Intelligence has always been a very important thing.
Sometimes, you cannot be sure whether the intelligence you obtain is true or false.
If there comes a moment when you can only obtain one piece of intelligence, its truth or falsehood actually isn't that important anymore.
Through various channels, the Blackstone Family obtained consistent intelligence within half a day, confirming that Netero's location was still at Botda Hospital.
Afterward, they verified it from peripheral details, concluding that Netero had never been moved.
So they began their operation.
This might be a trap, but it didn't matter.
They only needed to know Netero was still in the hospital.
A total of eleven members, seven of whom were top ten ranked assassins in the family, each a first-class Nen User.
Dark clouds moved slowly across the sky. Evening had just passed, and night descended.
The city had numerous light sources, and when viewed from high above, it looked like a stretch of perpetually burning lava ground.
The hospital was also brightly lit, but as it was nighttime, there were far fewer people.
A group of diverse-looking individuals arrived outside the hospital, suddenly scattered, and entered the hospital from various directions.
Among everyone, only Beard entered openly through the main gate.
The moment he stepped into the hospital's main entrance, he didn't conceal his Aura in the slightest.
No matter how many forces were stationed at the target's location, they had to launch a strong assault, with no opportunity for clever tricks.
Having the strongest combatant attract as much attention as possible was also a relatively conventional choice.
Beard was the Blackstone Family's number one assassin, belonging to the Enhancement category, possessing a body of iron skin and steel bones, truly impervious to blades and bullets.
Due to this characteristic, his style ran counter to that of an assassin. When executing commissions, he was always open and direct, straightforward.
Beard entered the hospital, walking on the main vehicular road.
Although fewer people came to the hospital at this hour, there were still some vehicles coming and going on the road.
Seeing a burly man walking right in the middle of the road, the passing vehicles all swerved to avoid him. Some hot-tempered drivers even deliberately rolled down their windows to hurl curses at Beard from a distance.
Hearing the curses beside his ears, Beard paid no heed, striding forward with his gaze fixed straight ahead.
When he reached the hospital's central courtyard, Beard suddenly stopped, standing motionless in the middle of the road meant only for cars.
This action ignited anger in the drivers coming from ahead.
Those coming to the hospital were likely dealing with distressing matters… their moods couldn't be good to begin with.
Seeing Beard's action, they honked their horns frantically and cursed at him.
This time, Beard did not ignore them. A flash of chilling coldness crossed his expressionless face. He abruptly took a large step forward and, under the shocked gazes of numerous passersby, lifted a sedan car with one hand.
The driver who had become the target was dumbfounded, lips trembling, unable to utter a word.
Then, his remaining life lasted less than three seconds.
Beard flung the sedan car, smashing it heavily into another car.
The two cars collided, causing a violent explosion immediately.
Nearby windows shattered one after another, the boiling flames illuminating the sky.
After a brief silence, screams erupted in the courtyard.
What Beard did next was still destroying two more cars.
The frequent explosions became 'information' spreading throughout the hospital.
Moments later, while the police were still en route, a tall, burly man arrived before Beard.
The man's face was painted with red and white makeup, with two braids tied on his head, letting his white hair dance like flames. Who else could it be but the Triple-Star Terrorist Hunter, Botobai?
"Only one bite so far?"
Beard raised his large-knuckled hand and tore off all his upper clothing, revealing bulging muscles.
The surging Aura he released looked like a bright lightbulb in the eyes of Nen Users.
Since they were here for Netero, Beard judged the newcomer's identity through appearance and other characteristics.
The Dragon Zodiac, reputed to be the Association's member whose strength was closest to Netero's.
Beard was quite satisfied that the one 'hooked' was this figure.
Two equally tall and burly men faced each other illuminated by the flames. The noisy sounds of people around gradually faded as everyone was scared off.
Without any verbal exchange, the two figures suddenly and decisively charged at each other.
Whoosh!
When their bodies, wrapped in abundant Aura, collided, the surrounding flames belatedly got drawn towards the center, like fiery hands about to clasp together.
But soon, the fierce wind bursting forth from between the two men instantly snuffed out the flames.
Soon, a pungent burnt smell filled the air.
Beard and Botobai coldly stared at each other for a moment, then each threw a punch at the other.
Boom!
After the deafening, dull impact-
the two figures each retreated a distance.
Beard glanced at the several thin lacerations on the back of his hand, the corner of his mouth curling into an exaggerated arc.
He was an Enhancer, but didn't have any special ability.
What he had was merely ever-increasing physical hardness.
Just like the Ko in advanced Nen Technique, as long as the hardness reached a certain level, it was both attack and defense. Without needing to inject too much force, he could smash relatively fragile enemies.
Characteristics determined style.
Since he chose this path, he had rarely been injured.
But this time, he was injured while trading blows with an enemy.
Although it was a negligible minor injury, he felt the opponent truly lived up to being a Zodiac member.
However, this punch also allowed Beard to confirm the threat level Botobai possessed.
Strictly speaking, even if he couldn't resolve Botobai quickly, he could keep him suppressed here.
On the other side, Botobai also glanced at the slight redness and swelling on the back of his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.
With the assistance of his Aura's [Tremor] characteristic, after trading blows, not only was the opponent's hand not mangled, but he himself received a minor injury.
'One hundred percent Enhancer, but the level is quite high. Probably one of Blackstone's top combatants.'
A hint of gravity couldn't help but gather in Botobai's heart.
However, victory or defeat was determined from the start.
Netero, hidden in the Hide-and-Seek space, was absolutely safe. What they were doing now was merely inviting the turtle into the jar.
But whether the turtle would break the jar was unknown.
Sometimes, when prey has the ability to break free from a trap, it's hard to say who is the hunter and who is the prey.
…
Simultaneously, the remaining ten assassins were all intercepted by pre-positioned Association's members while moving towards Netero's location.
In the eyes of Blackstone Family's assassins, only completing the mission was paramount. How many outsiders got caught up in the process was an insignificant detail.
After clashes occurred between assassins and Hunters, one battle ended very quickly.
The one who killed an Association's Combat Hunter in a short time was Blackstone's fifth-ranked, Candy.
Lying on the ground was the corpse of a middle-aged man with a crew cut, with five bloody holes in his body, continuously leaking still-warm blood.