Book 7: Chapter 44: Jie and Killua

Release Date: 2026-05-09 17:22:33

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Volume 7 Chapter 45: The Battle Begins »

Qin Lun lifted the curtain and watched the middle-aged gentleman’s car slowly disappear at the end of the street.

This “Ten Dons” member would not stay in Yorknew City any longer, but he left Qin Lun a team of elite mafia gunslingers and hired assassins. Among them were Nen Ability users, a power unique to the syndicate of the Yorbian continent.

Of course, Qin Lun’s command authority lasted only for the next day. If this force was not completely wiped out by tomorrow, they would no longer follow his orders once the mission was revoked.

“Mr. Qin Lun, you previously asked us to pay attention to anyone contacting Kurapika…” A man in black suddenly entered the room and whispered into Qin Lun’s ear.

“Oh, friends of Kurapika?” Qin Lun glanced at the newly appeared prompt in the Death Notice and could not help but grin. “Good news really do come one after another. Bring them here to see me!”

This mafia member was not one of the assassins left by the middle-aged gentleman, but one of the original surveillance team members. After Qin Lun left, the surveillance room, which was modified from an ordinary residence, was found by the Troupe before it self-destructed, resulting in very few survivors.

Qin Lun had originally given up on the remaining mafia members, but after receiving the middle-aged gentleman’s call, he immediately took command of them again. He sent one of them to monitor Kurapika and Melody’s movements, which eventually led to contact with Jie and Killua.

“You are Jie, and you are Killua?” Qin Lun looked warmly at the two spirited boys in front of him and reached out his hand to them. “I am Qin Lun, a friend of Kurapika!”

“No, you are not Kurapika’s friend. He would not consider you a friend!” Jie and Killua glanced at each other, and Jie said with a serious face, “Why did you ask us to come here?”

Qin Lun’s fake smile froze on his face. He pondered for a moment and finally said helplessly, “Alright, I am not Kurapika’s friend, just his collaborator in dealing with the Phantom Troupe.”

“Now I know why Kurapika refused to let us join the operation no matter what!” Killua pointed at Qin Lun and turned to Jie. “He must have been afraid this person would be a bad influence on us!”

Hey, you two brats, did you have to be so blunt? I’m sitting right here! A vein throbbed on Qin Lun’s forehead, and he couldn’t help but rub his temples. He felt a headache coming on.

“You are being a bit rude, aren’t you? Do you still want to know our plan to deal with the Troupe?” Qin Lun said discontentedly.

“Yes!” Jie and Killua turned their heads at the same time, their eyes shining as they looked at Qin Lun.

“Then you have to follow my arrangements!” Qin Lun grinned and said with a smile.

“No!” Jie and Killua shook their heads in unison.

“Don’t you want to know the plan?” Qin Lun asked in surprise.

“Yes!”

“Then follow my arrangements…”

“No!”

“Fine, I’ll tell you the plan first, and you can decide for yourselves!” After staring at the two boys for a while, Qin Lun deflated like a punctured ball into his chair. He had to grit his teeth and admit defeat—these two kids were much harder to deal with than Kurapika.

“Killua, what do you think?” After listening to Qin Lun’s explanation, Jie turned and asked his companion.

“The plan is just so-so!” Killua nodded with a smug look. “If it’s just about containing them, we should be able to help.”

Just so-so? Qin Lun’s eyelid twitched. For some reason, these two kids always made him feel furious.

“Do you want me to give some suggestions?” Qin Lun asked with a smile.

“No!” Jie shook his head without hesitation.

“We will help Kurapika, but in our own way!” Killua said with a blank expression. “And… your smile is so fake!”

“Alright, you’ve heard the plan. I won’t see you out!” Qin Lun said expressionlessly, swirling his wine glass to signal the end of the meeting.

“Hahaha…” After Jie and Killua left, Rand, who had been eavesdropping in the next room, came in and laughed heartily without restraint. “I must tell Shepherd and the others about what happened today!”

“Are you close with Hill and them?” Qin Lun took a faint sip of his wine.

“Not close. I haven’t even been to the Prisoner Gathering twice!” Rand shook his head with a stern face, but before closing the door, he said quietly, “But I heard you are very close with them. Hahaha!”

“Crack!” The sound of a shattering wine glass came from the room.

“Whew!” Qin Lun shook the broken glass and wine off his hand and let out a heavy sigh, as if trying to expel all the frustration in his heart.

However, after a while, the young man slowly revealed a genuine smile.

Both boys had instincts like wild beasts. One was straightforward and passionate, with an unshakable will, while the other was sharp and sensitive, with a calm and intelligent mind. Compared to Kurapika, these two kids probably had even greater potential—no wonder they became influential historical figures in this world.

Anyway, with their help, the plan should go more smoothly. Qin Lun looked out the window at the two figures gradually disappearing downstairs.

Although Jie and Killua never cooperated with Qin Lun from start to finish, after hearing the plan, they would likely make the right choice. They would know what actions to take to truly help Kurapika.

And helping Kurapika naturally meant helping Qin Lun, regardless of their intentions.

“I didn’t feel any pressure from those two kids. Their combat strength probably isn’t enough to take on any Troupe member.” Qin Lun poured himself another glass of red wine and slowly swirled it.

“However, with their alertness and beast-like instincts, they should be able to hold off the Troupe for a while. That alone makes the plan more complete.”

…

“Killua, after we finish this, let’s take Kurapika into ‘Greed Island’ with us!” After leaving Qin Lun’s room, Gon suddenly said seriously.

“Why?” Killua seemed thoughtful but also a bit reluctant.

“That Qin Lun gives me a bad feeling. I don’t want Kurapika staying with him. Besides, wouldn’t it be more fun if we all played the game together!” Gon scratched his head, leaned on Killua’s shoulder, and said pleadingly.

“Alright, alright, I can’t refuse you!” Killua spread his hands helplessly, but he sighed heavily in his heart and glanced back at the window of Qin Lun’s room.

Jie, your intuition is right! That guy is shrouded in bottomless darkness. Even I, as a young master of the Zoldyck Family, felt a bone-chilling cold. How could Kurapika not be “contaminated”?

…

“Kurapika, can we trust that Mr. Hisoka?” Qin Lun asked calmly as he looked out the window at the bustling crowd.

“I’m not sure, but the Troupe information he provided last time was accurate. Those people’s Nen Abilities were all displayed during the second attack.” Kurapika frowned and thought for a moment.

Hisoka sent a brief message to the young man at noon today, revealing that Kuroro did not keep his promise to go to the amusement park alone.

The Troupe did not intend to exchange the real auction items for the hostages. Kuroro was accompanied by a full nine Troupe members, with only Pakunoda and Shizuku, who were responsible for gathering intelligence, staying behind in the church.

“Regardless, we cannot entrust our fate to someone else’s words. Only our own eyes are reliable!” Qin Lun swirled his wine glass and turned with a smile. “Right, old Mr. Zeno?”

At this moment, besides Qin Lun and Kurapika, there was one and a half other people in the room. The one complete person was an old gentleman wearing a short jacket.

This old gentleman had white hair and eyebrows, and he looked very old, seemingly no different from an ordinary elderly person. However, on the front of his short jacket, there was a white cloth strip sewn with the words “One Murder a Day,” giving off an intense killing aura at first glance.

He was the current head assassin of the Zoldyck Family—Zeno Zoldyck, also Killua’s grandfather.

During the Troupe’s second attack on the auction last night, he and another current assassin of the Zoldyck Family, his son Silva Zoldyck, were hired by the representative of the “Ten Dons” to eliminate the Troupe members inside the Graveyard Building.

During the Troupe’s attack, the two encountered the Troupe Leader Kuroro, who had infiltrated the Graveyard Building.

However, when the battle reached its climax, Illumi Zoldyck, who was hired by Kuroro, called to say that the clients, the representatives of the “Ten Dons,” had all been wiped out. Thus, the battle ended inconclusively.

However, to the Zoldyck Family’s surprise, there was still one survivor among the “Ten Dons” representatives. Their chairman, the “Ten Dons” who controlled the underground world of the Yorbian continent, managed to escape this mortal danger thanks to Neon’s Divination Poem.

Since the clients were not all dead, the Zoldycks’ act of letting Kuroro go became a failure to eliminate the target. This was clearly a disgrace that the Zoldyck Family, as professional assassins, could not tolerate.

Therefore, Zeno and his son had to accept a supplementary commission from the surviving “Ten Dons” member. They had to assist Qin Lun in today’s action plan to make up for last night’s failure.

“Young man, I hope you’re not all talk!” Zeno rolled his eyes and stroked his white beard calmly.

Qin Lun chuckled lightly but did not provoke the old assassin further. His earlier remark was both a response to Kurapika and a sarcastic comment on the Zoldycks canceling the mission without personally confirming the clients’ deaths.

In fact, this was a common flaw among Nen Ability users in this world, similar to Kurapika’s respect for the Troupe’s strength.

In this old assassin’s mind, although he was hired by the “Ten Dons” representative, he clearly looked down on these ordinary people. That was why he canceled the mission without personally verifying the clients’ deaths, relying only on a phone call from his grandson Illumi.

If the client had been someone as powerful as Kuroro, even if Illumi called, Zeno and Silva would likely seek further confirmation. After all, this world had too many unique Nen Abilities, and it was hard to say whether Illumi might have been deceived by some illusion.

“Mr. Qin Lun, the hot air balloon surveillance team has observed a new development. The Troupe is on the move!” While the three and a half people in the room were waiting, a man in black pushed the door open excitedly and reported a new development to Qin Lun.

«Volume 7 Chapter 43: The Ten Dons

Index

Volume 7 Chapter 45: The Battle Begins »