Not much time passed before the door to the captain's quarters opened.
Three men stepped out and moved forward together. Each had taken about three steps into the hallway before anything registered as wrong.
Then gunfire erupted.
The woman and the young man stepped out from opposite corners at the same moment, and both weapons fired almost simultaneously, the tight hallway amplifying the sound into something deafening.
The first guard was hit in the chest and neck and fell backward before he could raise his weapon.
The second tried to turn, but rounds tore into his shoulder and head and dropped him instantly. The third managed half a step before bullets punched through his torso and spun him sideways as he fell.
It was over in seconds.
Conrad watched closely, his eyes steady, his aura completely suppressed. Their execution had been clean.
The woman lowered her gun first. "Clear," she said.
The young man nodded and moved forward, stepping over the bodies without hesitation. They entered the captain's quarters together with their weapons still raised, and neither of them spared a glance for the dead.
The door stayed open.
Conrad waited several seconds after they disappeared inside. Then he silently shifted position to the corner where they had stood earlier.
From there he had a clear angle on the open doorway while staying out of sight, and he pressed his back lightly against the wall.
He focused his Nen. This time he didn't use Gyo on his eyes.
He guided his aura toward his ears instead, enhancing his hearing just enough to catch low voices without distorting them. It took effort, but he kept it controlled.
Inside the room, footsteps echoed faintly. Then the young man spoke.
"So this is the chest."
Conrad pictured it immediately. Probably locked both mechanically and electronically.
"Move aside," the woman answered calmly. "Let me open it."
There was a brief pause, then the sound of metal tools being set on a hard surface, followed by the faint click of mechanisms. Conrad counted the seconds in his head.
She knew what she was doing, and whatever device she was using worked quietly.
The young man exhaled slowly. "Once we have it, we leave immediately. No celebrating."
"I know," the woman replied. "We're already pushing our luck."
Another click, then silence. Conrad narrowed his eyes.
A minute passed. Then came another sound, soft and hollow, like a lid being lifted.
"It's open," the woman said.
For a moment neither of them spoke, and even Conrad could feel the weight of that silence. Two hundred million Jenny sat inside that chest.
The young man spoke again, his voice lower. "Red Diamond… yeah. That's it."
The woman let out a quiet breath. "Careful. Don't touch it with bare hands."
Conrad stayed perfectly still.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
The job was done, the guards were dead, and the diamond was in their hands.
From here on, everything would become unpredictable, and he was part of that.
He reviewed his options quickly. He could act now, while they were distracted and their guard was down. They had already crossed the line into murder, and whatever happened next would be on them.
I should be ready to kill. I can't be scared of getting my hands dirty. If I'm in this world…
For a moment, he felt his blood and body freeze. He had never killed anyone, but he knew deep down that in the world of Hunter × Hunter, with Nen and everything else, he would have to.
One way or another.
He waited and listened.
Inside, the woman spoke again. "Once we're out, we split up. No staying together."
"Agreed," the man said. "Too much heat."
Conrad exhaled slowly through his nose. They were smart.
But not smart enough to look back and see whether they're being hunted.
When the pair left the captain's quarters and headed back the way they had come,
Conrad stayed still at the corner with his back to the wall. He slowed his breathing and cleared his thoughts.
There was no hesitation left in him now. He had already decided.
These two would be his first kills.
The footsteps drew closer.
The woman stepped out first, followed closely by the young man. They were relaxed, too relaxed.
Their focus was on the hallway ahead, on escape routes and timing, and neither of them checked behind.
That was their mistake.
The moment they turned the corner, Conrad moved. He launched forward in a single motion and closed the distance instantly.
His hand came down in arc, a clean karate chop aimed at the side of the young man's head, with his full weight and intent behind it.
The impact was decisive.
The sound of the young man's skull being crushed would have been the most delightful sound in the world to a sick killer.
Conrad was not one.
It was disgusting.