Half an hour after the battle ended, Franklin lay motionless on the ground, his body covered in bruises.
The battlefield was littered with corpses of Mafia nen users, though fortunately most of them weren't from the Fells family. Most of them were subordinates of the other Dons.
A few meters away, the Hunting Beast resembled a sick dog, clutching its bleeding abdomen, its face pale. A healer tended to his wounds. Another Hunting Beast, the Porcupine, was also injured.
Even after paying such a high price to kill a spider, the Hunting Beasts showed no signs of reconsidering their stance against the Brigade. The white-haired beast spat on Franklin's body with a vicious smile. "He got off easy, dying so quickly."
There was no time to torture Franklin. They couldn't afford to give the Spiders any breathing room - quick kills were necessary to minimize their own losses.
Owl stood trembling in the aftermath. He realized that if it had been just the five of them, without the support of other nen users, killing Franklin would have cost them at least two lives, maybe even three. This calculation came from his experience and insight.
Still, Oboro could have handled such a powerful enemy alone.
Watching Oboro approach, Owl felt a wave of emotion. The reactions of his companions now seemed ironically naive. He had once thought that they were all strong enough to handle any of the Dons' tasks, whether alone or as a team. Now, he realized how foolish the others had been.
No wonder Oboro looked down on them.
"Follow my instructions and take care of the cleanup," Oboro ordered.
"Yes," Owl replied, snapping to attention.
"Contact the Zoldyck family and prepare to leave." Oboro instructed a senior member of the Fells family to do so.
With the help of the others, he got into a black car and left quickly.
Days later, the Hunters Association received the news and made the appropriate adjustments. They raised the danger level of the Phantom Troupe capture mission. Anyone who wanted to accept it now had to undergo strict vetting and screening, along with a professional capture team.
In essence, they banned interference from the Auxiliary. Almost none of their cooperative hunters were star-ranked. Although some were powerful, the overall skill level wasn't sufficient. This operation had cost over a dozen lives, including several renowned masters.
Meanwhile, Chrollo and Feitan had arrived in the city where the hospital was located, hiding right under the Association's nose. In an underground warehouse, Chrollo sat quietly in a chair, his body wrapped in bandages. Machi and Pakunoda flanked him, and Feitan was also present, having changed out of his suit and back into his usual clothes.
"Chrollo, is such caution necessary?" the gray-haired Number 4 asked, frowning. "Why not just capture someone and let Pakunoda use her ability to learn everything?" Like many others, he was from Meteor City.
"Our opponent knows us too well to be unprepared," Chrollo explained. "Rash actions would only alert them. If we move, we should do it together, giving them no time to react."
"How does he know so much about us?" Machi's voice was cold. "He only met the owl and they barely interacted."
"The only explanation is some kind of ability. I've already had Pakunoda test everyone, there are no traitors among us," Chrollo said.
The statement made everyone shift uncomfortably, though they couldn't deny its logic. Their first instinct had been to suspect a spy within the Brigade.
"He calculated everything from the beginning. We were exposed from the start," Chrollo continued. "He chose Franklin over Feitan and me. The methods against Feitan were crude because we were separated, but the trap set for me was real. Even the members of the Fells family were unaware of it until the last moment."
"Now there are two possibilities. First, Franklin is alive and being used as bait. This is their territory, with the Association headquarters nearby. He may have gathered Star Hunters and is preparing an ambush. If we enter the hospital, we risk total annihilation."
The Brigade had had no contact with Franklin since the attack. Chrollo's calm words made everyone's hearts skip a beat.
"Tch." Feitan turned away, bristling. Though unspoken, Chrollo's words suggested that Oboro did not consider him a serious threat, and instead focused on Chrollo as the real challenge.
"You mean he's expecting us?" Uvogin's eyes lit up with excitement as he clenched his fists. "Perfect, let's kill them all!"
"Don't you understand? We'd all die," Machi warned with a frown.
"What is there to fear? No one knows who will die until the fight begins!" Uvogin's eyes glowed red with bloodlust.
Machi didn't bother to answer.
"The second possibility," Chrollo continued as the only light bulb in the camp flickered ominously, "is that Franklin is already dead. This possibility is far more frightening."
"Why?" Nobunaga pressed.
"If it's the first scenario, it means he wants to eliminate us quickly and cleanly. It would mean that Feitan and I survived our encounters beyond his expectations. The second scenario means that he doesn't take us seriously at all, he's playing with us, mocking us. While his influence within the Association isn't clear, given the presence of Netero and other Star Hunters at the hospital, he could have used stronger forces to hunt Feitan and me. He didn't even need masters, just overwhelming numbers."
Chrollo painted a mental picture: they were spiders lying in a web, while above them in the darkness, a pair of bright eyes watched their every move.
"But he didn't do that," Chrollo's words left the others stunned. If his analysis was correct, why would Oboro act like this? How could he control them so completely? Wasn't he afraid of failure?
"He sees every step we take because he knows every leg of the spider, he knows the direction we'll crawl. He may know every one of you." Chrollo's gaze swept over the assembled members.
The camp fell silent. How was that possible? They had never encountered this shadow directly. What ability could grant such insight?
"Shall we continue?" Nobunaga asked. As the spider's brain, Chrollo determined whether they went forward or backward. Their usual approach was to avoid excessive danger; they needed time to grow. Franklin's death hit them hard, but they might have to give up revenge.
"We go," Chrollo smiled. "The second option is the most likely. He's probably long gone."
The Owl and his partner returned with their reconnaissance report: "The hospital is still guarded by numerous mobsters. We can't confirm if the target or Franklin is inside, but the inpatient building shows signs of combat."
"What about the hunters?"
"No sign of mind readers from our observations. We couldn't get too close to check inside."
"Move out," Chrollo stood and walked to the door. The other members fell into formation behind him, silent and focused.
Pick up where we left off:
Within fifteen minutes, the entire brigade entered the hospital. Their strange attire and aura drew stares from passersby and medical staff, but they pushed forward, ignoring all observers as they headed straight for a restricted area.
"Who?" Several armed mafia men moved to block Chrollo's path. He didn't break stride. A flash of blade light cut through the air, leaving the men in pieces. Without command, the troopers around him dissolved into black shadows and vanished instantly.
Chrollo led the Owl and Pakunoda to a building several hundred yards away. "No hidden aura signatures," the Owl reported, scanning the area.
"Just the usual Mafia," Pakunoda confirmed.
"Looks like my second theory was correct," Chrollo said calmly. The others fell silent. Franklin was dead.
Gunshots and screams erupted around them as the massacre began. The Troupe's advance left no Mafia standing, hundreds of gang members wiped out in moments. The building itself was empty.
Chrollo stepped over the bodies and entered. They climbed floor by floor, stopping at the thirteenth, a significant number for the Brigade. The entire floor was aglow with light.
As they emerged from the stairwell, the scene before them made even the composed Pakunoda and Owl freeze, their pupils pinpointing. Despite their familiarity with brutality, goosebumps rose on their skin. The sight triggered long-buried memories, delivering a psychological blow beyond words.
In the middle of the empty floor stood a pristine white bed. The snow-white sheets were now stained crimson from dripping blood. A medium-sized tree grew beside it, a wrapped package hanging from its branches. Blood seeped through the cloth, splattering the bed below.
All three knew that the package contained Franklin's remains. But the scene was horribly familiar; Chrollo himself had opened another such package years ago.
Footsteps approached from behind as Nobunaga, Uvogin and the others arrived. They also froze at the sight. Machi covered her mouth. The scene perfectly recreated the death of her childhood friend, the little girl from the church.
Suddenly, an inconspicuous tape recorder on the bed activated and played a cheerful, childlike laugh. Though it was not Sarah's voice, it triggered visceral memories in the troupe members. "Franklin, let's find the videotape together. Chrollo said you found the first one."
"Okay, let's go together," a voice imitating Franklin replied.
"Let's go~"
The Troupe members who'd experienced the earlier tragedy felt ice run through their veins. They stood speechless.
Uvogin's eyes blazed red with murderous intent. Only Chrollo remained calm. "Take him down," he ordered. The owl leapt forward and retrieved the package containing Franklin's remains.
The question burned in her mind: How did Oboro even know that?
The recorder clicked and changed tracks. Another voice appeared:
"Do you also feel 'pain'?"
"This is the second. There will be more. Whenever I remember or get bored, I'll come for you. Struggle if you wish. I look forward to it."
"The more poisonous the spider, the more I enjoy it."
"Try to get stronger, don't bore me."
The malice in those simple words made them shudder. They knew that Oboro spoke them.
"RAAAAGH!" Uvogin's uncontrollable roar shattered every window on the floor. He smashed the bed, his blow breaking through the floor, debris raining down to the twelfth floor below.
"We're going to the Fells family. Kill them all," Feitan's eyes turned icy.
Chrollo closed his eyes and thought silently. A word emerged: Natural enemy.
Oboro could have eliminated them all, but he chose not to. That was true evil. From that day on, every Spider would know that their "natural enemy" was constantly watching them, the scythe of death hovering over every member's neck. The threat of death would hang over them forever, because simple death wouldn't hurt them enough. It would not cause real 'pain'.
Oboro understood this perfectly. Ever since they'd left Meteor City, they'd all been preparing for the 'sacrifice'. Though he hated to admit it, Chrollo knew that they shared a bond as teammates. Some, like Pakunoda and Nobunaga, didn't fully realize it. Killing their companions hurt more than dying themselves.
That was the Spider's only weakness. They might not care about anything else, but they weren't machines.
"The recorder means that he was seriously injured. Otherwise, given his personality, he would have confronted us directly. He probably has other priorities now. He really doesn't take us seriously," Chrollo said and opened his eyes.
"Did you hear me? I said we will kill the entire Fells family!" Feitan's tone carried barely contained anger at Chrollo's analytical answer.
Pakunoda and Machi immediately moved to shield their leader.
"Go if you wish. I won't stop you. I understand your anger, but splitting the team would be our worst mistake. He knows us intimately, while we know almost nothing about him. Your being here alive is his mercy."
"I've been saying that since the day you joined: We are one, following the will of the Spider. Individual deaths mean nothing, including mine. No one person can stop the Spider's advance."
"This Oboro is beyond our current capabilities. I choose retreat."
"Listen to Chrollo!" Nobunaga gripped Feitan's shoulder.
"In nature's food chain, every creature has natural predators, even spiders. But these rules are not absolute. Any prey can become a hunter if it has enough strength," Chrollo turned to the stairs. "As of today, all solo and pair activities are forbidden in the Republic of Padokea. Even for standard activities, stay away from the Fells family."
The Spider needed to grow and break free. In Chrollo's eyes, they now wore invisible chains. Whether they could break them depended on their own strength.
This was the Troupe's darkest day.