September 1st was the day the Yorknew City Auction began.
Luo Ning's target was tonight's underground auction. Following the Phantom Troupe's typical style, everyone attending the auction tonight would have to die. However, Luo Ning was not a man given to indiscriminate slaughter, so his focus was solely on the auction items.
Uvogin and the others he had encountered yesterday were, in Luo Ning's view, the perfect disguises to assume. He didn't know the story behind Uvogin's restored arm, but he could mimic the Big Bang Impact perfectly.
"It's a pity I don't have a space-type ability; otherwise, it would be much easier to take all the collections away." While making plans, Kurapika had been wondering how to seize all of today's auction items.
Luo Ning, however, thought of Shizuku.
At this point in time, Shizuku shouldn't have joined the Phantom Troupe yet, and her ability was truly useful. The problem was where to find her. If Shizuku also hailed from Meteor City, Luo Ning felt there was virtually no chance of recruiting her.
Shizuku's personality was alright. According to Luo Ning's understanding, she was somewhat forgetful, detached, and lacked a sense of right and wrong. She didn't particularly care about killing. Her appearance was quite cute, but she spoke with an exceptionally sharp tongue. Due to her forgetfulness, she would quickly forget what she had even said herself.
The only thing she never forgot was the rules of the Troupe. She was incredibly persistent about rules; whenever there was a disagreement within the group, she would unhesitatingly side with whatever aligned with the Troupe's regulations. Furthermore, she possessed absolute trust in Chrollo, the Troupe's leader, though the specific reason for that remained unknown.
If it was because of their shared origin in Meteor City, then there was nothing to be done. If it had nothing to do with Meteor City and the bond only formed when Chrollo recruited her, then Luo Ning believed there might still be a chance. However, Luo Ning didn't have much desire to visit a place like Meteor City to find someone. Therefore, whether or not he would cross paths with Shizuku was entirely up to fate.
If Shizuku truly joined the Troupe, even if she hadn't participated in the mission to massacre the Kurta Clan, Luo Ning would not hesitate to kill her when the time came!
If there was no space ability, then there were ways to manage without one.
Around eight o'clock in the evening, Luo Ning pushed open the car door and stepped out. Using the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a Mafia member responsible for security, Luo Ning calmly walked into the building where the auction was being held.
The car continued to drive forward a bit further before stopping in front of a hotel opposite the Cemetery Building.
The underground auction held at the Cemetery Building was organized entirely by the Mafia. Buyers were allowed to participate in groups of three at most, and security within the venue was handled entirely by the host Mafia. In Yorknew, this was considered the highest level of security because once someone dared to take action here, they were effectively making an enemy of the global Mafia!
By the time Luo Ning blended into the venue, many people had already gathered. Everyone was dressed in opulence and luxury, as if attending a high-society ball. The number of bodyguards in sight was equally high, though Nen users among them were few and far between.
Luo Ning did not stop his pace, heading straight toward the basement where the items were stored.
Everything went smoothly at first, but when he was asked to show his identification, Luo Ning stopped pretending. The image of the disguised security guard transformed in an instant into that of Uvogin—covered in burn scars and looking almost like a demon.
The slaughter began at that very moment!
The Mafia members guarding the items were all armed with live ammunition, but whether it was handgun bullets or rifle rounds, they only made a clinking sound when they hit Luo Ning's body. One by one, the bullets fell onto the ground he walked over, shocking countless Mafia members.
At this moment, while Luo Ning's physical strength might not yet equal that of Uvogin a few years into the future, it was more than enough to block bullets. Perhaps he would need more practice to withstand a rocket launcher, but that probably wasn't far off. The training effects brought by the Weighted Stone Technique were far better than expected!
Casually catching a bullet that was about to fall from his body, Luo Ning flicked his finger. With a sharp bang, a Mafia member who had been firing was struck in the forehead and fell dead.
As Luo Ning walked, he looked like a god of war.
When he stood before the massive iron door, there were no longer any Mafia members left standing nearby. Luo Ning had not killed everyone completely because he needed witnesses.
Powerful Nen gathered in his fist. Applying the principles behind the Big Bang Impact once more, he swung a heavy punch that slammed into the solid vault door, erupting in a thunderous boom deep underground. A massive fist print appeared on the sturdy door, and the entire structure buckled inward significantly.
He didn't use any Ninjutsu, just the simplest eruption of the Big Bang Impact. By the time Luo Ning threw his tenth punch, the vault door held up against the immense force, but the surrounding walls could no longer take it and tore apart completely. Even though the walls were also made of metal, they were thoroughly shredded!
The Mafia members lying on the ground who had not yet died stared with bulging eyes, completely dumbfounded. 'Is this really something a human can do?' 'What is the origin of that tall figure?'
Luo Ning kicked the fallen door aside and stepped into the storehouse.
He pulled out two prepared backpacks and quickly began stuffing in items that appeared to be of immense value. Among them, he focused primarily on the Scarlet Eyes, which held the greatest attraction for him among the heap of treasures.
Unfortunately, there was only one pair.
According to the intelligence they had gathered from various sources, a total of three pairs of Scarlet Eyes were to be sold at the underground auction. However, they were being auctioned separately. Additionally, there would be a pair of Scarlet Eyes auctioned at Yorknew's largest auction house, Southernpiece. This meant that, in the best-case scenario, Luo Ning could collect four pairs of Scarlet Eyes in Yorknew.
Absorbing the Scarlet Eyes would take some time. Outside, a piercing alarm had already begun to wail when the large number of Mafia guards were killed. After Luo Ning had packed most of the items, he walked out of the vault.
He didn't head upstairs immediately. Instead, in a location where no one could observe him, he activated a Ninjutsu: the Shadow Clone Technique.
The shadow clone took one backpack toward the main entrance, while Luo Ning's main body carried the backpack containing the Scarlet Eyes and ran quickly toward the upper floors.
A large number of Mafia personnel were immediately drawn away by the shadow clone. Luo Ning's main body reached the fifth floor undetected and then immediately opened a window, casting a Ninjutsu on himself: Earth Style: Ultra-Light-and-Heavy Rock Technique.
A vast amount of chakra was released as the Ninjutsu activated, continuing to consume energy as Luo Ning took flight with the items. He soared out of the window with the momentum!
In another direction, the sounds of gunfire and explosions merged into one. The Mafia members had completely surrounded Luo Ning's shadow clone.
Surrounded along with him were three other people—Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Machi, who had come in suits to participate in this underground auction.
With the large bundle on his back, Luo Ning's shadow clone changed its appearance. Now, he looked exactly like Franklin.
Many people around noticed something was amiss, but under the identification of the heavily injured Mafia security personnel, these people immediately assumed Luo Ning's clone and Uvogin's group were all part of the same gang.
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