After five months of tempering and consolidation, Leo's strength had improved a few notches.
His relentless day-and-night training had significantly increased his aura capacity, and the duration he could maintain "Ken" had stabilized at forty-five minutes.
He maintained his habit of sparring regularly with Sophia, and his Disciple's growth rate was gratifying—her combat intuition was becoming increasingly sharp, and her use of Nen was becoming more skillful by the day.
Early that morning, Leo was packing his things in his room.
He planned to continue hunting wanted criminals to accumulate merit points; once he promoted to a One-Star Hunter, he would pause his outings and focus on improving his Rank.
He spent Nine Heavens screening intelligence and locked onto the whereabouts of a B-Rank target.
The next morning, Leo took Sophia and set off for the area where the target was located.
Shortly after the Master and Disciple boarded the airship and left Heavens Arena—Hisoka fought his way up to the 200th floor.
In front of the registration desk, Hisoka spun a playing card on his fingertip, and as he checked the "ready for battle at any time" option, his face was full of the excitement of a child receiving a new toy.
He was full of anticipation, hoping to meet Leo in the ring for a thrilling duel.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that Leo was no longer in Heavens Arena.
Southern Ejin Continent, Kirk City.
Ten o'clock at night, six days later, deep in a dim alley on Qiduoming Street.
A muffled thud.
Leo withdrew his fist and looked at the man who had collapsed limply to the ground in front of him.
The man's chest was caved in, blood was spilling from his mouth and nose, and his pupils were gradually dilating—the B-Rank wanted criminal, Luke, was confirmed dead.
According to intelligence, there had been four recent cases in Kirk City where women were brutally dismembered, and all victims had a rose mark left on them.
Years ago, Luke had committed eight similar cases with the same M.O., and had remained at large ever since.
Leo had Sophia disguise herself as an ordinary woman and wander the streets at night; after six days of staking out, they finally lured out this viper.
Leo had no intention of leaving such scum alive.
He looked calmly at the lifeless corpse and whispered.
"That was still letting you off too easily."
Taking photos, uploading them, and verifying the merit points—the process was as routine as daily chores.
After finishing this, Leo turned and walked out of the alley, where Sophia was already waiting at the street corner.
The two continued their search for the next target.
Time passed to January 6, 1998.
During this time, the Master and Disciple successfully captured two more wanted criminals, and Leo's merit points grew steadily.
That afternoon, Leo said to Sophia.
"It's about time; go participate in the Hunter Exam."
Sophia nodded.
As early as the end of last December, Leo had already signed her up for the Hunter Exam.
With her current strength, passing the test was not difficult.
There were not many words spoken upon parting; a tacit understanding had long since formed between the Master and Disciple.
After Sophia left, Leo continued hunting alone.
Eight days later, another wanted criminal was captured.
At this point, he was only 26 merit points away from being promoted to a One-Star Hunter.
Not long after, good news arrived—Sophia had successfully passed the test and become an official Hunter.
Two months later, Western Ejin Continent, Luke City.
On Lux Street, Leo and Sophia stood across the street, looking at a large hotel that had just opened in front of them.
The entrance was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, a red carpet was laid out, and a grand opening ceremony was underway.
A row of black luxury sedans slowly drove up to the hotel entrance.
The door of the middle car opened, and a middle-aged man in a custom-made suit stepped out—Cecos Yuri, the leader of the largest gang Family in Luke City.
He was followed by four bodyguards, one of whom was particularly conspicuous: bald, nearly two meters tall, with bulging muscles, wearing a tight black suit, and having a fierce look in his eyes.
That was the target of Leo's trip—the B-Rank wanted criminal, Owen.
"Two years ago, he committed seven bank robberies, killed thirteen guards and nine civilians, and then disappeared without a trace."
Sophia whispered, reciting the file.
"I didn't expect him to be hiding here working as a bodyguard."
Leo said with a calm face.
"Gangs love people like this who have a criminal record, are strong, and have nowhere else to go. Cecos gives him protection, and he works for Cecos—a very fair trade."
"Master, they're coming," Sophia whispered.
Leo nodded, his gaze locked on Owen.
"Wait for an opportunity. There are too many people now; acting would easily hurt innocents."
The hotel entrance was bustling with activity, packed with political and business elites, media reporters, and onlookers.
Cecos was smiling and accepting interviews, while Owen vigilantly scanned the surroundings.
Time ticked by second by second.
Finally, halfway through the ceremony, Cecos's phone rang.
He answered the phone, his expression suddenly changed, he hurriedly said a few words to those around him, and then squeezed out of the crowd toward the motorcade.
Owen and the other bodyguards followed immediately.
The opportunity had arrived.
Leo's eyes narrowed, and he stepped across the street.
His speed seemed unhurried, but within a few steps, he had already approached Cecos's motorcade.
However, just when he was about ten meters away from the motorcade—a sudden change occurred!
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
More than a dozen whistling sounds, so faint they almost blended into the wind, suddenly rang out!
The sound was too stealthy; even Leo only sensed the danger at the very last moment.
It was a needle! Shot from above and to the side!
The target was not only Cecos and Owen, but it had actually included Leo as well!
At the critical moment, Leo's body instinctively reacted before his consciousness!
He jerked his head to the side, and a streak of black light grazed past his earlobe, while at the same time—
"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"
A series of muffled thuds.
Cecos, Owen, and the other two bodyguards each had a round-headed needle stuck in their forehead or temple.
They didn't even have time to scream before their eyes widened, and they fell straight down.
Killed in one blow!
Leo's pupils constricted, and he instantly turned his head to look at the source of the attack—the roof of a three-story building not far away.
A figure stood there.
Long black hair, a green jacket, and a red undershirt.
There was no expression on that delicate face, only those black-hole-like eyes, which were staring coldly at Leo.
Illumi Zoldyck.
Leo instantly understood—Cecos was the Zoldyck Family's assassination target. And his own action of approaching the motorcade just now had been mistaken by Illumi as being one of the bodyguards.
"Troublesome..."
Leo thought to himself.
On the roof, Illumi tilted his head, speaking to himself in a flat tone.
"Huh? Someone actually managed to dodge my Nen Needle. Oh well, I'll just kill him too."
He raised his hand, and five more Nen Needles were pinched between his fingers.
Leo's gaze turned cold.
Since he was being treated as a target, there was nothing left to say.
The moment before Illumi made his move, the ground under Leo's feet exploded with a bang!
His body turned into an afterimage, charging straight toward where Illumi was!
"Swish, swish, swish—!"
Five Nen Needles whistled through the air, sealing off Leo's path forward.
But Leo's speed was too fast; he made continuous, small changes in direction while running, and all the Nen Needles grazed past him, embedding themselves into the ground and walls behind him.
Three seconds!
In just three seconds, Leo had already rushed to the bottom of the building, leaped up, kicked off the wall for leverage, and shot toward Illumi on the roof like a cannonball!
A flash of surprise appeared in Illumi's eyes, but his movements were not slow in the slightest.
He floated backward, and at the same time, waved both hands, firing another dozen or more Nen Needles; this time, the coverage was wider, almost blocking all of Leo's evasion space.
Leo couldn't gain leverage in mid-air and was about to be hit by the Nen Needles—
The state of "Ken" was instantly activated, and at the same time, he crossed his arms to protect his front.
"Ding, ding, ding, ding—!"
The Nen Needles made a crisp, metallic clashing sound upon impact.
But the moment Leo landed, he exerted force again and threw a punch at Illumi's face!
Illumi raised his hand to block.
"Bang!"
Fist and palm met, and a wave of Qi exploded outward!
Illumi was shaken and slid backward, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the roof tiles.
He looked at his right hand—the webbing between his thumb and index finger had split open, and blood was seeping out.
"Such strong power..."
Illumi commented expressionlessly, but there was a hint of seriousness deep in his eyes.
Leo didn't give his opponent a chance to catch his breath and stepped forward to pursue!
His punches and kicks were like a violent storm, each strike carrying terrifying force and speed.
The roof tiles constantly shattered and flew about, leaving a scene of chaos wherever the two passed.
Illumi's movement technique was extremely strange, weaving through the gaps in the attacks like a ghost.
He didn't clash head-on with Leo, but instead kept creating distance, looking for opportunities to fire Nen Needles.
One Nen Needle grazed Leo's cheek, leaving a white mark.
Another shot toward his knee, but he kicked it away.
The battle fell into a stalemate.