"Mr. Leo, your achievement in capturing the Jackal Trio has been registered.
Under Hunter Association regulations, assisting members of the Zodiacs in capturing a B- rank dangerous target earns you 15 merit points."
She operated the terminal in front of her, its screen casting a glow over her face.
"Your Hunter file has been updated. If you have further achievements to register, simply submit a mission report and the relevant evidence through the online system on the official Hunter website. Once approved, they will be recorded without your needing to come in person."
Leo took back his license and nodded.
"All right. Thank you."
The three of them had parted ways after returning to Hunter Association headquarters.
Mizai Istom and Kanzai escorted the unconscious Coyote to the underground detention center—a special Hunter Association facility for holding dangerous Nen users, equipped with specialized restraints and a professional medical team.
Leo headed toward the public office area.
Dozens of high-performance terminals were available there for Hunters to look up information, accept missions, and handle their affairs.
He found an empty station, sat down, and swiped his card to log in.
The Hunter intelligence website had a simple, clean interface.
Leo clicked the mouse, bringing up the search page.
After a moment's thought, he entered the keywords: [Wanted criminals] [Active] [Recent sightings], then pressed Enter.
The list refreshed, and rows upon rows of names and photographs scrolled down the screen.
Each entry included basic information: name, alias, ability type if known, major crimes, danger rating, last known location, and bounty, if any.
Leo began narrowing down the list.
First, he excluded targets who operated only in remote areas, were difficult to track, and went years without appearing—efficiency came first.
More than thirty names remained.
He scrolled, scanning each name and description of their crimes.
Robbery, kidnapping, murder, illegal experimentation, human trafficking... the dark side of this world appeared on the screen in cold, clinical text.
Some entries included photographs—the victims' smiles while alive were placed alongside the grisly scenes where their bodies had been found, creating a jarring contrast.
Leo's expression barely changed, but his gaze gradually grew colder.
Finally, he stopped at one entry.
[Name: Jerma] [Alias: None] [Ability type: Emission Type (suspected)] [Ability details: Unknown] [Major crimes:] [1. Kante City jewelry store robbery; murdered the owner and two employees (3 confirmed dead)] [2. Ulubian border truck robbery; murdered the driver and guard (2 confirmed dead)] [3. Holen Town bank robbery; murdered a security guard and a customer (2 confirmed dead)] [4. Attacked a pursuing Association Special Forces Hunter; 1 confirmed dead] [5. Three other suspected related cases; death toll unconfirmed] [Total confirmed victims: 9 civilians, 1 Association Special Forces Hunter] [Wanted rating: C-] [Last sighting: Kante City, Republic of Padokea (three days ago)] [Bounty: 48 million Jenny (private bounty), Hunter Association merit points: 8]
Leo opened the detailed file.
Jerma, male, thirty-eight years old.
A former construction worker, he had awakened his Nen Ability four years earlier and begun committing crimes afterward. He had no permanent organization and operated alone.
He committed crimes frequently, but his methods were crude, and he often left clues behind.
He enjoyed gambling and had been spotted entering and leaving major casinos on multiple occasions. Most of his criminal proceeds were lost at the tables.
The Hunter Association had last tracked him to Kante City—a medium-sized city in the Republic of Padokea known for tourism and gambling.
He's the one.
Leo noted all the key information, then opened the resource request page and reserved a Hunter Association airship.
Destination: Kante City.
Departure time: two hours later.
The fee was steep, but worth it.
A dedicated airship was fast, offered better privacy, and avoided the many restrictions of ordinary flights.
Leo closed the terminal, stood, and headed toward the detention center.
Three floors underground, in the special detention area.
Mizai Istom and Kanzai had just emerged from the medical room.
The wound on Kanzai's left arm had been treated and wrapped in thick bandages, but he was in good spirits, loudly complaining about the disgusting smell.
Mizai Istom spotted Leo approaching.
"Ready to leave?"
Leo nodded.
"I've picked a target. Jerma, an Emission Type. Ten confirmed murders, including an Association Special Forces Hunter. He's been seen in Kante City recently."
Kanzai whistled.
"You move fast! You just got back, and you're already heading out to work again?"
"I've got nothing else to do. Might as well keep busy."
Leo spoke.
"Besides... catching someone like him a day earlier might mean one less victim."
Mizai Istom fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Be careful. Emission Type users can attack from a distance, and their abilities vary widely. Don't let your guard down."
"I won't."
Kanzai gave Leo's shoulder a hearty pat—with his uninjured hand.
"Go get them! Catch a few more of those scumbags! I'm rooting for you!"
Leo smiled and turned to leave.
Watching him walk away, Kanzai rubbed his chin, then turned to Mizai Istom.
"Hey, you stinking cow, where did you meet this kid? He's pretty strong! I bet he'll become a One-Star Hunter before long."
He grinned.
"Those wanted scumbags... looks like they're in for a rough time. Ha ha!"
Mizai Istom did not answer.
He looked toward the end of the corridor where Leo had disappeared, then sighed softly after a few seconds.
He feared Leo would become too deeply caught up in it and turn into a murderous monster.
"What's wrong?"
Kanzai raised an eyebrow.
"You don't seem very happy."
"...It's nothing."
Mizai Istom turned and headed toward the elevator.
"I just hope... he doesn't lose himself in his power."
Kanzai paused, then hurried after him.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Explain yourself! Hey!"
His voice echoed down the corridor, but Mizai Istom did not respond again.
Two hours later, the Hunter Association airship took off from headquarters.
Kante City was not far away; the flight took only three hours.
At four in the afternoon, the airship landed at a small airport on the outskirts of Kante City.
He hailed a taxi and went straight downtown.
Kante City was indeed prosperous.
The streets were clean, the buildings modern, and neon lights began coming on as evening approached.
Casinos, hotels, upscale restaurants, luxury stores... everything in this city seemed to revolve around "spending" and "entertainment."
Leo got out two blocks from the Golden Crown Casino.
He entered an ordinary-looking café, chose a window seat, and ordered a cup of coffee.
From that angle, he had a clear view of the casino's main entrance.
The intelligence indicated that Jerma gambled habitually and preferred large casinos.
The Golden Crown Casino was one of Kante City's three most famous casinos. Its lavish décor and heavy foot traffic made it an ideal place to hide.
Leo sipped his coffee slowly, keeping his eyes on the window.
Time passed little by little.
At six in the evening, traffic outside the casino increased. Guests in all sorts of clothing came and went—businesspeople in sharp suits, casually dressed tourists, and shifty-eyed men who were obviously gamblers.
But none of them were Jerma.
Seven o'clock. The sky had gone completely dark, and neon lights lit the streets as brightly as day.
Eight o'clock. Leo had already ordered his third refill.
He was patient—hunting was a waiting game, after all.
Nine ten.
The revolving door at the casino's main entrance turned, and a man stepped out.
He was of average build, wearing a wrinkled shirt and jeans. His hair was greasy, and his face was pale from too many late nights.
He stood at the entrance and spat hard onto the ground.
"Damn rotten luck..."
His voice was quiet, but Leo's hearing picked it up.
The man cursed and kicked a nearby trash can.
"Lost it all again! I'd been up several hundred million... then every bet I made lost. What the hell!"
Shaking his head, he walked toward the other end of the street, still muttering.
"Out of money... time to pull another job. This time... I'm winning it all back, with interest!"
Leo set down his coffee cup, took several banknotes from his wallet, tucked them beneath the cup, and rose to leave.
Target confirmed. Jerma.
Jerma walked slowly along the street.
His head was lowered as he calculated how much he could have won in that last card game if he had bet differently, paying no attention to his surroundings.
Leo followed about thirty meters behind him.
Rather than staying at street level, he took to the rooftops.
Most buildings in Kante City were not tall, with flat roofs and narrow gaps between them.
Leo leaped silently between buildings, landing as lightly as a cat.
He maintained Zetsu, suppressing his presence completely, as though he had become part of the night.
Jerma noticed nothing.
His long-standing gambling habit had dulled his senses.
Sluggish reactions, diminished awareness, a weakened sense of danger—these were all the costs of addiction.
Half an hour later, Jerma entered an old neighborhood.
It stood in stark contrast to the bustling city center.
The buildings were low and dilapidated, the streets narrow, and half the streetlights were out.
Few people were around at night. Only a handful of stray cats rummaged through piles of trash for food.
Now. Leo leaped down from a rooftop and landed without a sound.
He began closing the distance.
Twenty meters. Jerma was still muttering.
Fifteen meters. Leo quickened his steps.
Ten meters. Jerma finally sensed something and instinctively looked back—too late.
The instant Jerma turned, Leo vanished from where he stood.
He had not truly vanished. He moved so fast that only a blurred afterimage remained in the dim light.
A moment later, a palm clamped onto the back of Jerma's head.
Five fingers tightened like an iron vise.
Before Jerma could even summon his Nen Aura, an irresistible force drove his entire head toward the ground—BAM!!!
His face slammed into the stone pavement, the sharp crack of his nasal bone breaking clearly audible.
Jerma's vision went black, and the agony wiped his mind blank.
Instinctively, he tried to struggle and unleash his Nen Aura, but the hand was too powerful. It pinned him down so firmly he could not move.
Leo did not pause.
Grabbing Jerma by the hair, he lifted his head and slammed it down again.
Bam! A second time.
Bam! A third time.
Three impacts, each harder than the last.
Spiderweb cracks and a small pool of blood had appeared on the stone pavement. Jerma stopped moving entirely.
He lay limp on the ground, his breathing faint but reasonably steady. He had merely lost consciousness.
Leo released him, looked down at the man's blood-covered face, and shook his head.
"Pathetic."
Years of gambling had not only drained his money but also dulled his reflexes.
He had failed to show even the most basic warning response to an ambush at such close range—in that state, even with a Nen Ability, he could not have brought out thirty percent of his strength.
Leo took out his phone, snapped a picture of the unconscious Jerma, and uploaded it to the Hunter Association's system with a brief report on the operation.
A few minutes later, a reply arrived.
[Target confirmed: Jerma. Status: unconscious, secured. 8 merit points registered. Please escort the target to the Hunter Association or another detention facility.]
Leo put away his phone, bent down, and grabbed Jerma by the collar, lifting him effortlessly.
To Leo, a man weighing over a hundred pounds was as light as a bag of flour.
He headed toward the airport.
The streets were quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps.
Leo looked at the unconscious man in his grasp, his gaze calm.
Yes, this man had killed ten people and deserved to die a thousand times over.
But Leo would not kill him here.
It was neither softness nor mercy.
It was a matter of principle—if an opponent had already lost the ability to resist, he would leave the judgment to the law.
If I execute prisoners at will, how am I any different from these criminals?
Everyone needed a line they would not cross. In the original manga, there were bounty hunters who were themselves wanted criminals.
Those people had killed so many that they had lost all sense of limits.
Only when someone fought to the bitter end and tried to take his life would he kill without hesitation.
Like Jackal and Fire Wolf, like those gun-wielding bandits.
Leo quickened his pace.
The night breeze swept through the streets of the old district, stirring up a little dust.
Before you continue