Pairo was Kurapika's childhood friend who grew up with him.
At this moment, his head was surrounded by over a dozen Scarlet Eyes.
This sudden scene struck Kurapika's heart like a heavy hammer.
Rage and grief intertwined...
Extreme emotions violently tore at Kurapika's spirit.
"Calm down, Kurapika."
Morrow's voice came from beside him.
Compared to Kurapika's loss of composure, Morrow appeared calmly detached and steady.
"The most important thing now is to take the eyes and leave this place as soon as possible."
Morrow looked at Kurapika's face, dominated by rage and sorrow; even the large frog-eye sunglasses couldn't conceal it.
Hearing Morrow's calm tone, Kurapika took a deep breath, his voice hoarse: "Sorry, give me half a minute... no, ten seconds is enough..."
After speaking, Kurapika slowly closed his eyes.
His chest heaved violently, but with each deeper breath, his emotions quickly stabilized.
Ten seconds later.
Kurapika slowly opened his eyes, a trace of crimson light still lingering at the edges of his pupils, but his emotions had already calmed.
He silently walked toward the nightmarish display wall, his movements gentle yet firm as he lifted the glass container holding Pairo's head.
Morrow walked to his side and took out a pre-packed cloth bag.
The two quickly removed all the Scarlet Eyes displayed on the wall and placed them into the bag.
Though this operation seemed careless, as long as they used Shu to envelop the entire bag, they could ensure the containers wouldn't break.
Even without using Nen, these specially made containers were sturdy enough on their own, so there was no need for excessive worry.
"Let me do it."
Kurapika took the cloth bag from Morrow's hands, carefully and solemnly slinging it over his shoulder.
These were the final eyes of his clansmen that had been scattered outside...
As long as he brought them back to their homeland for burial, his clansmen's souls could rest in peace.
Deep sorrow welled up in Kurapika's eyes.
Morrow could sense the emotions in Kurapika's aura, but he never voiced any comfort.
Because he knew Kurapika didn't need it.
Whoosh–
Morrow opened a second cloth bag, sweeping all the Nen-attached collectibles from the secret room into it, simultaneously absorbing their aura.
As the aura was absorbed by the Tree Rings tattoo, the fourth energy ring's gauge slowly climbed from 11% to 12%.
Morrow then casually grabbed a pile of items he thought were valuable and stuffed them haphazardly into the cloth bag.
This wasn't due to greed, but rather to create the illusion of a robbery.
Otherwise, if they only took the Scarlet Eyes, anyone would be able to tell something was amiss.
Moreover, these stolen goods couldn't be sold anyway.
If they entered the market and were detected by Tserriednich's intelligence network, the losses would outweigh the gains.
Morrow thought he could turn these items into burial objects for the Kurta Clan members.
Soon, the cloth bag was bulging from Morrow's packing.
"Let's go."
After speaking to Kurapika, Morrow immediately took the lead.
With the final batch of Scarlet Eyes obtained, they had to leave Kakin Empire's territory as quickly as possible.
As for whether Tserriednich could track them down afterward, that would be a matter for later.
Anyway, after this matter was concluded, he wouldn't set foot in the Kakin Empire again for quite some time.
Morrow and Kurapika swiftly left the underground chamber and evacuated the mansion.
Without a spatial storage-type ability, it would have been impossible to smuggle the Scarlet Eyes out under Kakin Empire's stringent control.
But with Chimera present, this problem was effortlessly resolved.
The two quickly exited the mansion and headed straight for their pre-positioned vehicle.
"To avoid drawing attention, I had Chimera wait in a remote dense forest. It's some distance from here, but the route is already planned."
Morrow started the engine, its low rumble echoing through the night.
Kurapika sat in the backseat, clutching the cloth bag tightly, and asked quietly, "Should we inform Morena?"
"Unnecessary."
Morrow glanced at Kurapika through the rearview mirror before stepping on the accelerator.
"Our cooperation with her has concluded."
As the words faded, the car abruptly accelerated into the vast darkness.
—--
Shortly after their departure, a fully armed law enforcement unit rapidly arrived at the scene.
As the Fourth Prince of the Kakin Empire, Tserriednich not only secretly controlled one of the three major mafia families but also held the privilege to mobilize local law enforcement agencies openly.
Moreover, this time he had solid justification with the theft of his property.
The law enforcement unit quickly secured the area upon arrival.
They first verified the status of the mansion's personnel, then discovered that only Tserriednich's underground chamber had suffered losses.
The news reached Tserriednich at maximum speed.
He had already grasped the full situation at the scene while still aboard his helicopter.
"Bullshit!"
Veins bulged at Tserriednich's temples as a bone-chilling coldness surfaced on his grim face.
His collection room housed numerous valuable items.
But he never cared about monetary worth; only whether the objects themselves could captivate him.
Among the plundered collection were his most cherished Scarlet Eyes.
Particularly that perfectly preserved head...
The sole treasure among his organ collections.
Additionally, there was the final masterpiece by the greatest 13th-century painter.
Those damned rats had directly stripped the painting from its frame.
Who knew if they'd rolled it up or crudely folded the artwork.
Just imagining his beloved collection being defiled by filthy rodents made Tserriednich furious enough to kill.
—--
Not long after, the helicopter landed in the courtyard.
The surroundings were filled entirely with armed law enforcement members; not a single security guard in sight.
As they all remained unconscious.
Tserriednich leaped from the aircraft and, seeing the Heil-Ly Family hadn't arrived yet, strode toward the bedroom with a darkened expression.
While passing through the corridor, he encountered two unconscious security guards lying on the floor.
Without turning his head, Tserriednich extended his hand behind him.
His bodyguard understood immediately, drawing his sidearm and respectfully handing it over.
Click.
Amid the soft sound of the safety disengaging, Tserriednich kept his gaze forward while casually lowering his arm.
Bang! Bang! Bang...!
Deafening gunshots tore through the night.
The two guards' bodies convulsed violently amid spurting blood, falling silent within moments.
Expressionless, Tserriednich tossed the empty gun behind him.
The bodyguard caught it steadily, swiftly replaced the magazine, returned it to his hip holster, then promptly followed Tserriednich.
The accompanying law enforcement officers exchanged glances behind them but wisely maintained their silence.
Tserriednich went to check the storage room and upon returning, asked only one question: "Have you found anything?"
The law enforcement officer with the highest authority in the room immediately broke into a cold sweat.
"Not yet."
He lowered his head, not daring to look at Tserriednich's face.
Even without looking, he could imagine the expression on the other's face.
It was undoubtedly gloomy, mixed with a sickly bloodlust.
Tserriednich cast a cold glance at the officer, then turned and walked toward the courtyard without looking back.
The Heil-Ly Family had arrived.
Leading them was Morena.
Beside her stood a burly man wearing a dog-head mask.
This was her most capable subordinate, Dogman.
Aside from Dogman, over a dozen elite members of the Heil-Ly Family were waiting nearby.
Tserriednich entered the courtyard.
Morena immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, "Dogman has a keen sense of smell. He might be of assistance."
"..."
Tserriednich gave Dogman a brief, indifferent glance and said coldly, "It better be."
—--
A short while later.
The helicopter's rotor blades stirred up a gust of wind as it lifted off from the courtyard.
On the ground, Dogman straddled a motorcycle and revved the throttle.
With a roar of the engine, the motorcycle shot forward like an arrow from a bow, its bright headlights cutting a path through the darkness.
Behind the motorcycle, five or six law enforcement vehicles followed closely.
—--
Above in the sky.
The helicopter hovered briefly, then adjusted its direction, using the motorcycle's headlights as a mark to follow closely.
Morena stood in the courtyard, her hands habitually clasped in front of her, watching the 'pursuit team' fade into the distance.
A flicker of bloodlust passed deep within her eyes.
Destroying this world, which she saw as a cesspool, was her ultimate goal.
But before that, she had to dismantle the Kakin royal family...
Morena had already devised a series of plans, and now it was time to set them in motion.
Using her infectious Specialization ability, she would let the seeds of escalating slaughter sprout from this moment onward.
Then, it would spread from the bottom up, spreading and spreading, until the number of 'infected' reached an uncontrollable level, forming an uprising that could directly threaten Kakin.
As long as the contagion persisted, it would be unsolvable.
Morena lowered her gaze slightly and walked toward the car parked in the distance.
—--
Kakin Capital, Royal Palace Complex.
Beyond sat cross-legged on a sandalwood floor, dressed in a dark robe.
His burly elbow rested casually on a black lacquered armrest, while his other calloused hand held a book, reading intently.
This man, who exuded a wild aura, had a bold and rugged face.
Thick, long black beard, sharply defined features.
Especially the X-shaped scar running across his face gave him the demeanor of an ancient warrior.
Yet, upon closer inspection, his facial features bore some resemblance to Netero in his middle age.
If one hadn't seen it for themselves, it might be hard to believe that such a rough, imposing man would enjoy reading.
Without exaggeration, as long as he wasn't disturbed by other matters, Beyond could stay in his study reading all day.
Beside him, a woman with a spiral-shaped bun like an exquisite flower bud and slender, willow-leaf eyebrows held a bronze teapot.
Drip, drip–
A stream of amber liquid poured from the spout into the teacup on the low table before Beyond.
Beyond turned the pages with one hand, slightly straightened his posture, and reached out to pick up the teacup. Unfazed by the scalding heat, he drank it in one gulp.
Thud.
He placed the teacup back on the low table.
Beyond was intently reading the contents of the book.
The woman with the spiral bud hairpin, named Sawa, was about to refill Beyond's teacup when she suddenly froze. Unconsciously, Nen emanated from her body.
Instantly, a soft glow rippled outward from her entire being like waves, vaguely outlining a translucent red spider lily within the undulations.
Snap.
Beyond abruptly closed the book, turned his head to look at Sawa, and frowned. "Oh? Now?"
"Yes, the Flower Seed on the Fourth Prince has been triggered..."
Sawa's dark eyes remained utterly calm.
------------------
2 Bonus chapters @1000 power stones