Night fell, and the auction officially kicked off.
The Shadow Beasts had already gathered, waiting for any sudden developments. If the Phantom Troupe showed up, it would finally be their moment to take the stage.
Now it all depended on whether the Troupe would bite the bait.
The exact timing of Owl using his Nen ability to move the Ten Dons' hidden treasures? A total secret. Not even the other Shadow Beasts knew. Only Owl was in on it.
Beep beep…
Moments later, Xiang Nan's phone lit up.
He answered the call under the gaze of the others.
"…It's begun."
Listening to the voice on the other end, Xiang Nan gave a small smile to Mad Dog and the others.
Fish walked over to a monitor and pulled up the latest footage.
On-screen: the auction venue packed with mafia members. But strangely, neither the auctioneer nor the presenter had appeared.
Instead, two men in full suits—one tall, one short—stepped into the spotlight.
The short one casually said something, and in the next second, the big guy behind him raised both hands and let loose a storm of Nen bullets.
In just seconds, nearly every mafia member in the crowd was gunned down.
A few Nen users tried to fight back, but they couldn't match the power of the two on stage. One red-haired woman with her hair tied in buns managed to escape under a teammate's cover—seems she made it out alive.
But based on reports, the rest of the room? Completely wiped out.
Not a single survivor.
The footage cut off after that.
It was a recording—and the lighting on-site was terrible. The Shadow Beasts could barely make out the faces of the two men. They were just blurry figures.
The camera was too far.
Still, it gave them a lead—two Troupe members had made a move.
As for the ones killed… those mafia Nen users were clearly from the Nostrade family. Kurapika's coworkers.
"Spiders, huh…" Mad Dog licked his lips, a twisted grin on his face, equal parts bloodlust and excitement.
Finally—the moment they'd been waiting for.
Once they took down the Phantom Troupe, the Shadow Beasts' name would spread like wildfire through the underworld. Proof that they were the real deal.
After all, the Spiders had caused chaos in the underground world for years. Rumors had been circulating. And as the Ten Dons' top enforcers, the Beasts' failure to eliminate them had started to make people doubt them.
This time, though—not just Mad Dog—all of them were fired up and ready to throw down.
"There's fighting happening outside the venue too," Xiang Nan said as he ended the call, raising his phone. "Mafia guys are engaged with more enemies. Looks bad… probably Spiders again."
"Heh. Of course it's the Spiders. If it were that easy, it wouldn't be fun," Mad Dog muttered. Hands in his pockets, he turned and walked off.
"The trash out there don't stand a chance. We'll have to clean this up ourselves."
Earthworm followed right behind, glancing back. "Aren't we gonna wait for Owl's orders? He hasn't said anything about a plan yet."
"No need," Fish scoffed. "The Ten Dons gave a simple order—kill them. We take down a few Spiders for questioning, and the rest will fall into place."
Hedgehog joined them without a word.
The four of them were headed straight for the Phantom Troupe.
(Note: In the original story, it was Porcupine and Leech who died. Here, it's Hedgehog and Fish. Also, Shadow Beast's name is confusing so it may change from time to time…)
"Do what you want, but be careful," Xiang Nan warned with a smile. "Those guys have A‑rank bounties. If things go south, don't hesitate to pull out."
"Are you telling us to run?" Mad Dog shot him a look over his shoulder, sneering. "You're the one who's losing your edge. The ones who should be running… are them."
Once they were gone, only five Shadow Beasts remained in the room—led by Xiang Nan.
Including Phinks, who was working undercover.
"Let's move too. Time to meet up with Owl."
Xiang Nan and Phinks exchanged a subtle glance, then left.
---
A short while later, they reached Owl, who had already finished transferring the Ten Dons' treasure.
Now six of them dashed toward the outskirts—Gordeau Desert—where the mafia were chasing down the Troupe.
Owl's phone never stopped buzzing. The mafia were sending real-time updates about the Spiders' movements.
"You're quiet, rookie," Bat said, glancing at Phinks. "What's the matter? Don't tell me you're scared."
Truth be told, none of them liked the new guy. They didn't trust him, either.
Phinks staying quiet only confirmed their assumptions. First mission as a Shadow Beast, and it's against the Phantom Troupe? They figured he was terrified.
Phinks just smiled faintly and said nothing.
He was in a great mood. Soon, he'd be free from this fake identity—and he could kill these losers without holding back.
The only downside? Fish had gone with Mad Dog. She might end up dying to one of his Troupe comrades, robbing him of the pleasure of taking her out himself.
He had thought about tagging along with them. But one look at Xiang Nan, and he dropped the idea.
After all, only four Beasts had gone ahead.
The main squad? That was here—with six.
"What's the word from the Ten Dons?" Xiang Nan asked, sprinting through the desert alongside Owl and the others, streaking across the dunes like blurs of light.
"Same as before," Owl said. "Since the Troupe made their move, they've got to be eliminated. Once they're gone, the auction can continue without interference. The Zoldycks won't even need to step in."
"Our people have cornered a Spider," Owl added, checking his phone. "Coordinates are set—just up ahead."
Then he frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?" Xiang Nan asked, catching the look.
"…Nothing. Mad Dog's team is already fighting one of the Spiders."
"Oh?" Xiang Nan raised a brow.
Just a few minutes passed.
Suddenly, Owl stopped, staring at his phone.
"Everyone—halt."
He issued the command.
"Mad Dog's team is dead… but it looks like our guys captured a Spider. They're in a car heading this way. And the rest of the Troupe is tailing them—coming up fast in another vehicle." Owl scanned the canyon terrain. "We'll ambush them here. The second car is the target—it's the Spiders."
Hearing that Mad Dog's group got wiped out so quickly didn't shock anyone.
It just pissed them off.
They'd waited so long for this fight, and those guys got themselves killed before backup even arrived? Pathetic.
They'd stained the name of the Shadow Beasts.
"…Be on guard. These Spiders are more dangerous than we thought," Owl said grimly.
In the next instant, the six of them vanished in a blur—leaping into position to set up their ambush.
"Hold it. Don't get in my way. I'll take them out."
From the top of the cliff, Phinks crept up behind Xiang Nan, his voice low and charged with excitement. His fingers flexed, itching for blood.
"Owl stays alive," Xiang Nan replied coldly, not even turning to look.