Chapter 77

Over the next few days, Allen and Baudelaire stayed at a small inn that required no identification, just money for a room, and patiently waited for Zisu's message.

It wasn't until the last day of August that this pervert finally sent a text message with an address.

After reading it, Allen immediately set out alone to meet the appointment.

When he arrived at a dark and dilapidated slum, he finally saw the familiar figure leaning against a wall in a corner, a face twisted with excitement and a sinister smile, who asked, "Is this the gathering place for the Phantom Troupe?"

"Yeah! That's right! Kurolo and his members are inside that building right now. But be careful, if you get too close, you might be discovered."

Zisu pointed to a dilapidated building that looked like an abandoned church not far ahead.

"Have you already met them? Are all the members present?"

Allen quickly began to assess the situation, his eyes reflecting a chilling glow under the moonlight.

This gaze clearly stirred the dark desires within Zisu, who instinctively licked his lips: "Yes, all members are present. But I haven't gone in to greet them yet; I've been waiting for you here. Tell me, how do you plan to use that interesting transformation ability to infiltrate them? Just so you know, I don't have a good relationship with most of the members."

"Of course, we'll go in together! After all, each transformation only lasts five minutes, and it might take two to three exchanges to complete all the prerequisites. So I plan to switch with you in a blind spot inside, quietly and without a sound. As for the relationship with the other members, it doesn't matter; I'll have a convincing reason and excuse."

As he spoke, Allen instantly activated the power of the "Deception Orb," transforming himself to look exactly like Zisu.

The moment the transformation was complete, he took out a poison-coated weapon that glowed green and slashed a deep, bone-deep wound on his shoulder, allowing the poison to slowly seep into his veins, forming a large, terrifying network of black veins, like a dense web of spiders.

"Oh! Using yourself as bait? It seems you really want someone's ability! Let's go in, then. You won't last long in this state."

With that, Zisu entered the "Zetsu" state and led the way toward the dilapidated church.

...

At the same time, inside the church, Kurolo, the leader of the Phantom Troupe, was sitting on the ground, flipping through an unknown book, looking refined and scholarly, not at all like a vicious criminal.

But it was this very person who had personally founded the Phantom Troupe and established a series of rules to ensure the survival and continuation of the organization.

In a sense, he was the brain of the spider, and the root of all the organization's evil.

The other members of the Troupe were scattered throughout the church, some sitting quietly, while others were arguing about the last member—Zisu—who had yet to show up.

Just as things were getting out of hand, a highly distorted and sick voice echoed in everyone's ears.

"Hehehe! Good evening! I heard someone mention me. You wouldn't be planning how to get rid of me, would you? That's scary!"

As the last word was spoken, Allen, disguised as Zisu, slowly emerged from the darkness, exuding a terrifying aura.

"Hey! You're almost late and you're still so arrogant?" Wogen scowled.

"Sorry, I ran into an interesting guy and got carried away."

Allen walked straight to Dopei and pointed to the wound on his shoulder, which was already turning black, and asked, "Can you help me extract the toxins?"

"Sure, no problem. Dopei! Extract all the toxins."

Dopei, who had no idea what she was facing, immediately used her Nen ability to extract all the toxins with a powerful suction.

It's worth noting that her ability is very interesting and highly subjective. She can extract anything she "believes" to be non-living.

By biological definition, anything made of cells can be considered living.

Yet she can extract blood, which contains a large number of cells.

This shows that the rules of using Nen are more about subjective consciousness than objective reality.

This means that the less knowledgeable and more ignorant a person is, the more suitable they are for using this ability. Conversely, those who know more about natural sciences will face many restrictions.

Looking at Dopei's unique appearance, a glint of desire flashed in Allen's eyes, and he immediately smiled and said, "Thanks! But I have a small question. Why don't you add some manipulation Nen to give it some autonomy and judgment? That way, you can free up your hands for battle."

"Huh? Is that so?" Dopei blinked her eyes, a bit clueless.

"I think Zisu's suggestion makes sense. Maybe you should try it," Franklin agreed.

As they spoke, Kurolo finally stood up, closed his book, and announced in a voice that was not loud but very attention-grabbing, "Since everyone is here, let me explain the mission."

"Leader! What are we going to steal this time?" Wogen, who was impatient, asked first.

"Treasures from the underground auction!" Kurolo answered without hesitation.

"Treasures? What kind of treasures?" Killua asked, curious.

"Probably ancient books? The leader likes reading," Machi interjected.

"No! It must be games! Several of the world's most expensive games will be up for auction," Feitan offered a different opinion.

"Well, it doesn't matter. There will be plenty of gold and silver. That's a given..."

Before Nobunaga could finish, Kurolo stepped forward, letting the moonlight shine on his face, and interrupted with a smile, "Everything! We're going to sweep all the treasures from the auction!"

As these words were spoken, the members of the Troupe all looked shocked.

Wogen, in particular, asked bluntly, "Leader! Are you serious? This is like declaring war on all the world's criminal organizations and their affiliates!"

"Are you afraid?" Kurolo asked with a faint smile.

"Ha ha ha ha! No! I'm excited! I'm so excited I can hardly control myself! Come on! Give the order! Right here! Right now! Immediately!" Wogen laughed and urged loudly.

"I give you permission... to kill them all! Don't leave any troublemakers behind!"

Under the watchful eyes of all the members, Kurolo issued the order in a very domineering manner.

He had no idea that right under his nose, a grim reaper was already targeting the entire Phantom Troupe, and a hidden pervert was targeting him.

Next, a drama of the mantis catching the cicada while the oriole watches will unfold in Yorknew City.

The Phantom Troupe will target the treasures of the underground auction, while Allen and Zisu will target the Phantom Troupe.

In between, there might be a subplot of Kurapika's revenge against the Troupe for the sake of his deceased clan, and the Zoldyck family, who have been hired to assassinate both sides.

In short, from September 1st to September 5th, this bustling international metropolis will become incredibly lively.

Of course, for Allen, the most important thing right now is to quickly complete the prerequisites for the ability he wants to steal.

Otherwise, when the real battle begins, he might not have the chance to complete those complex and troublesome conditions one by one.

PS: New book, please follow and recommend. Thank you very much.