The silent hall, the Troupe's shock

The eleven o'clock bells rang out on schedule through Yorknew City's night sky. The auction hall, which should have been bustling with voices, lay deathly silent. The crystal chandeliers still shone brilliantly, but their light fell on empty seats; the exquisite auction podium had been polished spotless, but no wealthy bidders remained to raise their paddles; even the heavy blend of perfume and cigar smoke had been dispersed by the ventilation system ahead of time, leaving only a cold, metallic scent. The Phantom Troupe's assault had come even faster and harder than expected. After destroying the Mafia stronghold in the east, Uvogin and Phinks charged toward the Auction House Building like two rampaging beasts. Neither the Mafia enforcers nor the Bounty Hunters along the way could stop them. Screams and explosions formed a prelude heralding the arrival of a blood-soaked night. Nobunaga and Machi led the Troupe's peripheral members through the underground passage. They had planned to slaughter everyone outside the vault, only to find deserted corridors and a vault that had already been emptied-the display case for the Scarlet Eyes was bare. "Damn it!" Nobunaga kicked the vault's metal door with a dull boom, his eyes brimming with violence. "The Scarlet Eyes are gone! Those rich bastards and the collections are all gone too!" Nen Threads gathered at Machi's fingertips as she scanned their surroundings warily, her expression growing grimmer. "Someone prepared for this. They evacuated the crowd and moved the collections. Our plan was leaked." Just then, someone slowly pushed open the auction hall's main doors from outside. A black-clad figure walked in at an unhurried pace. Lin Ye wore a black trench coat, the Samurai Sword on his back gleaming coldly and the Lone Wolf Revolver holstered at his waist. Aura quietly gathered around him, a Shu