The Black Whale sailed into the open sea.
Thick clouds blocked out the sunlight.
The sea turned a deep, inky blue.
The penthouse suite was utterly quiet.
Only the electronic sound effects of the game console broke the silence.
Killua and Gon sat on the carpet.
Their fingers flew over their controllers.
They were locked in an intense fighting game match.
Shizuku sat on a barstool.
She carefully wiped down Blinky in her hands.
Luo Ye lay on the leather sofa.
His chest rose and fell steadily.
He was sleeping soundly.
Suddenly.
Bang.
A muffled gunshot traveled up through the ventilation ducts inside the walls.
It wasn't very loud.
But it sounded especially jarring in the quiet suite.
A dense barrage of automatic rifle fire followed.
Along with men's agonized screams.
Killua paused the game.
He frowned.
He glanced toward the vent.
"Fighting's broken out downstairs."
Killua kept his voice low.
"Judging by the noise..."
"At least a few hundred people are shooting it out."
The Black Whale was an enormous ship with a rigid class hierarchy.
The first deck housed royalty and top-tier VIPs.
The second housed celebrities and the wealthy.
The third through fifth decks, however...
Were slums packed with two hundred thousand civilians and Mafia members.
Living conditions there were terrible.
To fight for control over the limited fresh water and supply distribution...
The Mafia frequently engaged in bloody clashes.
The gunfire grew increasingly intense.
The booming explosions of hand grenades even joined the racket.
They made the suite's floor vibrate slightly.
Luo Ye's relaxed brows suddenly drew together.
He rolled over.
He pressed a cushion over his head.
Trying to block out the irritating noise.
But the ventilation ducts amplified the shouting and cursing below several times over.
Every word reached his ears.
"Hack him to