Gang War

Seven days passed in a row, and everything remained calm inside and outside the manor.

The Waldeck Family made no further moves, as though they had fallen completely silent.

But both Leo and Goreinu knew that this was merely the calm before the storm.

Their opponents were waiting for the right moment, or preparing an even deadlier attack.

Leo did not waste any time.

He had Goreinu log into an intelligence website through Hunter-exclusive channels and gather information on the organization known as the "Cleaners."

There was little information available. It only confirmed that this was an underground organization that had become active in recent years, with six known members and a leader called the Doctor.

Their main area of activity was the southern part of the Ulubian Continent. They operated in secrecy and used brutal methods.

Following Leo's suggestion, Goreinu posted an anonymous intelligence notice on the website.

Time passed amid the preparations.

The ninth day, April 10.

Leo was in his room undergoing basic Nen training—maintaining Ken while attempting to expand the range of En to eight meters.

Sweat slid from his temples, but his breathing remained steady and rhythmic.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Mr. Leo, Mr. Goreinu has invited you to the second-floor conference hall."

It was the butler's voice from outside.

Leo drew back his aura and exhaled a breath of stale air. What was coming had finally come.

By the time he reached the conference hall, Goreinu was already standing by the window.

The burly man with thick eyebrows turned around, his expression grave.

"The Waldeck Family has made its move. A convoy of more than twenty vehicles and over a hundred people is heading toward the manor. They aren't hiding anything this time. They're coming straight for us—they clearly have absolute confidence."

Vivian was not present.

Goreinu explained, "She has already been moved to the safe house according to plan. I'm fully in charge of this operation."

Leo walked to the window and looked toward the faintly visible road outside the manor. "We'll proceed according to plan."

Outside the manor, the Colton Family guards were already braced for battle.

Nearly ninety armed guards had been deployed throughout the manor and its perimeter, with another dozen or so serving as a mobile reserve.

Everyone understood that this battle would decide the family's survival.

Three kilometers away, atop a towering oak tree.

Three figures stood on its thick branches, as steady as rocks.

At the front was a gray-haired man with a strange, vivid red tattoo across his face, slashing diagonally from the corner of his right eye to his left jaw.

His hands were in his pockets, his posture arrogant, and a mocking smile hung on his lips.

"Terrence, Gabri, you two are really useless."

The gray-haired man, Theodore, spoke lazily. "You failed such a simple mission. The Doctor is very unhappy, so he sent me to assist you."

Terrence, standing on the left in gold-rimmed glasses, adjusted his frames and spoke calmly.

"That Goreinu's ability is somewhat troublesome. His Nen beasts can swap positions. Theodore, you'd better be careful."

Gabri, dressed in black on the right, kept his head lowered. His fingers lightly stroked the sheath of the Bian Clan Saber, and he remained silent throughout.

Theodore snorted disdainfully. "For this operation, the two of you will listen to me. Let those Waldeck Family men go up first and wear them down. Once they've fought enough... we'll move in."

He glanced toward the manor. "Goreinu is yours. I'll deal with that woman."

Terrence frowned. "Their leader, Vivian, may have already been moved."

"Then turn the manor upside down."

Theodore spoke casually. "The organization only needs 'samples,' anyway. Goreinu would make good material to bring back. The Doctor will be pleased."

Only then did Gabri raise his head, a bloodthirsty gleam flashing in his eyes.

He licked his lips and tightened his grip on the hilt.

"Move out," Theodore ordered.

The three of them moved, leaping from the treetop like ghosts. After a few bounds, they vanished into the woods.

Gunfire suddenly erupted around the manor's perimeter.

The Waldeck Family's attack was simple and brutal: four groups of vehicles split apart and closed in on the manor from different directions.

Using the vehicles as cover, their gunmen exchanged fire with the Colton guards behind the walls.

To avoid drawing large-scale police intervention, both sides tacitly refrained from using heavy firepower. The battle remained at the level of rifles and handguns.

Relying on the terrain and prearranged cover, the Colton guards temporarily held back the assault.

But the Waldeck Family's numerical advantage was obvious, and multiple parts of the defensive line were in critical danger.

On the manor's second floor, Leo and Goreinu watched the battle through the window.

"They're wearing us down," Leo analyzed. "They're using the lives of gang members to drain our stamina and ammunition. Once we're exhausted, those two Nen users will make their move."

Goreinu clenched his fists. "Then let them wear us down. We'll see who gives out first."

Time passed second by second.

Meanwhile, at Toth City Airport, an airship slowly descended.

The hatch opened, and a middle-aged man in a tailored black-and-white suit slowly walked down the gangway.

He was tall and straight-backed, with a resolute face and eyes as still as deep pools.

He carried an imposing, meticulous air of authority without needing to show anger.

Most striking of all were the bull horns on his hat, giving him a distinctive appearance.

After taking out his phone and checking a message, the man set off toward the outskirts of the city.

Half an hour later, the Waldeck Family still had not breached the outer defensive line.

Theodore hid behind an earthen slope and clicked his tongue irritably.

"This bunch of trash..." he muttered. "Terrence, Gabri, make your move. Clear out those guards."

Terrence adjusted his glasses. "We should have done this long ago."

Gabri did not respond, but his figure had already vanished from where he stood.

The situation on the battlefield changed abruptly the next instant.

Terrence appeared outside the eastern wall of the manor. He raised his right hand, and a silver pistol materialized in it.

Without even aiming, the muzzle flashed—a Nen bullet screamed through the air, tracing a bizarre arc before accurately drilling into a guard's brow.

Then came the second shot, then the third. Every Nen bullet automatically tracked its target. Even if the guards hid behind cover, the bullets curved around obstacles and killed with a single strike.

The Colton Family's defensive line began to collapse.

Gabri was even more bizarre.

He moved through the battlefield like a ghost. Every time he appeared, the Bian Clan Saber flashed coldly, and someone fell.

The blade moved too quickly for the naked eye to follow. Before the guards could even turn their guns, their throats or hearts had already been pierced.

Screams, gunfire, and the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground mixed together.

The manor's outer defensive line completely crumbled, and the surviving guards began retreating toward the main building.

Watching the rapidly worsening battle outside, Goreinu's expression changed.

"They've made their move. The Colton men can't hold on. I'll go down and stop them first!"

Goreinu threw open the window and jumped from the second floor.

As he landed, he bent his knees slightly and stood firmly.

Two balls of light slowly emerged from the ground. Two Nen beast gorillas—the Black Sage and the White Sage—materialized instantly at his sides.

The battle had begun.