Nessley glanced at Nancy and shook her head slightly.
"There's really no need to say anything more."
If Tucker had intended to betray them, he could have done it already. Keeping him here wouldn't stop anything.
And besides, even if he did betray them, it wouldn't change the fact that Nessley couldn't take him down quickly—Tucker was just too strong.
They'd made their choice by coming here. Trust had to count for something.
Still, Nessley didn't blame Nancy for her caution.
Nancy's face twisted with frustration.
"Kaizen?"
Nessley looked at her, a bit taken aback.
Because honestly… she hadn't expected that name to come up.
Helping people who had nothing to do with him? That didn't sound like Kaizen at all.
The Kaizen she knew was cold, professional—every inch a pure assassin.
Helping someone just because? That was out of character.
"Yeah," Tucker replied.
"But would Kaizen really do something like that? Those people had nothing to do with him. Why would he care?"
"He would," Tucker said, without hesitation. "Kaizen's a good person."
Nancy turned to Nessley. "What happened to you before?"
"I was detained by Kaizen," Nessley answered.
"Kaizen had been hired by Tucker to kill me. When we met, he told me he wouldn't kill me right away—because he wasn't sure if Tucker would survive the mission."
"But I wasn't allowed to leave either."
"He was waiting for the outcome."
"If Tucker made it out alive, he'd kill me."
"If Tucker died, the contract would be void, and Kaizen would drop the job—since he hadn't been paid yet."
"Those were his exact words."
"I tried to escape a few times… it didn't work."
"He's way beyond my level."
"Later on, Kaizen struck a deal with me. He must've hacked into the manor's security system—I saw the entire battle play out on the monitors."
"In exchange, if Tucker survived the fight, I would have to kill myself… so that Kaizen wouldn't have to come back and do it himself."
"After that, I hired Kaizen to kill Karoo."
"He accepted."
"I didn't expect things to turn out the way they did."
"My plan was—if we all died at least Karoo would go down with us."
"That way… it wouldn't all be for nothing."
Tucker nodded slowly. "That really does sound like Kaizen. It's exactly how he talks."
"Good thing I hired him when I did. Otherwise, Nessley, you'd be dead—and I'd still be in the dark about Karoo's true colors."
"I'd still be their pawn."
He laughed bitterly at himself.
Nancy asked, "Is Kaizen really that strong?"
"Definitely."
Tucker and Nessley answered in unison.
"I used to work with Kaizen," Tucker explained. "Back then, we were both B-Rank Nen users."
"But now… Kaizen's A-Rank."
"Way stronger than me," Nessley added. "I'm no match for him. Not even close."
"Just one of his Nen beasts could take me out."
"During our encounter, one of his beasts was fighting me when a third party showed up—a powerful attacker, targeting Kaizen."
"He called the guy a remnant of the Red Trang."
"The aura coming off that man was intense—far beyond mine."
"But Kaizen didn't even move."
"One of his newly manifested Nen beasts blocked the attack outright."
"And the other one? It countered and killed the attacker in one blow."
Tucker's eyes widened.
"A guy stronger than you… killed in one hit by Kaizen's beast?"
"Exactly."
Tucker studied Nessley carefully. He'd fought her before. She was stronger than him—unless a fight dragged on, he had no chance.
And that attacker had been stronger than her.
So what did that say about Kaizen?
Would Nessley be killed instantly if she fought him seriously?
Would he?
The realization hit him like a punch.
Tucker used to think he and Kaizen were on the same level—good potential, solid skills.
But while Tucker had focused on jobs, Kaizen had thrown everything into training.
Now, it wasn't just a difference in power.
It was a chasm.
A bitter smile crossed Tucker's lips.
"Kaizen's really left me in the dust, huh..."
...
On the other side of the city, Kaizen and Ponzu were walking through the industrial district.
Kaizen opened his laptop, preparing to contact Gogus.
He wanted to report on the last incident—the attacker infected with parasitic plant vines. Kaizen figured it might help Gogus with his research.
It would also give Ponzu a clearer picture of what had really happened in the village.
They opened a video call.
Gogus still hadn't cracked the mystery of the energy-absorbing bugs, but he'd patched in another Transmuter from his team—someone whose Nen beast could maintain a communication link.
Kaizen went over the details carefully.
After a moment of silence, Gogus responded.
"From what the attacker said, it's clear that village is in crisis. And it's not just one person's problem—it affects everyone there."
"Only one of them gets out alive."
"This crisis probably started from within."
"I've dug up some info. That village—before all this—they used 2.9-inch courtier insects regularly."
"But bugs like that are dangerous."
"After years of study, we finally found a way to use them that's relatively safe. But it's still risky—and still in testing."
"Thing is, the people over there don't seem to care."
"If they pushed the system too far, or used bugs recklessly, even one mistake could unleash chaos."
"Of course… there's also the chance this was no accident."
"Someone may have done it on purpose."
"I need more time to investigate."
...
Zoldyck Estate, Lower Basement
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
The sound of a whip slicing through the air echoed sharply.
Each strike landed with cruel precision—measured, rhythmic, and relentless.
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