Confident judgments, swift execution upon receiving a clue.
How annoying...
It was like accidentally revealing just a corner of one's underwear, and then having the exact style of the underwear guessed.
And the key was, the other party was just a kid.
But the question was—
What exactly had happened to this kid?
A strong sense of incongruity surged within Zazan, followed by a quiet emergence of killing intent.
While tasks and responsibilities were important, he couldn't stand such sudden situations full of "strangeness and unknowns."
They were annoying and unsettling.
Should I kill him...?
As Zazan fell silent, he glanced at Moreu's bleeding knee and couldn't help but frown.
This "blood bag" had a high priority; for now, he would observe.
Anyway, a cut had already been made, barely satisfying the conditions for his ability to activate.
It simply meant he would have to "wait" longer.
So, he would patiently wait a few more minutes.
Once the effect of his "Data Throwing Knife" ability took hold, he could directly control Moreu.
In a brief moment, Zazan's killing intent emerged, was suppressed, and finally, he decided on his course of action.
"They say bad things come in threes; I think that phrase applies perfectly here."
Zazan reined in his emotions, casually fiddling with the throwing knife in his hand, his voice growing colder:
"So don't think about escaping, and you'll still have a chance to live."
"Hmm, they also say listen to advice and eat your fill; I think that phrase applies perfectly here too."
Moreu calmly stared at Zazan's Nen fluctuations and said,
"So I'm not thinking about escaping, which means you'll still have a chance to catch me."
"..."
Zazan's mouth twitched.
If it weren't for the constraints of his so-called duty and the need to wait to fulfill the conditions for his ability...
The throwing knife in his left hand would have certainly flown towards Moreu by now; he wouldn't be wasting time bickering.
Ever since Moreu jumped out of the carriage, he had been observing Zazan's Nen.
Some of a person's thoughts and emotions can sometimes be revealed in Nen fluctuations.
A truly skilled person, of course, wouldn't let their Nen expose such information.
But Zazan was clearly not at that level yet.
Moreu had clearly seen the shift in killing intent earlier.
This indicated that Zazan's operational guideline of "not harming the cargo" might be adaptable to circumstances.
Therefore, Moreu believed Zazan's statement was serious and completely dispelled the idea of exploiting Zazan's scruples to find an opportunity to escape.
After all, the risks of a restrained pursuit and an unrestrained pursuit were on different levels.
He could only... solve the problem head-on.
Moreu consciously allowed his manifested aura to spread evenly throughout his body.
Although he had opened his aura nodes in a hurry, his adaptation speed was not slow; the synchronization between his body and Nen was tightly interlocking.
Judging by the current progress, he shouldn't have to worry about an unexpected "delay" in the synchronization and feedback between his Nen and body.
This was important... after all, his margin for error was very low.
Moreu thought to himself while keeping a close eye on Zazan.
Both parties on the scene had a motive to "wait," and so the rugged mountain road where the cargo truck was located suddenly became somewhat quiet.
Moreu was waiting for his body and Nen to adapt and synchronize, thereby lowering the probability of mistakes.
Zazan, having taken the initiative, preferred to solve the problem without bloodshed.
So, in this slightly peculiar atmosphere, neither party even tried to break the silence, each maintaining a strange unspoken understanding.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
As time passed, Moreu's and Zazan's mindsets began to shift.
Zazan believed himself to be in a superior position, holding the initiative, so when he saw Moreu making no move, he didn't waste much thought on it.
All he had to do was wait for his ability to activate, and then he could immediately resolve the problem.
Moreu, however, was different; he had more to consider.
Based on the apparent hardware strength, the opponent was undoubtedly more powerful.
However, after the throwing knife attack, Moreu realized that the opponent seemed to have no sense of "time" urgency.
This was the problem.
I'm waiting for a fighting chance, but what is he waiting for?
Moreu's gaze swept across the opponent's left hand, which held the throwing knife.
There's a high probability that a left-handed person is a Conjurer, but this is just a reference point.
Another characteristic of Conjurers is to subconsciously gather more Nen in their dominant hand.
However, the accuracy of this judgment depends on whether the Conjurer has not yet used their ability.
When he jumped out of the carriage and immediately turned to be on guard, the opponent already had a throwing knife in his hand.
Moreover, judging by the bulging outline on the opponent's jacket, there were likely several throwing knives hidden inside.
Also, after getting out of the carriage, he had specifically paid attention to the situation inside the carriage; that throwing knife was still there...
While it doesn't rule out the possibility of multiple conjured items, based on the current information, the probability of the opponent's throwing knives being conjured items is low.
This also rules out the possibility of the conjured items having special abilities, thus temporarily removing the need to consider the risks involved, such as using the creation of wounds as an opportunity to achieve some desired ability effect.
And from the analysis results, although it leaned towards a more optimistic side, however...
Engaging in the deceitful antique industry not only created the opportunity for Moreu to develop his "Deception Throwing Star" ability but also taught him something.
That is, in an adversarial situation driven by self-interest, any ideas or goals the opponent reveals through their words and actions are invariably the results that one does not want to see happen.
So even if Moreu couldn't get more useful intelligence from the existing information, he realized that the benefit of continuing to wait was likely lower than the risk.
With the current level of synchronization, should he be able to directly skip the foundational steps and smoothly use "Deception Throwing Star"?
He should... be able to, right?
Moreu didn't actually have 100% certainty, but in such a disadvantageous situation, where would he find a chance to verify?
As his thoughts turned and he made his decision, Moreu first locked onto the handgun that had fallen closer to him, then, with his current Nen level, condensed Nen in his right palm.
A faint green glow, like a sprouting seed, emerged with a gentle demeanor.
By the side of the cargo truck.
A look of alarm flashed in Zazan's eyes.
Nen ability...?!!
He had only just opened his aura nodes...!
In an instant, alarm bells rang in Zazan's heart, and the shock in his eyes was replaced by killing intent.
At this very moment, Moreu successfully used his "Deception Throwing Star" ability.
A marble-sized, fluorescent green Nen bullet shot out from his palm, aiming straight for Zazan's chest.
Zazan was unsure of Moreu's specific ability. Seeing that the throwing star wasn't particularly fast, he shifted his body sideways and dodged it.
At the same time.
Moreu picked up the fallen handgun, immediately aimed at Zazan, and repeatedly pulled the trigger.
Bang, bang, bang...
Eleven bullets flew towards Zazan in quick succession.
Zazan's eyes were cold. With another leap, he shifted his position sideways, dodging the incoming bullets.
"P922, twelve rounds of ammunition."
After dodging the bullets, Zazan slightly raised his throwing knife, slowly walking towards Moreu as he coldly said,
"You fired eleven rounds just now; did you deliberately save one hoping to turn the tables? But what I'm more curious about is..."
At this point, the killing intent in Zazan's eyes grew even stronger.
"You're very familiar with firearms, and you have Nen abilities... So, who exactly are you!?"
"Bang!"
Moreu's last bullet from his gun was Zazan's answer.
But just as the gunshot rang out, Zazan hurled his throwing knife.
The bullet, carrying scorching energy, and the Nen-wreathed throwing knife passed each other mid-air, each heading towards its target.
Zazan was expressionless.
If it was just one bullet, he was confident he could endure it with his body, and the throwing knife he had launched, he was confident would kill Moreu.
The situation had far exceeded his expectations, and he no longer cared how he would explain it to his superiors.
With cold eyes, he watched the throwing knife fly towards Moreu's vitals, while simultaneously channeling his Nen to block the bullet.
Thud—
But before he could see the throwing knife pierce Moreu's body, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.
The ensuing impact instantly blurred his consciousness, and a large amount of blood gushed from his mouth.
"W-what..."
The sudden attack greatly shocked Zazan's mind as his consciousness faded.
On the other side.
The tip of the Nen-wreathed throwing knife had already pierced Moreu's skin.
However, it could not advance another inch, instantly transforming into a smoke-like form and slowly dissipating into the air.
"Hoo."
As the dust settled, Moreu lowered the arm holding the gun.
Even now, he still couldn't determine Zazan's Nen ability type.
But he was very glad that at this moment, he was facing someone like Zazan.
If it had been a Nen user with a different personality, he probably would have died again.
(End of Chapter)
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