A faint smirk appeared on Chrollo's face.
"Our purpose is to make our name known, to stir the entire world into waves of chaos."
"And what better target than a man like him, a top businessman with a mask of righteousness?"
Chrollo had already set his sights on Risnorth.
He was the perfect stepping stone for Meteor City to make its name known to the world.
Meanwhile, on the surveillance feed, Risnorth continued: "Our recent supply operations, none of that has been leaked out, right?"
He looked coldly at the tall man.
"Not a single one, Chairman."
The tall man straightened and answered righteously.
"The people I sent out were hired through third-party channels; there's no way anyone could trace it back to us!"
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear."
Risnorth's expression softened slightly, and he nodded.
At that moment…
'That one before… Shouldn't count, right?'
Though the tall man's voice sounded firm and confident, cold sweat was already soaking through his back.
In truth, the recent batches of personnel he had sent out were indeed covered by multiple layers of third-party encryption, ensuring no one could trace them.
But the few who initially handled business with Meteor City's supply channels… did know a little.
'Still, they shouldn't know too much...'
'And it's been so long since then, Meteor City hasn't made any moves.'
'Most likely, they either don't know it was us, or they know but don't dare provoke a major company like ours.'
'Either way, it won't be a problem.'
'After all, that place is nothing more than the world's dumping ground.'
'Where people who can't survive elsewhere gather to scavenge for a living.'
'It's only because we needed children that it became one of our stable supply sources.'
'Otherwise, we wouldn't have even bothered to look their way.'
'If that place knows what's good for it, it should stay out of our sight.'
As those thoughts churned in his mind, the tall man's anxiety finally began to ease.
His lips curled upward, and he straightened up again, his face full of confidence.
He had thought of Meteor City far too simply!
"Alright, you can get out now."
Risnorth took a moment to gather his thoughts and, having not yet noticed anything wrong, waved casually at the tall man.
"Understood."
Then, without a word, he lowered his head again and slowly backed away.
As he retreated…
"Don't forget to continue finding the buyers and the supply channels."
Risnorth's orders followed suit: "Remember, no risks toward us."
"I can accept others taking risks, but I will not accept risks involving me."
That was Risnorth's deliberate warning to the tall man.
The latter answered respectfully, never once raising his head as he walked backward out.
Now, only Risnorth remained, along with the floating Spy Set's eyes and ears, invisible to any human perception, quietly hovering there, silently recording everything that continued to happen in the room before them.
"Useless trash!"
Once the tall man was gone, Risnorth cursed casually.
"He can't even handle such a small task."
"Looks like it's time to find a replacement."
Risnorth frequently changed his secretaries whenever he was dissatisfied.
Once he found a suitable new secretary, they would take over, and the old one would naturally step down.
As for the consequences of stepping down…
A secretary who knew Risnorth's secrets inevitably went to where they were supposed to go.
Risnorth felt a bit restless.
His once-calm heart, disturbed by recent events, began to stir again.
So, without hesitation, he chose the same method he had always used to calm himself:
He walked to a certain cabinet, placed his hand on an inkstone at its side, and gently turned it.
Instantly, the entire cabinet silently split open.
What appeared before Risnorth and Spy Set's eyes and ears was a pitch-black passageway.
Risnorth seemed very familiar with this route.
He lifted his foot and stepped straight in.
The moment he entered, the two sides of the cabinet swiftly closed behind him.
Before they shut completely, the Spy Set's eyes and ears slipped in after him.
Tap, tap, tap…
The passage was utterly dark, with only the sound of Risnorth's footsteps echoing clearly.
"He's probably walking down some kind of staircase."
Shalnark analyzed while recording. "It should lead from his room to an underground chamber."
"He's using a spiral staircase that descends into his secret room."
"So he really does have a secret!"
Shalnark muttered and leaned forward involuntarily.
He felt the excitement of catching a big fish.
"Our goal is to make the outside world aware of Meteor City's existence and purpose."
"And one of the most important parts of our mission is to prove that the other side first took something from us."
"If we can find evidence of them stealing what belonged to us, that will be the strongest support for our cause."
These thoughts flashed rapidly through Shalnark's mind.
Now, under the influence of Luke and Chrollo, his thinking had become far more comprehensive and mature.
He was even beginning to mentally calculate the next steps ahead.
Such growth was extremely rare and precious.
This was also why, in the Phantom Troupe many years later, aside from the leader, Chrollo, Shalnark would be the one with the broadest and deepest knowledge.
Whether in his ideas or his way of thinking, he stood out as truly exceptional, one of the few members of the Phantom Troupe with great potential.
He was constantly striving to enrich himself, accumulating, refining, and learning everything that could make him better.
At this moment, Shalnark had already made up his mind to gather evidence of Risnorth's crimes.
After all, a secret passage like this, one hidden from the public eye, must lead to something Risnorth didn't want anyone to see.
And what was hidden there would likely be solid proof of his illegal acts.
No one had taught Shalnark this; he figured it out himself after watching tapes of movies and shows.
His ability to learn was remarkable.
"Alright then, let me see what kind of evil deeds you filthy bastard have been doing!"
Shalnark prepared his notebook and pen, his expression turning solemn.
He was ready to record everything, the deep malice hidden beneath the glamorous surface of these wealthy elites.
"Whether it's murder, torture, cruel punishment, rape, or kidnapping... I'll write it all down, every single detail!"
In Shalnark's mind, the worst these people could do would probably be no more than that.
He had even seen worse in movie tapes, live burials, skinning, and other grotesque acts.
But those were done by madmen and twisted psychopaths who took pleasure in inflicting pain.
People like these rich tycoons, he thought, at least had to maintain their image and reputation.
Surely they wouldn't go beyond certain limits.
Shalnark's hand, which had been holding the pen, suddenly froze.