While Qiao Lun was luring Uvogin and Machi out of the city, Feitan and the others also clashed with the mafia members.
Only one person fought them: Franklin, who had massacred everyone at the auction venue.
His tactics were extremely simple: the countless Nen bullets unleashed by Double Machine Gun. Those powerful bullets tore every mafia member who tried to challenge him into a bloody mist.
But if Qiao Lun had been there, he would have noticed that the Shadow Beasts, the strongest combat force under the mafia's Ten Dons, had not joined the battle as they should have.
"The higher-ups told us to hold off." A short distance from the battlefield, Worm, a member of the Shadow Beasts who barely resembled a normal human and looked more like a humanoid red earthworm, put down his phone.
While Franklin was clearing the battlefield with Nen bullets, a squad of four Shadow Beasts had arrived nearby.
But before they could act, a call had come from above.
The Shadow Beasts did not care in the slightest about the deaths of the mafia members, but even observing from a distance allowed them to gauge the strength of the Phantom Troupe's members.
"I heard the Nostrade Family has an ability user who specializes in fortune-telling, and her predictions are extremely accurate. Someone sent over our names and ages. The results weren't encouraging." This time, Rabid Dog spoke. True to his name, his mouth protruded prominently, just like a dog's, while his body was thin and gaunt.
"I have my doubts about that." The reply came from a fat man named Leech, who clearly had absolute confidence in his own ability.
"Let's go. We'll let them off this time. If they dare come to the Semetary Building the day after tomorrow, it'll be their grave." With both hands in his pockets and the air of a master, Porcupine turned and left in what he considered a dashing manner.
Having slaughtered all the mafia members, Franklin seemed to sense something and looked into the distance, in the very direction the Shadow Beasts had left.
He had not quite had his fill.
Shizuku and the others, who had been playing cards on the hillside, stood up with bored yawns once Franklin finished clearing out the mafia members.
"Uvogin and the others still aren't back?" Feitan's gaze fell on Shalnark, who had short blond hair.
The delicate-featured Shalnark fiddled with his phone and said without looking up, "Machi replied. That guy who uses Nen beasts provoked them, and Uvogin's already gone after him."
"I'll go take a look." After saying that, Feitan stayed where he was, waiting for Shalnark to give him the direction and address.
"The leader wants us to regroup first." Shalnark shrugged. "No acting alone."
"My eyelid keeps twitching. I'll go with Feitan." The droopy-eyed Nobunaga kept having a bad feeling, so he stepped forward of his own accord.
"All right." This time, Shalnark did not stop them. "But make it quick. Also, if possible, don't rush to kill him."
"The leader's orders?" Feitan asked.
"Yeah. I've already told Machi. Uvogin and the others are in the wasteland on the outskirts. Go ahead." Shalnark put away his phone and pointed out the direction.
Franklin returned just then, and the group quickly split up. Three headed for their temporary base, while the other two raced out of the city.
Far away, at a mountain resort outside Yorknew City, the ten highest-ranking figures in the mafia had gathered.
"The Nostrade Family's prophetic poem has come true. The new poems indicate that even the Shadow Beasts may be no match for the Phantom Troupe."
The speaker was an old man with a long white beard. On the table before him lay the freshly printed prophetic poems.
The poems were there entirely because, shortly after the incident, Light Nostrade had used his connections to contact the Ten Dons and reveal the attackers' identities. Light had even suggested having the Shadow Beasts' fortunes told before deciding whether to dispatch them to surround and eliminate the Phantom Troupe.
Clearly, Light had taken Dalzollene's assessment to heart.
Dalzollene, in turn, had based his assessment on the reports from Kurapika and Feitan.
Nen bullets capable of easily tearing ability users apart were attacks far beyond what Dalzollene could withstand.
Dalzollene acknowledged that he was no match for an ability user of that caliber.
Dalzollene had reported the situation truthfully, and Light, who was on his way to Yorknew City, had immediately made his judgment: this was an opportunity.
If his gamble paid off and the Shadow Beasts were no match for the Phantom Troupe, the Nostrade Family might soar to new heights.
If he lost the gamble-there was no way he could lose.
That was because this gamble had a prerequisite: having the Shadow Beasts' fortunes told. As long as Light made his judgment based on the prophetic poems, he could not lose.
If the poems indicated that the Shadow Beasts risked death, that meant Qiao Lun's assessment was correct: the Shadow Beasts were no match for the Phantom Troupe.
If the Shadow Beasts faced no risk of death, that meant they were stronger than the Phantom Troupe.
It could be said that with Neon at his disposal, Light had been in an unbeatable position ever since the prediction that today's auction would not conclude successfully had been verified.
The Ten Dons had already formed suspicions about the prophetic poem's contents, which was why they had sent Owl of the Shadow Beasts to move all the auction items away.
Now that almost everyone attending the auction had been wiped out, the poem had been fully borne out.
This made it all the more impossible for the Ten Dons to disregard the Nostrade Family's fortune-telling ability or Light's advice.
Thus, the first order Light received from the Ten Dons was to have the Shadow Beasts' fortunes told, just as he had planned.
However, Light had not received information on every member of the Shadow Beasts, only two.
But that was enough for him.
Light was quite efficient. Although Neon was very unhappy when told she needed to tell fortunes, she still completed them quickly.
The prophetic poems were then emailed to the Ten Dons, and their contents warned that the Shadow Beasts could suffer casualties if they acted rashly in the Gordeau Desert.
This was what led the Ten Dons to call off the Shadow Beasts' operation.
But that did not mean the Ten Dons had chosen to let the Phantom Troupe go.
"Then let's put up the money. We can't just let them escape. Besides, given how the Phantom Troupe operates, they definitely won't let this go after failing to achieve their objective." One of the Ten Dons at the round table spoke bluntly.
"Then make all the arrangements, from putting bounties on their heads to preparations for the next auction." The old man who had spoken first laid out a more thorough plan.
Either do nothing, or wipe them out to the last man. That was how the mafia operated!
Qiao Lun had no idea that the arrival of a little butterfly like him would cause so many changes.
At that moment, he had already revealed himself to Uvogin and Machi, along with
Kurapika, who had been brought over by the White Divine Dogs.
They were no longer inside Yorknew City, but well out in the wasteland on its outskirts.
Only moonlight illuminated the area.
Uvogin's gaze was fixed entirely on Qiao Lun. The spot on his back where Qiao Lun had struck him earlier still ached faintly.
Machi, meanwhile, set her sights on Kurapika. Judging by the chains he wore on his hand, he was highly likely to be a Manipulation or Conjuration user.
Of course, it was also possible that he was deliberately wearing chains to mislead them. Everything would still have to depend on the information revealed during combat.
But since they dared to lure her and Uvogin here, they presumably believed they could win two against two.