A Close Call

Ten minutes later, a group of people led by Chrollo appeared on the street corner.

They also saw Hisoka sitting on the side of the street, drinking juice.

After a while, the members of the Phantom Troupe approached and looked at Hisoka, who seemed relaxed and as if nothing had happened... their eyes were filled with different emotions.

Within the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo's orders are not absolute... but he is the brain of the Spiders, and the members' actions are arranged and directed by him.

Hisoka's instructions were to return to the hotel and rejoin the group after obtaining his Hunter License. Now, Hisoka is doing this not only to vent his emotions but also to provoke the Phantom Troupe's rules... or rather, to target Chrollo.

"Hey, we meet again!"

Hisoka waved his hand, his smiling eyes narrowing.

"Really... do you really want us to come out and greet you?" Machi pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing her arms and frowning at Hisoka with displeasure.

Then, Chrollo and the others took their seats.

"I'm a hero, so it's only right that I receive this treatment..." Hisoka joked, but his narrow eyes slightly opened, revealing a chilling aura.

The seating arrangement of the Phantom Troupe members was quite clever, with Machi on the left being closest to Hisoka... As teammates who often worked together, Machi could, to some extent, lower Hisoka's guard.

On the right... is Pakunoda.

Hisoka was facing Chrollo.

Then Feitan, the only one who didn't sit down, went around to Hisoka's back and stood there.

Chrollo remained silent throughout, his eyes fixed on Hisoka's expression.

As if trying to figure something out.

"Hey, Hisoka." Pakunoda suddenly spoke up.

He raised an arm and was about to skillfully and naturally place it on Hisoka's shoulder. "When did you and that Oboro meet?"

"!!!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the surrounding air froze and the temperature plummeted.

Feitan immediately pulled one hand out of his pocket, cracking his knuckles to prevent Hisoka from making any rash moves.

Under the blazing sun, the seemingly ordinary atmosphere of the team's reunion was instantly shattered.

Just as Pakunoda's arm was about to touch her, suddenly, Pakunoda's expression changed slightly, sensing something. She was about to react, but it was too late. Her raised arm, with the flick of Hisoka's fingertips, fell prematurely, missing its target.

He was stuck to his side by a sticky mass of Nen power, and it was difficult for him to break free for a while.

"When?"

Pakunoda was startled.

From the moment he approached her until he sat down, Hisoka unknowingly placed his Nen power on her.

She hadn't noticed at all! Whoosh! Almost simultaneously with Hisoka's move, Machi's hands moved in a blur, a sharp, thin thread slicing open, but the man in the seat had already turned and grabbed Pakunoda, leaping away. Machi changed her hand gestures, trying to use her Nen threads to restrict or bind Hisoka's hands and feet, but she failed.

It turned out to be empty.

Feitan, known as the fastest Phantom Troupe, immediately rushed close to Machi and launched an attack in coordination with her.

In the blink of an eye, his arm thrust out five or six times, all aimed at Hisoka's vital points, who had his back turned to him.

But even with his back to him, Hisoka was still able to react flexibly, his body shifting to the side or bending over in a short instant, like a ghost... using the flexible Nen power that had been tied around his waist, he used an extremely high burst of speed to carry Pakunoda seven or eight meters away.

It all happened incredibly fast... in the blink of an eye.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

Pakunoda's hand was stuck to Hisoka's Nen power, making it difficult for him to move. When he regained his senses and tried to fight back, he was helpless with only one arm.

With just one physical contact, her other hand was also stuck to her body.

Then, several dark figures spread out, and the other members of the Hisoka Phantom Troupe moved, surrounding Hisoka.

Chrollo, however, remained seated at the table, completely calm.

Pedestrians on the street noticed this and realized something was wrong, so they all ran away in a chaotic manner.

"Don't move... you'll die."

Pakunoda tried to struggle for a moment, and the next second, a sharp pain came from his neck.

A tiny, hair-like cut appeared on her delicate, snow-white skin from a playing card, and beads of blood oozed out.

Behind them came Hisoka's incredibly sinister voice.

The woman immediately froze.

Hisoka stood behind Pakunoda, holding a playing card in his hand, aimed at the woman's carotid artery, as if he were taking her hostage.

His eyes were filled with wickedness and madness, his smile vanished, and his tone was icy, "We've known each other for several years, and to just kill you like this... I'd be a little reluctant."

"You can't escape..."

Feitan, his gaze grim, asked, word by word, "How do you want to die?"

They've surrounded Hisoka. No matter which direction they break through, they'll have to fight the other members... This is enough time for them to execute this madman together!

"Oh? Want to give it a try? To be honest... when I first joined you guys, I fantasized about playing this kind of one-on-one battle game with you guys, it seemed like it would be fun. But all along, everyone has been acting separately, except for Machi... even if she encounters other members, there's no conflict, so it's not good to openly attack them, otherwise she'll be targeted, after all, there are rules... and if she attacks secretly, there's not much of an opportunity... you guys are all quite cautious..."

Hisoka licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light in addition to his madness... He brazenly revealed his innermost thoughts, completely disregarding the feelings of others.

"Yeah... you're right, he... he really is a mentally unstable guy!"

Shizuku pointed at Hisoka and nodded.

Conflicts are prohibited among members of the Phantom Troupe, and any problems are resolved by flipping a coin.

Moreover, even if they have some disagreements in daily life, it's only verbal and never escalates into a life-or-death struggle.

Everyone is quite strong... In other words, every battle carries a risk.

Who would deliberately make themselves uncomfortable?

Hisoka, that guy, said he joined the Phantom Troupe for fun, but who would have thought... that after staying there for so long, he would even have such morbid thoughts about his own people.

It seems that in his words, fighting has become a game... and they are all good players to play with.

It's a bit creepy.

Despite being held hostage, Pakunoda showed no panic whatsoever.

She noticed the leader's gaze and suddenly said, "The leader has forbidden me from testing you, but... I still don't trust you. So... it's my personal desire to test you, and it has nothing to do with the leader."

"Is that so?"

Hisoka looked at Chrollo with a half-smile.

"You passed."

Chrollo looked directly into Hisoka's eyes and replied, seemingly out of the blue, "The danger is over."

After he finished speaking, the members who had been standing in a circle surrounding Hisoka slowly retreated.

"Another test? Hehehe..."

Hisoka smiled. "I hope this is the last time, because... my patience has its limits."

"Although I was looking forward to fighting you... the final result is indeed very unfavorable to me."

"Stop talking big, you'll die a horrible death."

Feitan clicked his tongue.

"Hehe."

Hisoka smiled without saying a word.

"Let me go!"

"Pakunoda said coldly."

Hisoka then 'released' her.

He walked back to the table and sat down again.

As she passed by Machi, she glanced at her and said dejectedly, "I'm a little sad... You didn't hold back at all just now."

"I thought... after so much time, there would be some feelings between us."

Machi remained expressionless, not even glancing at Hisoka. "Don't be silly... the group always comes before the individual. If you really have a problem, I'll be the first to kill you. The only thing I can do is make sure you don't die a horrible death, and preserve your body intact."

"I'm so touched."

Hisoka said with a smile.

Machi was familiar with Hisoka's style and couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.

"Hisoka, what bad things have you done?"

Chrollo asked.

All eyes were focused on Hisoka.

"No... I just lied to you on purpose, to make you nervous, as a way of getting back at you... Now it seems, it worked! You really care about that Oboro... Only he can scare you." Meeting Chrollo's gaze, Hisoka was a little smug.

"..."

The others remained silent.

Hisoka was clearly playing them for fun.

That's definitely Hisoka's style.

You can't trust this guy too much.

"Childish!"

Machi snorted.

"Isn't it interesting? It's rare to see you guys get scared..."

Hisoka smiled and said.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's start the next step of the plan once the remaining two arrive."

The Shalnark sighed, seemingly a little tired. The people in the team... well, apart from a few women who were relatively normal, the rest... each had their own unique characteristics, and none of them were peaceful.

He looked at Chrollo.

The two people mentioned are the new members who will replace Franklin and Phinks.

Let's go.

After Chrollo finished speaking, he got up and left first.

The others followed in turn.

Hisoka walked at the very back, rapidly flipping through the flower cards in his hand.

Finally, the cards were displayed.

It's a four of hearts.

He smiled with satisfaction.