Chapter 72 New Life 05 Three people hugging each other

At night, Ayana curled up in her sleeping bag in the corner, and could clearly feel the undisguised gaze in the darkness.

It wasn't just one or two gazes, but multiple gazes from different directions, like a spider web locking her firmly in the space of this abandoned warehouse.

This feeling of being watched from all sides almost drove Ayana crazy.

free.

She had just caught her breath from the whirlwind of the Hunter Exam and Illumi's pursuit, and had finally managed to find a job on her own, even if it was just a temporary security guard job. It was proof that she was able to survive on her own.

She cannot be confined like this, whether in the name of "protection" or "liking".

In the darkest hour before dawn, vigilance in the warehouse seemed to have relaxed slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Perhaps they thought she had resigned herself to her fate, or perhaps the long period of being watched had brought her exhaustion.

Right now.

Ayana suddenly sat up in her sleeping bag, her eyes instantly focusing with intense concentration.

She no longer held back and used her special ability, biomanipulation.

"Don't move!" she silently told herself.

A powerful mental fluctuation, like an invisible ripple, suddenly spread out from her center.

Uvogin, who was closest to her, had just made a move, wanting to approach as before, but suddenly froze in place, maintaining a comical half-standing posture, with only his eyes rolling in disbelief.

The same was true for everyone else; all their movements froze at that moment, as if a pause button had been pressed.

Kuroro was the only one present who reacted the fastest. The moment Ayana activated her ability, he seemed to sense the abnormal mental fluctuations. His body trembled almost imperceptibly, and a sharp glint flashed in his dark eyes.

But Ayana's ability was activated too suddenly and over too wide an area; it was too late.

Ayana dared not linger for even a moment. She knew that although her abilities were strange and powerful, she had to cherish every spare moment she could gain to escape when facing these monster-level Nen users.

She didn't even have time to glance at Kuroro before channeling all the power of [Powerful Amplification] into her legs and dashed out of the warehouse like an arrow.

She slammed open the heavily rusted metal barrier, her figure disappearing into the gray morning mist outside.

Behind her was a deathly silent warehouse, and the monsters she had forcibly frozen in place.

The frigid air filled her lungs, and Ayana ran desperately, not daring to look back.

She walked through the abandoned factory area and rushed into the city streets that were gradually beginning to awaken.

My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, a mixture of excitement at escaping and fear of the unknown road ahead.

Ayana realized that the upcoming pursuit would likely be more brutal than any before.

She deliberately chose to travel through narrow, crowded alleys, trying to use the complex terrain and the increasing flow of people to conceal her tracks.

We must leave this city as soon as possible.

Ayana still had a small deposit she had paid at the auction house, enough for her to buy a zeppelin ticket to leave the area.

However, fate always seemed to play the cruelest joke on her just when she saw a glimmer of hope.

Just as she turned a corner at an alleyway piled high with trash cans, trying to blend into a relatively bustling morning market street ahead, a figure leaned lazily against the wall at the alley entrance, blocking her way.

Tall stature, striking red hair, face painted with teardrops and stars, and that iconic clown costume.

It's Hisoka.

He was casually shuffling a deck of cards, his golden pupils like those of a predator eyeing its prey, precisely locking onto Ayana as she abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"Hmm~" Hisoka hummed in his distinctive tone, a twisted, excited smile playing on his lips. "Look who's here? A panicked little kitten?"

Ayana's heart sank to the bottom.

How could it be him?!

Of all times!

"Get out of the way, Hisoka!" She tried to remain calm and walked around him.

Hisoka stood in front of her, so close that she could smell his sweet yet dangerous scent.

"Don't be in such a hurry~" He stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and his eyes roamed over her body hungrily. "It was so hard to find you! Last time during the Hunter Exam, you got away~ I can't let you escape again this time~"

His twisted possessiveness and fighting spirit almost materialized.

Ayana had no doubt that if she fell into his hands, her fate would be no better than if she were in the Phantom Troupe, and might even be worse.

She might even become Hisoka's toy to satisfy his fighting desires, until she's broken and discarded.

"I don't want to fight you!" Ayana tried to back away, but there was a wall behind her, and she had nowhere to retreat.

"It's not up to you~" Hisoka's smile widened, the playing card between his fingers gleaming coldly. "Either you obediently come with me, or I'll pamper you here before taking you away~"

"Little kitty, which one do you like?"

A terrifying pressure of psychic energy surged forth like a tidal wave, carrying with it a viscous killing intent and a nauseating sense of excitement.

Ayana knew words were useless, so she took a deep breath and activated [Biomanipulation] again just before Hisoka was about to make his move.

"Don't move!"

She focused all her attention on Hisoka!

Hisoka froze abruptly as he was about to throw the playing card; the twisted smile on his face instantly vanished, and his body stiffened.

Ayana didn't dare to delay. She immediately squeezed past him, activated [Powerful Amplification] again, and rushed into the noisy morning market crowd without looking back.

She could feel the tangible gaze behind her, filled with excitement and murderous intent, like a thorn in her side.

She frantically weaved through the crowd, using her speed and the crowd as cover to try and shake off any potential pursuers.

But her misfortune is not over yet.

Ayana rushed out of an alley and came to a relatively open intersection, where she encountered another figure she least wanted to see.

The person stood quietly in the middle of the road, as if they had been waiting there for a long time.

Long black hair, pale skin, empty, lifeless cat eyes, and simple casual clothes.

He seemed completely unaffected by the growing crowd around him, his calm eyes fixed on the panting Ayana, as if looking at a long-lost, disobedient possession.

"I've found you."

Illumi's voice was flat and monotone, yet it carried a chilling desire for control.

Ayana abruptly stopped, despair washing over her like a bucket of ice water.

Illumi is in front, and Hisoka and the Phantom Troupe could catch up at any moment.

There was no doubt that she was in dire straits.

At that moment, she was horrified to discover that the passersby at the surrounding intersections, who had been hurrying along, suddenly became stiff and synchronized, their eyes vacant, and like puppets, they slowly surrounded her, blocking all possible paths.

Illumi actually used Nen needles to control all the ordinary people at this crossroads.

“You’re always like this, always causing me trouble.” Illumi slowly raised his hand, his fingertips gathering familiar Nen power, preparing to pierce her body with the Nen needles that controlled her once again. “This time, I won’t let you escape again.”

The feeling of being deprived of will and freedom struck again, terrifying Ayana more than any direct attack.

Looking at Illumi's expressionless face, and then at the wall of people around her with their empty eyes, a strong will to resist suddenly rose from the bottom of her heart.

No! She doesn't want to be controlled anymore!

Don't lose yourself again!

Just as Illumi's Nen needles were about to leave his hand, a resolute glint flashed in Ayana's eyes, and she once again activated [Biomanipulation] on Illumi.

"Don't move!" The same words.

She was getting tired from shouting.

Illumina's raised hand suddenly stopped.

The surrounding human wall, which was also being manipulated, instantly lost its command as Illumi was controlled, and stood frozen in place, creating an extremely bizarre scene.

Ignoring the dizziness caused by the severe depletion of her mental energy, Ayana activated [Powerful Amplification] again, bursting out from the gaps in the frozen crowd like a trapped beast breaking free of its snare.

She didn't even dare to choose a direction; she just wanted to get as far away from that terrifying intersection as possible.

Ayana ran across the street, knocking over a breakfast stall, drawing gasps and curses, but she paid no attention and just ran as fast as she could.

My lungs were burning, and my brain was throbbing with pain from overexertion of mental energy.

Just as she thought she had escaped again and rushed into a deserted dead end, a calm, still voice rang out behind her, like the tolling of a final judgment bell.

"It seems you really enjoy playing this game of hide-and-seek, Ayana."

Ayana's blood seemed to freeze completely in that instant.

She turned her head stiffly.

At the entrance of the alley, Kuroro stood quietly.

He was still wearing that simple black outfit, with no signs of fighting on his body, and even his breathing was steady and normal.

The morning light shone through the gaps between the tall buildings, falling on his profile and outlining his handsome yet cold features.

His dark eyes, like a bottomless, icy pool, silently gazed at Ayana at the end of the dead end.

Kuroro walked towards her step by step, his footsteps clearly audible in the quiet alley, each step feeling like a blow to Ayana's heart.

"Why did you run away?" Kuroro stopped in his tracks. "Wouldn't it be better to stay by my side?"

Kuroro sighed, his gaze suddenly becoming extremely focused as he looked intently at Ayana, and said, "Don't you like me?"

Several years ago, Kuroro confessed his feelings to Ayana.

He wasn't naive; he didn't blindly express his opinion without realizing what the other person was thinking.

Kuroro confessed his feelings only after confirming that Ayana liked him.

Ayana opened her mouth, as if to say something, but her throat was so dry that she couldn't make a sound.

like?

The word seems so pale and out of place in the current context.

Can liking something be a reason to be confined?

Does liking someone mean you can suppress her desire for freedom?

A bittersweet feeling, a mixture of grievance, anger, and helplessness welled up in Ayana's nose, making her eyes well up with tears.

What should she say?

Admit it? And then accept this cage in the name of "liking"?

Denial? Faced with his almost absolute "confirmation," denial seems so ridiculous and futile.

Just as her mind was in turmoil, struggling with how to respond to this fatal question, two figures suddenly appeared in the alley.

A figure, like a boneless snake, silently landed on the wall on one side of the alley. Red hair shone like a burning flame in the morning light, and the teardrops and star-like paint on his face carried a mocking and dangerous smile.

"Hmm~ Looks like the little kitten has come here~" Hisoka licked his lips, his golden eyes excitedly moving back and forth between Chrollo and Ayana. "Eh~ Does the kitten have another owner?"

Almost simultaneously, another figure appeared at the entrance of the alley, blocking the only way out.

A blatant killing intent filled the air.

Chrollo's gaze, which had been fixed on Ayana's face, slowly shifted, sweeping over Hisoka on the wall and Illumi at the entrance.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and the figures of the two uninvited guests were clearly reflected in his unfathomable black eyes.

Kuroro turned his head slightly, his gaze returning to the pale-faced Ayana. His voice echoed clearly in the narrow alley, tinged with an uncontrollable jealousy.

"Ayana, who are they?"

Ayana felt like she was being roasted over a fire.

The gazes coming from three directions almost tore her apart.

She opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't utter a single syllable.

Explain, how to explain?

Is Hisoka a pervert who just wants to play with her until he dies?

Is it true that Illumi is a control freak who wants to turn her into a doll without a self?

Faced with Kuroro's robber logic of "if you like it, you have to keep it in your hands," these explanations seem so pale and powerless, and may even only add fuel to the fire.

However, before Ayana could even form a word, Hisoka on the wall let out a joyful tremor.

"Hmm~ That's really heartbreaking~" He exaggeratedly clutched his chest, as if he had suffered a great injury.

But those golden eyes gleamed with an extreme excitement, as if they had encountered a formidable foe: "Didn't the little kitten tell you? I'm her owner~"

He licked his lips, his gaze lingering on Ayana like sticky tentacles, then turned to Kuroro, full of provocation: "Looks like you're her master too~ and it seems you were her master before me."

"But now that I am her owner, it means she no longer belongs to you."

The word "master" instantly turned Kuroro's eyes cold.

Although he didn't speak, his aura became noticeably colder.

He disliked this way of speaking, and even more so, he disliked being placed alongside others, especially in this way of vying for "ownership".

Meanwhile, Illumi, standing at the entrance, seemed completely uninterested in the verbal exchange.

His worldview lacks complex emotions; he only knows Chrollo and Hisoka, who are clearly obstacles to him taking Ayana away.

His empty cat-like eyes turned to Kuroro, and he stated in a flat, monotone voice, "She is mine."

Illumi paused, as if he felt he needed to add something, and then added, as if stating the ownership of an item: "It was agreed upon a long time ago by my father and grandfather."

This statement dropped a bombshell on an already delicate situation.

Kuroro finally shifted his gaze completely away from Ayana and turned it entirely to Illumi.

His dark eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a chilling, oppressive scrutiny.

“Zoldyck?” He accurately judged the other party’s family from Illumi’s temperament and words. His voice was emotionless, but carried an invisible weight. “I don’t care what agreements your family has reached.”

Illumi took a step forward, his posture still composed, but the air pressure in the entire alley seemed to drop.

His gaze swept over Hisoka before finally settling on Illumi. His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable declaration.

“Ayana is from the Phantom Troupe.”

This statement clearly draws a line.

This is a claim that is more powerful and exclusive than personal possessiveness.

"The Phantom Troupe?" Hisoka's voice rose, his eyes almost overflowing with excitement. "Oh my gosh~ This is so... interesting!"

His desire to fight the strong was almost tangible.

Illumi's expression didn't change; he simply tilted his head slightly.

The three parties are locked in a standoff, and the atmosphere is tense and ready to clash.

The thoughts were pressed together and collided in the narrow space, making the air seem thick and sticky.

Ayana was caught between these three powerful forces, and she felt that even breathing had become extremely difficult.

A tremendous sense of absurdity and despair overwhelmed her.

She wasn't human; in their eyes, she was merely an object worth fighting over.

Just then, Kuroro seemed to grow tired of this pointless conversation about declaring ownership.

He turned his gaze back to the swaying Ayana, a complex and indescribable emotion surging in his dark eyes. He ignored Hisoka and Illumi, who were eyeing him menacingly, treating them as mere background noise not worth his time.

Kuroro reached out his hand to Ayana again, his tone carrying an undeniable resolve.

“It’s time to stop playing around, Ayana.”

"It's time to go home."

The word "home," spoken by him, carried a chilling warmth.

That means the spider's nest, endless stares, and the complete end of freedom.

Ayana looked at the hand reaching out to her, as if she saw the door of a cage about to close.

She instinctively wanted to back away, but behind her was a cold wall.

Just before Kuroro's fingers were about to touch her, Hisoka's trembling laughter rang out again.

"Hmm~ You want to take my kitten? Did you ask my playing cards first?"

And the cold light of the Nen needles once again gathered between Illumi's fingers.

Battle is imminent.

At that critical moment, Ayana unleashed her [Biomanipulation] ability like an explosion, simultaneously targeting the three powerful beings who had driven her into a desperate situation.

"Don't move!"

The order was absurd and abrupt, and completely contrary to their current will and the standoff situation.

However, they were unable to resist.

Kuroro's hand, which was reaching for Ayana, suddenly froze in mid-air, and his body twisted uncontrollably.

Hisoka's poker card, which he was about to throw, froze eerily. The twisted, excited smile on his face was replaced by an extremely surprised and bewildered expression. His body was also being pulled backward by an invisible force.

The Nen power that Illumi had gathered at his fingertips dissipated instantly, and he stiffly followed the command.

The three of them, like puppets on the same string, suddenly turned around in an extremely unnatural and even somewhat comical manner, facing the east side of the alley.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Three figures sped eastward like arrows released from a bow, moving at an astonishing speed.

This sudden turn of events stunned even some ordinary people who were daring to spy from afar.

Ayana didn't even have time to catch her breath; the intense dizziness and nausea almost made her collapse to the ground.

She bit her tongue hard, using the pain to keep herself awake.

She knew that this control would last for a shorter time than ever before!

She must seize this precious opportunity!

Aiyana, heading west in the exact opposite direction from the three of them, once again squeezed the last bit of strength from her legs, activated [Powerful Amplification], and with all her might, rushed out of the dead end and merged into the flow of people on another street.

Meanwhile, at the port on the east side of the city.

Under the stunned gazes of countless fishermen and early-rising workers, three figures broke through the dock railings at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, crashing into the icy seawater with three consecutive splashes.

What shocked everyone even more was that after falling into the water, the three men, who looked extremely intimidating, did not immediately surface to fight or leave.

After splashing around on the surface of the sea for a while, they seemed to be drawn together by some invisible force and ended up embracing each other in the salty seawater.

Kuroro remained expressionless, his arms stiffly encircling Hisoka's waist and Illumi's shoulders.

Hisoka's face paint had been smudged by the seawater, making him look somewhat disheveled, but his golden pupils gleamed with an extreme absurdity and an even more intense excitement.

Illumi, like a human doll, let Chrollo hold him, his empty eyes staring at the sky, as if contemplating the meaning of life.

The three people clung to each other in an extremely awkward posture in the cold morning seawater, like three penguins huddled together after being stranded. The scene was so bizarre that it made people want to laugh.

This strange embrace lasted for about ten seconds before the mandatory timeout period of the command ended.

Almost simultaneously, the three of them jolted, their eyes regaining clarity and control over their bodies.

The eerie atmosphere surrounding the inhabitants was instantly shattered.

"Pfft!"

Hisoka was the first to shove Chrollo and Illumi away, spitting out the seawater that had filled his mouth and nose, and then letting out a burst of uncontrollable, maniacal laughter.

"Haha...hahaha...! Funny! So funny!!!"

He looked at Kuroro and Illumi, his eyes filled with the ecstatic joy of discovering a new toy.

Kuroro gracefully wiped the water droplets from his face, a storm brewing in his dark eyes.

He glanced coldly at Hisoka, then at Illumi, who remained expressionless but exuded an even stronger chill. He said nothing, but the oppressive atmosphere almost froze the surrounding seawater.

He had never experienced such a ridiculous moment in his life.

Illumi silently swam a little distance away and began to wring out the water from his clothes, seemingly unaffected by the embrace.

After the brief interlude ended, the three of them almost simultaneously turned their gazes toward the direction Ayana had fled.

Murderous intent, anger, and an even stronger interest surged once more.

But those few minutes bought Ayana crucial time to escape.

She dared not stop for the entire journey, relying on her tenacious willpower to support her exhausted body, and used the last of her money to buy a ticket for the fastest airship to leave Yorktown.

Ayana finally boarded the airship, watching the hatch close and the airship slowly ascend.

She looked out the window as the city below, which had given her countless thrills, gradually shrank into the distance, and only then did her tense nerves finally relax.

A wave of intense fatigue and the aftereffects of mental exhaustion overwhelmed Ayana. Before she could even find her seat, everything went black, and she collapsed in the airship's passageway.