"Beep~~~"
"Why did Kurapika's phone suddenly stop going through?"
In the room, after a full day of Nen training, Gon had wanted to call and ask about Kurapika's situation, but no matter what he did, he suddenly could not get through.
"I called Roy just now. Android 18 picked up and said Roy had already gone out because something came up," Killua said, taking the lollipop out of his mouth.
"Then he probably went to find Kurapika. Damn it, the two of us can't help at all just staying here!" Gon said in frustration.
"Help out, huh? During the day, I happened to hook a big fish. It might be able to help Kurapika and the others~" At that moment, Leorio walked in.
He was holding a strange card in his hand, and an address was written on it.
"So? Want to go take a look?"
"Yeah!!"
…
At the abandoned building, Feitan and the others also returned to base while dragging Owl along with them.
"So this is the Shadow Beast who hid all the auction goods away?" In Chrollo's clear eyes was reflected Owl's wretched figure.
"Yeah, it's definitely him. On the way back, Feitan interrogated him again, and he spilled everything."
"Is that so?" Chrollo looked at Owl, who was practically at death's door. "Can he still talk?"
"If we give him some water, probably. But he's too badly injured. He won't last three days. Of course, that's assuming that guy doesn't make a move."
Chrollo knew exactly who Feitan meant by "that guy." Shalnark had already reported it to him. Although he trusted the Troupe members, before seeing that miraculous healing effect with his own eyes, he still kept a basic level of doubt.
"Oh my, oh my, is everyone back? And it looks like you even brought back someone who doesn't belong here."
The moment they heard that signature way of speaking, everyone present knew who had returned.
"Finished meeting your acquaintance?" Chrollo asked flatly.
"Yeah, everything's been taken care of," Ilo replied, then walked forward.
"Good. This is the Shadow Beast Feitan and the others captured. Shalnark told me you have rather extraordinary healing abilities. Can you heal him?"
"Him? He really is in a miserable state~" Looking at Owl, who had been tortured until he was barely recognizable as human and had even lost an arm, Ilo spoke lightly, but there was not the slightest ripple in his eyes.
"He looks heavily injured, but for me, this is child's play. But are you sure you want to heal him, Boss?"
"Mm." Chrollo's answer was brief and direct.
"Then no problem. Whatever happens afterward, I'm not taking responsibility."
As he spoke, Ilo raised his glowing hand.
The moment that light appeared, everyone present instinctively tensed up.
The light spread over Owl's entire body. Right before everyone's eyes, the wounds left behind by the torture rapidly healed, and his severed right arm regrew at an astonishing speed.
"What is this…" Owl's dry voice sounded out; a bit of consciousness still remained in him as he was being healed.
Very soon, the light faded, and a completely restored Owl appeared once more before everyone's eyes.
The scene fell silent for a moment. Even Chrollo's eyes widened slightly.
"A-Amazing!" The first one to speak was Phinks, the Enhancement-Type. One side of his face was slick with sweat as he stared at the scene in utter disbelief.
Pakunoda, who was seeing it for the first time as well, said with an unsettled expression, "It's real. The severed arm grew back as fast as if it had taken root and sprouted."
"How unbelievable. I never imagined an ability like this could exist in the world." With his face covered so his expression could not be seen, even Kortopi's voice carried a faint tremor.
Just as everyone was marveling at the power of the healing ability, Owl, now fully restored, suddenly got to his feet and bolted toward the door.
"You're not getting away~" Feitan's expression did not change in the slightest. Just as he was about to move and stop Owl, a sharp whoosh sounded out.
Several playing cards shot in from the doorway. Although Owl noticed them, he was still caught off guard. In his panic, he could only avoid the fatal spots, and the cards struck his shoulder and legs.
With a bang, he fell to the ground once more.
"Looks like this guy still hasn't figured out where he is. He actually wants to run away?" At that moment, Hisoka walked in with a smiling face, playing cards spread in his hand.
"You're not running again." The instant Owl hit the ground, Feitan stepped forward and directly cut the tendons in his wrists and ankles.
"So you're back, Hisoka." By then, Chrollo had already returned to his usual calm tone.
Chrollo did not pay much attention to Hisoka. Instead, he focused on Ilo.
"~~ To be able to heal someone until they are perfectly restored… what a powerful and wondrous Nen ability~"
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Then," Chrollo said, his gaze deepening, "if it has such a powerful healing effect, then there must be quite a few conditions and restrictions tied to the ability, right?"
If close-range contact and having enough stamina to activate the skill counted as conditions, then yes~~
"Is that so?" Chrollo stopped pressing further, then turned to Feitan. "I'll leave the rest to you, Feitan. Once you've extracted all the information, you, Phinks, and Kortopi will go retrieve the auction goods."
"Understood~"
…
"Hey, Leorio, the place you said you wanted to bring us to was this underground auction hall?" Gon looked left and right. In the middle of the venue stood a huge ring, and everyone here looked vicious.
"Yeah. This is where the mafia deals in illegal merchandise among themselves. Even though every item is worth something different, they all sell for sky-high prices. I heard tonight there'd be an auction related to fighting, so I came here on purpose." Leorio handed over the card, and the group made their way smoothly to the spectator seats at the side.
"I see. Because all sorts of shady people gather here, it's easier to gather information?" Killua compared the strength of the others around them and found that they were nothing special.
"And next up is tonight's conditional auction! This time, the condition is hide-and-seek!" A stylish, easy-on-the-eyes man stepped onto the stage and shouted.
As he spoke, men in black below began handing out the photos in their hands.
"As long as you can find the eight men and women in these photos and bring them here to us, the organizers, then for every target you capture, you can exchange them for a check worth 2 billion Jenny!"
(End of Chapter)
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