Leveraging the dual-stealth capabilities of Shadowmeld and Zetsu, Allen effortlessly tricked everyone in the Phantom Troupe, successfully completing three switches with Hisoka in an inconspicuous corner.
By the time the last switch was completed, he had secured the prerequisites for stealing the abilities of Shizuku, Shalnark, and Kortopi.
Feitan, due to his rather unique ability which requires him to be injured before it can be activated, and because his relationship with Hisoka is quite hostile, was temporarily left untouched.
However, with the gradual perfection of Vaelstrasz's possession ability, Allen no longer had a desperate need for Feitan's maximum fire-resistance gear.
This is because the Red Dragon itself is a creature naturally immune to fire damage. Especially after the red scales cover every inch of his body's surface, while it still hasn't reached complete immunity, all fire damage would be reduced to one-tenth of its original value. This is more than sufficient for "raiding" the Molten Core.
It would be better to have it, but it doesn't matter much if he doesn't.
After all, he still has one more chance at the card-flip lottery!
Stepping out of the rundown, abandoned church, Allen stood on the empty street and whispered in a voice only he could hear: "Phantom Troupe, the next time we meet, we will be enemies, enemies sworn to fight to the death."
The moment his voice fell silent, Hisoka suddenly appeared out of thin air in a dark corner and asked with a cryptic smile, "When do you plan to make your move?"
"Don't rush. Such an interesting hunt must be enjoyed slowly. Tomorrow night, when they make their move, I'll take out one or two of them first, then leave a provocative message to completely enrage the entire Troupe and prompt them to launch a large-scale retaliation against the Mafia. This war will be the Phantom Troupe's magnificent curtain call and funeral. No one is permitted to escape the gaze of the Grim Reaper, not Chrollo, nor any other member among them," Allen answered meaningfully.
"Chrollo is mine. Don't you forget the promise you made to me!" Hisoka reminded him, sounding a little uneasy.
"Don't worry, I'll leave Chrollo for you. But if you lose, he becomes my prey. Is that a problem?"
Allen turned around, staring at the abnormal man who was already at the peak of excitement and barely able to control his emotions.
"Hmm. No problem." Hisoka gave an affirmative reply without a second thought.
It was clear from his facial expression that he never once considered that he might lose to Chrollo, nor did he believe anyone in the entire Phantom Troupe could defeat him in a one-on-one battle.
"Then it's settled. As a side note, a word of caution: make sure not to give Chrollo any time to prepare or adjust, or his troublesome ability might instantly Grim Reaper you. I've said my piece. Farewell."
With that, Allen waved his hand without looking back, then leaped onto the rooftop and disappeared into the vast darkness of the night with extreme speed.
Watching his receding figure, Hisoka lowered his voice and chuckled to himself: "Heh heh The more trouble, the more interesting. That's exactly what makes Chrollo so anticipated and worth killing. But the one I truly want to destroy is you! Your power! And those weirdly complex abilities! Everything about you is so utterly fascinating! Ah I can't take it! I'm too excited! Patience. Patience! If I go back like this, it will definitely alert Chrollo."
…
Just as Allen left the Troupe's gathering point, far away in the Hunter Association's laboratory, Cheadle finally completed the comprehensive testing and research on the Essence of Life. Utilizing a large number of advanced instruments, precious raw materials, and Nen ability assistance, she ultimately produced ten doses of a remarkably effective medicine.
Looking at the pale green liquid in the syringes, a look of immense pride and triumph appeared on her fatigued face as she loudly declared, "It's a success! I finally succeeded!"
"Oh? What succeeded?" Netero pushed the door open and walked in from outside.
"Chairman! I've developed a life elixir capable of instantly healing all injuries and reversing aging! Just one injection can make a person at least ten years younger! That crystalline body called Essence of Life is exactly as predicted! It contains an unimaginably potent surge of life energy!" Cheadle boasted excitedly.
"Just one dose can make a person ten years younger? That truly is an incredible research achievement. But what about the side effects? Don't tell me this medicine can be consumed indefinitely, allowing a person to stay young and never die."
Netero, the old monster who has lived for over a hundred years, saw the core issue immediately.
Hearing this sharp question, Cheadle's initially happy expression froze, and she replied with a wry smile, "Well, you guessed it. A person can only take this medicine once. If a second dose is administered, although the body will instantly recover to its peak state, the cells will begin to age rapidly, collapse, and lead to death within twenty minutes to half an hour at most."
"In other words, its essence is an intensified life-extending drug plus a potent stimulant, not some kind of elixir of eternal life. The effect of the first injection is to extend lifespan, while the second is a stimulant that briefly restores the body to its peak state, correct?" Netero picked up one of the syringes, and a chilling smile appeared on his ancient face.
"Exactly. Do you wish to inject a dose now?" Cheadle asked cautiously.
But Netero refused without hesitation: "No. An extra ten years of life holds little significance for me; fifty years, on the other hand, might be somewhat useful. When I truly need it, I'll likely require two doses, not just one. In any case, properly store these precious medicines. Do not let them fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives."
"Understood. However, I promised Allen that I would share whatever I researched with him. Therefore... half of these elixirs also belong to him," Cheadle proactively revealed the terms of their original agreement.
"Then give them to him. As long as they don't fall into the hands of those V5 politicians, it's fine by me," Netero shrugged indifferently.
In fact, the matter of extending one's life by ten years is completely negligible for Nen users.
This is because the lifespan of anyone who has trained their Nen to a certain degree is often much longer than that of ordinary people. Unless they die in battle or by accident, living to over a hundred years old is easier than eating and drinking water.
For a person with an expected lifespan of over a hundred years, does living ten years more or ten years less make any difference?
The answer is clearly no.
The complete opposite is true for ordinary people.
Especially those sixty or seventy-year-old politicians who hold immense power. If they were to gain an extra decade of political life, they could often defeat their opponents to become the true controllers of a nation, or even turn into outright dictators.
That is why Netero does not want anything capable of extending life to fall into the hands of such people.
"I know. Please rest assured, I will personally explain the importance of this matter to Allen. As for the remaining five doses, you should personally safeguard them."
Having said this, Cheadle divided the ten syringes on the table into two portions. She carefully wrapped one portion and tucked it into her pocket close to her body, handing the other portion to the Chairman.
Looking at the life elixir placed before him, the Chairman couldn't help but smile and exclaim, "Oh ho ho ho! Medicine that can briefly restore me to my absolute peak condition? That sounds a bit exciting and something to look forward to. I truly wish I could encounter a powerful opponent soon! Rather than slowly dying of old age, I would much prefer to fall at the feet of a strong enemy after a desperate struggle. That is the ultimate end sought by any true martial artist..."
————
You can read the ahead chapter on Patr-eon if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]