Inside the building, the auction site.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the entire hall as bright as day.
Long tables were arranged neatly, with champagne and fine wines placed on the surfaces.
Celebrities from all walks of life and mafia bosses had already taken their seats, talking in low voices, waiting for the auction to begin.
Kurapika stood beside Neon, vigilantly observing the surroundings.
His gaze swept through the crowd, not missing any suspicious corner.
Dalzollene, Melody, and Basho were also standing nearby, forming a loose defensive circle.
Neon sat in her chair, hands folded on her lap, her face carrying the excitement and expectation unique to a young girl.
She was completely unaware of the danger she was about to face.
The host walked onto the stage with a face full of smiles and a loud voice.
"Everyone! Thank you for waiting! The auction now officially begins! The first item to be auctioned today is—the Pure Gold Executioner's Knife from the Yulv National Treasure Museum!"
The large screen behind him lit up, displaying the specific appearance of the Pure Gold Executioner's Knife.
In the passage on the left side of the stage, two sweet-looking ladies pushed a display stand to the front. On a red cushion, a golden short knife lay quietly, emitting a luxurious luster under the lights.
The many mafia members below began a fierce bidding war.
"Ten million!"
"Twenty million!"
"Twenty-five million!"
The bidding voices rose and fell one after another.
Kurapika did not relax his vigilance.
His gaze continued to scan the crowd; he felt that something was not quite right.
BOOM—!!!
A loud noise came from the entrance.
The door was kicked open violently, and Black Tiger burst in with five members.
They held firearms, with the muzzles pointed at everyone in the hall.
At the same time, members of the Black Tiger Gang appeared in the passage behind the host's platform, blocking the rear exit.
The hall instantly exploded into chaos.
Some screamed, some stood up, and some tried to run outside.
The internal security personnel of the auction reacted quickly, hurriedly raising their guns to aim at Black Tiger and the others.
In the next instant, those security personnel fell to the ground, blood flowing freely.
A figure appeared behind them, the knife in his hand still dripping with blood.
Kurapika and the others were also startled, hurriedly shielding Neon behind them.
Black Tiger stood at the door, pointed his gun at the ceiling, and fired a shot.
BANG!
The gunshot was exceptionally loud in the enclosed hall, and everyone quieted down.
"Don't move!"
Black Tiger's voice echoed in the hall like thunder.
"Anyone who wants to die, just try moving!"
The veins on Dalzollene's forehead bulged as he whispered to his companions.
"What's going on? Young Miss Neon's prophecy shouldn't be wrong. The prophecy said this Underground Auction would be safe, which is why the Boss let the Young Miss attend in person. Where exactly did things go wrong?"
Because Neon's prophecies had never been wrong, they had all become lax this time.
They hadn't prepared an emergency plan, hadn't arranged a back route, and hadn't even deployed enough security outside the venue.
Everyone thought this was just an easy guard mission.
Even more troublesome was that carrying firearms was not allowed when attending the auction.
They had nothing on them, and they weren't Enhancers; their bodies couldn't withstand bullets.
Facing the dark muzzles of the Black Tiger Gang, they didn't dare to act rashly for a moment.
Kurapika glanced at the number and positions of the Black Tiger Gang members.
Fifteen people, all armed with guns, positioned very strategically—front, back, left, and right, covering each other. It was impossible to take them all out at once.
Furthermore, Neon was right behind him. If he acted rashly, she might get hurt.
Black Tiger looked around and grinned.
"I know there are many valuable treasures in this auction. Hand them all over, and we'll spare your lives!"
A high-ranking mafia member sitting in the front row suddenly stood up, the fat on his face trembling with rage.
"Do you know who protects this place! The Ten Dons will not let you off!"
Black Tiger sneered and raised his hand to fire several shots.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
That mafia high-ranking member, along with the bodyguards beside him, collapsed directly into a pool of blood without even having time to scream.
Black Tiger blew on the smoke coming from the muzzle and looked around.
"Who else wants to be the nail that sticks out? This is the consequence! If you don't want to die, cooperate obediently!"
The hall was dead silent.
No one dared to speak again, and no one dared to move.
Black Tiger nodded in satisfaction and spoke into his headset.
"Colin, take two men to the vault and take all the treasures. Move fast."
"Copy that."
Colin's voice came through the headset.
Black Tiger lowered his hand, pulled over a chair, and sat down in a domineering posture.
The remaining twelve members dispersed throughout the hall, their guns always aimed at the crowd.
Kurapika stood there, a drop of cold sweat sliding down his forehead, his expression grim.
His gaze moved back and forth between the gunmen, calculating the distance, angle, and timing for an attack.
But either the angle was wrong, the distance was too far, or it would affect the people around him.
He could at most deal with the two behind him in an instant; the others were too far from him.
Once he made a move, the guns in their hands would definitely fire indiscriminately.
If Neon were injured or killed then, he would be in trouble. He wasn't the type of person who would easily use someone else's life as a bargaining chip.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Now was not the time.
In another part of the auction seating, Dean was also in the venue.
He had been sent by Leo to monitor the auction's movements.
He sat in an inconspicuous corner, wearing an ordinary dark suit, looking no different from the surrounding mafia elites.
His expression was calm, but his palms were covered in sweat.
He also hadn't expected that someone would actually come to rob the auction.
The Ten Dons had just been replaced, and it was a sensitive period of power transition. Someone actually dared to act at a time like this?
Are these people crazy? Or is it the fearlessness of the ignorant?
He was very angry, but he also didn't dare to act rashly.
Alone, facing fifteen armed Nen Users, rushing up would be seeking death.
More than ten minutes later, Colin walked out with two subordinates.
They each held a large cloth bag, which was bulging and packed full.
Dean suddenly thought of something, cautiously pulled out his phone, kept his hand behind his back, and pressed with his thumb.
He didn't look down at the screen and quickly pressed the SMS send button.
The movement was very small, so small that no one noticed.
Leo was walking on the street, still holding the few small items he had just scavenged from the antique market.
The night breeze blew past, carrying the unique bustle and atmosphere of the city.
The phone in his pocket rang.
Leo pulled out his phone, opened it, and saw it was a text message.
There were only a few words on it: Someone is causing trouble at the auction.
He froze for a moment, then laughed.
What a jinx, his own words had come true.
He originally thought that since the Genei Ryodan were dead, the auction would be safe, but he didn't expect another group of people who weren't afraid of death to pop up.
After putting away his phone, there was a "bang."
The ground cracked, and Leo disappeared from the spot.
Pedestrians on the street only felt a gust of wind blow past, seeing nothing clearly.
Inside the auction hall, Colin walked up to Black Tiger and said in a low voice.
"Done."
Black Tiger nodded, very satisfied.
He stood up, patted the wrinkles on his pants, and the smile on his face deepened.
Colin quickly left with the two subordinates, disappearing at the end of the passage.
After Colin left, Black Tiger waved his hand, and everyone retreated and left quickly.
Their movements were crisp and efficient, without a hint of hesitation.
The gun muzzles were always pointed at the crowd until the very last moment when they turned around.
Inside the auction hall, everyone watched helplessly as the Black Tiger Gang left.
No one dared to chase, and no one dared to stop them.
Those mafia bosses sat in their seats, their faces ashen, yet they didn't dare to say a single word.