At the moment the chain appeared, Uvogin didn't even notice. It wasn't until he was already bound that he realized what had happened.

"What?"

But the powerful binding force of the chain had already locked Uvogin down tightly. Before he could react, Kurapika had already used the chain to pull him away.

On the other side, Dalzollene and the others had already started the vehicle. Kurapika leapt in the same moment.

"Go!"

The roar of the engine sounded urgently as the car sped away in the direction of Yorknew's city center.

Only now did the remaining members of the Phantom Troupe realize what had happened.

Though it resembled the original story, there were a few differences. The remaining Troupe members present were Nobunaga, Phinks, Feitan, Franklin, Hooker, Shalnark. None of them possessed any tracking abilities.

Kurapika had acted too quickly. By the time the Troupe realized it, it was already too late.

Beneath their feet, unnoticed by the others, a figure pulled out a phone.

"It's definitely the Phantom Troupe. Their strength is overwhelming. All of us need to attack—no holding back. Otherwise..."

Before he could finish, the Worm collapsed. He had forced himself to make the call with his last remaining willpower.

Owl, listening to the call on the other end, narrowed his eyes and his expression grew serious.

"Move out!"

As the leader of the Shadow Beast, Owl knew exactly how strong Worm and the other three were. Worm, though not the best in combat, was among the top in survivability. Rabid Dog's speed, too, was among the best. Yet in such a short time, all four had been defeated—and even Worm was dead.

Just how powerful were the Phantom Troupe members?

And this was without even knowing that all four had been defeated by Uvogin alone. If he had known, he would have been even more shocked.

The remaining Shadow Beast members advanced rapidly under Owl's command, heading toward where Worm had reported their location.

At that moment, the Phantom Troupe members were still discussing.

"Was Uvogin taken by another member of the Shadow Beast?"

"Damn it. None of us have tracking abilities. It's hard to catch up—we can't even confirm the direction."

"Uvogin's in rough shape—he was poisoned, and they injected a leech thing into his body."

"Shalnark, do you have any ideas?"

Everyone looked at Shalnark.

In the Phantom Troupe, Shalnark served as the strategist. His Nen ability wasn't strong, nor was his personal combat power. But when it came to planning and thinking, he handled most of it.

"If that Chain User is a member of the Shadow Beast, then the Underworld Mafia likely won't kill Uvogin immediately. They'll probably negotiate with us first."

"They'll show themselves soon."

"But if the Chain User isn't part of the Shadow Beast, then it's another story."

As soon as he finished—

"They're here!"

Franklin looked up.

Six figures were rushing toward them at high speed.

Ron also turned his gaze.

Six Shadow Beast members.

And six members of the Phantom Troupe.

Six against six.

Shalnark shook his head. "It looks like the worst-case scenario. There are ten Shadow Beast members in total. Four died by Uvogin's hand. Now six more appear. That likely means the Chain User isn't one of them."

Feitan stepped forward. "Should we split up?"

"These guys—we'll leave them to me, Hooker, and Phinks."

"You three, go gather intelligence."

Shalnark nodded. "Agreed."

The three of them withdrew in another direction.

One of the Shadow Beast members squinted.

"What's that supposed to mean? Do they think we're so weak they don't need more hands?"

"Or are they just leaving a few sacrificial pawns behind?"

Owl remained stern.

"Be careful. These guys are very strong. Don't underestimate them."

"Boss, you're being overly cautious. These guys don't look that impressive to me. I think we're stronger than all of them combined."

"Kill them!"

Before Owl could issue an order, the member rushed forward. The others had no choice but to follow.

Ron observed from a distance, finding it all rather dull.

These Shadow Beast members weren't that strong—just like the four from earlier. Most of them hovered between C- and B-rank.

There were some true B-rankers—like Owl.

But their self-assessment, and their judgment of their opponent's strength, were clearly inaccurate. The Phantom Troupe members were far above them in terms of aura alone.

"None of these Shadow Beast members show signs of having undergone Oster's experiments."

"If nothing unexpected happens, they'll just end up as fodder."

"But now that Oster has joined the Underworld Mafia..."

"After the Shadow Beast falls, the Mafia won't let this go easily."

"They'll probably hire assassins from outside."

"And from within, there's a high chance they'll deploy some of Oster's experimental products."

Ron's eyes narrowed.

"Which means… can I use the Phantom Troupe to draw Oster out?"

Oster was a confirmed mortal enemy.

The sooner Oster died, the better it would be for Ron.

If Oster's experiments succeeded, Ron might one day face an S-rank Nen user.

Right now, he still had a chance against Oster.

But if Oster reached S-rank, it would be far more difficult to deal with him. Ron did not have a habit of letting his enemies time to grow.

"This possibility isn't small."

"If the Shadow Beast dies, and Oster's experimental units are also wiped out, then there's a high chance Oster will take to the field personally."

"For Oster, the Underworld Mafia is still very important."

"He needs their endless stream of resources."

"So he will definitely act."

"And from Oster's point of view, Phantom Troupe members are excellent test subjects."

Ron stopped watching the fight and took out his phone.

He typed out a message and sent it.

The recipient was Hisoka.

...................

.......

.

At that moment, Hisoka was sitting atop a beam, idly twirling a card in one hand while using his phone with the other.

As the message appeared, Hisoka's eyes narrowed.

"Hisoka, interested in teaming up?"

If it had been anyone else, Hisoka would have ignored it.

But Ron was different.

Instantly, Hisoka's interest was piqued.

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