Time flowed synchronously.
It had been over two years since Law arrived on the Dark Continent.
He broke through the 80% threshold in the Slu tribe's dwelling, achieving a great improvement in his Nen. Meanwhile, back on the Six Continents, many events had unfolded over those two years.
Two years felt like just a blink of an eye.
That was how time worked… if you didn't think about it carefully, you wouldn't feel its passage. By the time you looked back after a hundred steps, you were already a hundred and fifty steps away.
Killua graduated from Heavens Arena and returned alone to Mount Kukuroo. What awaited him were heavy assassination assignments… a path every member of the Zoldyck Family had to walk.
Illumi's shadowy figure loomed over Killua, menacing and dark.
That year, Killua was eight years old.
In the same year, in a secluded, lush, and beautiful forest, the Kurta Clan with 128 members lived there.
A twelve-year-old blond boy gazed toward the world outside.
A year ago, he and Pairo had encountered Sheila, who was lost and had fainted. From Sheila, they received an autobiography of a Hunter and gradually mastered the common tongue.
In his heart, a yearning for the outside world was taking root.
The genocide of the Kurta Clan hangs like a shadow, like a great wheel of history, suspended over the strange clan in the rich forest.
Law was very fond of Kurapika's character and had intervened. But could that truly stop the wheel's turn?
A butterfly could stir a storm, but not every time.
Over two years, Law's phone number had been contacted countless times. Whether voicemails or calls, without exception, all sank without a trace.
Among the many messages and calls were ones from Killua, Salin, Machi, and many others, including... Sheila.
During her travels, Sheila persistently shared her experiences with Law. Sometimes she called, sometimes sent texts, even attaching poorly taken photos.
She never tired of it until over two years ago, when she suddenly found Law's number unreachable. After asking around, it seemed as if Law had vanished from the world without a trace.
She was puzzled and worried but eventually believed Law would be fine. She continued leaving interesting stories on his voicemail.
Among those experiences was being rescued by two boys in the forest.
She specifically mentioned their names: one Kurapika, very intelligent, the other Pairo, with almost hidden ailments in his eyes and legs but a very gentle nature.
That message is something Law never received because he was on the Dark Continent. No matter how unbelievable this world's phone's signal reception was, it didn't work on the Dark Continent.
If Law hadn't suddenly decided to go to the Dark Continent due to certain opportunity, he would have received this message and found the Kurta Tribe's location.
Law truly seemed to have evaporated, with no trace of him anywhere. Even Ickshonpe couldn't find him. He wanted to play games with Law, but no matter how he searched, Law was nowhere to be found.
In a bustling city, skyscrapers stood tall, with thousands of lights shining brightly.
The hotel rooftop pierced the clouds. The luxurious room had floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides. Standing by the window, one could enjoy the gorgeous night view of the vibrant city.
Inside the room, soft, warm light glowed. A man with short black hair and dark eyes stood by the window.
He wore a fitted casual suit, holding a book in one hand, slightly bowed his head with a calm expression.
The sound of the door opening came from the entrance. Pakunoda walked in and looked at the dark-eyed man by the window… Chrollo.
Hearing the sound, Chrollo slowly looked up but didn't turn around. "Did you get it out?"
"Everything we wanted to know, and even what we didn't want to know." Pakunoda replied.
Chrollo was silent for a moment, "Good."
"Shall we act tonight?" Pakunoda continued.
"Wait a bit longer." Chrollo said without hesitation.
"Understood." Paknotta nodded.
"Where are the others?" Chrollo asked.
"They're all next door. Are you going over? It's not very clean there." Pakunoda said.
"It's fine." Chrollo closed the book, passed by the cabinet, and casually placed the book on it. The book's title: The Seven Beauties of the World.
Pakunoda watched Chrollo's back, feeling somewhat helpless.
To extract information, it would be faster and easier if she handled it herself. But to accommodate Feitan's interests, they had to use torture methods, tormenting the ten captured men, women, and children beyond recognition to get the desired information.
The room next door was large, but blood was splattered like arrows on the walls and floor.
Ten people were tied to chairs, covered in blood, with no signs of life.
Among the ten was even a little girl under ten years old, also tortured beyond human recognition… a hellish scene.
Besides the ten dead, there were other living people in the room: the members of the Phantom Troupe.
Hisoka, who had joined early, sat by the window, utterly uninterested in the bloody scene. He boredly spun a playing card on his index finger.
Machi stood not far from Hisoka, her arms crossed as she looked at the night view outside the window, her expression indifferent. Seemingly lost in thought, her eyes were somewhat distant.
"Hey, Machi, want to grab a late-night snack with me later? There's a shop not far from here that sells all kinds of ~intestines." Hisoka's eyes narrowed slightly as he flicked his wrist, producing several playing cards, "I heard it's quite tasty."
About twenty meters away, among the ten corpses, three had their bellies slit open, with small and large intestines pulled out and tied into knots, many sections cut into pieces.
This scene contrasted sharply with Hisoka's invitation and his deliberate pause when mentioning 'intestines', giving off a provocative vibe.
Machi's wandering thoughts were interrupted. She slowly turned her head, not speaking, her icy gaze seeming to pierce deep into Hisoka's heart.
"So scary." Hisoka smiled.
Other Troupe's members stood or sat scattered around the large room, keeping some distance from the ten chairs.
Among them, Uvogin was even launching a fierce assault on a table full of meat dishes.
This was the top-floor luxury suite of the hotel. The food provided focused more on delicacy than quantity, so Uvogin's meal covered an entire table.
Not far from Uvogin, Nobunaga was carefully maintaining his beloved sword.
In front of the ten chairs, Feitan stood with his hands in the pockets of his black cloak, eyes narrowed to slits as he admired his recently completed masterpiece. Beneath his mask, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Whoever in the Troupe it was, their attitude toward the ten chairs was uniformly indifference.
Just then, the door opened, and Chrollo walked in.
The blood pooling under the ten chairs had almost reached the doorway.
Chrollo seemed not to notice the blood, stepping over it expressionlessly as he met the gazes of the others.
Standing on the blood, he said calmly, "Change locations."
Immediately, the Troupe's members moved into action. Uvogin even abandoned his half-finished food.
They moved quickly, leaving behind the bloody ten chairs and departing directly.
At the same time, on the Dark Continent, in the Slu Tribe's dwelling.
Snap.
Law closed the book of God's Hand and flicked the quill pen into the air.
The conjured quill pen flew upward, then dissolved into sparkles and vanished.
Immediately after, the book in his hand also turned into white dots and disappeared.
He had recorded something more in the black pages of the book, ending with a few short words: Preparing to leave.