"Half an hour has passed! What is Allen doing? Why hasn't he come down yet?"
Agostino looked up at the grandfather clock in the hall, his voice revealing undisguised impatience.
Just as he was about to tell the old butler to go check upstairs, Allen, who had spent five hours in the dungeon, finally appeared at the staircase landing with Lupos. He feigned confusion and asked, "What exactly happened that has made a typically calm man like you so agitated?"
"You don't need to know what happened. Sit down. I have something to explain, and then you can continue pursuing your dream of becoming a Hunter," Agostino said, giving a look to his eldest son.
The eldest son immediately understood and opened the locked briefcase on the table, pulling out a stack of documents. "Here! Sign these; every single one needs your signature."
"Hm? What are these?"
Allen took them and quickly scanned the documents, finding they were all related to insurance and property inheritance, and the beneficiary, without exception, was himself.
"Don't ask so many questions! You just need to know that these things will allow you to live a happy life forever," the eldest son urged impatiently.
"Sign them. This is the last thing we can do for you."
"Don't be difficult! Just listen to us!"
His two older sisters also spoke up to persuade him.
But Allen was unmoved. He pushed the documents back directly. "I apologize, but if you don't explain the situation clearly, I absolutely will not sign these documents. Also, can you tell me what business our family is actually in? Why are you all so nervous and panicked?"
"Damn it! Don't ask so many questions! The less you know, the safer you'll be! Understand?" the eldest son stood up abruptly and roared.
"Does it involve the Mafia in Yorknew City? Is our family in the underground business?"
Allen completely ignored the grim expression on his cheap brother's face and continued to ask unhurriedly. In the current situation, even an idiot could tell they were facing a huge crisis, and every family member had prepared for the worst: death.
Perhaps realizing his youngest son was being stubborn again, Agostino sighed helplessly, lit a cigar, took a deep drag, and looked up at the chandelier as he explained, "No, our family is not in the underground business, but we do have connections to it. Specifically, we collect various rare and valuable items for the auction held in Yorknew City every September and October. But this year…"
"This year, you messed up, didn't you?"
Allen instantly understood why everyone looked so deathly pale, as if the end of the world was imminent. Doing business with the Mafia was a completely different concept from doing business with legitimate merchants. If there was a problem with the latter, they would at most demand compensation, but the former would take your life, and possibly the lives of your entire family.
"That's right, I messed up, or rather, I was set up. The valuable auction items we collected were all swapped for a pile of worthless fakes during transport. According to the rules of the underworld, everyone involved must pay the price for this, including me and your brothers and sisters. But you are different. You have never been involved in the family business, so you should be able to survive. I've explained everything. Now, sign these documents. They will ensure you inherit a large estate after we are gone."
As he spoke, Agostino's face was filled with apology and regret, alongside a lingering attachment to life. As a father, he had failed to protect his children, instead dragging four of them into hell. This pain was constantly ravaging his heart.
The other four adult children also started weeping, and an atmosphere of sorrow instantly shrouded the entire living room.
Is this the family and loved ones you cherished?
Even when disaster looms, they prioritize the youngest child above all else, wanting to keep him away from danger as much as possible…
Feeling the sincere and intense emotions between the family members, Allen began to understand why the body's original owner cherished his relationship with his family so much and why he was so determined to become a Hunter.
While everyone was still immersed in grief, he stood up and walked toward the front door alone. Just as he was about to cross the threshold, he stopped.
"One last question. Which Mafia family wants to kill you? Is it one of the Ten Dons?"
"No, no, we aren't qualified to deal with great powers like the Ten Dons, who stand at the pinnacle of the world's underworld. We work with the Cabrelli Family in Yorknew City. Their boss, Marcus Cabrelli, has probably gotten the news by now. He'll send assassins within a day or two at most. After all, I failed to bring back valuable enough items, causing them to lose face. According to Mafia rules, only slaughter and death can wash away this dishonor," Agostino answered reflexively.
But he quickly realized he had revealed information he shouldn't have. He fiercely looked toward the front door and found his youngest son had vanished without a trace.
"Where is Allen? Where did Allen go?"
"He… he seems to have driven away! And… and he didn't sign the documents," the eldest son's voice trembled slightly.
"He couldn't be…" the second son also seemed incoherent.
"You guessed right. Young Master Allen drove off in the direction of Yorknew City."
Following the old butler's slightly hoarse voice, the entire living room fell into a brief silence.
"No! I absolutely cannot let him go to his death!"
Agostino, desperate to save his son, ignored everything else. He rushed outside, got into another car, and drove off in pursuit, hoping to intercept Allen before the situation became irreversible. Although he knew his youngest son had been undergoing rigorous, grueling training and even paid large sums to martial artists to learn combat techniques in preparation for the Hunter Exam, that meager capability could never defeat a powerful Mafia family.
Unfortunately, even after entering downtown Yorknew City, he failed to spot the taillights of the black sedan ahead.
…
Meanwhile, in front of a hotel operated by the Cabrelli Family, Allen stood smiling as he asked the receptionist, "Could you please take me to see Marcus Cabrelli?"
"Who?"
The receptionist blinked, looking confused.
"Ah. Never mind. It seems you don't know."
Allen instantly changed his tone, turning to leave and try his luck with someone else.
But before he could take two steps, four burly men in black suits surrounded him. One of them smirked and threatened, "Kid! You'd better honestly tell us who sent you, or you're going to have a bad time."
"A bad time? I don't think so. Also, you guys must know where Marcus Cabrelli is, right?"
The moment the words left his mouth…
Allen's hands suddenly released a mysterious Nen ability. The ambient temperature plummeted, and within mere seconds, the four suit-wearing thugs were covered in a layer of white frost below their knees, accompanied by the emission of white gas.
Undoubtedly, this was the initial, most basic Nen ability he had developed during those five hours. While not yet powerful, it was enough to deal with ordinary people who hadn't learned Nen.