The Phantom Troupe

The clock struck midnight, and the rain grew heavier.

Inside the antique shop.

Moro carefully stored the jade figurine.

This jade figurine was his biggest bargain in recent times; with a little maneuvering, he could sell it for a decent price.

That was roughly how the shop's revenue worked.

However, most of the shop's earnings had to be handed over to Molena, while Moro focused more on the Nen energy lingering on antiques or handmade artworks.

Placing the box containing the jade figurine into the cabinet, Moro closed the cabinet door, glanced at the tightly shut main entrance, then looked at the clock on the wall—it was past midnight.

"Saixin should be back by now."

Thinking that his Worker Bee was about to return, Moro set about boiling a pot of water.

Saixin was the only employee in his shop, working tirelessly without any rebellious tendencies, making him especially easy to exploit.

That morning, Moro had sent Saixin to meet with a client; barring any surprises, he should be bringing back a few handmade artworks soon.

At present, the first ring was already full. Though nothing had stirred, Moro would still try to continue absorbing Nen energy, hoping to light up the second ring.

After all, even if the Nen energy clinging to antiques or artworks dissipated, it wouldn't affect their sale value.

Moro brewed tea with the boiling water, poured it into Saixin's thermos, then sat down on the sofa.

Once Saixin was back, he'd first check if the collected items had any Nen energy...

Then it was a matter of fleeing overnight.

He just wondered what Saixin would choose.

Would he firmly declare his intent to follow, or take the money and part ways?

Given that guy's personality, probably the former.

A faint smile tugged at Moro's lips as he looked toward the door, battered by the rain.

Time slipped by silently.

Half an hour later, amidst the sound of wind and rain, other noises suddenly emerged.

Hearing the sounds, Moro knew Saixin was back, so he rose to his feet, a light smile on his face.

Creak—

The main door was pushed open.

A tall man with thick, sturdy features casually walked into the shop.

It was Saixin.

His black suit was already soaked through by the rain, and he carried two cases in his hands.

"Boss, a big haul!"

Saixin closed the door behind him, a hint of excitement showing on his somewhat rugged face.

Moro subtly glanced at Saixin's right foot as it stepped into the shop, and the smile on his face faltered slightly.

But he quickly recovered, pointing to the countertop under the display cabinet, where he had placed the thermos filled with tea earlier.

"Good work. I made you some tea."

"Heh, the boss is always so considerate. No wonder the two sisters next door are head over heels for you."

Saixin set down the cases of goods and walked over with a beaming smile.

Moro raised an eyebrow slightly, not bothered by Saixin's teasing, and asked casually, "Why are you back so late?"

"The rain was too heavy. Got stuck in traffic for a while on the way back."

Saixin picked up the thermos, unscrewed the cap, and took a gulp of tea.

"Yeah, this rain... it's really heavy."

Moro watched Saixin's profile with a calm gaze, then pulled a pistol from his lower back.

Although both he and Saixin could use Nen abilities, they usually carried pistols with them.

A lot of the time, a pistol could come in handy.

Like now—

Moro suddenly raised the gun and aimed beside Saixin.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three consecutive shots.

The first shot was deliberately fired wide, while the next two aimed at Saixin's lower back.

Saixin's pupils contracted. He leaped aside, narrowly dodging the bullets aimed at his back.

"Boss?"

After evading the shots, he looked at Moro with a confused, bewildered expression.

What greeted him was Moro closing in with a driving elbow strike.

The dazed confusion on Saixin's face faded swiftly as he raised his arm to block at the last moment.

Thud.

The collision of elbow and arm let out a heavy, muffled sound.

Under the enhancement of Nen, the opposing forces vibrated into a visible ring of air current.

Saixin had ultimately lost the initiative. Though he blocked the elbow strike at the final moment, he was still pushed back.

He retreated all the way to the floor-to-ceiling window. His body didn't touch the glass, but his outward-releasing Nen, still in an attacking state, did.

Crack.

Under the aggression of Nen, the entire floor-to-ceiling window shattered. The wind and rain outside immediately surged in.

With his back to the storm, Saixin expressionlessly looked at Moro, who had suddenly attacked, and asked, "How did you figure it out?"

"At first, it was just a question mark in my mind."

Moro raised his gun at Saixin, frowning. "But now I'm sure."

"Heh."

Saixin revealed a slightly naive smile, understanding why Moro had deliberately missed a shot when he made his move.

Moro's frown deepened. He said coldly, "Drop that shoddy imitation."

"How frustrating. I thought I was disguised pretty well."

Saixin slowly withdrew his smile, asking with some curiosity, "So, what exactly gave it away? How did you spot something was off in such a short time?"

"The right foot you stepped with when you came in."

Moro's gaze was icy.

His answer was no joke.

Because Saixin was a firm believer in fortune-telling. Every time, he would neurotically go to get his fortune read a day in advance.

And today, after midnight had passed, Saixin's fortune result was—

Whether entering or leaving a door, he must step with his left foot first, or else he would suffer frequent bad luck for the coming week.

If you asked why Moro knew this so clearly.

It was because Saixin tirelessly shared everything about fortune-telling with him every day, trying to get him to join the world of divination.

Saixin didn't know the inside story. He only thought Moro was brushing him off. Expressionless, he said, "Oh, is that so..."

Bang bang bang—!

Moro suddenly emptied his magazine. Amid the fierce gunfire, bullets shot toward Saixin one after another.

A flicker of irritation rose in Saixin's heart. His body swayed as he dodged the incoming bullets while simultaneously creating distance.

Based on the intel he had, he knew the owner of this antique shop was an Enhancer. So after the second round of fighting began, his decision was to pull back first.

On one hand, it was to deny Moro any chance to engage in close combat. On the other, it was to wait for his companion to step in.

More importantly—

When his transformation ability was deactivated, he needed a bit of time and space.

Furthermore, if he didn't cancel the transformation, he couldn't mobilize one hundred percent of his manifested aura.

Saixin retreated to the street. He had expected Moro to chase after him, but instead, he saw Moro staying put in the shop after emptying his bullets, as if that intense urge to attack had only been a facade.

Conservative and cautious in personality, huh...

Saixin thought to himself, then broke into a smile. This way, he could just cancel the transformation directly.

As the thought turned in his mind, Saixin stood in the heavy rain, raised his left hand high, and rhythmically twirled his index finger while humming a short tune.

Inside the antique shop.

Moro discarded the pistol, then witnessed the fake Saixin's behavior. At first, confusion arose, but soon he realized the other party was likely about to cancel some kind of imitation or transformation ability.

Under his watch, Nen surged and swirled around the fake Saixin's body.

In just a second or two, the fake Saixin's appearance and physique underwent a drastic transformation.

Replacing him was a bald man, bare-chested and wearing only boxer shorts.

The man was a size smaller than Saixin, and his body was covered in holes of varying sizes.

As he saw the man cancel his ability, Moro's pupils shook.

The Phantom Troupe's...

Uvogin?