"Do you have any data on that unknown monster? A photo would work too."
"Yes."
"At the time of the incident, because Beyond actively engaged the monster, buying time for the cruise ship to escape, the captain of the 'White Parrot' transmitted photos and videos of the monster back to the Kakin Empire."
"Send it to my phone."
"Understood."
"What's wrong?" Killua noticed his abnormality and asked softly.
"Nothing, just received a sudden message." Illumi ended the call, casually replied, then looked up, feigning curiosity, and glanced around. Ten bodyguards in suits, wearing sunglasses and wireless communicators, stood at the entrance.
Surveillance cameras were installed on the door and the walls on both sides of the gate. In a pavilion on the wall, two bodyguards stood, observing the flow of people and responsible for security.
"Sir, please wait." Illumi led the childlike Killua to the entrance. The guard stopped him, first scanning him thoroughly with a metal detector. Then, he asked Illumi to show the invitation message on his phone.
"Mr. Holky, welcome to Gadburg, please come in." The guard nodded slightly to him, welcoming him according to procedure, and stepped aside to indicate he could enter.
"Thank you." Illumi nodded subtly, a genial smile on his face. Turning back, he took Killua's small hand, and the two, one large and one small, slowly entered the luxurious estate.
Inside the estate, the surrounding flowerbeds were neatly trimmed, a pleasant sight. Some valuable ornamental trees were also trimmed by gardeners into the likeness of the birthday host, and even the name of the birthday honoree was trimmed into the central flowerbed, adorned with vibrant floral circles, drawing glances.
On the vast lawn, a magnificent palace was erected, its floors covered with red carpets. A stage and numerous round tables with clean pink tablecloths were also set up.
"The target is on the second-floor balcony of the castle," Killua, in his child-like manner, tugged on Illumi's sleeve. "Let's go to the second floor."
Illumi feigned the appearance of a kind father, affectionately stroking Killua's head and leading him by his small hand towards the castle. Inside the castle hall, many successful individuals in expensive suits and beautiful noblewomen in elaborate gowns gathered in small groups, conversing softly, occasionally chuckling quietly.
"Hey, Holky." Suddenly, an elderly woman with silver hair, dressed in a light blue evening gown, walked over with a wide smile. She held a glass of red wine in her left hand and embraced Illumi with open arms. "Oh~ Holky, long time no see. You've gotten much stronger."
The silver-haired woman patted Illumi's broad back, then pushed back to grasp his forearms, looking at him carefully and praising him. Illumi didn't recognize this silver-haired old woman at all. He just kept a kind and amiable smile on his face, simply smiling and agreeing with whatever she said.
"This child is...?" The silver-haired woman finally noticed Killua beside him. She crouched down and stroked Killua's delicate face, filled with delight. "Holky, is this your child?"
"But I remember you don't have any children?" Illumi was about to say yes, but the silver-haired old woman's next sentence cut off his words.
"Holky!" At this moment, someone else recognized him, and several men, also in expensive suits, surrounded him. "Excuse me, I just arrived and need to say hello to Benjamin." Seeing more and more people gathering, Illumi used an excuse to try and extricate himself.
"Oh, right, you should definitely talk to Benjamin." The silver-haired woman stood up, took Illumi's right hand in hers, and gently patted the back of his hand. "You and Benjamin haven't met for quite a while."
Illumi smiled and nodded, then turned and waved to the approaching men, pulling Killua and walking towards the stairs.
"Actually, you don't need to go to all this trouble," Killua suddenly said as they walked up the stairs. "We could just kill our way in from the outside."
"The target we're assassinating is the President's personal bodyguard, head of the Special Services Bureau, and the internally designated next director of the Special Services Bureau," Illumi whispered, squeezing Killua's small hand. "This isn't some ordinary Hunter."
"The difficulty of assassinating him is not much different from assassinating the President."
"To be safe, we need to start from the inside. Starting from the outside would waste too much time, not to mention he might escape."
"Although the probability of that is very small."
Illumi and Killua arrived on the second floor while talking. At a glance, they saw two men in suits standing on the second-floor balcony. One was a white-haired middle-aged man in a light blue suit, about forty-something.
The other was a younger man in a sharp navy blue suit, a head taller than the middle-aged man, about thirty-something. The two were conversing on the balcony, with amiable smiles on their faces.
"That's Kaghan Kingdom's President Hilde Gard, and his personal bodyguard, Special Services Bureau Chief Hiram Hobbert," Killua said, pointing them out as he looked at the two on the balcony. "They are also our targets."
"Let's go, let's take care of them," Illumi said with a smile, pulling Killua's small hand and walking towards the balcony.
The four Special Services Bureau bodyguards in front of the balcony's French doors watched Illumi and Killua closely. If they showed the slightest abnormality, these men would immediately draw pistols from their waists and aim them at their heads.
"Excuse me." However, just then, two men in suits quickly walked past Illumi and Killua, apologizing to them, and were the first to reach the balcony. Of these two, one was in a brown suit, the other in an ultramarine suit. Their leather shoes clacked on the expensive tiled floor of the second-floor living room, the sound echoing within.
Hiram Hobbert, who was conversing with President Hilde Gard, turned around. The moment he saw the two men, a smile immediately spread across his face, and he said to the President, "They're here."
"Kamran." Hiram happily embraced the man in the brown suit in front, then released him and embraced the man in the ultramarine suit. "Hilton." The three embraced, patting each other's backs, appearing very close.
President Hilde Gard, meanwhile, remained standing at the edge of the balcony, his back to the three.
"Has the Aztec Intelligence Bureau been tracking you?" Hiram asked, gripping Hilton's arms, his expression serious.
"Don't worry, no," Hilton said with certainty, shaking his head. He separated from Hiram and walked hesitantly towards the President, stopping behind him. "Father."
"Heh heh..." President Hilde slowly turned to face him, a slight smile on his lips. He gently patted his shoulder. "You did very well."
"Thank you," Hilton said, pursing his lips and smiling. Then he added, "But I came this time to talk to you about Major General Lazar."
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).