And so, more than two hours passed.
Finally, soft footsteps were heard in the hallway.
The Spy Set's eyes captured a tall, slender man in black bodyguard attire.
The man was at least two meters tall.
When he arrived, he stood respectfully before the golden door.
Until…
"Come in."
A faint, lazy voice echoed from within the room.
The tall man lowered his head even lower, then gently opened the door and walked in.
The moment the door was gently pushed open, the Spy Set's eyes and ears followed in.
The view changed.
It was not the gold-strewn extravagance Shalnark had imagined, walls, ceiling, and floor covered in gold.
Instead, the decor had a classical Western European artistic atmosphere: a classic European soft sofa, a wooden bed, a tea table, and a large office desk and chair.
On that classic sofa sat an elderly man in pajamas, leaning back and staring at the ceiling as if savoring something he had just finished doing.
"Have you found a new supply channel?"
The old man's wrinkled face slowly turned down, his gaze moving from the ceiling to the tall man's face.
The moment he showed his face, Chrollo and Shalnark, monitoring the feed, immediately recognized him: the man they had long sought, the chairman of the Mom's Help foundation, Risnorth.
"We have reached a preliminary agreement with some mafia in Yorknew City."
The tall man said respectfully: "They said if the price is right, they are willing to take the risk to search abandoned areas for those children..."
"But there aren't many stable and legal channels like Meteor City..."
"Since there aren't many, why not continue to buy from Meteor City?"
Risnorth asked casually.
"Money is not the issue. What's important is..."
Then he pulled a cigar from his waist pocket and lit it.
"What they are going to do must not involve any risks toward us."
Risnorth said slowly.
"For some reason, Meteor City is currently under particularly tight security."
The tall man explained in a low voice: "Their security seems to have greatly improved and been upgraded. They're keeping a close eye on any infiltrators and their movements..."
"I don't want to hear any excuses."
Risnorth interrupted again, his tone becoming increasingly calm: "Just tell me the result."
"Yes… The result is that this channel is broken."
The tall man, knowing Risnorth's character well, replied immediately, his tone quick but not at all disjointed.
His speech was crystal clear: "We sent many people there again to restock, but they were discovered… Every single time"
As if fearing Risnorth's anger would rage against him, the tall man hurriedly added: "Everyone we sent was discovered, and none of them ever returned."
"So, that channel is effectively broken..."
At the end of his words, the tall man fell silent.
"No one's come back, huh?"
Risnorth slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Did you send others afterward to take a look?"
"I did!"
The tall man, understanding the old man's meaning, immediately replied: "I sent people who were simply there to make a living and observe."
"For people like that, Meteor City doesn't have any intention of making things difficult for them."
"In fact, they even welcomed him with open arms, as if accepting them."
"Then I sent three more people to test the waters, and the result…"
He didn't reveal the result, but Risnorth understood what he meant.
"No one's come back again, huh?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
His face was still wrinkled, and he looked old and frail.
But his eyes were completely clear.
"They don't reject those who come there to make a living, but they won't let anyone with malicious intentions go, right?"
He easily saw through Meteor City's plan.
"They weren't like this before."
Risnorth casually tossed the half-smoked cigar to the side, as if throwing it away like trash.
The tall man immediately crawled over, using his back as the ground, to catch the still-burning cigar.
"You have a keen eye, Chairman!"
The tall man immediately flattered him: "The man I sent over also noticed the differences in Meteor City."
"And the biggest difference now is that, at some point, a saying began to spread there."
"We accept anything you leave here, but don't try to take anything from us!"
The moment Risnorth heard this, he sat up slightly from the sofa.
"Accept anything... But not letting anything be taken, huh?"
"Haha, interesting."
Risnorth laughed, and the tall man lowered his head even further.
The tall man could discern the depth of malice lurking beneath Risnorth's seemingly amused tone.
"In the past, there was always a group of people in Meteor City who harbored fantasies about the outside world."
"They still dreamed of returning to society and earning the world's recognition."
"It seems they've finally come to their senses and begun to face reality."
"They intend to live as people of Meteor City and truly make their presence known in this world."
"They will soon make a big move to announce their existence to the world..."
Risnorth spoke leisurely, but every word mirrored exactly what the Phantom Troupe and Meteor City were doing.
"No wonder he can control an entire company..."
Listening to Risnorth's analysis, Chrollo, standing in front of the surveillance screen, pondered silently.
"We can't underestimate an opponent like that, especially someone who's climbed to the top of a financial empire."
"From now on, no matter who the enemy is, always overestimate their power."
Chrollo made that mental note, while Shalnark occasionally looked up from the screen.
He glanced between the display and the Spy Set, seeming to be pondering something.
"What are you thinking about?"
Chrollo asked directly.
"I was just thinking..."
"Since the Spy Set's eyes and ears could easily locate our target, that guy named Risnorth..."
"Then what if, before we sent them out, we installed a tiny bomb inside?"
"That way, the moment it finds Risnorth, we could just detonate it and blow him to pieces on the spot!"
"... It's a clever idea, and somewhat feasible..."
Chrollo thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"But in reality, it's not that practical."
"The Spy Set's eyes and ears are made from special materials that make them undetectable and resistant to interference."
"If we attach a bomb, it might disrupt their normal functions, causing them to be discovered or fail to locate the target properly."
"That kind of risk simply isn't worth it."
He explained calmly: "Besides, our goal this time isn't just revenge."
"As he himself said…"
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