Joey had previously entered the teleportation-generated space, where he had observed the abilities of some Ayii Family members.
Though he hadn't seen many, he did witness the one controlling puppets in action.
At the time, those puppets appeared non-aggressive.
In fact, Joey had concluded they were bound by strict limitations—such as being unable to leave the Ayii stronghold.
Those puppets were formidable:
Immune to bullets, and even most Nen-based attacks barely fazed them.
Worse, any attack seemed to trigger some mechanism that made them even more aggressive in expelling intruders.
With that kind of power, there had to be heavy constraints.
Joey had judged the key one to be: puppets couldn't attack—only repel.
That implied a fixed space of operation, a limited range.
But now, these puppets had exited that range… and were attacking.
That meant either an upgrade had occurred, or the user had changed the rules.
The ability was likely Conjuration-based—defensive in type.
But altering such a Nen ability was not easy, let alone spontaneous.
Joey had never heard of anyone—especially a Conjurer—suddenly rewriting their Hatsu.
Nen abilities were generally fixed the moment they were created.
To invert their function entirely was nearly impossible.
But this case had a wildcard.
The puppet user's ability was possibly built on top of Morena's kill-based leveling system.
If they'd killed enough intruders during earlier attacks, they might have leveled up, evolving their Nen.
That could, maybe, shift their power's behavior.
Still, Joey found that unlikely.
He had a better theory.
During his clone's earlier recon into the stronghold, he'd seen multiple Ayii members in the puppet chamber—at least four or five.
What if there were two different Conjurers?
One a defense-type, guarding the base.
The other an attack-type, projecting violence outside.
This setup would let the Ayii Family defend and strike at once—making them nearly untouchable.
That seemed far more plausible to Joey.
He kept his distance, wary of being sensed.
Moving forward risked stepping into someone's En—possibly a Phantom Troupe member's.
They were still watching from afar, not acting.
And what better way to observe than with En?
Joey activated his own En, careful not to extend it toward the Spiders.
He'd previously come into contact with Phinks—if their En clashed, Phinks would detect him instantly.
And if three Spiders teamed up with Nen-users from the mafia and the Royal Army to track him, even his weather-based skills wouldn't be enough to escape.
That would defeat the entire purpose of his infiltration.
But something felt wrong.
Kurapika still hadn't appeared.
Ever since their call had been cut, Joey hadn't followed up with Piyon.
Could it be… Milluki had hacked his phone again?
It was possible. Piyon couldn't monitor them 24/7.
And Milluki, being a Zoldyck, had exceptional cyber and communication skills.
Luckily, Piyon had told him to message her if he suspected anything.
Joey did just that.
A quick message asking her to re-check Kurapika's phone.
Her reply came back immediately—Piyon never let go of her phone.
Joey opened the message:
"His phone's probably broken. Can't connect. Solve it yourself."
Short. Not comforting.
Milluki's abilities were likely limited to digital means—yet now Kurapika's actual device seemed damaged.
Physically destroying Kurapika's phone would require close contact.
Unless... the attacker had a long-range Nen capable of disabling electronics.
Joey looked toward Room 3107 again.
Neither visual nor Nen-based scans showed signs of a fight.
Not even a trace of Kurapika's aura.
That was wrong.
The Troupe didn't know Kurapika's aura signature—if they had scanned 3107, they'd find nothing.
So Kurapika had no reason to hide his presence completely.
Just a light disguise to blend in would've sufficed until Joey arrived.
Joey didn't believe Kurapika wouldn't expect him to come.
If Kurapika wasn't in Room 3107, something had changed.
Maybe he'd been teleported.
Or—more intriguingly—he had found a hidden room within 3107.
Joey had no choice now but to enter 3107.
He ignored the ongoing clash between mafia, soldiers, and puppets.
Let them destroy each other.
The Royal Army and mafia had already switched tactics—
realizing bullets were ineffective, they began targeting the puppets' weapons instead.
Since the guns weren't conjured but real firearms, disarming the puppets left them with only close-quarters combat.
The Royal Army and mafia then used Nen-infused nets to bind them.
Joey observed one such net. It shimmered slightly—obviously conjured too.
A "magic vs magic" approach. Smart.
The bound puppets thrashed wildly, but the nets held.
And the puppets didn't vanish, even when unable to fight.
"Maybe they can't disappear on their own?" Joey speculated.
He was now at Room 3107's door.
It was time.
Using his Mirage—the light-bending technique—he cloaked the door and a nearby soldier.
Opening the door, he threw the soldier inside first.
No teleportation triggered.
That confirmed it—safe to enter.
Inside, the room was plain.
A big cabinet by the wall near the door, likely for passenger luggage.
Twin beds opposite the entrance.
To the right: a bathroom—with the door wide open.
Joey peered in.
A massive gash had been ripped into the bathroom wall.
Not a clean cut—more like it had been torn by claws.
Scratches lined the surface, tinged with blood.
The wall had been torn from the inside of the hidden room.
Which meant—some clawed creature had once lurked in that chamber.
Of course, it might not be a beast.
Could be a shapeshifter.
Or a person whose Nen morphed their limbs.
Or someone who controlled creatures from within.
Too many unknowns. Too little intel.
Maybe Kurapika had seen it—and gone in.
Joey floated into the bathroom, scanned the area, then slipped through the gash into the hidden room.
If Kurapika had known Joey would come, he'd likely have left a clue.
But Joey found nothing.
No signs. No messages.
Had Kurapika left in a rush?
Still uncertain, Joey moved further in, carried by a faint current of wind.
The hidden chamber was dark—lit only by thin beams leaking through cracks in the walls.
Trash littered the ground—proof someone had lived here.
Just like the hidden room behind 3101.
But now… no one.
Joey scanned the floor more carefully.
Fresh claw marks gouged the floorboards.
Still surrounded by wood shavings—not yet dispersed by footsteps.
They were new.
Joey's eyes lit up.
The claw marks pointed toward Room 3101.
Bad news.
The Troupe was in that direction.
If Kurapika went that way, the Spiders might already know.
And the mafia had been exploring hidden rooms too.
Joey remembered: before his clone had been teleported, some mafiosi had entered the 3101 chamber.
Yet none had emerged near 3107.
Odd.
Had this hidden path been sealed?
The Royal Army and mafia surely checked adjacent rooms after discovering the secret space.
Yet the pristine claw marks and undisturbed dust suggested no one had been here.
Was 3107 also tampered with?
And if so—why?
Joey knew the Ayii conjurer was likely still near Room 3321.
So why trap 3107 like this?
"Hm?"
Joey suddenly stopped.
A wall blocked his path.
Only one room separated 3107 from this point—
which meant this was Room 3105.
The claw marks ended here.
Their final lines curved directly into the wall.
Joey flicked a coin from his palm.
Midair, it transformed into a rabbit—his Gold Experience construct.
It slammed into the wall.
Thud!
Then collapsed, dazed.
Joey walked up and touched the wall—
His hand sank through like it was water.
Ripples danced.
Then—a suction grabbed his arm, yanking him toward the wall.
(End of Chapter)