Chapter 24

Gon sneaked a glance at their two targets before returning his attention to the boy sitting across from him. The frown on the assassin's face was as clear as day. "Geez, Killua. Stop being mad. I'm sure Elina has her reasons."

Killua's eyebrows twitched. "Reasons?" he scoffed. "As if. Just when we finally got information on the Phantom Troupe, she backed out. What is she? A scaredy-cat?"

"Oh, come on. You don't really think that." Gon forced a smile. Although Elina's decision to back out was sudden, he was more concerned with the way she reacted to the video of their targets. Elina's words resurfaced in his mind.

"You know what? Let's think of another way to earn money. If it really comes down to it, I'll do something about the money myself. I'll definitely obtain Greed Island so won't you three give up on capturing the Phantom Troupe?"

It's not fear that caused her to say that but what else could it be?

"Should we really be doing this? Not to mention, doing it behind Elina's back?" Gon fidgeted in his seat.

"It's fine. It's not like we have to inform her of everything." Killua waved the worries away.

Leorio patted Gon on the back. "Yeah, he's right. Let's focus on the task at hand. The main problem is how do we capture those two?"

Killua shook his head. "That's impossible. We aren't strong enough to handle them."

"What?!" Leorio slammed the table. "We won't know until we try. Besides, why are you saying that now?"

"Shhhh!" Killua shot Leorio a glare. "I couldn't grasp their strength over the video but it's different seeing them in person. My dad once assassinated a Troupe member and he complained that the job wasn't worth the price. That's the greatest compliment a target can get. He even told us to stay away from the Phantom Troupe."

"They're that strong?" Gon and Leorio couldn't believe their ears.

"Would it help to imagine two Hisokas sitting there?"

"..."

"Thought so." Killua took a sip of his drink. "Anyhow, the two of them are awfully cautious of their surroundings. If it was because the mafia are after them they wouldn't be sitting in public. In other words, they're acting as bait to lure out their prey." The moment Killua noted this, the air around their targets changed.

Leorio ducked his head. "Did they notice us? Just so you know, I can't use Zetsu to mask my presence."

"No, if we were to use Zetsu now, we'll definitely catch their attention. They aren't trying to sense Nen, instead, they're seeing if there's anyone in the area who looks or acts suspicious. As long as we act normal, we should be fine." With that said, Killua popped a cherry into his mouth.

"Ah, they're on the move!" Gon jumped out of his seat. "What should we do?"

Killua pondered for a moment. "Ok, let's do this. Listen carefully. First, Gon and I will follow them by using Zetsu. Second, Gon, you have to make two promises. If we're spotted, we give up immediately and escape. If I judge that further pursuit is impossible for any reason, we also give up. Understand?"

Gon nodded. "I promise."

"The signal to stop will be one phone call. Of course, make sure your phone's on vibrate. If they split up, we follow the woman." Killua turned to Leorio. "Contact Zepile and have him keep an eye on the auction for us. As for Elina, inform her of our actions if Gon and I don't return by midnight."

Leorio held out a thumb up. "Got it."

And so, the trio exited the cafe and took off.

As Gon and Killua tailed their targets, they ended up hiding in different abandoned buildings. From the window, Killua could see the targets outside in the courtyard.

"What do you think, Killua?" Gon's voice could be heard through the phone.

"They're either waiting for someone or trying to lure us out."

"Did they notice we were following them?"

"It's 50-50. Even if they did, they don't know our location. The possibility of them waiting for someone else still exists. For now, let's hold our position and wait. If they show any kind of reaction, we'll run for it." With that said, Killua hung up.

Minutes later, one of the targets' phones rang. The male target answered the phone and talked to the person over the line for quite a while. Due to the distance of his hiding spot, Killua couldn't hear anything. However, the moment the call ended, his blue eyes met the male target's grey eyes. Killua instantly dashed for the exit only to find another man blocking it. The man was tall, had short blond hair, and wore a green tracksuit. His most distinguishing feature would be having no eyebrows.

In an attempt to escape, Killua tried to confuse the blond-haired man with his speed. However, during the process, his ankle got grabbed, resulting in him dangling upside down. Killua then grabbed some stones from the floor and threw it at the man. Expecting the attack to be evaded, he tried to land a kick. Needless to say, the man easily blocked the kick with one hand. With both ankles restrained, Killua dug his hands into the floor to regain his balance. Exerting all the energy he had, he managed to kick free his legs.

Just then, a voice from behind was heard. "Phinks, why are you here? Weren't you heading out with the boss?

Killua's head snapped towards the window. Sitting on the windowsill was the male target, a tall man with long black hair who wielded a long katana.

"To fool the enemy, you need to fool your allies first," answered the man named Phinks.

"No wonder I felt so many Zetsu users around."

Tailing the shadowers?! And the targets didn't know? They fooled us! Killua clenched his teeth.

"Well then, kid." The male target stood up. "I have a few questions for you. Answer concisely."

Killua obeyed. He determined lying would only make the situation worse so he answered all the questions honestly. Finally, the last question was asked.

"Do you want to die now or later?"

Gon and Killua surveyed their new surroundings the minute they got out of the car. Although they would like to escape, the chances of success were close to none when there were four Troupe members watching their every move. Before they knew it, they were already inside the Phantom Troupe's hideout.

A hideout in an abandoned district on the outskirt of Yorknew City? No wonder the mafia never found them. Furthermore, 11 Troupe members are present? Escaping is definitely impossible. Killua bit his lip as he glanced at Hisoka. I guess we'll need to rely on him to bail us out...

Suddenly, Gon let out a noise. "Ah!"

Gon, you idiot!

"What?" The male target stepped forward. "Do you recognize someone?"

Gon turned to his left and saw Killua biting his lip. Crap, I messed up! "Um, I-"

"Ah!" This time, Killua let out a noise. "The woman who lost to Gon at arm wrestling!" He pointed at the woman with glasses.

The male target raised an eyebrow. "You recognize Shizuku?"

Shizuku pointed to herself. "Eh? Me? Losing to a kid? That would never happen."

"As a matter of fact, it happened two days ago," said a giant man. "And you used your right hand."

"But I'm left-handed."

"Don't bother, Franklin," said a man in black. "Once Shizuku has forgotten something, she'll never remember it."

"You actually beat Shizuku? In that case, I challenge you." The male target gathered his hair and tied it into a ponytail. And so, Nobunaga and Gon began arm wrestling. Gon was beaten numerous times to the point where the back of his hand and knuckles were bleeding.

After winning another round, Nobunaga opened his mouth. "I think I ranked 7th or 8th in arm wrestling. Not weak but not strong either. The one who ranked 1st was this guy called Uvogin, but apparently he was killed by the chain user."

Killua, who was watching on the sideline, stepped forward. "Like I already said, we don't know who-"

"Shut up!" Nobunaga strengthened his grip on Gon's hand. "If you speak one more time without my permission, I'll kill you."

A cold shiver ran down Killua's spine. Although unwilling, Killua shut his mouth and took a step back.

Nobunaga continued his talk. "He was an Enhancer. Simple-minded and straightforward. He loved a good, all-out fight. He's also fussy about time and would beat the crap out of me in an unarmed brawl. I've known him since before the Phantom Troupe was founded. I know him better than anyone." Up to this point, everything was alright but what came next caused Gon to snap. Nobunaga's volume increased with every sentence. "Uvo would never lose in a fight! He must've been caught in some dirty trap!" Tears trickled down his cheeks. One drop, two drops, and more. "The chain user will pay! He bears a strong grudge against us and recently, he got hired by the Nostrade family. You might not know him directly, but you may have heard stories of him! If you have any ideas, spill them!"

Gon furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't know anything. Even if I did, I would never tell you!" Ever since Nobunaga shed tears, Gon's stomach began turning. Unbeknownst to himself, he had activated Nen. Gon gripped Nobunaga's hand equally as hard and began pushing it towards the surface of the table. "I thought you were a bunch of heartless monsters but you mourn the death of your comrade? Then why couldn't you spare a fraction of that grief for the people you've killed?!" With a thud, Gon slammed Nobunaga's hand onto the table.

In a flash, the man in black grabbed one of Gon's arms and placed it behind Gon's back. "You're getting too cocky," he said.

"Gon!" Killua hurried over but froze when he felt something sharp against his neck.

"Another step and I'll cut you up." With a single poker card acting as a blade, Killua had no choice but to obey. D*mn you, Hisoka.

Nobunaga stared at Gon who was restrained by the man in black. "Feitan," he called. "Stop whatever you're about to do."

"And what would that be?"

"You're going to break this arm, right?"

The man in black, Feitan, smirked. "Not quite. I'll start with a finger and then peel off a nail."

"I don't care where you start. Just stop!"

Tch. Feitan clicked his tongue. "Why are you giving me orders? I have no reason to listen to you."

There was a moment of silence. Electricity danced in the background between the two Troupe members. The atmosphere was tense. Unlike before, the current intensity was on a whole new level. No one dared to make a sound.

Just then, someone spoke up. "Let's leave it at that." The voice belonged to neither Gon, Killua nor any members of the Phantom Troupe.

"Who's there?!" The female target took a fighting stance. Other than Feitan, Nobunaga, and Hisoka, the remaining Troupe members did the same.

"There's no need to be on guard." A young boy stepped out of the shadow. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to talk." He pointed at Gon and Killua. "Won't you please release those two?"

Killua wiggled his ears. When and where have I heard this voice? He would like to turn around and steal a glimpse of the uninvited guest but with Hisoka around, he couldn't afford to.

Feitan shot the new boy a glare. "How about no?"

"Why not? They don't know anything about the chain user." The mysterious boy took a step forward. "Isn't that right, Pakunoda?"

Nobunaga turned to a tall woman with blond hair. "Do you know him?"

Pakunoda answered, "I don't."

"But is what he said true?" asked the female target.

Pakunoda nodded. "It's true, Machi. The two of them have no memories of the chain user."

The female target, Machi, frowned. "If you say so then it must be true."

"But what about you?" Pakunoda ceased her fighting stance. She walked up to the uninvited guest and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What do you know about the chain user?"

The boy grinned. "Who knows?"

"How did you find this place?"

Once again, the boy replied, "Who knows?"

Finally, she asked, "Are you the chain user?"

The boy smirked. "What if I said yes?"

Immediately, Pakunoda jumped back and stared at the hand that touched the boy's shoulder. She opened her mouth to say something but Nobunaga beat her to it. "If that's the case, we'll kill you."

"That won't happen." The boy spoke with confidence.

"Wanna test that out?" Nobunaga was ready to unsheathe his katana. "Don't think we won't kill you just because you're a kid." In a flash, he appeared before the boy. His katana was already unsheathed and was on its way to slice off the boy's head.

Seeing that the boy wasn't going to dodge, Pakunoda hurriedly shouted, "Stop! He's not the chain user!"

With the blade only a centimeter away from the boy's neck, the katana halted. A gust of wind blew by and knocked over his hat. Previously, the hat was tilted in a way that hid the boy's eyes but now that it's gone, the Troupe members could finally see his face. The first thing they noticed was his eyes. If it were any common people, they would've been fooled. The boy's lapis eyes may look normal but in reality, there was a speck of cloudiness.

"You're blind?" Nobunaga returned his katana into its sheath. "What's going on? What did you learn from him, Pakunoda?

"Nothing," Pakunoda answered. "My ability doesn't work on him." The news surprised all the Troupe members.

Picking up his hat and shaking off the dust, the boy smiled. "The ability to scan one's memory through physical contact. Such a convenient yet dangerous ability. No wonder my mother thinks so highly of you."

Your mother? Pakunoda furrowed her eyebrow. Suddenly, something clicked. "Hey, who's Celia to you?"

Without missing a beat, the mysterious boy answered, "She's my mother."

Celia? Killua's eyes widened. Don't tell me… "Ryo! Is that you?"

"Took you long enough," replied the voice.

"Ryo?" Some Troupe members repeated the name. To most of them, the name sounded very familiar.

Just then, Machi spoke up. "Who are you to Elina?"

Ryo puffed out his chest. "I'm her fraternal twin brother."

Fraternal twin brother? Nobunaga studied Ryo's face. "The resemblance is definitely there." Other than the hairstyle and having more masculine features such as sharper eyes and sharper nose, Ryo looked basically identical to Elina. "Celia's son and Elina's brother. No wonder you were so confident."

Ryo laughed at Nobunaga's remark. He walked up to Hisoka and removed the poker card from the magician's hand. Next, he took a seat in a nearby chair. "Now that you know who I am, let's get back to the real business." He wore a honey-sweet like smile. "Please release these two."

Hello everyone, I'm back! I haven't had the inspiration to write until recently, but here I am.

Thank you for the countless support over the past 9 months. The comments really helped motivate an author's brain. Knowing that I have readers made me really happy as well.

Many thanks to: 13thRebels, SUPAfast JeLLyFisH, TheNotSoNinjaReader, Polonium2101, Asure-Zero, Kushinu, Deexeed, TECKK, SumiJepson, PumpaKillaz, CrystalVixen93, Dragon1214, Erinjoypangelinan, EnchantedPixie495, Tsayj, Uchiha natsu 2016, Purplekittenrose, Tw1n Rabb1t, Einklley, Colcay, Alife-39, aRkTyPePaNdA, Tigereye1314, Bbymojo, Cjennxx, Donald296, Isuzu-A, Lessthanhumanish, Poppymacaroon25, Pein-Naru, Elizabetch, FinixNegra, KRP, KingG666, Neko113h, Ninapina01, SaltyButterMilk, Sapphirous Sun Dim, Danielgreen982, Shadowtai62, Ushashree.v20121999, Maistyria, SilentMuse17, Sunlitstars8523, NikkiMikki28, Mi-chan94, Supreme Moon Cat, SweetLights, Nube2013, Shinoyukine27, Purple Marshmellows, NinjaGogeta, Uriel19, Apalmour17, BobbyTheBob, EmptyEarth, Milla228, Vaiole, Zhonia, and Vivilili20!

13thRebels: Glad you liked it!

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Celline The Sleeping Beauty: That's a nice hunch you've got.

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On a side note, from now onwards, other than releasing new chapters, I will also be updating previous chapters. The changes aren't too major but if you're interested, please check it out.

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Thanks for reading and until next time!