The Phantom Troupe.
As one of the most infamous criminal organizations on the planet, they were top-tier in every category—raw power, notoriety, and the sheer danger they posed to society.
Whether it was for wealth, fame, or simply witnessing too many innocents slaughtered by their hands...
Or perhaps after digging deeper and learning about their utter lack of a moral bottom line, leading to a righteous desire to crush them...
Whatever the reason, for many Blacklist Hunters, the ultimate goal was to root out the Troupe completely.
Satchi was naturally one of them.
Unfortunately, like most people, he didn't have a clear grasp of just how strong the Troupe members really were.
Nor did he possess Kurapika's unique gifts or the specific power required to defeat them.
So, in the end, he fell on the path of his crusade, becoming just another vengeful spirit who died at their hands.
But what Yuu found most unbearable was the state of Satchi's remains... or rather, the method of the Troupe's retaliation.
Thinking back to when Yuu heard the news and rushed to the scene... the moment he entered the room, he saw two lines of savage text pieced together from flesh and shattered bone—
"We reject no one, so take nothing from us."
...
Present time.
Yuu hung up the phone.
He had reached a deal with the Nostrade Family, agreeing to meet in Yorknew City a month in advance. He soon received the official commission request. The content was brief:
"Guarantee Neon Nostrade's safety during the trip."
Aside from that one sentence, there were no extra demands, and the negotiated pay was even more generous than Yuu had anticipated.
Furthermore, during the conversation just now...
They promised to provide him with top-tier accommodations and meals for the duration of the mission. The Nostrade Family would pick up the tab for all expenses during the trip.
On top of that, there was the astronomically priced exhibition ticket... The Nostrade Family was clearly showing their sincerity.
If not for that, Yuu wouldn't have chosen the Nostrade Family out of the many invitations he received.
Of course, Yuu could see right through it. All this "sincerity" was just a tactic to butter him up and pull him into their camp.
But he didn't really care.
After all, his reputation and strength were on the table.
Even if the Nostrade Family didn't go out of their way to suck up to him, plenty of other families and tycoons would use similar methods to try and recruit him.
"I guess strength is king no matter where you go..."
Yuu's expression remained calm. He sighed internally, then shoved his phone back into his pocket.
He planned to empty his mind for a while and stop taking any extra jobs, using this time to fully prepare for the "storm" that would be arriving soon.
...
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Yuu boarded the flight to Yorknew City as agreed.
Although with his current financial status, buying his own private airship would be a drop in the bucket...
Thanks to his Hunter License, he could fly for free on flights in most countries. Adhering to a "save where you can" attitude, he didn't see the point in wasting that money.
After all, once he mastered long-distance teleportation, a high-priced airship would probably just end up sitting in a hangar gathering dust.
But before that could happen...
Yuu had to endure the gazes of the people around him and their hushed whispering along the way.
Some were discussing his head of white hair, others noticed his handsome, clean-cut features, and some were just curious about his age...
In short, no matter where Yuu went, he attracted attention like an A-list celebrity.
...
After a flight that lasted several hours.
Yuu finally finished the long, boring journey. He walked off the airship and soon arrived at the airport exit.
From a distance, he spotted several black SUVs parked by the curb, hogging the prime spots nearest the exit.
A group of burly men in suits and sunglasses stood in formation, waiting.
Clearly, this was the Nostrade Family.
Among them, a tall blond man with a buzz cut spotted Yuu immediately. His face instantly filled with respect as he walked forward to greet him.
Yuu's features were too distinct; just seeing the white hair allowed Kurito to recognize him at a glance.
In Yuu's vision, this man was also the only Nen user present, clearly one of the security detail.
Though, his "Nen" looked pretty weak. It was hard to tell if he was actually the security captain.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yuu. I'm Kurito of the Nostrade Family." The blond man introduced himself, reaching out for a handshake as he spoke.
However, when his palm was about ten centimeters from Yuu, it suddenly slowed down. Physically, it felt like he was still moving forward, but to the naked eye, his hand was frozen in mid-air.
"Sorry, I'm not a fan of that."
"Don't get too close to me in the future. That goes for the others, too... pass the message along."
Yuu spoke flatly, walking right past Kurito and his outstretched hand as if there were no one there.
As Yuu created some distance, Kurito's hand suddenly returned to normal, though he hadn't quite realized what had happened yet.
His usually sharp brain seemed to short-circuit for a moment.
"Take me to see your boss," Yuu ordered, standing in the middle of the formation.
"I assume he's looking forward to meeting me... so make it snappy."
Hearing this, Kurito finally snapped out of it.
He bowed slightly, apologetically. "Yes, sir."
...
Inside the car.
Kurito sat in the back row with Yuu and proactively poured him a drink.
Unexpectedly, Yuu stated he was underage and refused the alcohol.
Kurito had to switch it out for an iced juice mid-pour.
Because Yuu's expression remained completely flat, making his preferences impossible to read, and he barely spoke, Kurito felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Although he had plenty of topics in his head to break the ice, he was terrified of stepping on a landmine, so he forced himself to keep his mouth shut.
The inside of the car was dead silent.
Even the driver didn't dare to breathe too loudly.
However, as Yuu gazed out the window, he suddenly murmured in a low voice:
"Looks like I really do draw a crowd..."
Kurito heard the words but didn't catch the meaning, looking confused.
"Tell me how many cars and people you sent today," Yuu said, staring out the window.
Realizing Yuu was talking to him, Kurito didn't dare delay and thought for a second.
"We sent seven cars in total. As for personnel... I think it's about thirty people. Is there... a problem?"
"Heh... thirty people..."
Yuu let out a light chuckle.
"Right now, there are at least fifty people in the convoy. And if you count the ones peeping from a distance... that's too many to count. And from the looks of it, the number is still going up..."
"Enemies?" Kurito asked, tense.
"How should I know..."
Yuu turned his head to look at Kurito. "I should be asking you that."
"If they are enemies, and you guys handle it... naturally, I'll lend a hand."
"But if you have to ask me questions like 'is it an enemy,' I find it really hard to trust your security standards."
"Let me make this clear upfront... my commission is solely to guarantee Miss Neon's safety."
"If any of you become dead weight later on, or run into danger, don't expect me to come save you."
"I can't babysit everyone."
Yuu warned him with a serious expression.
There was zero emotion in his cold words; he was simply relaying information like a speaking machine.
It made Kurito's breathing slow down unconsciously.
He forced himself to inhale before replying:
"Understood."
In that moment, Kurito suddenly remembered the rumors he had heard. He understood why some people liked to call this white-haired hunter the "Grim Reaper."
And he understood why most people didn't like working with him.
Kurito felt the exact same way, he just couldn't show it.
...