Chapter 50

According to Killua's original plan, Kalluto didn't actually need to do much. He just needed to make full use of his status as a member of the Phantom Troupe, stay quietly by Rai's side, and pass on some key information when appropriate.

“Those guys are terrifying,” Killua told Kalluto. “If anything happens, just prioritize protecting yourself and Rai.”

Kurt seemed to feel looked down upon, and gently lowered his eyes, his thick, raven-feather-like eyelashes falling down, making his porcelain-white face appear even more profound.

“I can do it,” he said softly, “...there won’t be any problems.”

Killua seemed a little distracted.

“Hmm,” he said worriedly, as if he were thinking about something more important, his tone revealing a hint of nonchalance, “Just do your best… Thanks, Kurt, it’s rare for us to work together.”

Kurt gripped the paper fan tightly in his hand.

...

To be honest, the idea that Killua could be of much use to Kalluto is viewed entirely negatively.

The Phantom Troupe is no pushover. Putting aside Kalluto's unpredictable personality and his tendency to side with Illumi, just dealing with the Troupe should be enough to give Kalluto a headache.

Indeed, Killua received no message from Kalluto until the appointed time to meet the Phantom Troupe arrived.

They had originally agreed that Kurt would be responsible for passing on the relevant intelligence.

“They must have been stopped,” Killua said. “...Anyway, just like we agreed, even if Kalluto provides the information, it will be difficult for us to distinguish between true and false, so it’s fine for me to go to the appointment alone.”

Gon frowned: "But... even if Killua's older brother and Kalmod are both with the Phantom Troupe, they can't necessarily guarantee your safety, right?"

“Indeed,” Killua looked up at the sky and said matter-of-factly, “Actually, I’ve always had a feeling that everyone always says that my family has high hopes for me, but if we’re really talking about who’s the most pampered, Illumi might actually be the most pampered one in the family. No matter what he does wrong, he’s quickly forgiven, and the punishments he receives after making mistakes… are nothing to that guy. Compared to punishment, not being able to achieve his goals is what drives him crazy.”

"So maybe I'll be killed this time... He might really want to kill me, after all, that's how my family is." He changed the subject, using the words he had just laid out as his conclusion.

"But there's nothing we can do, we just can't get along." With a mock sigh, Killua smirked, "Hopefully, at the crucial moment he'll consider that Dad and Mom don't want me to die, hesitate for a moment, and give us a chance to buy some time."

Gon looked serious. Killua, having spent so much time with him, could immediately tell what this single-celled creature was thinking.

"Don't worry," he said, "Just let me go alone. Everything will go according to plan. You just need to observe and provide backup... We can't all end up in this mess and just wait for Kurapika to come and rescue us!"

Xiao Jie murmured, "Isn't there a better way...?"

“This is the best we can do,” Killua said. “Have you forgotten that we were captured together before? We can’t let it happen again.”

After repeatedly finalizing the details, Killua walked away under Gon's worried but helpless gaze.

Once the piercing gaze that felt like a thorn in his back had completely disappeared, the stiff Killua finally pulled one hand out of his pocket, clenched it tightly a few times, then released it, while taking a deep breath.

Although his tone was light, he knew in his heart that every word he had just said carried a heavy weight. He had gone further and further astray from the path of becoming the Zoldyck heir, and Illumi might really want to kill him. This was a seed of evil planted long ago, and Rey might be the key catalyst.

Actually, it's better to let Gon go than to face the Phantom Troupe myself. Although he's not as quick-witted as me, he's bound to do something amazing. Besides, Gon's strength, talent, and beast-like intuition are truly terrifying...

But.

Killua raised his head, his gaze hardening.

...He should be the one to save Ray.

He has already backed down, run away, and disappointed her too many times. He can't keep going on this cycle indefinitely.

Even if facing the danger head-on isn't the best solution, he still...resolutely decided to take this gamble.

I am no longer the same as I used to be.

He silently repeated this to himself.

It wasn't just for Lei, but also to confirm that I had grown.

This time, I will absolutely not run away again.

...

As agreed, he arrived at the waiting area that Kuroro had prepared.

Perhaps to control variables, or perhaps for other reasons, Kuroro placed Kalto by his side.

This circle is only so big, and it's always just a few people meeting each other. Kuroro had already heard about the white-haired boy's identity, but he was as calm as if he were just facing an ordinary friend he met by chance.

"Did you come alone?" he asked Killua with a light laugh, his calm demeanor puzzling. "Were you abandoned by your friends?"

"This is none of your business," Killua retorted irritably.

His gaze lingered briefly on Kurt for a moment, then swept around the field—

Anyone with eyes can see that he's looking for Ray.

“She’s not here,” Kuroro said. “If you want to see her, come with me.”

Kurt didn't react in any particular way, and Killua knew that Rae was probably safe.

His nerves were still on edge, but he was much more relaxed than when he first stepped into the place.

"Is this necessary?" Killua even turned the tables on Chrollo, putting on a cool and aloof air as he said, "Anyway, you won't release them. If I go with you, it'll just give you one more hostage."

Kuroro smiled. Killua knew he was right.

However, by choosing to keep the appointment, he had already already put himself at a disadvantage, after all...

“Even so,” Kuroro said slowly, “you still got here, didn’t you?”

Killua: "..."

really.

Theoretically speaking, his presence here would not end well, but he was absolutely worried about Lai, so he had no choice but to show up.

"Hmph," a thought flashed through his mind, and Killua decisively changed his tone, saying, "What else can I do? Please, you kidnapped someone from our family after all."

With a hint of malicious provocation, his blue eyes emitted a faint, needle-like glint.

“Uncle of the Phantom Troupe—” he drawled, “I understand your desire to catch your enemy, but isn’t it a bit much to target our family? Didn’t Kurt tell you that even without my intervention, my brother wouldn’t let you off the hook.”

"You won't let him know about this," Kuroro said confidently.

“If we have to choose one path, let’s tell him it’s the best option,” Killua shrugged, fearless, though his palms were already sweating. “Although I look like a jerk and my family doesn’t have a good reputation, when it comes to choosing between a friend I’ve known for years and my sister-in-law… let’s leave Rai’s problem to Illumi, that way at least no one will get hurt.”

Kuroro fell silent.

He vaguely guessed that Killua and Rey were a separate faction that had split off from Illumi, so he tacitly agreed with Killua to keep this a secret from Illumi, since this choice was very advantageous to him.

But if Killua, having no other choice, decides to drag Illumi into it, things will get complicated.

But it's okay, he has thought of a solution.

“It does sound like a good option,” Kuroro said calmly, “but you’ve realized it too late…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Killua realized that his limbs seemed to be bound by something invisible.

Kuroro smiled: "Manipulation-type abilities are very suitable for this kind of situation... If you can't gain your freedom, how will you tell your brother?"

Killua: "..."

With a partial victory within reach, Kuroro casually put his hands back in his pockets, turned around, and said to Kurt:

"Since he is your [brother], then for the time being, you will help coordinate the cooperation with him. We only have one target, Kurt. Given the Chainhand's personality, even if we are just putting on an act, he will come to find out. This will be the prelude to the success of our operation."

Those dark eyes pressed down like lake water, burying you in the deathly cold depths of the lake.

Kurt took a step under the gaze of those eyes—

In an instant, a huge noise rang out from all directions, and the remaining Phantom Troupe members who were lying in ambush under Kuroro's command immediately took on combat stances.

Although Kuroro is quite capable in combat, in terms of pure fighting strength, he doesn't rank very high in the Phantom Troupe.

Positioned as a fighter, the agile Feitan instantly jumped out and stood beside him without needing to be ordered, preventing Chrollo from being taken hostage.

They silently excluded Kurt from the important plans.

In special circumstances, people will subconsciously activate every sense in their body, especially their eyes and ears.

White scraps of paper danced in the air like snowflakes. As former comrades, Feitan and Chrollo knew that this was Kalmod's ability. These seemingly harmless scraps of paper were sharper than metal blades at crucial moments.

Although they both possessed Nen abilities that could protect them, they still took precautions and scattered the scraps of paper in front of them.

An extremely bright white electric light expanded as they focused on dealing with the paper scraps—

It's that trick again!

Kuroro instantly realized his opponent's intention, but it was too late to close his eyes. The white light left a terrifying, dizzying halo on his retina.

...When the white halo dissipated and vision returned to normal, Killua and Killua were, unsurprisingly, gone.

They also took Rye.

—The abilities of the control system are indeed useful.

Kurt is also a pilot.

Feitan left Rei the moment he was protecting Chrollo, leaving only Shizuku and Phinks by Rei's side. Chrollo originally wanted to add Machi and use Machi's Nen strings to set a trap to ensure that Rei wouldn't get lost.

But Machi instinctively disliked Rai, always feeling a chill down her spine when she was around her, as if something bad was about to happen. So after setting up the Nen threads as Kuroro had asked, she stood a few steps away as a guard.

It was this tiny gap that gave Killua and Kal't their chance.

Killua's abilities are related to lightning; if he so desires, he can unleash extremely fast speeds in an instant.

After breaking free of his restraints, he easily picked up his younger brother, who was not yet fully grown, and sprinted forward. Kurt used his sharp paper fan to cut the Nen lines, and the paper doll he had secretly arranged controlled the little droplet, who was caught off guard and was easier to deal with.

Killua kicked the immobilized girl away, then unleashed a large amount of electricity on Phinks, who glanced at his companion unconsciously, before grabbing Rai with his other hand and leaving.

"Chase them," Kuroro said without hesitation.

He had only taken a few steps when his cell phone suddenly rang.

Kuroro glanced briefly at the caller ID on the screen, but remained unmoved.

The call was quickly cut off, and a text message followed immediately.

—I heard that Ray is with you.

—You promised me you wouldn't bother her anymore, and that things wouldn't work out between you two.

The cold-blooded Lady Adrian, whose mind was filled with nothing but the exchange of interests, was clearly at her wits' end with her daughter's willful departure.

Before Kuroro could respond, he heard a deafening roar, comparable to the noise Killua had orchestrated from all directions to rescue Rai—

Suddenly, all the communication devices around them simultaneously emitted a sharp ringing sound.

He probably located himself using his mobile phone and specifically instructed his subordinates to carry out this level of intimidation.

...Although I am not afraid of making enemies of the whole world, offending such a terrible intelligence dealer means saying goodbye to a peaceful life forever, without even a moment's respite.

Kuroro stopped in his tracks.

Nevertheless, it would be rather unpleasant to have him announce once again that the plan to track down the enemy had failed.

Noticing their leader's pause, the members, puzzled, also stopped and turned to look at Kuroro.

"What's wrong, Commander?" they asked.

A gentle breeze blows in my face.

Kuroro waited quietly for the gust of wind to pass before slowly saying:

"Plan changed... Let them leave first, and we'll use another plan."

At the same time, he was thinking about something else entirely:

He could easily locate himself and the tour group, yet he let his daughter wander alone for days...

Has that intelligence agent, Madam, failed to find her daughter's whereabouts these past few days, or has she simply not made the necessary effort to investigate further?

...Never mind, it's not important.

Anyway, he just can't get close to Lai. Even so, as long as he keeps track of these people's locations, he can still find his enemies.

"Really? We're going to use a completely different plan? Is that alright?"

Some group members raised questions.

"Didn't this plan fail too? If the other one fails as well, won't we miss another rare opportunity for revenge?"

"No, not at all," Kuroro said confidently. "We've all made a lot of preparations for this day, haven't we?"

“The lessons learned from past failures will surely lead us to success this time,” he said. “Think about it carefully. Even if the Chainhands want to come up with new tricks, do you think we don’t have the confidence to deal with them? As for the departure of Ray and Kurt, we knew from the beginning that our real target was not them.”

Almost at the same moment, Killua finally put down Kalluto and Rey. Before he could even steady himself, he felt a sharp pain in his leg, followed by a gust of wind—

Kal't suddenly launched a sneak attack on him, who was still exhausted after using his Nen ability.

He nimbly carried Lai onto the roof beam, looking down at his brother kneeling on one knee, and waved the fan in his hand.

“Kurt—”

Killua called out, and Kalluto vanished in a flash.

...Finally, I've been seen.

As he left, he thought to himself.

It's always like this; nobody takes him seriously.

If we can actually take some action, we can get extra attention.

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Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!