The first thing Killua and Gon did upon arriving in Yorknew was to inform Morrow about their achievement of becoming Floor Masters at Heavens Arena and their arrival in Yorknew.
However, all the messages they sent to Morrow seemed to vanish without a trace, receiving no response.
Later, when they tried calling directly, they were notified that Morrow's phone was turned off.
In reality, Morrow had already established preliminary cooperation with Morena, focusing entirely on the mission to assassinate the head of the Heil-Ly Family.
So even if he saw the messages from Killua and Gon, he wouldn't respond.
Killua and Gon, having received no reply for a long time, didn't dwell on the matter.
Before the auction began, they first secured tickets for the September 1st Southernpiece Auction and then closely monitored the movements of the wealthy Battera.
After half a day of investigation, they not only confirmed the hotel where Battera's team was staying but also discovered that Battera was holding a "recruitment event" on September 5th, which had already opened for online registration.
"September 5th happens to be the auction day for the last set of Greed Island. It seems Battera plans to start the recruitment event as soon as he gets the game," Killua said, sitting under a parasol on the café terrace, lightly pushing up his sunglasses with a finger.
He gazed thoughtfully toward the hotel and remarked, "But even before the auction begins, he dares to announce his recruitment plans in advance. Such confidence is practically declaring to everyone that he's determined to win these games."
In the seat opposite Killua, Gon also wore a flashy pair of sunglasses, though carrying a fishing rod with him made the look somewhat mismatched.
"So, as long as we pass the recruitment event's screening, we can go to Greed Island!" Gon tilted his head toward the hotel, his eyes sparkling.
Killua leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, and said, "But we shouldn't put all our hopes on passing the recruitment screening. It's best to have a backup plan."
"Backup plan?" Gon turned his gaze curiously toward Killua.
Killua then flashed a knowing smile.
—--
Late at night on the streets of Yorknew.
Neon lights cast a kaleidoscope of colors on Killua's frustrated face.
"Damn it! If I'd just stepped on that colored light in the last round, I could've won 20 times the prize money!" He tugged wildly at his silver hair.
Gon hugged his fishing rod blankly, looking around the empty street. "So... this is your backup plan?"
"Well..." Killua scratched his nose sheepishly. "It was mostly bad luck. I was so close! If I'd won, 200 million times 20 would've been 4 billion." His voice trailed off into a disgruntled mutter.
Gon sighed with lingering fear. "Your mindset of trying to strike it rich with one bet was wrong from the start. Good thing I didn't listen to you. If I'd followed your lead, my 200 million would be gone too."
"Oh right, you still have 200 million!" Killua suddenly perked up.
Gon immediately grew wary. "I'm absolutely not giving it to you!"
"Tch, fine, don't give it then." Killua couldn't help but show a disappointed expression, muttering, "Cheapskate."
With their backup plan foiled, the two had no choice but to return to the hotel and wait for the auction to begin the next day.
The hotel they were staying at was the same one Battera was in.
This was, of course, intentional.
However, they hadn't approached Battera yet, planning to first observe the situation at the auction.
As soon as they stepped into the hotel lobby, Gon suddenly grabbed Killua's sleeve.
Battera was sitting on a leather sofa in the lobby's reception area, surrounded by several men in military uniforms who appeared casually positioned.
Their stances seemed loose but actually blocked all possible approaches to Battera.
Among them was a tall man, the Single Star Pro Hunter, Tsezguerra.
Every time Battera bid on Greed Island, Tsezguerra had to return from the game.
On one hand, he was responsible for Battera's safety; on the other, he served as the screening officer for the recruitment sessions, evaluating the Nen users who came to apply.
Gon and Killua's arrival immediately caught Tsezguerra's attention.
It wasn't due to professional instinct but simply because both Gon and Killua were Nen users.
Since they were Nen users, they naturally warranted closer observation.
Tsezguerra's gaze lingered on Killua and Gon. When he saw their remarkably refined Ten, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
Judging by their age, this was the first time he had seen such skilled young men.
Gon and Killua were also sizing up Tsezguerra.
Although the men in military uniforms around the sofa were also Nen users, the two could tell at a glance that Tsezguerra was the most powerful Nen user among them.
"This guy..." Killua pretended to casually look away, lowering his voice. "He feels more experienced than Kastro."
"Yeah." Gon nodded almost imperceptibly, also keeping his voice low. "His aura is completely different."
As they spoke, they tacitly averted their gazes and naturally headed toward the elevator.
However, after walking a short distance, Gon and Killua seemed to suddenly sense something terrifying. They almost simultaneously halted and abruptly turned to look at the hotel's glass entrance.
The moment they made this move, their Ten showed signs of shifting toward Ren.
All because a gaze had fallen on their backs, carrying a dangerous aura.
Over in the reception area.
Tsezguerra and the others also sensed the undisguised, violent aura emanating from the glass entrance, causing them to reflexively look over.
Whoosh.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the automatic glass doors of the hotel lobby slid open.
A figure as solid as an iron tower stepped into the lobby.
It was a bald man with bronze skin. A centipede tattoo coiled from the top of his head down to his forehead and cheeks, looking like a living, ferocious creature under the overhead lights.
The man wore a sleeveless jacket, casually exposing his granite-like upper body muscles. His arms, thicker than an adult's thighs, were clad in a pair of metal armguards engraved with traditional Kakin patterns.
As he entered the lobby, the armguards emitted faint metallic clinks.
This man was none other than Lopez, an executive of the Heil-Ly Family. The gazes of all the Nen users in the lobby instantly focused on him.
Tsezguerra and the others were relatively far from Lopez and weren't subjected to his targeted aura pressure, so at most they wore subtle expressions of gravity.
In contrast, Killua and Gon were already on high alert. To guard against Lopez's undisguised aura, they immediately entered a state of Ren, releasing their maximum aura output.
Lopez's hawk-like eyes revealed a sharp glint as he expressionlessly looked at Killua and Gon, who were fully prepared for defense.
His reason for locking onto the two with his aura wasn't entirely out of hostility.
It was simply because Killua and Gon had been standing too close to the entrance earlier, and both were Nen users.
Naturally, his aggressive behavior would provoke reactions from others.
This guy's aura... is incredibly strong!
Watching the surging aura output radiating from Lopez like raging waves, Killua couldn't help but frown tightly. The sense of crisis rising from within him came in continuous waves.
Gon remained silent, merely gripping his fishing rod as if facing a formidable enemy.
Though he didn't sense any bloodlust... The gaze directed at them carried a persistent, shadow-like pressure.
"Lopez."
A somewhat flippant young voice suddenly came from behind the bronze-skinned muscular man.
A tall, young man with silver-white hair and wearing a silver-white suit emerged from behind Lopez, raising his hand to pat his shoulder.
"Come on, come on, they weren't blocking the way. Look at you, almost scaring these two kids to tears."
The speaker was none other than Vick, the son of the Heil-Ly Family's leader.
At his words, Lopez silently withdrew his aura pressure.
Just then, three more people entered the lobby.
The one leading them had a portly figure, an eggplant-shaped head, and a centipede-like scar running across his face.
This was Aibolan, the leader of the Heil-Ly Family.
Interestingly enough, although the leaders of Kakin's three major mafia families were all illegitimate children of King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou, each had distinct physical features.
The Xi-Yu Family leader had an onion-shaped head, the Cha-R Family leader had a cauliflower-shaped head, while this Heil-Ly Family leader sported a standard eggplant-shaped head.
Two people followed behind Aibolan.
On the right was Morena in a long dress, and on the left was a solemn-looking middle-aged man.
Morena discreetly glanced at Killua and Gon, her gaze briefly lingering on Tsezguerra and his group.
Encountering two groups of Nen users in the hotel lobby late at night, combined with Lopez's consistently arrogant and aggressive behavior, it wasn't surprising that he would unceremoniously use his Nen pressure to intimidate the two kids.
After Lopez withdrew his aura, the pressure on Killua and Gon immediately decreased significantly.
Though they couldn't understand why the other party would engage in such demonstrative behavior for no reason, they didn't want to inexplicably fight this powerful individual either.
As the tense atmosphere in the room gradually dissipated, Vick in his silver-white suit looked at Killua and Gon and casually made a shooing gesture.
Gon frowned, somewhat displeased.
But Killua remained extremely calm, pulling Gon aside.
Seeing how cooperative they were, Vick couldn't help but grin, then turned to look at Aibolan. "Dad, we don't see anyone from the Ten Dons, so let's head up first."
Aibolan nodded and led the way toward the elevator. Lopez, Vick, and Morena immediately formed a protective circle around him.
Over in the reception area, Tsezguerra's companions began murmuring in low voices.
"Who are these people? None of them seem ordinary."
"Not sure, but they're probably from the underworld."
"They certainly carry themselves like mobsters, but I'm familiar with all the notable underworld bosses across the six continents and ten regions, yet I've never seen these people before."
One of the intelligence team members whispered with some confusion.
While they conversed quietly, Tsezguerra alone remained silent.
His expression tense, his gaze remained fixed on Lopez beside Aibolan.
On the sofa, Battera held his phone, listening to the report from the other end, paying no attention to Killua, Gon, Aibolan and the others who had entered the lobby from start to finish.
The entire lobby suddenly became so quiet that only the footsteps of Aibolan's group could be heard.
Just as Aibolan's party passed Killua and Gon, a figure emerged from behind the emergency exit door not far from the elevator.
The man was tall, wearing a floral shirt, sunglasses, and with finely trimmed stubble on his chin.
He walked out with his hands in his pockets, habitually tilting his chin up as he moved, unconsciously exuding an air of arrogance.
This tall man in the floral shirt was Owl, the Conjurer among the Shadow Beasts.
Aibolan and his group stopped when they saw Owl.
They recognized his identity.
Owl slowly approached Aibolan, but his gaze subtly swept over Lopez.
He had clearly seen that astonishing aura from the shadows earlier, and couldn't help feeling shaken inside.
As part of the Shadow Beasts, the Ten Dons' strongest public force, Owl considered himself quite capable.
However, he had seen those Nen users who served as the Ten Dons' personal bodyguards, each one stronger than himself.
Yet the pressure he felt from Lopez before him was even greater than from those bodyguards.
This was an intuitive judgment.
Kakin's underworld had always maintained a low profile, never rashly encroaching on the Ten Dons' territory, but he never expected them to be hiding such capabilities.
If the Heil-Ly Family could possess an expert like Lopez, then the other two major underworld families standing in opposition to them probably had experts of similar caliber, right?
Wait... Could the Death God from the prophecy poem be him!?
Owl's thoughts raced, his expression involuntarily shifting slightly.
According to the prophecy poem's interpretation, the Grim Reaper typically represented assailants one shouldn't rashly oppose; in simple terms, it could be understood as exceptionally powerful individuals.
And since Lopez was an outsider, this possibility couldn't be ruled out.
As Owl pondered this, he had already reached a spot not far from Aibolan.
"My apologies, I should have been waiting for you all at the entrance."
Facing the other party's undisguised scrutinizing gaze, Owl remained unbothered, perfectly concealing his turbulent thoughts as he smiled and said, "Welcome to Yorknew, Mr. Aibolan."
"Hmm."
Aibolan responded coldly.
Owl immediately turned sideways, making a welcoming gesture as he said, "This way, please."
"..."
Aibolan's group promptly headed toward the elevator.
Soon, the entire party went up via the elevator.
In the lobby.
Battera seemed to have finished his call, suddenly standing up and preparing to return to his hotel room.
Tsezguerra and the others immediately formed a protective circle around him, and the entire group also headed toward the elevator.
—--
A moment later.
Only Gon and Killua remained in the lobby. "That person just now... was very dangerous. If we encounter him again, it's best to stay away immediately."
Killua gazed solemnly toward the elevator direction.
Gon nodded heavily, only then realizing that both hands gripping the fishing rod were already damp with sweat.
—--
In a hotel on another street far away.
Morrow slid a long blade into the Abyssal Sheath.
This blade was something he'd picked up at a flea market, nothing special, just decent quality, barely suitable for disguise.
Placing the white cloth-wrapped Abyssal Sheath aside, Morrow grasped a jet-black ore and began carving the structure of Divine Script onto copper discs.
If he didn't want to expose his identity, that meant he couldn't use signature abilities like Starlight Convergence.
So to ensure the assassination would proceed smoothly, he could only rely on making good use of the Divine Script ability.