Guganyu Kingdom, Qiluo Ke City.
Leo stood on the main street, squinting his eyes as he gazed at the familiar city before him.
Sunlight filtered through thin clouds, plating the streets in a layer of warm gold.
Traffic flowed like a woven tapestry and the clamor of voices was deafening, exactly as it was in his memory.
His gaze moved past the bustling crowds, landing on the magnificent stone building at the end of the street.
Xililike Auction House.
The grayish-white exterior walls shimmered with a steady luster under the sun, the arched doors and windows were neatly arranged, and the stone pillars at the entrance were carved with intricate patterns.
Leo stood there, watching for a long time.
The last time he had come here was in June, a year ago.
Back then, he was also there to capture an A-Rank wanted criminal, but he ended up running into the Genei Ryodan.
He had been forced to confront them head-on; the details of that battle were somewhat blurred now, but he still remembered that tight sense of oppression very clearly.
At that time, the Xililike Auction House suffered a stroke of bad luck, as his battle with the Phantom Troupe destroyed more than half of the building and its surroundings.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
It had also been restored to its original state.
He withdrew his gaze and stepped down the stairs.
This time, he was here for another wanted criminal, a man named Jasper, a Manipulator who could control others on a large scale.
The data Nico found showed that he had committed seven counts of aggravated homicide, and his robbery-murders were too many to count; over a hundred people had died at his hands.
Nico finally tracked his location to Qiluo Ke City—tomorrow night, there would be a jewelry auction here.
Intelligence said Jasper was obsessed with jewelry to a near-pathological degree; as long as there was an auction with rare gemstones, he never missed it.
Leo planned to find a hotel to rest first and wait until tomorrow night to make his move.
He walked into a small alley opposite the auction house and found an unremarkable hotel.
Leo lay on the bed and closed his eyes.
He went over Jasper's information in his mind.
A Manipulator with large-scale control; once this kind of person gets a chance to activate their ability, it becomes very troublesome as they can control a massive number of ordinary people.
But Leo didn't intend to give him a chance; once he spotted the target, he would act directly without nonsense, giving him no time to react.
He was very practiced in this routine.
At the same time, Qiluo Ke City Airport.
Kalluto Zoldyck walked out of the arrival hall, wearing a dark purple kimono, with short hair and fiery red eyes, looking exceptionally conspicuous among the surrounding travelers.
He had no luggage and held a paper fan in his hand.
With his head lowered, he walked quickly through the crowd and out of the airport.
A black taxi was parked at the entrance.
He opened the door and sat inside, gave the address, then leaned against the seat back, closing his eyes to think.
The target of this commission was Cliff Dawkins, a wealthy tycoon who made his fortune in mining.
The intelligence Milluki collected stated it clearly—this man had a fetish for torturing and killing young, beautiful women.
The victims' families had sued him, reported him, and taken him to court, but he emerged unscathed every time, spending what needed to be spent and settling what needed to be settled, without serving a single day in prison.
He would also be attending the auction this time.
Supposedly, he had recently set his sights on a new target and planned to bid on a ruby to give to her.
Kalluto didn't need to know all that; he only needed to know where the target was, when to strike, and—the security configuration.
A ten-man security team, led by a Nen User.
He touched his sleeve, where the paper confetti he habitually used was hidden; it was enough.
The taxi stopped across from the auction house.
Kalluto got out, glanced up at the building, then turned and walked into a cafe on another street, sitting down at a window seat.
The auction wouldn't start until tomorrow night; he had plenty of time.
The following night, at the Xililike Auction House.
The entire street was brightly lit, and luxury cars arrived one after another.
Women in evening gowns took the arms of men in suits and leather shoes, stepping onto the red carpet to enter the main doors.
Flashbulbs lit up from every angle as reporters held up cameras, crowding behind the barricades, the sound of shutters clicking incessantly.
Leo had changed into a white suit and entered the venue early.
He didn't go to collect a bidding number, nor did he look at the exhibit catalog; he walked straight to a seat near the entrance and sat down.
This position offered an excellent view; as long as someone entered or exited, he would see them immediately.
The venue was huge, with crystal chandeliers hanging from the dome, illuminating the entire hall as if it were broad daylight.
Long tables were covered with snow-white cloths, topped with champagne towers and various snacks.
Guests gathered in small groups, talking in low voices and occasionally letting out a few polite laughs.
Leo leaned back in his chair, fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his gaze fixed on the door, never wavering for a moment.
Time passed minute by minute.
People in black gowns, deep blue suits, silver-gray tailcoats... all sorts of figures flashed before his eyes.
He didn't miss a single one, but none were the person he was looking for.
Another person entered the doorway.
White suit, tall, long hair combed meticulously, with a smug smile on his face.
When he walked in, his gaze first swept across the venue, showing a light Leo was familiar with—it was greed, possessiveness, the excitement one only feels upon seeing prey.
It was exactly Jasper.
He was walking inward, not yet reaching his seat, the smile still hanging on the corners of his mouth.
Leo stood up and stepped toward him.
His pace was neither fast nor slow, no different from the guests around him.
Jasper seemed to sense something and was just about to turn his head—
A hand clamped onto his head.
The force wasn't massive, yet it was like an iron vice; Jasper's eyes bulged suddenly, his smile frozen on his face.
He wanted to struggle, wanted to activate his ability, but the power in that hand tightened instantly.
He didn't even have time to let out a complete scream.
"What's your status, wearing the same clothes as me?"
A whisper reached his ear.
Then, his consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
Crack.
The crisp sound of bone fracturing was drowned out by the surrounding conversations.
Jasper's body collapsed limply; several nearby guests turned their heads and saw the corpse on the ground.
A sensation of warmth came from the back of his hand.
[Rank: 78 (40%) → (44%)].
Seeing the man standing next to the corpse wearing the same white suit, they froze for a moment.
Then—screams erupted.
The screams of hundreds of people simultaneously, mixed with terror and collapse, were like a needle piercing the eardrums, making one's scalp tingle.
The crowd was like an exploding ant swarm; some ran out desperately, while others were so terrified their legs gave out and they slumped in their seats. Security personnel rushed in from all directions, hands already on their waists.
Leo stood in place, unmoving.
He pulled out a card and held it up in front of him.
The silver stars shimmered slightly under the lights.
"Quiet."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of Nen Pressure, clearly entering everyone's ears.
A cold and pressure-filled Aura instantly covered the entire venue.
The screaming stopped, the footsteps stopped, even the breathing stopped.
Everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, unable to move.