Next came Shalnark. After a moment's hesitation, Nobunaga also stepped forward and stood beside Uvogin. Bonolenov, Kortopi. Phinks glanced at Feitan, and after briefly exchanging looks, both advanced as well. Only Machi was left, but she didn't lag far behind—she stepped forward right after Feitan.
One by one, the members placed their hands on Chrollo's shoulder. A beam of light descended, shining solely on Chrollo, isolating him in brightness while the others remained in shadow. The surrounding atmosphere turned eerie and heavy. At this moment, just like in the past, the trust everyone had in Chrollo remained unchanged.
Time moved on. Everyone had changed in many ways. But this one thing seemed never to waver.
Now, the Chrollo standing there was drastically different from the one presented to the outside world. To outsiders, Chrollo was indifferent to everything—obsessive, cold-blooded, one who regarded life as meaningless. He was the soul of the Phantom Troupe, the brain of a malevolent spider, feared by all. The members of the Phantom Troupe were also seen by the world as ruthless criminals. If those people could see how the Phantom Troupe appeared now, they would be utterly stunned.
"Thank you all for continuing to trust me," Chrollo said. "What I can do in return is give it my all."
One after another, the members dispersed. Those with missions went to carry them out, and the rest moved freely. Some headed into the city, while others found places to hide.
A figure walked up beside Machi.
"Machi, is something wrong?"
"Hm?" Machi turned to glance at Uvogin and shook her head. "Nothing."
"You can't even tell me?"
Machi narrowed her eyes slightly. Uvogin shrugged. "The three of us grew up together. We know each other too well. Maybe the others didn't notice, but Nobunaga and I did. Just now, when we were expressing our stance, you were a bit slower—why? Did your thinking change? Or is there some other reason?"
Machi was silent for a while, then looked up. "Uvogin, can I trust you?"
"Of course."
"Then what if it involves other Troupe members? What if it concerns the boss? What if it touches on the original purpose of the Troupe?"
Uvogin's expression turned serious. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said."
Now it was Uvogin's turn to fall silent. After a moment, he looked up and stared at Machi with a solemn expression. "I'll say it again: you have my trust. No matter what our conversation touches on today, I won't tell a soul. I swear it on my life. I swear it on the bond we three share."
He didn't say the names, but Machi knew which three he meant—Nobunaga, Machi, Uvogin.
Machi nodded. "I never used to think about it, but lately I can't help but wonder—what are we doing all this for? For revenge against Sarasa? But to this day, we haven't found a single clue related to that. Continuing a life of crime hasn't brought us any closer to the truth. Are we out for vengeance against all who trafficked people from Meteor City? But that list is endless. The global mafia, Kakin, V5... countless people were involved."
"And they didn't just traffic people from Meteor City. People from all over the world were sold. Many regions suffered just like us. Are we doing this to protect the people of Meteor City? But why? Why do we have to protect the others? Just because we live in the same place? Because we were all discarded by the world? Because we share something in common? I'm starting to question that."
"The shared location argument doesn't hold up. People abandoned by the world aren't unique to Meteor City—there are people like that everywhere. Some have suffered even worse than those from Meteor City."
Machi paused for a moment. "Truthfully, the people of Meteor City aren't particularly close-knit. Outsiders see us as united. But many there would kill each other over some scraps from the garbage heap. When those from Meteor City have conflicting interests outside, they show no hesitation to turn on one another. Life-and-death struggles aren't unusual. Even Sheila used us. The elders who once oppressed us are still alive and well in Meteor City."
"Meteor City is neither a nation nor a family."
"Uvogin, what do you think Meteor City really is?"
Normally, Uvogin would've blurted out an answer without thinking. But now, under Machi's gaze, he realized this was a very difficult question to answer.
Meteor City—what is it?
A country? A region? A junkyard?
Uvogin had no answer.
"The essence of Meteor City is hatred," Machi said, looking into the distance. Her voice suddenly grew heavy.
"There's no true unity inside. No close ties. People are willing to kill each other over a single meal. Life is excessively cheap there. Can a place like that really be called united? Can people living in a place like that really be called comrades?
Those strangers we've never met, never interacted with—do we really need to fight for them? I doubt it."
"The reason why people from Meteor City appear so unified in the face of the outside world is only because of hatred. The people there hate the outside world to an extreme degree. That hatred surpasses everything. That's why, in the eyes of outsiders, we look so united. But when we aren't facing the outside world, things are entirely different."
"Meteor City is complicated. But so is the outside world, isn't it? There are terrible people in Meteor City, and there are good ones too. The same goes for the world beyond."
Machi drew her gaze back and looked at Uvogin again. "Uvogin, have you ever really thought about it—what exactly are we living for? What is the meaning of our existence?"