From the outskirts all the way to the city center, they had switched between various modes of transportation along the way, likely because of this, it gave those lurking in the shadows the opportunity to track their movements.
But the fact that the other party could track them so efficiently indicated they had indeed put considerable effort into intelligence.
Forces capable of such precision were either the people from Meteor City, as Kurapika had speculated, or the Ten Dons with whom they had previously clashed.
In any case, when Morrow detected that thread of bloodlust, he gained a firsthand understanding of Kurapika's constant state of being under threat.
It was truly pervasive.
"If it's the people from Meteor City..."
Morrow glanced at the surrounding crowd and said, "We can't engage them here."
Previously, outside the airport, they had encountered a suicide bomber from Meteor City.
Those individuals showed no regard for how many innocents might be caught in the crossfire, their madness bordering on inhuman.
And now, that icy thread of bloodlust was emanating from the crowded streets, forcing them to prepare for the worst.
Kurapika nodded at Morrow, the Dowsing Chain between his fingers silently fading away with In.
Then, Morrow and Kurapika quickly changed direction, deliberately moving away from the crowd.
This action was tantamount to telling the other party they had been exposed.
But Morrow and Kurapika didn't care in the slightest.
—--
On a distant high-rise, a tattooed young man wearing a canvas cap held a sniper rifle. Upon hearing the command to fire through his earpiece, his expression remained unchanged, his breathing steady and calm.
He focused through the scope, patiently waiting for the right angle.
A few seconds later, he pulled the trigger.
A long, narrow bullet shot out from the barrel, cutting across the sky toward Kurapika, who was walking briskly down the street.
After firing, the tattooed young man stared intently through the scope, awaiting the outcome.
However, the expected image of the bullet piercing through Kurapika's skull did not materialize.
In the scope, a spark suddenly erupted behind Kurapika.
The bullet, which should have penetrated the back of his head, was inexplicably flattened as if crushed mid-air, suspended in place.
Kurapika turned his head, his gaze icy.
Seeing this through the scope, the tattooed young man's face paled, and fine beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead.
"Keep firing."
A voice urged through the earpiece.
But the tattooed young man weakly lowered the sniper rifle.
He could no longer control his breathing or his hands, making it impossible to fire a second shot.
Damn it... they sent me to snipe a monster like this...!
The tattooed young man slumped against the rooftop parapet, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
Had he known the situation would turn out like this, he would never have taken this job.
Ignoring the voice from his earpiece, he tried to stand and leave this dangerous place as quickly as possible, but the strength in his legs seemed to have drained away, making even standing up a struggle.
All because of the sheer shock of what he had just witnessed.
"Are you with the Ten Dons?"
Suddenly, a voice came from above the tattooed young man.
!!!
His heart jolted. His right hand moved toward his waist as he looked up toward the source of the voice.
Before his eyes stood a man silhouetted against the light, features indistinct, hands in pockets as he balanced atop the rooftop parapet, looking down from his elevated position.
Where had he come from...? And how had he appeared here?
These questions flashed through the tattooed youth's mind, but when he finally got a clear look at the newcomer's face, his eyes widened to their limits.
The man who had materialized out of thin air was the very person who had been walking alongside the sniper's target just moments before.
Impossible!
They were over sixty stories up!
And the distance between them had been so vast... how could he have crossed it!?
"You..."
Overwhelmed by terror and shock, the tattooed youth found his right hand frozen on his gun's grip, inexplicably unable to draw and fire.
Morrow radiated an intense aura, calmly observing the tattooed youth's reaction from above.
If this were someone from Meteor City, they would have faced death with equanimity, not been paralyzed by fear like this.
That was why he had asked if the youth worked for the Ten Dons.
Seeing the tattooed youth remain silent, Morrow spoke calmly, "Answer my question. Are you with the Ten Dons?"
"N-No..."
The tattooed youth's voice trembled as he replied.
Morrow raised a hand to his chin, thoughtful.
"I see. Just an unlucky fool hired for the job."
Before the words faded, Morrow turned to gaze down at the distant streets below.
This sniper wasn't from Meteor City, likely just a paid assassin.
But it didn't matter.
He would simply eliminate all threats.
Hands in pockets, Morrow's eyes focused with torch-like aura, slowly locking onto the assailants hiding in the shadows.
Meanwhile, the terrified tattooed youth, seeing Morrow casually turn his back, felt his gun-hand tremble slightly.
From this angle, drawing and firing...
One shot to the head, one to the heart. That would end it.
A flicker of bloodlust surfaced amidst the fear in the tattooed youth's eyes.
But just then, Morrow suddenly glanced back at him.
That gaze carried terrifying bloodlust, amplified by his aura like a psychic blade stabbing deep into the tattooed youth's consciousness.
The youth's body convulsed violently. He had been literally scared to death on the spot.
Morrow withdrew his gaze, then extended his index and middle fingers together, pointing toward a specific distant location below.
—--
Elsewhere, Kurapika swiftly distanced himself from the crowded streets.
The hidden attackers, seeing this, had no choice but to reveal themselves and strike.
Yet Kurapika dispatched them effortlessly, deliberately leaving one alive.
This was an armed confrontation in broad daylight.
But as a Single-Star Blacklist Hunter, Kurapika had little to worry about so long as no civilians were harmed.
The mastermind behind the ambush, watching from the shadows as Kurapika easily defeated his comrades, immediately retreated.
No matter how strong your Nen is, what use is it from such a distance?
A man with ink-tear tattoos etched on his face wore a resentful expression as he turned to leave.
But after just a few steps, he suddenly grew alert and snapped his head up.
A slender beam of light shot between skyscrapers, descending diagonally like a falling star.
Is it him?!
The tear-tattooed man's mind flashed back to Morrow, who had vanished inexplicably amid the crowd earlier.
But his target was Kurapika, so Morrow's sudden disappearance only made him more vigilant.
Now seeing this Nen wave accurately attacking from afar, the scarred man naturally thought of Morrow.
"Gyo."
As the Nen wave's gleam reflected in the scarred man's pupils, he immediately activated his defense, concentrating more aura output at the point of impact.
Ssshh!
The elongated, shuttle-like Nen wave was perfectly blocked by the timely 'Gyo'.
No matter how strong your Nen is, what use is it from such a distance?
Having defended against the Nen wave attack and confirmed its direction of origin, the scarred man naturally wouldn't proceed that way. Without hesitation, he chose a new retreat direction.
Yet the moment he moved, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.
Before he could react, a smooth hole had already appeared in the ground before him, with aura dissipating like faint smoke around its edges.
The scarred man froze, shifting his gaze from the hole to look down at his chest.
There was a coin-sized bloody hole, from which blood was gushing out.
It was a second Nen wave beam that had come from another direction, directly piercing through his chest before landing on the ground in front of him.
Realizing this, an expression of disbelief appeared on the scarred man's face.
"After firing the first Nen wave, he immediately changed positions... in such a short time... and with such accuracy... he's... a monster."
The scarred man staggered and collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.
Within moments, a pool of blood spread beneath him.
His speculation was accurate.
After firing a long-range Shooting Star, Morrow immediately used another Deceptive Shooting Star to change positions and adjust his angle, launching a second attack from the scarred man's blind spot.
What truly terrified the scarred man was Morrow's precision in ultra-long-range operations.
After eliminating the scarred man, Morrow left his vantage point to rendezvous with Kurapika.
"From Meteor City?"
Morrow glanced at the man tightly bound by Kurapika's chains, already unconscious.
He knew this was a captive Kurapika had intentionally spared.
"Yes."
Kurapika nodded. "I tested him with my 'Dowsing Chain'."
"Break his limbs first."
Morrow instructed calmly.
Upon hearing this, Kurapika immediately manipulated his chains to crush the unconscious man's limbs without hesitation.
Meteor City's persistent retaliatory actions, while troublesome for Kurapika, had forged his decisive and ruthless approach when facing enemies.
"Keep him alive. He'll be useful."
Morrow shifted his gaze toward the law firm building and asked in an inquiring tone, "Shall I handle the law firm alone?"
"Alright."
Kurapika naturally had no objections to entrusting the Scarlet Eyes transaction entirely to Morrow.
Morrow then headed to the law firm, completing the transaction for two pairs of Scarlet Eyes as quickly as possible.
After settling this matter, the two immediately left the city, riding Chimera all the way to Meteor City's location.
During the journey, the intentionally spared captive woke several times, but was promptly knocked unconscious again by Kurapika's physical restraints.
—--
Five days later, Chimera arrived above Meteor City.
The outskirts of Meteor City were endless mountains of garbage, with waste piled into hills forming suffocating barriers.
Further away, mountain ranges stood like towering walls, completely isolating this landfill from human society.
Originally, vast forests stretched from the foot of the mountains, but as garbage continuously poured in, living space was gradually eroded.
Now, only a small patch of forest remained, clinging to the mountain base like a final refuge.
At the center, surrounded by garbage, lay the dwelling place of Meteor City's residents.
The outermost area, adjacent to the garbage piles, was crammed with chaotic tents and low shanties.
Moving inward, there stood a cluster of low-rise but somewhat modern buildings.
Though the walls were stained and the streets filthy, the crisscrossing electrical wires at least indicated the bare minimum of living conditions were maintained.
Compared to the outer tent area, this was already considered relatively comfortable.
Deeper in lay the core district of Meteor City.
Here, the streets were relatively clean, and the buildings stood taller.
Dense structures were divided into four major zones by cross-shaped main roads, and at the intersection's center, an old-era church stood quietly.
Outsiders knew little about Meteor City, let alone whether this world-forsaken place held any semblance of faith.
Morrow gazed down at Meteor City from above and immediately noticed the church building in the core district.
This place received garbage from all over the world.
Perhaps among that trash were tattered Bibles or similar books.
Thus, faith could sprout even from the stench of refuse.
But hierarchical distinctions were even more pronounced here.
From the outer shanties and tents, to the low, disorderly buildings, then to the town-like scene divided by main roads, and finally, the bell-hanging church in the core district.
"Right here."
Morrow looked down at Meteor City's central area and lightly tapped Chimera's back.
Chimera instantly understood, flapping its wings to hover in the air.
Like Morrow, Kurapika was also visiting Meteor City for the first time.
So, seeing the central district's buildings that could almost be called a city was quite surprising.
"With nearly ten million people, plus the massive supply of weapons from the mafia... it wouldn't be strange if there was a national-level military force there."
Morrow casually raised his right hand, condensing sharp aura output.
Kurapika looked at Morrow's bright Nen and could already foresee what would happen next.
—--
Meanwhile, in Meteor City's core district, many had already noticed Chimera hovering high in the sky.
"What is that thing?"
"Looks like... a giant bird?"
Numerous residents looked up at Chimera continuously flapping its wings high above.
Chimera's size was simply too massive. Even flying high, it was somewhat conspicuous.
Moreover, it was dusk; more people were likely to glance at the sky, and without the blinding sunlight, they could see more clearly.
Chimera's presence quickly drew the attention of the Elders and their subordinate forces.
Soon, more and more Meteor City residents were looking up at the dark silhouette in the sky.
Hmm?
Led by the Elder, a group arrived at the church's high point. While observing Chimera's movements, they suddenly spotted the Nen trajectory rising from Chimera's back.
Despite the great distance, as Nen users, they could still sense a dangerous aura from the trajectory of the Nen.
The next moment, that Nen trajectory scattered like a brilliant firework, then plummeted downward like a meteor shower.
And just at that moment, the last glimmer of sunset vanished.
As night encroached upon the horizon, the hundreds of shooting stars, accentuated by the darkness, shimmered with a bright yet perilous glow.
The Elder and the other Nen users, along with the Meteor City residents who were gazing up at the sky, were first struck with astonishment, then their expressions shifted dramatically.
"Who...!?"
One of the Elders spoke in a hoarse voice, the anger in his tone unmistakable to those nearby.
From the streets below, sounds of panic and chaos erupted.
The star rain descending from the sky scattered down like merciless, flowing fire.
Boom, boom, boom...
Meteor City's central district was instantly subjected to a concentrated bombardment, the deafening explosions drowning out the residents' screams.
The Elders atop the church roof watched this scene with twisted expressions, their fury barely contained.
But then, a second wave of star rain descended from the heavens, more numerous and more powerful than the first.
They looked up in stunned disbelief, an uncontrollable sense of helplessness rising within them.
The attacker was no ordinary person!
-------------
Bonus chapter @800 powerstones