The room was the same, but its cleanliness had plummeted to negative one hundred, and Milluki appeared even more disheveled than before.
"I was just joking when I said you could lose weight in the process." Law walked over, looking at Milluki's utterly lifeless expression with surprise, "How's the progress?"
Milluki turned his head mechanically, his face ashen with deep dark circles under his eyes. He said dejectedly, "Zero."
"Huh?" Law raised an eyebrow, not buying it, "Even if you didn't finish half, it can't possibly be zero progress, right?"
As he spoke, Law glanced at Milluki's noticeably thinner frame and the severely pronounced dark circles under his eyes. He wondered just what Milluki had gone through this past month to lose so much weight and look so haggard.
Judging by appearances, this was the hardest-working employee of the new century, a model of overtime and sleepless nights… yet in the end, he had accomplished nothing.
"I..." Milluki forced a smile that looked even miserable than crying. After a pause, he spilled everything that had happened over the past month like pouring beans from a sack.
After his first defeat at the hands of that unknown expert, he had been furious. In the time that followed, he had turned into a stubborn bull, relentlessly challenging that expert.
Yet, every time, he was schooled. But he refused to admit defeat, unwilling to give up. Once his temper flared, he even stopped eating snacks and sacrificed sleep, spending every waking moment looking for an opportunity.
But no matter how hard he tried, he remained like a fly unable to find a crack in an egg. The opponent was terrifying, and it felt as though they were sitting in front of their computer around the clock.
Milluki was completely defeated. He had come to understand the opponent's overwhelming skill, but he couldn't figure out what their intentions were.
Given the level of skill the opponent had displayed, the security program he had written for Law was nothing more than a flimsy door to them.
So why hadn't they obliterated Law's website entirely? Instead, it felt like they were just toying with it.
Yes, the opponent's attitude was as if they were playing a game.
Milluki could see that, which was why he was so unwilling to accept it. He even suspected that the opponent was cheating, which led him to think about Nen.
Some Nen Abilities are born from one's profession. There are many hackers in the Hunter World, but Hunter Hackers who can use Nen are extremely rare.
In the Hunter Association's implicit understanding, no matter what profession a Hunter belongs to, the most basic requirement is to possess a certain level of combat ability, but Hacker Hunters are an exception. The Nen they develop is not for combat but solely to enhance their hacking skills.
The 'Uncle Bill' that Law had encountered before was a special case among Hacker Hunters. Given his talent and experience, one could say he had taken the wrong path.
Milluki suspected that his opponent was using Nen as an auxiliary tool, which was why they could effortlessly crush him.
After all, a month ago, when Law handed him the terminal, he had mentioned the possibility that the opponent might be using Nen.
After listening to Milluki's explanation, Law rubbed his temples and sighed, "If the opponent is that tough and doesn't seem hostile enough to fight to the death, why didn't you just work around them?"
"I couldn't accept it." Milluki yawned, his tone resolute.
Law covered his face. After a moment, he asked, "Did you at least uncover anything about the opponent's background? Even the tiniest clue?"
"Pe. That's the only piece of information I managed to get." Milluki's eyes flashed with determination. He had already made up his mind. After finishing Law's job, he would scour the internet for any information related to [Pe].
"Pe?" Law stroked his chin and said seriously, " Anyway, you should rest first. Don't worry about this Pe for now. Deal with the other pests first."
"Got it." Milluki replied. Right now, he was utterly exhausted.
Law didn't stay any longer to disturb Milluki's rest and left the room immediately.
A whole month had passed, and he had assumed Milluki would have made significant progress by now. Yet, the progress was zero.
But there was nothing to be done about it. After all, for this job, he hadn't established a work contract with Milluki, so it was inevitable that personal stubbornness would get in the way.
If they had used the Zoldyck Family's 'transaction spirit' as the foundation, even if Milluki's temper flared up, he would have prioritized the job above all else.
Law returned directly to his own room, stepped onto the balcony, and took out his phone to call Ging.
Beep…
The dial tone passed, and the call connected.
"What? I'm eating."
Ging's voice came through, along with the rapid slurping of noodles.
"Bastard! That's my ramen!" Another furious voice shouted.
"Cheapskate, fine, here, take it back." Ging's voice.
"Only the broth is left? Where's the noodles? You finished them all in three seconds?!" The furious voice turned incredulous.
"The broth is the best part. Enjoy it," Ging's lazy reply.
"Go to hell!"
The crisp sound of dishes and chopsticks falling to the ground was followed by an uproar that lasted for five minutes before finally quieting down. Most likely, Ging had slipped away.
Law silently listened to the commotion on the phone for five or six minutes, his mind automatically conjuring up the scene on the other end, 'Ging had probably snatched someone else's noodles, left them with nothing but broth, and was now being chased down for it.'
He shook his head slightly, feeling a pang of sympathy for Gon, wondering how he ended up with such an unreliable father.
"The noodles were a bit bland. When are you going to let me have some of that poisonous cooking again? I kind of miss it," Ging finally spoke normally again, complaining about the noodles he had stolen.
Law ignored Ging's attempt to steer the conversation and cut straight to the point. "I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"You've been on the Internet for so long, do you know Pe?"
"Yeah. What, was your Lawlin Museum attacked? That'd be a real disaster." Ging's tone was full of gloating.
A few dark lines of annoyance appeared on Law's forehead: "Since you know, I won't waste my breath. My Lawlin Museum has been targeted by Pe."
"My tech guy is still too green to keep him out. Pe's definitely up to no good, but his malice isn't obvious enough for me to figure out his intentions. Still, he's a threat hanging over my head, and I want to deal with it."
"So, without affecting Greed Island's operations, could you have Eta or Elena give me a hand?"
Greed Island was a Nen-based game created by Ging and his companions.
To the outside world, it appeared to be a virtual game, but in reality, it was a real-world game set on a small island in the middle of the ocean… a card game filled with all sorts of wondrous abilities.
Eta and Elena are twin sisters and part of Greed Island's development team. Their role in the game was akin to programmers, or more specifically, Hacker Hunters.
"Sorry, I can't help you there." Ging replied.
"They're too busy? Your employee exploitation skills are top-notch. Don't tell me they've never even taken a vacation?" Law complained.
"Uh…"
Ging scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"You're serious?!" Law was stunned.
"Cough." Ging cleared his throat and changed the subject, speaking seriously, "It's not about whether they have time or not. The thing is, even if Eta and Elena teamed up, they still wouldn't be a match for Pe."
Law was stunned when he heard this and asked in surprise, "That terrifying?"
Then, he quickly realized something and pressed further, "You know Pe?"
There was a difference between knowing of someone and knowing them.
"Yeah, he's Greed Island's technical advisor. The kind who doesn't actually do anything." Ging said lazily.
"..." Law fell silent for a moment before shouting: "And you didn't tell me directly?!"
"You never asked." Ging retorted with the most universal excuse of all time.
"I think you did it on purpose." Law sighed.
'If Ging knew Pe, then things were much simpler.'