Rotten Oranges Everywhere

The corridor outside the room, and even the doorway, had not a single guard watching over it.

They seemed convinced that no one would dare enter the church to eavesdrop on their conversation, which made things convenient for Su Wu.

He silently pressed his ear against the door, and to focus entirely on listening to what was being discussed inside, he even reinforced his ears with Nen.

His Six Eyes could see the aura on others, and naturally, he could also see his own.

Not to mention that during training, he had been subjected to Sid's Nen attacks for so long—if he still couldn't manage it, his talent would be questionable.

Successfully opening the pores was akin to unblocking the legendary Ren and Du meridians in martial arts lore, allowing control over the "aura" within the body, which was life energy. The act of controlling this aura was called Nen.

The four major training processes of Nen were—

Knowing, Shutting, Refining, and Emitting.

Its usage felt similar to Cursed Energy to him, except one was born from negative emotions and the other from life energy—different paths, same destination. So he picked it up quickly, but what his specific ability would be still required him to figure it out on his own.

When an ordinary person's pores were not opened, they would leak a small amount of aura. Once the pores were opened, the flow of aura accelerated, so mastering Nen was essential. Otherwise, losing too much aura would leave a person dazed, listless, and wanting nothing but to lie around all day.

For now, the most useful aspect of Nen for him was "Ten," which allowed him to envelop his body in aura for defense, compensating for his weakness in that area.

After all, without having obtained Limitless yet, he only had offensive means.

Of course, both Cursed Energy and Nen could be used to strengthen the body. Under their reinforcement, he could withstand a direct hit without serious harm, and he could also enhance any part of his body, which came in handy for eavesdropping.

The emergence of Nen abilities depended entirely on the user's thoughts and exploration, offering infinite possibilities—any type of ability could manifest.

Inside the District 1 church's meeting room, the decor was extremely lavish. Velvet carpets covered the floor, and items made of gold were inlaid with various gemstones.

Even the tablecloth was embroidered with patterns using gold silk thread.

On both sides of the twelve-meter-long conference table sat several figures dressed in black robes or suits, each with several burly guards or bodyguards standing behind them.

Nearly fifty people gathered in this meeting room, the silence so heavy it felt somewhat oppressive.

"I heard the kids who went missing from District 13 before have all been found?" a man in a suit said in a mocking tone. Rings adorned with gemstones covered all ten of his fingers, and the gems glittered as he moved his hands.

"Didn't Pampas go to District 12 a while back? With him being so capable, it's no surprise the kids were found," a man wrapped entirely in bandages and wearing a black priest's robe said in a gloomy voice.

"After all, these children are Meteor City's future. I always try to save everyone's future, don't I?" The blond, green-eyed man sitting at the far left end of the table spoke with a light laugh, seemingly oblivious to the insinuations in the others' words.

"Hmph! Do you really see yourself as Meteor City's savior?!" A man slammed his hand heavily on the table, his voice seething with anger. Fortunately, the table's material was sturdy enough to withstand the blow without a scratch.

"How could that be? I'm just a small figure on the Elder Council." Pampas raised both hands as if in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Pampas was just being responsible..." Another woman wearing a mask spoke up, seemingly defending Pampas, but then she added, "I heard you've gained a capable new subordinate, Pampas. Won't you introduce him to everyone?" Her dark eyes behind the mask smiled as she looked at Pampas.

"It's precisely because he's so capable that I'm afraid you all, eager for talent, might take him away. After all, I can't match any of you in any aspect, and I really don't have the confidence to keep him." Pampas smiled back, speaking calmly.

"Enough nonsense! That guy killed so many people and destroyed quite a few buildings—hand him over!" another man said coldly.

"He was just a victim dragged into danger, forced to use force to survive..." Pampas shook his head helplessly. Facing the dismissive and contemptuous expressions of the other Elder Council members, he added, "Speaking of which, I think I've stumbled across something interesting—the kind that might pique the Spiders' interest."

He interlaced his fingers, smiling warmly, his tone gentle.

The Spiders' reputation in Meteor City was nothing short of legendary.

The elders clearly flinched at the mention of the Spiders.

If news of the missing children reached the Spiders, it wouldn't be resolved so easily, and a few elders would likely be replaced again.

The upheaval from over a decade ago was still fresh in the memories of some of the current elders.

The group exchanged glances, silently communicating with their eyes, mentally drafting their responses.

"It's really not that big a deal. The children have all been found, and the matter is over. Why involve those Spiders in Elder Council affairs? Don't you agree, Pampas?" One elder who hadn't spoken before cleared his throat, his voice aged but steady and firm.

"Of course, I agree with that sentiment. That's why I'm sitting here in this meeting room chatting with everyone right now." Pampas didn't press further; instead, he stepped back, speaking naturally.

This meant both sides would let the matter drop. The Elder Council would no longer demand that Pampas hand over the person who had killed and destroyed so much recently, and Pampas wouldn't inform the Spiders about it.

The meeting ended, and the group rose to leave.

But Pampas remained seated, his emerald-green eyes fixed on the bandage-wrapped figure across from him, who had also stood up.

"By the way, Faruk, I hope the District 13 you're in charge of won't keep having problems one after another. Losing so many children in such a short time—your management has been a bit lax." His tone was unhurried.

The others who had stood up paused in their movements, their gazes shifting back to Pampas with ambiguous expressions.

"...Every year, plenty of brats die anyway. Those worthless things—it doesn't matter where they die, does it?" Faruk stared at Pampas with his deeply sunken brown eyes, his voice low and deliberate.

On his left and right hands were marks of the sun and moon, respectively.

"Is that so." Pampas seemed to find his reasoning plausible and nodded lightly.

"Hmph." Faruk turned and left. The other elders exchanged glances, chuckled softly, and headed toward the door.

Outside the door, Su Wu quickly vanished from the entrance upon hearing the footsteps.

The door creaked open from the inside, and people filed out in twos and threes.

Once everyone had left, Su Wu returned to the church.

He walked into the meeting room, where only Pampas remained, his face written with disinterest, his tone dripping with boredom. "So this is what you've been dealing with lately—this bunch of rotten fruit."

"Rotten oranges... that's a fitting way to put it." Pampas was somewhat surprised to see him, noticing that after just a few days apart, the other seemed to have grown even stronger. He then pondered for a moment, mulling over the metaphor of rotten oranges, and nodded in agreement.

Though among a pile of good oranges, there would always be a few rotten ones, it was clear that the pile he faced contained no good oranges at all—they were all rotten through and through.

"Aside from me, there's no one else who can talk to the Elder Council." Pampas sounded a bit helpless, and also a bit troubled.

If only he hadn't worked so hard to climb up in the first place. Every day, he had to deal with a mountain of tasks—who could have imagined it? There was no enjoyment to be had at all.

"As expected, it's the same everywhere. How boring." The white-haired, blue-eyed youth sneered as he spoke, his tone dripping with lofty arrogance and disdain.

"And this matter ends just like that?" He looked at Pampas with some suspicion.

"It's not that simple. Right now, I'm probably being seen as a nuisance by them. They might even start making moves against me." Pampas pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

Still, it wasn't as if he had no means to protect himself.

But before that...

"It's almost been a year. Your identification papers are ready. If you want to leave, you can go anytime." Pampas said as he pulled a card from his clothes and handed it to Su Wu.

This chapter should make it clear enough—the child trafficking is connected to the Higher-ups of Meteor City. The ones trafficking kids aren't some small-time organization.

What small-time organization would build an underground facility beneath Upper District 3?

If there are any issues, they're my own headcanon. Fine, fine, I'm a clueless fan—I'll curse myself first. If it's not to your taste, then don't read it.