The promotion for the Scarlet Eyes had only lasted four or five days.
Morrow guessed that Kurapika had rushed to Yorknew in such haste that he probably couldn't even afford the 12 million entry ticket. Handing Kurapika the ticket ensured his trip wasn't wasted.
As for the ownership of the Scarlet Eyes…
Forget about it.
Morrow had no intention of giving them to Kurapika for free.
Even if he were generous enough to hand them over, Kurapika's current ability wouldn't be enough to protect them. Worse, the Scarlet Eyes might tempt greedy opportunists into pulling off a "buy one, get one free" scheme, targeting Kurapika as well.
Exiting the alley, Morrow tossed his torn coat into a trash bin as he passed by.
Tomorrow is the last day of the auction, but the Menu Organization already knows my movements. They'll likely arrange further attacks, maybe even hire stronger assassins.
Blending into the crowd, Morrow's eyes darkened with thought. He pulled out his phone and sent Argo a request to investigate Nolan's whereabouts.
But he expected a rejection.
A moment later, Morrow received Argo's reply, as expected, a flat refusal.
Argo had already made it clear before: he was willing to investigate the Phantom Troupe in depth and over time, but not the mafia. And especially not Nolan, who held dual identities as both the son of one of the Ten Dons and the founder of the Menu Organization.
Morrow pocketed his phone. Argo's refusal was within expectations, so he wasn't too disappointed.
Besides, Argo wasn't the only source of intel. The most convenient option was undoubtedly the Hunter website, exclusive to Pro Hunters.
"As long as you have money, you can buy any intel you want on the Hunter website."
That was the general consensus among most Pro Hunters.
But some information couldn't be bought, no matter how much you offered.
And to access the Hunter website, you needed a Hunter License.
Morrow didn't have one, nor could he wait until December to take the Hunter Exam.
But he did have two Pro Hunter friends.
Amid the bustling street, Morrow hesitated briefly before pulling out his phone again and sending messages to Kanzai and Sanbica.
In the Pro Hunter circle, the essence of relationships was mutual assistance; you help me, I help you.
Putting his phone away, Morrow returned to the hotel near the Southernpiece Auction House.
The moment he stepped into the opulent lobby, chaotic noise assaulted his ears.
The source was a large group of black-suited mafia members, chatting in small clusters while smoking.
The entire lobby was thick with the acrid stench of secondhand smoke.
Since the Southernpiece Auction House was backed by the Ten Dons, the area was swarming with mafia members.
Morrow was used to it. Ignoring the casually behaved gangsters, he headed straight for the elevators.
Halfway there, the elevator doors ahead slid open, and a group stepped out.
To be precise, a squad of black-suited, sunglasses-wearing bodyguards escorted a neatly dressed elderly man.
Beside the old man stood a tall figure with pointed ears, a thick beard, and a face eerily reminiscent of a classic vampire from TV shows.
Morrow glanced at the elderly man.
Battera, the billionaire worth hundreds of billions. Morrow had been in the antique business for a year and recognized the old man's identity at a glance.
This year's grand auction featured a set of Greed Island games as one of the closing items, and this wealthy tycoon, who had come specifically for Greed Island, naturally wouldn't miss it.
Morrow's gaze shifted away from Battera and swept over the man with pointed ears.
Accompanying Battera with those distinctive pointed ears, it had to be the Pro Hunter Tsezguerra.
Without stopping, Morrow passed by Battera's group and entered the elevator.
As the elevator doors began to close, Tsezguerra, who had already walked some distance away, suddenly turned to look back.
Inside the elevator, Morrow met Tsezguerra's gaze with a natural reaction.
Seeing this, Tsezguerra silently withdrew his gaze, and the elevator doors shut completely.
Surrounded by bodyguards, Battera seemed to sense something and asked, "What is it?"
"Nothing. That kid just now was a Nen user. I took a few extra glances," Tsezguerra explained, looking ahead.
Battera nodded slightly and said no more.
Since he had started offering huge sums to recruit Nen users to clear Greed Island, he had encountered no fewer than eight hundred Nen users.
Naturally, he wouldn't pay much attention to that young Nen user just now.
Inside the elevator, Morrow recalled information about Battera from the original story.
This tycoon, desperate to save his comatose lover, had not only spent hundreds of billions to purchase multiple sets of Greed Island game consoles but also offered a staggering 50 billion bounty to recruit numerous Nen users to clear the game.
What stood out most to Morrow about this plot was how Battera, after securing seven sets of Greed Island at the auction, had attracted nearly two hundred Nen users just to filter out the qualified ones.
It was hard to imagine how much money and effort this tycoon had poured into it.
Moreover, it was unclear whether Battera had ever considered using that 50 billion bounty to find a Nen user with healing abilities.
Or perhaps he had already tried and failed.
It wasn't like the Zoldyck Family had ever thought of earning that money.
Otherwise, sending the "wishing machine" would have made it effortless to pocket the 50 billion.
Unfortunately, the two would never intersect.
On one side was Battera, willing to spend trillions to save his lover but never succeeding.
On the other was the Zoldyck Family, capable of easily healing Battera's lover but never lifting a finger for money.
The world could be bizarre and unreasonable at times.
Morrow couldn't help but sigh.
—--
Atop a high-rise building somewhere.
A young man with slanted bangs and narrow eyes stood at the edge of the rooftop, holding a telescope.
The young man, codenamed Mosquito, was one of the Ten Dons' proudest elite force, the Shadow Beasts.
"Found them," Mosquito murmured, staring thoughtfully at the distant hotel.
Just then, soft, squelching footsteps approached from behind.
The owner of the footsteps was a man wearing nothing but underwear, his body hairless and his posture unnaturally pliant, like a worm.
This was another member of the Shadow Beasts, Worm.
"Shall we wait until after the auction to make our move?" Worm asked as he joined Mosquito, also gazing toward the hotel. Mosquito raised a slender finger to scratch his cheek and said, "We'll see. But the auction is indeed more important. We can't disturb the guests because of this. Besides... wouldn't the urban terrain affect your Hatsu?"
"Are you looking down on me?"
Worm turned his head, his gaze cold.
Mosquito chuckled.
"You're as sensitive as ever. Let me be clear; if we make a move, we absolutely can't let the target escape under Zetsu."
"..."