Machi's death was something completely outside the manga, and Qiao Lun had no idea what kind of butterfly effect it would cause.
But he knew one thing.
As long as the plot hadn't completely fallen apart, the underground auction on September 3 would very likely be a revenge operation by the Phantom Troupe.
Of course, it might also be Chrollo's way of mourning Uvogin and Machi.
This gathering would include not only the two members of the Zoldyck Family, but also Kurapika and Hisoka. If he could make good use of that, he might be able to deal the Troupe a devastating blow.
More importantly, this fight should be a blast!
A smile unconsciously curled Qiao Lun's lips. He really did love fighting.
"Want to work together?" This time, Kurapika extended the invitation to Qiao Lun.
"Of course!" Qiao Lun had no doubts about Kurapika's character. Besides, with Kurapika helping keep the enemy occupied, he would be able to throw himself into the fight more fully.
Black Flash could only potentially be triggered amid repeated attacks when he devoted himself completely to battle.
And every Black Flash he landed was a rare opportunity for Qiao Lun to improve his strength.
The temporary state of heightened Cursed Energy clarity would gradually fade with time, but the insights into controlling Cursed Energy gained in that state would remain forever.
This was also what Aoi Todo had meant when he said there was a world of difference in the understanding of Cursed Energy's essence between Jujutsu Sorcerers who had landed a Black Flash and those who had never triggered one.
If he could land consecutive Black Flashes, he could take his understanding of Cursed Energy to even greater heights.
At present, Qiao Lun could land at most three Black Flashes in a row, a feat already exceedingly rare in the Jujutsu world.
It was precisely because he had experience landing consecutive Black Flashes that he had been confident he could trigger one to finish the fight against Uvogin.
Uvogin had just been a little too weak.
If Uvogin had been stronger-ideally strong enough to block his first Black Flash-then perhaps Qiao Lun could have tried landing more Black Flashes during their fight.
In other words, a sufficiently powerful opponent was also a prerequisite if Qiao Lun wanted to land more Black Flashes.
And the Troupe's members were the best opponents he could find at his current stage.
Getting stronger had never been empty talk for Qiao Lun, because only by being strong enough could he feel secure enough.
That was also why, despite constantly talking about wanting to laze around and take it easy, he had actually gone straight into the Sendai Colony and faced Takako Uro.
Kurapika vaguely sensed that Qiao Lun was somewhat contradictory.
But he had no reason to back down from working with him.
Tonight's revenge still felt somewhat unreal to him, yet he knew full well that Qiao Lun had killed two members of the Phantom Troupe who had participated in the Kurta Clan massacre tonight.
That meant the Spider had a few fewer legs left, and tonight he had also seen the Troupe's true nature clearly.
They seemed to have no reverence for life whatsoever.
They had slaughtered the Kurta Clan simply because they had taken a fancy to the Scarlet Eyes. They were animals-no, even calling them animals sullied the animals.
The vibration of his phone interrupted Kurapika just as he was about to say something else.
When he took it out, Dalzollene's name was on the screen. After he answered, Dalzollene told Kurapika to invite Qiao Lun to the hotel for a meeting.
"Want to come with me?" Kurapika was not at all surprised that Dalzollene had guessed he was with Qiao Lun. After hanging up, he left the decision entirely to Qiao Lun.
"Of course," Qiao Lun replied casually.
He was actually quite interested in meeting the Nostrade Family's young lady.
Besides, Qiao Lun could guess a few things. If Dalzollene wanted to see him, he must be trying to recruit him. And Dalzollene alone could not have been the one who made the final decision; it had to involve the head of the Nostrade Family, Light Nostrade.
This invitation was clearly a signal: the mafia was preparing to fight the Troupe, and Light Nostrade had an opportunity to bolster his own reputation by bringing Qiao Lun in directly.
After all, everyone now knew that he was the only person tonight who had escaped from the Troupe with dead weight in tow.
If Light Nostrade knew he had also killed two Troupe members in return, Qiao Lun wondered what expression he would make, and what terms he would offer.
Without summoning Nue, Qiao Lun followed Kurapika and took a taxi from downstairs to the hotel the Nostrade Family had newly moved into.
And this time, the hotel was no longer one of the Nostrade Family's properties in Yorknew City.
While Qiao Lun went to meet Light Nostrade, Feitan and Nobunaga also returned to an unfinished building on the outskirts of Yorknew City.
This was the Phantom Troupe's temporary gathering place.
But the atmosphere inside the building was somewhat oppressive.
The Troupe members sat in various spots throughout the unfinished building, all looking toward the center of the spacious first-floor hall.
There stood a young man with meticulously slicked-back hair and a cross tattoo in the middle of his forehead.
He wore a long black formal coat that fell past his knees, with white fur at the collar and cuffs. The open coat revealed the defined muscles of his torso. Paired with fitted dress pants and tall lace-up leather boots, it gave him a cold, aristocratic air.
This man was none other than the leader of the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo Lucilfer.
His expression alone betrayed nothing of how he felt about Uvogin's and Machi's deaths.
"At first, I thought there was a mole among us. But judging by the information we've obtained, the Nostrade Family has acquired a special ability user who can predict the future."
It was Shalnark who broke the silence.
He had pulled a network cable from somewhere in the abandoned building and connected it to a computer he had prepared beforehand.
The image frozen on the computer screen displayed information on the Nostrade Family's bodyguards.
However, it only listed people like Dalzollene and Squala, who had joined the Nostrade Family long ago. There was no information at all on Kurapika or the other bodyguards recruited later to protect the young lady.
"This information is already several months old. From the looks of it, the Nostrade Family must have recruited new Hunters, possibly including whoever attacked Uvogin and Machi."
"Uvogin was always known for his overwhelming combat power, but according to Feitan's report, his opponent was more proficient in Emission and Manipulation involving the control of Nen beasts.
"Mobility alone wouldn't be enough to kill Uvogin. The chain marks left on the ground indicate that the person working with him wasn't an Enhancement user best suited to head-on combat either, but someone leaning toward Conjuration and Manipulation."
Chrollo analyzed the situation rationally. "If Uvogin had been alone, he might have fallen victim to a Manipulation ability that targeted or countered him. But with Machi beside him, there's only one possibility: his opponent could restrict or even suppress Uvogin in a head-on fight."
"The mafia has already announced that the auction will be held again on September 3 at the Semetary Building." Shalnark shared another piece of news. "If we want to find him, this is an opportunity, but it also carries enormous risks."
"Then are we killing him?" Feitan ignored the risks entirely and asked the question that mattered most.
Chrollo swept his gaze over everyone present, then nodded. "Yes."
As his words fell, most of the Troupe members' gazes sharpened, though there were exceptions among them.