September 1 —
Yorknew City, Daytime
Xiang Nan and Leorio were hanging out at a street corner, waiting for Gon and Killua to show up.
The two had flown in last night and were probably landing at Lingon Airport about now.
Technically, they were here to meet up with Leorio.
Gon and Killua came to Yorknew for the auction, of course, but their real goal was tied to Greed Island, the game connected to Ging Freecss.
"Hey… this isn't a coincidence, right? How the hell did you find me?"
Leorio still looked the same as he did during the Hunter Exam—blue suit, briefcase in hand. He shot Xiang Nan a look and couldn't help grumbling.
"I just happened to be in Yorknew too. Heard Gon and Killua were coming, so I figured I'd stop by and say hi."
Xiang Nan gave a slight smile.
Right now, the Yorknew auction was the biggest event in the world—everyone's eyes were on it.
The Phantom Troupe had already gathered last night and secured a hideout in some abandoned building.
The Ten Dons and the Shadow Beasts were mostly ready too. Since it was only Day 1 of the auction, the Mafia still had no clue what the Spiders were up to, so the Beasts hadn't made a move yet.
That meant Xiang Nan had a little downtime.
But as someone "in the know," he was fully aware that tonight, things were going to get real.
It would be the first real clash between the Spiders and the Beasts.
In the original story, the Yorknew arc was intense, fast-paced, and short.
Day 1, the Shadow Beasts got wiped out—except for Owl.
Day 3, September 3rd? That's when the Ten Dons got massacred.
Right now, Xiang Nan—who was officially a Beast but had ties to the Troupe and even called up Illumi—basically knew every player involved and exactly how things were going to unfold.
He wasn't here just to catch up—he wanted to see how much Gon and Killua had grown since their time at Heavens Arena.
"You here for the auction too?"
Leorio raised an eyebrow.
"Yup," Xiang Nan nodded.
"Tch… must be nice being loaded," Leorio muttered.
Back during the Hunter Exam, everyone could tell Xiang Nan wasn't your average guy—not just stupidly strong, but the Hunter Association clearly treated him differently from the rest. After joining the Association, Leorio even found out they were in the same profession: medicine.
He never would've guessed Xiang Nan was a doctor—just like him.
"If you're short on cash, I can lend you some," Xiang Nan said with a chuckle.
"You—" Leorio made a face.
He did need money—he was practically a walking money pit—but if it came from Xiang Nan? Yeah, no thanks. That just felt like tempting fate.
"Leorio!"
A cheerful voice called out from nearby.
They turned to see Gon and Killua waving at them from across the street, all smiles.
"Oh hey, it's the old guy."
Gon smiled like usual when he spotted Xiang Nan—just a little surprised.
Killua, on the other hand, froze up.
"Gon, what's he doing here?"
Killua, in a tank top, stared sideways at Gon suspiciously.
"I have no idea."
Gon scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.
They'd only planned to meet up with Leorio.
"I just ran into Leorio, so I thought I'd tag along." Xiang Nan strolled over.
Of course, it wasn't some random coincidence—Yorknew was completely under Mafia surveillance. They could track everyone going in and out. There were eyes everywhere.
Since Xiang Nan knew Gon and Killua were coming, all he had to do was find Leorio.
Leorio subtly waved at the two of them to signal this wasn't his idea.
"Sorry, old man! We've got some private stuff to deal with Leorio—probably can't hang out…"
Killua crossed his arms behind his head, casting Xiang Nan a cocky glance.
"Killua… c'mon," Gon muttered, forcing a smile.
He had no clue why Killua had such a grudge against Xiang Nan.
"It's all good," Xiang Nan said with a soft smile. "Just wanted to see you two. I heard you've both awakened Nen—congrats on becoming proper Hunters."
"Thanks!" Gon lit up. "I knew it, you were already a Nen user. No wonder you were so strong."
"Everyone has their own path to becoming a Hunter. Even if I hadn't told you about Nen, I'm sure you'd have figured it out on your own," Xiang Nan said calmly.
"Like we needed your help," Killua muttered, poking his nose, a little smug.
"Is Manman not with you?" Gon asked.
"She's busy right now."
"She's a Nen user too, right?"
"Yep."
Gon chatted casually with Xiang Nan like it was nothing.
He was probably the only one who could talk to him like that. Killua stayed cautious and kept his distance the whole time.
Leorio wasn't scared, but he wasn't dumb either. Coming from a modest background, he could sense that Xiang Nan wasn't just "strong"—he was in a totally different league. Not like the Zoldyck kind of elite. More like… someone from another world entirely.
Killua's suspicion started during the Hunter Exam—something about Xiang Nan just felt off.
But now, it wasn't just instinct—it was because of Illumi.
Illumi had warned him: Xiang Nan is more dangerous than Hisoka in some ways.
The best move? Keep your distance.
Killua could sense it too—that same eerie "darkness" that his brother had.
And let's be real—if Xiang Nan was tight with Illumi and even knew Hisoka? Yeah, no way he was one of the good guys.
Only someone like Gon could trust him so easily.
Killua didn't mind strong people—hell, they hung out with Netero. But Xiang Nan?
He couldn't be sure he was safe.
People like him? Totally unpredictable.
And Killua's first instinct? Protect Gon.
Then suddenly—Killua froze.
Without warning, Xiang Nan unleashed a massive wave of Nen.
The air around them instantly felt heavier, like gravity just doubled. Their limbs felt weighed down like they were filled with lead.
Reacting on pure instinct, both Gon and Killua released their own auras to push back.
Killua broke into a cold sweat instantly.
There wasn't any killing intent—but the pressure alone made it hard to even breathe.
"Not bad. You two have gotten stronger pretty fast," Xiang Nan said with a nod. "Looks like you found a solid teacher."
Then he withdrew his aura.
Killua was left panting.
Gon was still smiling, like nothing happened. He knew it was a test.
"No need to be so scared. If I actually wanted you dead, you'd already be gone," Xiang Nan said casually.
Then he ruffled Killua's soft white hair.
"Good to see you've both grown. The auction's already started. This city's gonna be swarming with people from all over—good and bad. It's not exactly safe. But now that you've awakened Nen and can protect yourselves, I can head out without worrying."
"If you're going out—just be careful."
Hands in his pockets, Xiang Nan turned and walked away.
Only after he was gone did Killua finally relax.
"He really likes you, Killua," Gon said cheerfully.
"Who asked him to?"
Killua blushed.
"I've told you before, Gon—that guy's seriously dangerous. If Hisoka's an 8, this guy's a 10. Full marks. He wasn't joking about killing us. If he wanted to, we wouldn't have even a chance to run—together or not."
He jabbed Gon in the forehead, annoyed.
"I know."
Gon rubbed his head and looked down the road where Xiang Nan had disappeared.
"But… I can feel it. He doesn't mean us any harm. Back during the Zaban City riot, he was clearly trying to keep us out of danger. I mean… it didn't exactly go smoothly, but still."
"Killua, I think you've got him all wrong. Just because he's strong doesn't mean he's out to get us. I realized that the first time I saw him on Whale Island. He may be powerful, but he's not our enemy… I think he's a good guy."
"…You're hopeless."
Killua sighed and shook his head.
"If I were a villain, I could've scammed you out of everything you own."