Inside the warehouse, Xiang Nan and the other few players sat together.
Far off stood Shalnark's four-person group.
Franklin was intentionally or unintentionally keeping an eye on them—or rather, keeping an eye on Xiang Nan—while conversing quietly with Shizuku.
Machi had not yet regained consciousness, but her condition had stabilized, indicating there was no longer any danger.
Those few Troupe members seemed to be saying something. Xiang Nan could guess the gist: "stay on guard against him."
His presence, as well as his sudden appearance, was surely unexpected to their small Troupe unit.
"According to the original story, before the Yorknew auction began, the Troupe was indeed missing some members for quite a while… As the leader, Chrollo would typically have two or three Troupe members by his side. Nobunaga and Uvogin were one pair, Feitan and Phinks another, and Hisoka (who replaced Omokage) generally roamed freely," Xiang Nan thought to himself..
All the while, under Franklin's watchful gaze, Xiang Nan pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
A few Troupe members noticed this action but did not react heavily. Shalnark obviously did not think Xiang Nan was trying anything.
He regarded Xiang Nan as a smart person, and the present situation was very straightforward: while Xiang Nan's strength had earned them a degree of "respect," it did not mean that Xiang Nan and his fellow Nameless Town members could do whatever they wanted. If the Troupe really chose to, they could still kill Xiang Nan and the others. The only cost might be failing this operation, that's all.
"Hello?"
A voice answered on the other end.
This was Mía from the Zatobi mafia family in Zerta City, the very faction Xiang Nan had propped up.
"You guys have connections with the underworld in Glam Gas Land on the Yorbian continent?"
Xiang Nan asked directly.
"Glam... Gas Land?"
Mía hesitated, then replied, "No… our family's sphere is basically just within the borders of Republic of Padokea. Over on other continents…"
"Go gather some intel. Even a high-priced bounty is fine. I'll give you one hour: see if you can learn about any major incidents that happened recently in Glam Gas Land's underground world. Let me know."
"Alright."
Hearing Xiang Nan's grave tone, Mía hurried to carry it out. Then Xiang Nan's gaze fell on the van parked in the warehouse. He could more or less guess the cargo or "stuff" inside, but it wasn't convenient to check, and the Troupe obviously wouldn't let them see "what's inside."
By his side, Dylan and the other players appeared rather anxious.
No one had expected that, upon contacting these storyline characters, the situation would escalate like this. Although they themselves could not sense the Troupe's "information," they had at least seen Xiang Nan fight—evidently on the verge of mortal danger. If not for their captain's formidable strength, they might already have been wiped out…
And while they couldn't perceive those storyline characters, they could hear Xiang Nan's voice and hints in his remarks. Words like "Phantom Troupe," "Spider"...
Those phrases alone practically hammered their minds with terror, leaving them uneasy in their seats.
Could it be that these few folks—whose faces they couldn't see—were members of the Phantom Troupe?
To players, that group from the original story, occupying such massive arcs and shining with overwhelming presence, was basically the face of death.
They…
"Captain…"
Dylan, the only one here who possessed Nen, looked visibly shaken. Holding his composure under such tension had left his knuckles pale.
Although the system's protection guaranteed their safety from storyline characters, simply having contact with the Spider meant that if they drew the Troupe's attention, once their "protection period" ended… wouldn't they be at the Troupe's mercy?
Initially, Xiang Nan had called them "nobody side characters," and Dylan had believed it. Clearly, the Captain was only calming their nerves.
"No problem. I've already settled it with them… we're just on a job, so don't worry."
Xiang Nan replied with a faint smile.
He was even able to smile right now?
His four companions looked at each other, wondering whether to cry or laugh. Their minds were in chaos.
"Captain… this isn't normal, is it? For us, it's just the fourth round of the Extinction Game. How can we be running into a group on the level of the Phantom Troupe? I used to talk with a higher-level player, he was at the fifth round… He said that in his own fourth and fifth round missions, though he did encounter some storyline characters, they were all quite minor. His mission had been to take the Hunter Exam, avoid Tonpa's schemes, and gain the examiners' approval. But we…?"
Dylan breathed unsteadily.
Clearly, as a comrade, he'd withheld plenty of intel until now. Facing the current predicament, he had no choice but to reveal some of it.
Xiang Nan said nothing, only kept silent.
He too perceived that something was off. Why?
In the previous mission, via official resources, Xiang Nan had tried to check for leads. Kakin Empire's establishing diplomatic ties with Republic of Padokea was obviously something he had orchestrated, unlocking that plot point. So it implied that other players, passing the fourth or fifth rounds, might have done similarly big things.
But in that timeframe, scanning major world events, aside from Kakin and Padokea forging diplomatic ties, only a few affairs really stood out.
Some big, some small—like the ancient ruins discovered by the Hunter Association that had drawn V5's attention, or a villain arms dealer on V5's wanted list caught by a "terrorist hunter," a coastal country discovering a never-before-seen marine life, or a monster threat in certain lands.
Xiang Nan could not confirm which were triggered by players, but presumably some were.
Even so, from the total number of players participating in that wave, he or others who had "unlocked plot lines" were quite rare.
Meaning, any player who manages to "unlock a story event" might face a different standard for the next tasks. Possibly an increased difficulty.
Recalling his guess about the system's intentions, Xiang Nan was fairly sure of it. In other words, any player who has triggered a storyline might come under special "attention."
That's a benefit but also a double-edged sword…
For instance, now, if he wasn't strong enough, Machi would likely have killed him already.
"So cunning."
Xiang Nan narrowed his eyes.
That was his evaluation of the system.
Beep, beep, beep…
Just then, inside the quiet warehouse, Xiang Nan's phone chimed.
He looked at Franklin some meters away, who stared back, then calmly answered the call.
Naturally, it was from Mía.
"Got it."
He finished listening to her intel and hung up.
"Captain, any news?"
some squadmate promptly asked.
"Nothing special—only that Glam Gas Land's had some small disturbances recently… it's unconnected to us. We just wait for the other Troupe members to arrive, then drive the car to Meteor City."
"No need overthinking… from another standpoint, with Troupe members alongside us, if any enemies plan to attack, they likely can't do much."
Xiang Nan said breezily.
Everything has two sides.
He tried encouraging them.
But here, he excluded the possibility of enemy players. If they had a squad like Xiang Nan's, with new players under system protection, they wouldn't worry about storyline interference. Then again, Xiang Nan so lightly brushed it off mostly to keep morale from crumbling before the mission started.
Because now that Xiang Nan had gleaned from the Troupe's arrangement, this so-called "escort job," plus the Troupe's willingness to pay an outside force, the situation was anything but simple.
For the Phantom Troupe to part with money?
Heh…
Surely it was another pitfall.
Equally, it might be a mission of no return.
Xiang Nan couldn't even be bothered to roast the system anymore.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!