Chapter 28: The Spider Emerges

September 1st, 9:36 PM. The city of Yorknew is in total chaos.

Sirens, shouting, and angry roars fill the air incessantly. Some citizens, annoyed by the disturbance, glance out their windows, only to quickly retreat. There is no mystery as to why; when you see the streets flooded with heavily armed mobsters radiating murderous intent, you instinctively avoid stirring up trouble.

The underground auction has been raided!

When the mafia syndicates heard the news, they simply couldn't believe it. What kind of madman would dare risk the wrath of every mafia organization in the world to strike the underground auction? Were they tired of living?

It is said that the massive auction hall is completely empty. Forget the five hundred attendees; not even a chair remains, and the vault used to store the auction items has been picked clean.

The mafia bosses are absolutely livid. This is a direct slap in the face to the entire criminal underworld!

The organizers, under immense pressure, immediately announced a bounty for the masterminds and promised massive rewards to any syndicate that captures them. Now, with the opportunity to both seek revenge and claim immense prestige, every gang has become frantic. They have dispatched their most capable elites to scour Yorknew City and its outskirts, swearing to catch those damned thieves.

At this very moment, high above the night sky of Yorknew, a hot air balloon drifts. Seven people stand in the basket suspended below.

"The vault was empty, Boss," a giant of a man wearing a fur vest complains. "The only person who knew the truth, the auction host, said someone came to move the goods a few hours ago. It’s as if they knew something would happen today. That’s too much of a coincidence! Someone among us must have leaked the information!"

A charismatic voice comes through the cell phone he holds to his ear: [That is unlikely, Uvogin. Betrayal requires a motive. If there really were a traitor, what could they possibly gain by selling us out to the mafia? Money? Fame? Status? Do you truly believe anyone among us would be satisfied with such trivial things?]

"Uh... no." The giant named Uvogin awkwardly scratches his chin.

[Exactly.]

The voice on the phone continues, soothingly: [If someone had really tipped them off, the mafia's reaction would not be this unusual. Those mob bosses aren't stupid; they would have been on high alert had they known the Phantom Troupe was coming. According to your reports, the guests at the auction were caught completely unaware and were unarmed, and the organizers had only slightly reinforced their security. My conclusion is... they did receive a warning, but it was vague. Still, someone in a position of power believed it. Did you ask where the auction items were being transported?]

"Of course I did, but the host insisted he didn't know. Feitan tortured him for the truth, so it should be legitimate."

Uvogin gives a thumbs-up to a short man with squinty eyes and a black trench coat standing beside him. The short man shrugs and says with a squint, "That guy was the most pitiable person I've seen all day."

[Then you found out who handled the transport?]

"Sure did. It was the 'Shadow Beasts,' the pride of the Ten Dons—a unit composed of the strongest Nen users in their organizations."

[I see. The fact that the 'Shadow Beasts' didn't join the perimeter guard means they didn't know about us. What method did they use to transport the cargo?]

"The host said the 'Shadow Beasts' only sent one person to move it all. The twenty-five-square-meter vault was packed with goods, but that man walked in empty-handed and walked out empty-handed, and the vault was cleared out. Oh, right, the man's name is Owl, and he's quite tall."

[Sounds like a Nen user of the same type as Shizuku. Given that nearly five hundred participants disappeared, the mafia has likely already noticed that Shizuku possesses a similar ability.]

"Can I go meet these so-called 'Shadow Beasts,' Boss?"

[Of course. Give those little mice tailing you a bit of a lesson, and the 'Shadow Beasts' will naturally reveal themselves.]

"Great, my bones were starting to itch... Oh, and should we continue gathering information on the 'Nen-Slaying Blade'?"

[No need to go out of your way for now. I have hired an expert in that field. Very well, let’s begin.]

...

"It’s so noisy outside."

Rodal Kingdom stands by the window, pulls back the curtain for a look, and shakes his head. "This is why I dislike Yorknew in September. Every night, the city is taken over by the mafia, and these people have no concept of manners."

*Clang!*

Battera slams his phone onto the glass coffee table. The once-elegant old tycoon has transformed into a foul-mouthed, irritable old man. "Damn it! These bastards have actually blocked every exit in Yorknew City! My subordinates are stuck outside the city! I was such a damn fool not to carry the item with me!"

He is more anxious than anyone. Every second that passes before Hesser receives the "Light Egg" means one more chance that his little girlfriend might suddenly die. Her condition has deteriorated over the last few months; she is currently kept alive only by a Nen artifact with mild restorative properties and extensive medical intervention. The doctors say she could take a turn for the worse at any moment.

Conversely, Hesser is the one calming Battera down. "Don't rush, don't rush. Even if I had it in hand, I would still need to adjust my mental and physical state before finding a safe location to perform the recasting ritual; otherwise, there is a risk of failure. On the contrary, watching these mobsters scurrying around like wild dogs that have had their bones stolen is quite amusing, don't you think?"

Rodal Kingdom takes a call, listens for a moment, and then says, "I understand. Keep monitoring the situation."

After hanging up, he turns to Hesser. "Gale says the mafia's underground auction was disrupted. The entire venue, people and cargo alike, vanished into thin air. Now the 'Ten Dons' are furious and have put a massive bounty on the masterminds."

"The Ten Dons? They're the organizers of the underground auction, right?" Hesser has some impression of this mafia power from the manga.

"The underground auction is hosted by the mafia, and the heads of the ten districts across the six continents—the 'Ten Dons'—are their highest authority. These ten individuals only gather at a specific location at certain times to discuss and issue various directives."

Rodal Kingdom strokes his chin. "The ones responsible for executing these orders are the 'Shadow Beasts,' the pride of the Ten Dons. It is a unit formed by the ten strongest individuals from each of the Dons' respective syndicates. They are all powerful Nen users proficient in real-world combat—true experts in murder."

Hesser stands up, stretches, and loosens his joints. "So, the 'Shadow Beasts' are about to make their entrance, right? Interesting. I didn't expect Yorknew City to have such rich nightlife entertainment. I think I'll go join the fun."

With that, he pushes open the door and leaves.

"This... Mr. Hesser..." Battera stammers, seemingly unable to comprehend why Hesser would willingly go out to stir up trouble.

Rodal Kingdom pats Battera on the shoulder, comforting him. "The longer you spend with Hesser, the more you'll understand. His personality is defined by 'doing exactly as he pleases.' Perhaps that is the unique temperament of a world-class Nen user."

"But there are so many mobsters, and they're all heavily armed. I'm afraid that he..."

"If he could be killed by mere firearms, he wouldn't be the Hesser in whom you and I have placed such high hopes."

Rodal Kingdom shakes his head. "At this point, even if Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Association, were here in person, he would struggle to subdue Hesser. We shouldn't be the ones worrying—the ones who should be worried are those who have caught Hesser's eye."

A super-genius like Hesser, who learns anything instantly, had spent over three months studying various combat styles and weaponry techniques with the insatiable thirst of a sponge soaking up water... just thinking about it is terrifying.