Chapter 62 The Assassins of Kukuroku Mountain 05 The memories seem to be resurfacing...

Killua's blood seemed to freeze at that moment.

The black probe, almost blending into the wall, was like a cold eye, mercilessly reflecting the image of him embracing Alluka.

Under the gaze of this "eye," all emotions seemed to be instantly doused with a bucket of ice water, leaving only a bone-chilling cold and an immense sense of crisis.

His older brother knows!

He may have been watching all along!

This realization, like a venomous snake, instantly coiled around Killua's heart.

He unconsciously tightened his grip on Alluka's arm, not out of tenderness, but out of an extreme sense of protectiveness and fear.

He suddenly looked up, his sharp blue cat eyes fixed on the probe, as if he could see through it the black-haired figure on the other end who controlled his fate.

"Brother?" Alluka keenly sensed Killua's stiffness and sudden change in emotion. He raised his small face, his tear stains still wet, his big eyes filled with confusion and a hint of unease. "What's wrong with you?"

“…It’s alright.” Killua’s voice was a little hoarse. He forced himself to look away from the camera and looked down at Alluka, trying to force a reassuring smile, but the coldness in his eyes could not be completely hidden.

He couldn't show any unusual behavior here, under Illumi's gaze.

Not at least not now.

Time is running out.

The woman said she only had ten minutes.

Killua crouched down, placed his hands on Alluka's thin shoulders, and spoke quickly, his voice extremely low: "I'm leaving."

"Why?" Alluka's little face instantly fell, her eyes quickly filling with tears, filled with reluctance and grievance. "Brother just arrived..."

"I'm sorry." Killua's heart ached as if it were being pricked by needles. He reached out and wiped away Alluka's tears with a gentle touch that he himself didn't even realize. "But I promise, I will come back here again, and I will definitely find a way to get you out of here. Believe me, okay?"

He will definitely come back here later, but he must leave immediately. He must not let his elder brother catch him in the act, and he must not implicate that audacious butler outside.

Alluka pouted, but finally nodded vigorously, her little hands gripping Killua's clothes tightly: "Yes! Alluka believes in brother! Brother, you must come and pick us up soon!"

Killua nodded solemnly, hugged Alluka tightly, then resolutely stood up and walked towards the door without looking back.

He dared not look at the lingering, reluctant gaze of the person behind him, afraid that he would not be able to resist staying.

Killua pushed open the door and strode out.

"Click".

The door was opened.

"Young Master Killua!" Ayana, who was nervously guarding the entrance, immediately came to greet him when she saw him come out.

She keenly noticed that Killua's expression was off, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart. She tentatively asked, "Is everything... going smoothly inside?"

Killua suddenly looked up at her, a storm brewing in his blue eyes: "Do you know there are surveillance cameras inside?"

Ayana's face turned pale instantly. "Surveillance footage?!"

She gasped softly, her heart sinking.

She never expected that Illumi would have installed surveillance cameras inside the room where Alluka was imprisoned.

"I don't know... I really..."

Seeing her panicked state, which didn't seem like she was acting, Killua's anger subsided slightly, but his chill intensified.

He didn't know if the woman was genuinely unaware of the situation or if she was deliberately luring him into it.

But there's no point in pursuing this now.

"Get out of here immediately." He interrupted her, his voice as cold as ice. "Forget everything that happened today until my brother comes back, or we'll all die."

After saying that, Killua disappeared from Aiana's sight without waiting for her response.

He was moving even faster than he had come, as if a demon were chasing him.

Ayana stood alone, her hands and feet icy cold.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission: Arrange for Killua and Alluka to meet. Points are being distributed.]

Upon hearing the system's voice, Ayana retraced her steps and returned to her room silently as quickly as possible.

She wasn't sure if Illumi had seen the surveillance footage or if he would guess that she was the one who helped Killua meet Alluka, but she knew she had to return to being the obedient butler before that airship returned.

Meanwhile, on the other side of a distant continent, in a suite of a luxury hotel.

Illumi has just finished communicating with the client and confirmed the payment of the final balance.

He casually picked up another portable terminal screen that was on the coffee table.

The screen lit up, showing Killua and Alluka embracing, and later Killua's shocked and cold gaze when he discovered the surveillance footage.

Illumi looked at his younger brother's defiant eyes on the screen, tilted his head, and let his long black hair fall down his shoulders.

He stretched out his slender fingers and gently tapped Killua's face on the screen. There was no emotion in those empty cat eyes, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.

"As expected... Killua is still a child, and his growth requires more of my intervention."

Illumi muttered to himself, his tone flat, yet carrying a chilling decisiveness.

A black needle suddenly appeared at his fingertips, gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the dim room.

*

As night fell, the roar of the airship's engines grew louder as it approached, eventually coming to a stop on the helipad near the main residence.

Illumi is back.

As is customary, Ayana greeted them at the door along with the other butlers.

She lowered her eyes, her posture submissive, and could feel that familiar gaze sweep over her without lingering, just like always.

Illumi said nothing and went straight to his room.

But this calm only made Ayana more uneasy.

The calm before the storm is often the most oppressive.

After dinner, Ayana suddenly received instructions from Wutong.

"Ayana, Young Master Illumi requests your presence."

They've arrived.

Ayana's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure: "Yes."

She went straight to Illumi's room, knocked twice on the door, and heard a calm, unwavering voice from inside.

"Come in."

Ayana opened the door and went inside.

The door closed behind her, shutting her out of the outside world.

Illumi didn't sit down immediately, but stood by the window, looking at the deep night outside.

Only a dim wall lamp was on in the room, which made his slender figure appear even longer and more enigmatic.

“This afternoon,” he said, his back to her, his voice devoid of emotion, “was anything unusual while I was away?”

Ayana steadied her breathing and carefully chose her words as she replied, "Young Master, there is nothing unusual. I have completed my daily training as instructed and have not left the designated area."

"Is that so?" Illumi slowly turned around, his black, hole-like cat eyes seeming to suck away one's soul in the dim light.

He walked towards Ayana step by step without making a sound, yet he exuded an invisible sense of oppression.

He stopped in front of Ayana, looking down at her.

Then, he raised his hand, and there was that black thought nail between his fingertips again, which he slowly turned in front of her eyes.

“Killua went to see Alluka today,” Illumi said calmly. “Someone helped him open that door.”

He seemed quite surprised, and then said, "Oh, Ayana, you don't not know Killua and Alluka, do you?"

"As the Zoldyck family's butler, even though you are my direct butler, you should have heard of these two people, right?" he asked one question after another.

Ayana felt like her blood was freezing.

She forcibly suppressed the urge to tremble, raised her head, and tried to show appropriate surprise and a hint of fear in her eyes: "Young Master, I have indeed heard of the names of Young Master Killua and Young Master Alluka, but I do not know that Young Master Killua went to see Young Master Alluka."

"I was unaware of this."

Ilmi tilted his head, seemingly observing the changes in her facial expression: "You don't know?"

He repeated, the tip of the nail almost touching her skin, the icy touch sending chills down her spine.

"I truly do not know," Ayana insisted, her back already soaked with cold sweat.

She was betting that Ilmi had no solid evidence, or that he had ulterior motives.

Silence filled the room, each second feeling like torture.

Just when Ayana was about to give up, Illumi suddenly withdrew the Nen Nail.

“Yes, I believe you,” he said, his tone even gentle, but the emptiness in his eyes remained undiminished. “After all, no one can do this easily without my permission. Maybe I’ve overlooked some other little bugs.”

Illumi sat down, as if the questioning from before had never happened.

"Alright, that's all, you can go now." He waved his hand, his attention seemingly no longer on Ayana.

Ayana felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and it took almost all her strength to maintain a steady pace as she left the study.

Only after the door closed again, separating her from that dangerous presence, did she lean against the wall of the corridor, breathing slightly, feeling as if she had just walked through the gates of hell.

Did he believe it?

No, that's impossible.

Illumi is definitely not someone who is easily fooled.

There can only be two reasons why he let her go.

Alternatively, he might need her as a useful and cost-effective tool for the time being.

Or perhaps he has a deeper plan, such as using her to further interfere with Killua.

Either way, it means she is still in extreme danger.

As for Killua...

Ayana felt heavy-hearted.

Illumi's "interference" will likely soon befall that silver-haired boy who has just begun to recall a sliver of warmth.

Meanwhile, inside the room.

Illumi picked up the internal communicator, connected to the servants' room, and issued the command in a flat, emotionless voice.

"Bring a glass of milk to young master Killua and watch him drink it."

The person on the other end of the communicator responded respectfully, "Yes, Master Illumi."

Illumi put down the communicator and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.

"Disobedient children need proper nutrition to grow better," he murmured to himself, a hint of almost pleasure finally flashing in his empty cat eyes.

The glass of milk that was about to be delivered to Killua's room gleamed ominously under the light.

*

The warm glass of milk was respectfully placed on Killua's bedside table by the servant.

"Young Master Illumi instructed that you must finish drinking it." The servant lowered his head, his voice flat.

Killua glanced at the glass of milk, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashing in his blue cat eyes.

He picked up the cup without making a sound, brought it to his lips, and pretended to drink.

However, just as the liquid was about to touch his lips, his keen sense of smell detected a bitter scent that clashed with the milky aroma.

It doesn't seem to be a deadly poison, but rather a potent anesthetic or sedative.

really.

Killua sneered inwardly, but his face remained calm.

He put down his cup, looked at the servant standing at his sides, and said in a voice with a hint of arrogance befitting a young master of the Zoldyck family, "Is there anything else you want to tell me, brother?"

The servant stiffened almost imperceptibly, still keeping his head down: "No, Master Illumi was just concerned about your sleep."

"Concerned?" Killua scoffed, suddenly standing up from the bed, his speed so fast that he left only a blur in the air.

The next second, he appeared in front of the servant, one hand gripping the man's throat like an iron clamp, and slamming him against the wall!

"Ugh!" The servant was caught off guard and let out a short, mournful cry, his eyes filled with terror.

"Speak!" Killua's eyes were sharp as knives as he stared intently at the other man. "What exactly does he want?"

The overwhelming sense of oppression made the servant tremble, but he seemed to have been rigorously trained, clenching his teeth and refusing to reveal a single word.

Killua's patience ran out.

He knew perfectly well that under his elder brother's control, these servants were nothing more than puppets, and he couldn't get any more information out of them.

Keeping this person around would only let the eldest brother know that he has already discovered the situation, thus alerting the enemy.

The murderous intent flashed and disappeared in an instant.

There was a soft "crack" sound, like the sound of a cervical vertebra breaking.

The servant's head tilted to one side at an unnatural angle, the terror in his eyes froze instantly, and the breath of life quickly dissipated.

Killua released his grip, letting the corpse slump to the ground.

He remained expressionless, as if he had merely disposed of an insignificant piece of trash.

Killua looked at the still steaming glass of milk with a cold gaze.

Just then, the door to the room was silently pushed open.

Illumi stood at the door, still expressionless, his long black hair hanging down his shoulders, his empty cat eyes sweeping over the corpses on the ground before finally settling on Killua.

He showed no surprise whatsoever, as if he had anticipated this scene.

"As expected, Xiaoqi has improved." Illumi's voice was flat and even carried a strange sense of satisfaction. "It seems that the daily anti-poison training has not been in vain."

He slowly walked into the room, ignoring the corpse on the ground, and went straight to the glass of milk, picked it up and gently shook it.

"What a pity, what a waste of a good glass of milk." Illumi put down the glass and turned to look at Killua, his black hole-like eyes seeming to suck people in. "However, being able to confirm Killua's growth, this glass of milk is worth it."

Killua's muscles tensed as he stared warily at Illumi: "What exactly do you want, big brother?"

"What do I want to do?" Ilmi tilted his head, seemingly finding the question amusing. "I'm just making sure my most important younger brother is on the right path."

His gaze swept meaningfully towards the direction of the back mountain, his tone remaining calm, yet carrying a strong desire for control.

"Stay away from people and things you shouldn't be involved with, focus on becoming stronger, and become the perfect successor to the Zoldyck family. Isn't that right, Kirito?"

Killua clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.

He looked at Illumi, at his brother who had tried to control everything about him since childhood, and his anger and rebellion surged within him, almost unable to suppress the question that was about to burst out of his chest.

However, just as Killua was about to speak, a sudden feeling seized his thoughts.

Like a rusty gear being forcibly jammed, the urge to resist seemed to hit an invisible yet resilient wall, and was irresistibly pushed back.

There seems to be something loose in my mind that is being forcibly reinforced by some force.

This feeling was fleeting, yet it left Killua momentarily dazed and confused.

The rage that had almost consumed his reason was like being doused with ice water. Although it wasn't completely extinguished, it became distant and blurry, making it difficult to muster enough strength to face his elder brother head-on.

Illumi still tilted her head, her empty cat eyes staring at him without blinking, as if admiring the subtle changes in his facial expressions.

He took a small, seemingly casual step forward, closing the distance between himself and Killua. His slender fingers unconsciously twitched, and the black Nen nail had already disappeared.

"Xiaoqi seems very angry?" Illumi's tone was tinged with an almost naive inquiry, but his eyes were devoid of any warmth. "Is it because your older brother is concerned about you, making you feel uncomfortable?"

Killua opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

A strange sense of compliance was interfering with his will.

He frowned, trying to concentrate and fight off the eerie feeling.

Killua seems to have forgotten something.

“I…” His voice was a little dry, with a hesitation he himself didn’t realize, “I don’t need this kind of concern.”

Illumi nodded slightly, seemingly accepting his statement, yet with a tolerant air of "the child is ignorant, so adults shouldn't blame him."

“I understand, Killua has grown up and has his own thoughts,” he said calmly, but his gaze was like an invisible spider web, wrapping around Killua layer by layer. “But there are some boundaries that cannot be crossed. There are some people and things that are dangerous to you and will prevent you from becoming stronger.”

His words seemed to possess a hypnotic power, permeating Killua's senses.

Killua felt a slight dizziness. Some warm memories seemed to be separated by a layer of glass, becoming less clear, and he couldn't recall them no matter how hard he tried.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the uneasy feeling, a hint of struggle and confusion flashing in his blue cat eyes.

"I'm tired, big brother." Finally, Killua looked away, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness.

His instinct was to end the conversation, to be alone, and to clear the jumbled thoughts in his mind.

Illumi's lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly, the curve so small as to be barely perceptible.

"Okay, get some rest." He got the result he wanted and didn't linger.

Illumi turned and left the room silently, just as he had come, without even glancing at the corpse on the ground.

The door closed gently.

Killua stood alone, looking at the cold corpse on the ground, and then at the untouched glass of milk.

He rubbed his temples hard, feeling as if something very important was becoming blurry, like a stone about to sink into deep water. He tried to grasp it, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Illumi was walking down the quiet corridor, feeling the Nen nail connected to his consciousness at his fingertips.

He was extremely satisfied.

The intervention was very successful.

His little Qi will always be his most perfect creation, his most obedient younger brother.

As for that small destabilizing factor?

Illumi's empty cat eyes gazed in the direction of the butler's quarters.

He seemed to be pondering something, then tapped his head, an idea popping into his mind.

He felt that his memory seemed to be somewhat inaccurate.

And it's because of that woman.