While Joey was discussing Prince Woble's Guardian Beast with Kurapika, something strange happened inside Prince Zhang Lei's suite.
A coin fell from thin air.
"Did something drop? Pick it up," Zhang Lei ordered.
"Ah… that's not ours. It dropped from the ceiling out of nowhere," replied a bodyguard.
"It's true." Benjamin's private soldier Gobendeba bent down and picked up the coin.
"It fell right in front of us—out of nowhere."
But Gobendeba didn't voice all his thoughts.
He had seen it:
The coin came from the Guardian Beast's mouth.
And this wasn't the first.
He had found another one yesterday.
Touching the coin gave him doubts.
If coins didn't make people disappear, how had Rihan vanished?
Could the disappearance not have been Zhang Lei's ability?
Or… was it that the Guardian Beast required coins to "purchase" an effect?
Coins implied transactions.
But how had Kurapika's team acquired one?
When Rihan vanished, Kurapika hadn't even reached the Third Prince's room yet.
And even if they had, Gobendeba would've seen them.
Perhaps Dio had used his creature control ability?
No.
Gobendeba was sure—there had been no animals or insects present.
His En had been active almost the entire time.
Even during breaks, he'd remained close to the prince.
If the coin came from the Guardian Beast, no one could have taken it unseen.
Besides, the coins didn't materialize immediately. They came sporadically.
So perhaps…
Zhang Lei's Guardian Beast didn't kill Rihan.
Maybe it had been Kurapika's team all along.
And if so, the "coin scene" in the tunnel was faked—to blame it on Zhang Lei.
From Shurikenf's reports, Kurapika's powers seemed based on his chains, maxing out at five abilities.
Benjamin had concluded the same:
Kurapika was a Multi-Specialist, with multiple Nen abilities.
Currently revealed powers:
Reading Nen Beasts' traits
Provoking Nen Beasts into aggression
But…
"What if those are fakes too?" Gobendeba muttered.
He opened his hand.
Both coins were marked with a "1" and four floral patterns—not from Kakin's official currency.
The coins in the tunnel had been ordinary Kakin coins, and Kakin doesn't even mint a 1-unit coin.
Two unique coins?
Too coincidental.
It had to be deliberate.
They were framing Zhang Lei's Guardian Beast.
But for what?
To mask Kurapika's real ability?
Or to divert suspicion and make people doubt the Third Prince?
No… it wasn't that simple.
Kurapika really could analyze Nen Beasts—the proof was in the accurate reading of Sale-Sale's Nen Beast, which Benjamin erased using The Outsider.
Such perfect intel without direct contact required a unique ability.
But the idea of Kurapika controlling Nen Beasts? That was shaky.
Perhaps Rihan's death had nothing to do with the coin—or the beast.
Maybe it was another one of Kurapika's abilities entirely.
Rihan wasn't weak.
To kill him in an instant would need a power with severe conditions.
The stronger the Nen ability, the harsher the restrictions. That was a law of Nen.
He reanalyzed that day's event.
According to Babimainina, they had entered the tunnel and seen coins and a fly.
Upon spotting a swallow and chariot, they attacked—Rihan went for the swallow, Babimainina for the chariot.
Then suddenly—Rihan vanished.
Where Rihan had stood, a coin appeared.
Gobendeba remembered something.
When he'd crushed one of the beetles, it didn't leave a corpse.
Instead—it left behind a bugged microphone.
That's when it clicked.
"The fly was Dio's trick," he muttered.
It wasn't about Rihan hitting the fly and triggering death.
Dio had turned the coin into a fly, creating the illusion that Rihan died because of it.
So Rihan's death had nothing to do with the fly.
It was something else entirely—a Nen effect triggered at that exact moment.
And the swallow—Rihan's target—was retrieved after death. That made it suspicious.
Why recover it if it wasn't important?
Because the object it turned back into… was the kill switch.
He sent all his deductions back to Baluthamilco—the captain of Benjamin's private soldiers.
If anyone could see through enemy powers, it was him.
Back in Benjamin's suite, Baluthamilco sat opposite the prince, notebook open, filled with intelligence logs.
"According to Gobendeba, Dio's ability turns objects into living things for remote operation," he summarized.
"But they can't send back information—meaning rules must be pre-programmed."
In the ambush against Rihan and Babimainina, Dio had reclaimed the transformed object—likely the key to Rihan's disappearance.
"He wouldn't bother recovering it if it had no further value.
Especially after exposing himself."
Joey had even left bugs behind in multiple rooms without hiding them, essentially exposing Golden Experience's properties.
Benjamin raised a possibility:
"What if Babimainina had attacked the swallow instead? Would the outcome change?"
A fair question.
Rihan had used The Outsider, which was useless in real-time battles.
But Babimainina's power was counter-type—triggered when attacked.
Could that have saved him?
Baluthamilco shook his head.
"Unlikely. The fly itself may have been the trigger.
Dio probably chose the swallow for the cover the 'chariot' explosion offered, making retrieval easier.
But yes, it was Rihan specifically they wanted."
Benjamin scowled.
"So they deliberately targeted Rihan."
"Seems likely," Baluthamilco nodded.
They discussed Dio's activation steps:
Select an object
Use Nen to turn it into a creature
Control the creature
When destroyed, it reverts to its original form
"Importantly," Baluthamilco added, "he cannot manually cancel the transformation."
If he could, he could plant bugs in every prince's room and monitor them forever.
But he hadn't.
Which meant the transformation was fixed until death.
"Except," Baluthamilco mused, "he's hiding behind decoys. He may have planted cameras too."
Benjamin bristled.
"We swept my suite completely. There are no bugs, no cameras.
Since discovering the insects, my guards have kept En active around the clock."
"But what about Sale-Sale's suite?" Baluthamilco pressed.
"Shit…"
Benjamin froze.
"You're saying my use of The Outsider was caught on film?!"
"Exactly. And Mu Xiaobei's upcoming kill will be caught too.
Cameras may exist in Tyson's suite as well."
He'd already contacted Mu Xiaobei, who had begun his mission.
Their operative in Tyson's room, Orahu, had also begun searching for hidden cameras.
But Baluthamilco had ordered not to destroy them—yet.
If found, they could be weaponized.
Benjamin cursed.
"So that's why they gave us Sale-Sale and Tyson's Nen Beast info early!
We have to find those cameras before he retrieves them."
"Mu Xiaobei cannot act recklessly.
Sale-Sale is dead, so any strange behavior could brand him the killer—even without proof."
And once the king's army investigated, it would be chaos in that room—ideal for Joey to retrieve the cameras.
"Even if he does," Benjamin growled, "he can't use it against me.
But it'll stir up trouble.
Woble's camp must be eliminated."
Even if Benjamin admired Kurapika's intellect, if they weren't allies, then there was only one solution:
"Send them to hell."
Baluthamilco remained calm.
"But what are they after?"
"Kurapika's reason for boarding was genuine," Benjamin admitted.
"He wants to reclaim the Scarlet Eyes from Tserriednich."
"So they'll use the footage to negotiate with Tserriednich," Baluthamilco deduced.
Benjamin's eyes narrowed.
That made sense.
"Fine. Let them try.
We want Tserriednich dead anyway."
Benjamin's rage was personal—he despised his brother.
"But there's another question," Baluthamilco said.
"How did they know Rihan wouldn't retaliate?"
Was it sheer arrogance?
Or had they confirmed it wouldn't trigger beforehand?
Was that their power?
Or the work of another prince's Nen Beast?
Perhaps Tserriednich, Luzurus, or Sale-Sale's.
The lower princes' Beasts were mostly identified:
The tunneling beast—likely from Prince Kacho or Fugetsu
The plushie-like one was Woble's
The serpent-like one had been Marayam's
The jellyfish was presumed to be Prince Woble's, too
Tyson's Beast was likely linked to her fanatic cult.
Benjamin fell into thoughtful silence again as Baluthamilco's reasoning steered him toward a mental storm.
Meanwhile, Joey stood watch over Prince Woble, who was still contentedly knitting.
When Sale-Sale's death was reported, Yokota relayed the news to Kurapika, who had been kept in the dark.
Not the best timing.
Joey wanted to retrieve his camera during the chaos.
Not because the video mattered—it was already streamed to his phone.
Though that meant low storage and constant file maintenance, it was worth it.
But he also didn't want the camera discovered, and he had limited supply.
He'd dispatched several Golden Experience-animated parrots ahead of time.
But they never made it.
Attacked in the ventilation ducts.
Cut off instantly.
"Someone found them…"
Was someone using En in Sale-Sale's suite?
Joey glanced sideways—Shurikenf's gaze drifted his way.
"He knows…"
He realized. They had deduced:
"Golden Experience's summonings can be deactivated remotely."
He had sacrificed plenty of bugs to build a false narrative about his powers.
But it didn't matter.
At this point, everyone was suspicious of anything non-human.
Even without Joey's involvement, someone would have gotten caught.
After all, even the 14th Prince's guard, Sairid, had returned to duty after using insects.
The King's Army had determined he acted in defense—not as a murderer.
Unlike the manga, he hadn't been controlled by Woble's Beast.
Instead, his would-be killer Katong had been.
Just like the manga, Katong died—but now it was self-defense.
And the Queen backed Sairid's version.
So the 14th Prince's power had quietly increased.