Fifty‑five minutes later, the Surface World automatically dissolved.
Xiang Nan returned to the real world, and with him came a chubby man wearing thick black‑rimmed glasses, the very image of a bookish nerd—as well as the three blond men's corpses.
The fat man opposite him was dressed old‑fashionedly, like a clerk from some dusty bookshop at first glance.
But Xiang Nan knew that this was the player whose Nen ability had created the Surface World.
Once the ability was lifted, the man's body, which had been "absent," reverted to normal.
"Yo."
Xiang Nan raised his hand in greeting.
By now the middle‑aged man was drenched in sweat, shivering uncontrollably.
After all, he had witnessed everything that happened in that space.
"I‑I‑I—"
"Your Nen ability is interesting. If you were still a player I might have spared you—it could be useful. Unfortunately… you're no longer worth keeping." Xiang Nan said.
As the words fell, he vanished—
The next instant he appeared behind the fat man.
With one motion Xiang Nan twisted off the man's head and held it in his hand.
His life ended in that moment.
Only then did Xiang Nan look around the battlefield.
The flow of time in the Surface World was the same as in reality—
Which meant an hour had also passed outside.
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Xiang Nan turned and saw Owl walking over, hands in his pockets.
"An enemy of yours?"
Owl's gaze fell on the dead fat man.
"Something like that…"
Xiang Nan smiled. "Is it over?"
"Long since. The others went after the ones who ran; I stayed to wait for you."
"The enemy's Nen left traces—some forced‑transfer or other spatial ability. You must have triggered a trap. From our earlier moves, if it were teleport‑type Nen the displacement distance shouldn't be far. I had Worm and Bat sweep the area—no sign of you or unusual aura. So I figured it was a space‑manipulation technique. Abilities like that must have conditions or limits; otherwise he couldn't have snatched you right in front of us."
"I thought I'd wait till dawn. If nothing turned up, I'd leave."
"Good guess… thanks."
Xiang Nan chuckled.
"All settled?"
Owl glanced at the fresh corpses.
"Mm‑hmm."
"Then let's go."
The two walked off side by side to rejoin the main Shadow‑Beast force.
Owl showed no interest in probing Xiang Nan's personal vendetta; in the underworld, feuds and revenge were everyday business—nothing strange.
"No injuries on our side?"
"None. The enemy was mediocre overall, though the long‑haired guy was different… he got away."
"This Stalin Family came for you too? Some bad blood with the Zatobi Family? Hard to imagine two Mafia groups from different territories crossing paths…"
"I was ambushed out of nowhere myself," Xiang Nan brushed it off. "The Stalin Family has a vague tie to me; this time you've basically cleaned up my mess."
"Heh."
Owl smiled faintly.
"As payback, I can share intel on our target—might help wrap the job faster."
"No need. His ability is built for running; hard to pin down, but with Bat in the sky and Worm underground he can't hide forever—just wastes time."
"True."
They chatted as they walked away.
A few hours later, just as Owl predicted, the long‑haired man's Nen could only stall.
Against five Shadow Beasts the longer it dragged on, the likelier his death.
The pre‑arranged plan with the blond trio was simple: hold out an hour, wait for them to return to reality, then escape.
He did hold on—almost two hours of hit‑and‑run.
Sadly the blond trio had already fallen to Xiang Nan, and in the end he too was killed by the Shadow Beasts.
The Stalin Family was wiped out.
With the final contract finished, Xiang Nan's seven‑man unit received orders from the Ten Dons to head to Yorknew City—both to prepare for the upcoming auction and to eradicate the Spiders.
Neither the Ten Dons nor Owl knew of Xiang Nan's ties to the Phantom Troupe.
…
Yorknew City – a mafia‑owned hotel suite.
Reclining in the bathtub, Xiang Nan pulled out his phone and dialed a number he had saved but never called.
Ring… ring…
"Hello."
A familiar voice answered.
"Doing all right?"
Xiang Nan smiled.
He was speaking to the Spider leader, Phantom Troupe head Chrollo Lucilfer.
If Iddy or Owl learned of this, they would execute him as a traitor on the spot.
"Fishing for news on us?"
Chrollo replied, amusement in his tone.
"Relax. I may be a Shadow Beast, but I'm only putting on a show for the Ten Dons. Remember what we discussed?" Xiang Nan said, knowing Chrollo still didn't fully trust him.
Shadow Beast activity was high lately; plenty of mobsters had seen them, and the Troupe knew war with the Ten Dons was coming, so underworld intel was hardly airtight. Chrollo clearly already knew Xiang Nan was a Beast, perhaps thanks to Hisoka's loose tongue.
The Troupe didn't fear the Ten Dons' elite unit—but Xiang Nan was different.
If he switched sides he could threaten the whole Troupe, and Chrollo dared not be careless.
"The time has come," Xiang Nan said meaningfully.
"Meaning?"
"A Shadow Beast is dead—nine remain. The Ten Dons know you'll hit the auction. They're scouring the underworld for strong Nen users to fill the gap…"
Chrollo understood but gave no answer, still gauging Xiang Nan's temperament.
To Chrollo, Xiang Nan was more dangerous than the entire underworld—because behind him stood a nation.
"…"
"You don't really think I care about a mere underworld, do you? Relax—you're worth more to me than the Ten Dons."
Chrollo knew Xiang Nan wasn't joking.
Given Xiang Nan's weight—and the Republic of Padokea behind him—serving the Ten Dons would be beneath him. He was probably just playing.
The Ten Dons weren't qualified to order someone like that.
Yet Chrollo still kept silent.
Seeing this, Xiang Nan dropped the banter and said calmly, "You've heard of the mysterious calamity in Zaban City, haven't you? That proves I didn't lie—your future isn't limited to this world."
"Of course I'm using you—you're pure villains, one of the few tools in this world worth using. The worlds I intend to conquer suit people like you perfectly."
Lounging in the tub, Xiang Nan spoke with absolute composure, his eyes momentarily cold.
"You stand to profit too. When the Ten Dons die the underworld will be in chaos—massive fortunes to loot, and the rats of Meteor City can crawl into the sun. More importantly, I told you: the treasures and resources of unknown worlds are beyond imagination. Even reviving the dead is trivial…"
"You seem awfully keen on our stance—need us that much?"
Chrollo laughed again, sharp enough to grasp how valuable the Troupe's evil was to Xiang Nan.
"Don't think to bargain with that. As I said—know your place. I'm granting charity, not negotiating. Choose as you like."
Xiang Nan gave a faint smile, and hung up.