The four of them chatted and joked as they quickly left the building that held significant meaning for each of them. On the way out, Morin made a call to Biscuit to confirm the situation. He learned that she was currently with Gon, Killua, and others, and their environment was quite safe. Morin also took the opportunity to inquire about Zushi's current condition.
"Fortunately, there's nothing serious, just a minor injury," Biscuit replied over the phone.
"And how about you guys?" Morin continued to ask.
"Gon and Killua are also fine, and they even gained considerable experience and benefits from this battle," Biscuit added. "And that guy named Leorio, their partner, seems quite skilled in medicine. Thanks to him, Zushi's injuries didn't worsen."
"As for me, I'm okay too. But as we were leaving the audience area, some people tried to take advantage of the situation, and we gave them a good lesson!" Biscuit crossed her arms, a mischievous smile on her face. Wing, standing beside her, nodded silently. At such a critical moment, some people were still thinking of doing unspeakable things—they deserved to be taught a lesson by Biscuit-sensei.
Well, let's have a moment of silence for those guys, though they deserved it. Seriously, to even go after a woman in her fifties, their tastes are quite heavy!
"I say, are you thinking about something dangerous?" Biscuit's voice came through the phone, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "I feel like you're up to no good~"
"Nothing of the sort," Morin replied calmly, maintaining a composed demeanor. However, with Biscuit's keen observational skills, continuing the conversation might lead to his cover being blown. After a brief chat, they ended the call.
As Morin and the others were making these connections, the outside world was gradually becoming more chaotic. Such a significant event, with the martial arts tournament being halted, couldn't be easily brushed aside under the scrutiny of a global audience!
The initial stir began on the internet, especially in forums dedicated to Nen users. Normally, the Hunter Association's forum was the usual place for discussions of such matters. However, due to the involvement of V5 and the dark records, the Hunter Association was avoiding the topic, deleting all posts related to Jed and the incident.
Not only the Hunter Association, but major online communities were also under pressure from V5, prohibiting any discussion of the matter. This led many netizens to relocate to forums created by hacker Nen users to discuss the situation.
"Jed, the mastermind behind the Sky Arena attack, was the former leader of the Hunter Association's Shadow Organization and a contemporary of Chairman Netero," read one of the posts. "The Shadow Organization was purged by Netero due to their extreme and reckless actions. Jed was also killed by Netero, leading to the collapse of the entire organization."
"Due to V5's policy of eradicating threats, the descendants of the Shadow Organization members were also targeted, with only Gaki, Shura, and Rengoku escaping to seek revenge alongside Jed. For some mysterious reason, Jed was resurrected and returned to his peak youthful strength, with Gaki and the others mastering powerful and extreme grudge-based Nen abilities."
These were the types of messages flooding the forums. Although not entirely comprehensive, the fact that they could uncover this much was quite impressive.
After Morin and the others left the Sky Arena, Nen users under V5's command arrived to investigate the situation. Upon confirming Jed's death and discovering the deceased members of the Sky Arena's organizing committee, they immediately reported back. V5 quickly responded to the situation.
Upon learning that the main perpetrator of this heinous crime had been subdued, V5 swiftly took action. To put on a show... no, to demonstrate their authority to the public, they dispatched numerous elite operatives to collaborate with the Hunter Association in pursuing the matter.
Especially after discovering Shura's body in the control room, they privately confirmed the situation and publicly announced that it was V5's elite forces who eliminated the robot-controlling criminals threatening the audience's lives. This supposedly gave the audience the chance to escape because V5 always puts people first and prioritizes public safety.
This shameless display certainly earned Morin's admiration. Indeed, only those without shame can thrive more comfortably. Those knowledgeable in politics are often thick-skinned and resilient.
Anyone with a discerning eye could guess that the truth wasn't as V5 claimed. But what did it matter? V5 didn't care if everyone believed their version of the truth, as long as they could deceive the public. Besides, whatever they wanted people to see or announce would become the truth. No one could refute it.
Well, as long as there isn't a repeat of the Kurta Clan and Phantom Troupe incident, that would be enough. Because of that event, V5's credibility has yet to fully recover. However, despite the criticisms, V5 has managed to cover all bases in certain aspects.
---
Upon learning that Biscuit, Zushi, and others had participated in the battle against Jed's companions, V5 decisively offered hush money. For Biscuit, some rare gems sufficed as compensation. Wing and Zushi were granted access to training manuals from excellent Nen users by V5.
As for Killua, since he hails from the Zoldyck Family and doesn't seem to pose any noteworthy concerns, V5 chose not to take any further action. After all, there's a mutual understanding with the world's top assassin family, and even if Killua were to speak out, few would believe the words of an assassin family member.
As for Gon—he's so focused on finding his father that he's easy to distract. Leorio received a significant sum of money, along with excellent medical resources and renowned teachers at the university, plus a few study companions to help him forget the day's events.
This way, everything is under V5's control, isn't it? Of course, if it weren't for the special status of Biscuit and Killua, V5's method of silencing might not have been as simple as paying them off. In this manner, both sides were quite pleased.
The Hunter Association also needed to use the Sky Arena incident to re-establish its authority and divert public attention. Jed, the Shadow, and the dark records were too sensitive.
Therefore, not only did the Hunter Association not stop V5, but they also secretly encouraged the narrative at V5's behest. Soon, the global public opinion was steered away from the true events under deliberate manipulation. With the Hunter Association releasing ambiguous information about Jed, they smoothly brushed off the entire incident.
As the external self-promotion campaign was in full swing, some finally turned their attention to Morin, who had fought Jed in the end. This mysterious fighter, unknown to the world, possessed astonishing strength, piquing the curiosity of many fighting enthusiasts and Nen users alike.
For the Nen users, it was simple to inquire about Morin's identity. He was the master of Kastro, one of the Twelve Zodiacs, and personally acknowledged by Chairman Netero as one of the world's top five Nen users. These two facts alone were enough to quell any doubts, turning them into admiration. Such a reputation was indeed formidable.
In the Nen user circles, they marveled at what it means to be a true master, while offering their respect and admiration in forums. They had heard of Morin's titles and reputation before, but this incident truly made them aware of the legendary figure that Morin was. They etched his name and nickname, "The Tool Specialist, Morin," into their minds.
While the Nen user community was filled with admiration, the fighting fans and many spectators outside were curious about Morin's identity. The media, skilled at capturing audience curiosity, naturally wouldn't miss such a sensational story. They immediately mobilized their connections to investigate Morin's background. Their instincts told them that if they could dig properly, this could become a global hot topic!
However, unfortunately for the media, Morin's existence was essentially a top secret of the Hunter Association. Furthermore, V5 seemed to have a somewhat ambiguous attitude towards Morin. This meant that journalists couldn't get information from high-level or official sources.
As for gathering information from the public? With Ging and Ickshonpe around, Morin had no concerns about his information being leaked. Ging, who once uncovered the world-famous Ruluka Ruins, a feat worthy of the history books, still wandered the corners of the world. His ability to maintain secrecy was impeccable.
When Gon first obtained his hunter license and sought information about Ging, Kurapika mentioned that Ging's access level was comparable to that of a president. As such, Ging's information was never publicly known. Even those who had contact with Ging would first and foremost see him as an extremely capricious individual.
With Ging's help, and Ickshonpe's assistance, Morin's personal information was tightly locked down. Even in the Nen user circles, the only concepts they had about Morin were as Kastro's master and one of the world's top five Nen users. Beyond that, they knew nothing about Morin.
Consequently, despite employing various methods, the media could never uncover Morin's information. Realizing this, they understood that Morin was beyond their reach. One by one, they tacitly abandoned their pursuit of Morin, redirecting their focus to the Hunter Association's subsequent arrangements. After all, with so many casualties in the Sky Arena, there had to be some explanation.
Moreover, what excited these media reporters was that the upper echelons of the Sky Arena, namely the committee members, were almost entirely wiped out. Surely, it must have been the work of those criminals. But that's not the main point—the main point is the future management of the Sky Arena.