at least half the Troupe. With three days, the Phantom Troupe would become nothing but a name in the history books!

Qin Lun tapped the desk slowly with his finger, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

Excluding Uvogin, eight Troupe members remained. They were divided into four groups, visible on the screens. Including the group led by their Leader Kuroro, four remained unseen. Some must have already infiltrated the Graveyard Building. They were all active – Kuroro needed to be present. He was undoubtedly among those who penetrated the building.

That left three Troupe members unaccounted for… Qin Lun pondered, rubbing his chin. He turned back to the big Mafia man. “You’re absolutely certain the location of the Ten Dons’ representatives is completely secure?”

“Without a doubt! Not even Mafia insiders know the representatives’ whereabouts. Communication is strictly by phone. It’s impossible for the Phantom Troupe to find them.” The mafioso replied with full confidence.

“Mmm.” Qin Lun felt marginally reassured. He had no desire to lose the Mafia’s backing after tonight. ‘Capture the leaders first’ was always sound strategy; surely the Phantom Troupe would think of it too.

But if even Mafia members themselves were in the dark, the Troupe would struggle to find the representatives within such a tight time constraint.

“Oh, what sort of organization is the Zoldyck Family?” Qin Lun suddenly recalled the two assassins Kurapika had mentioned, observing the battle on the screen. He casually threw the question at the mafioso.

If Kurapika specifically brought them up, even if the Zoldyck assassins weren’t marked as being on the Hunter Side of the Death Notice, their Nen Abilities were surely exceptional.

Leveraging every resource possible was always Qin Lun’s guiding principle.

“Well…” The big man sounded almost reverent. “The Zoldyck Family is a lineage of professional assassins. They hold a peerless reputation in their world. Rumor is they’ve never failed a contract. Even their children, mere toddlers, are highly skilled killers. We in the Mafia treat killing as a means of intimidation, for achieving goals… but for them, murder is a true profession. They’re on a different level.”

“Oh? A record with no failures?” Qin Lun chuckled lightly, noncommittal.

“Yes, sir. The few times they didn’t complete a job, it was only because the client withdrew the contract, or the client themselves went missing… or died,” the big man explained respectfully.

“Contractors missing or dead… then the Zoldycks abandon the mission?” Qin Lun’s pupils contracted sharply. “Is knowledge of the Zoldyck Family’s arrival common among all Mafia personnel?”

“Of course! Since the Shadow Beasts were completely wiped out, the Ten Dons’ representative wanted to use this to solidify everyone’s confidence in restarting the Auction!” The big man looked slightly puzzled at the sudden line of questioning.

If the average Mafia grunt knew, then the Troupe definitely must be aware too!

Qin Lun’s expression darkened. He fixed his gaze on the big man, his voice slow and deliberate. “If the Mafia contracts the Zoldyck Family, must the Ten Dons’ representatives meet them in person? And if the Zoldycks accept the Mafia’s contract… can they also accept a contract from an opposing force? A contract to kill?”

“Y-yes! Contracts at that level absolutely require the Ten Dons’ representatives themselves to attend…” The big man suddenly paled, his words stumbling out. “I… I’ll call them immediately to confirm!”

He realized the horrific implication: If the representatives had met with the Zoldycks in person… then at least the killer family knew their hiding place. And if the Troupe had also hired the Zoldycks? Then the representatives’ lives were in grave danger.

Too late! The fighting had already been underway for a while. The ten representatives sent by the Ten Dons were likely dead already. That meant after tonight, Qin Lun could kiss Mafia support goodbye.

One move behind. The Troupe had scored a point! Qin Lun’s face flickered between shades of fury. His fingernails slowly dug into the soft flesh of his palms.

The one thing he took grim comfort in was this: Once he took charge of this Mafia team, he had instructed its leader to cease all contact. The Ten Dons’ side wouldn’t know this team’s location either. It shouldn’t expose their position here.

“The call’s connected! They’re okay! They’re asking about our situation!” The big man exclaimed with relief, a hand cupping the phone.

“Give it to me!” Qin Lun’s expression shifted abruptly. He snatched the phone from the big man’s hand with startling roughness.

Scratch… Hiss… Static crackled faintly on the line. Qin Lun took a slow, deep breath and spoke softly into the receiver. “Which member of the Zoldyck Family are you?”

“…Illumi Zoldyck.” After a moment of silence, a barely audible voice came through. “Where are you?”

“I’m not your target. Your task is already complete. Gathering intelligence for the Troupe… that certainly isn’t part of your contract duties anymore, is it?” Qin Lun stated flatly.

“Heh… You’re interesting. Kuroro’s really found himself a match this time.” The near-silent voice sounded again through the static. “Your name?”

“Qin Lun.” Qin Lun responded tersely and immediately crushed the phone in his hand.

“The Ten Dons’ representative…” The big Mafia man behind Qin Lun was now drenched in sweat.

Shink! A black gleam flashed in the air. The big man stared at Qin Lun, disbelief etched onto his face. Hands clutched his throat as blood gushed out like a spring. He crumpled to the floor.

“Take him away!” Qin Lun pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped off his Dagger of Sin with practiced ease. Face impassive, he resumed his seat before the screens. The news of the Ten Dons’ representatives’ deaths absolutely could not leak now. If it did, he might lose control of this Mafia squad entirely.

After the big man’s corpse was dragged away, his second-in-command stood behind Qin Lun. Uncertainty and suspicion flickered in his eyes. Qin Lun, however, paid no heed to the underling’s feelings. His focus was on the surveillance screens. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed slightly. For the first time, a flicker of predatory delight broke through the gloom on his usually emotionless face.

“So you did come. The two Main Plotlines do intertwine after all!” Qin Lun watched a slightly stooped figure appear on one of the screens. His mouth stretched into a wide grin, revealing a flash of unnaturally stark white teeth.

“Go. Deliver this note to this person.” Qin Lun ordered the subordinate behind him, handing over a folded slip of paper. “Don’t you dare peek at what it says. I’ll be watching you on the monitors. If I see you disobey… your predecessor is your example.”

“Yes, sir!” Faced with Qin Lun’s icy glare, the man scrambled to obey.

“It’s time we began.” Qin Lun shifted his gaze to the other screens. A cold smile twisting his lips, he pressed one of the red buttons on the console.

BOOM!

A massive explosion suddenly rocked a building near the Graveyard Building. The tall structure teetered like stacked building blocks, then began to crash down upon the factions locked in fierce gunfire below.