The mafia member's face was completely pale, devoid of any color.
He now understood: Loki didn't care about the mafia's power, the Ten Dons' reward, the auction items, or the high-ranking mafia members—they were all bait.
Loki didn't care about the world's mafia or potential retaliation. He completely ignored the Ten Dons' leader. One person dared to ignore the entire world's mafia organization.
"You... you..."
The man stood up, looking at Loki, suddenly realizing time was short. Could Loki really destroy a building?
The Phantom Troupe was already ascending. If they reached the top floor, the high-ranking mafia members would be killed. He had to leave quickly. Getting a spaceship to evacuate them was a good idea.
He turned and left, having no time for Loki. He had to get the VIPs out safely.
After the man left, Loki looked down. The Troupe, past the second floor, had already eliminated the killers hired by the Ten Dons' leader. He checked the time—only a few seconds.
"Calling them cannon fodder is an overestimate."
The Troupe reached the third floor—pitch black. Nobunaga, the first to arrive, couldn't see anything. In a city, this shouldn't be possible. The light from behind only illuminated a few meters.
"The whole floor is coated in light-absorbing paint?" Nobunaga muttered, looking at the blocked stairs.
The building had two staircases, at opposite ends. This path was blocked; they had to cross the third floor to reach the other staircase.
Breaking through the steel would take longer than crossing the floor.
Without light, Nobunaga relied on his memory of the second floor, heading forward. Each floor was similar; the layout wouldn't differ much. He could reach the other staircase using his memory.
But a few steps in, Nobunaga's arm was cut. Blood spurted.
'Enemy! No, a trap!' He heard his companions behind him.
Nobunaga shouted, "Careful! You can't see anything here!"
He activated his Ken, about four meters in range. He saw the dummies around him. Machi was next; hearing Nobunaga's warning, they slowed down.
"What's this?" Machi frowned, wondering why the enemy had set this up.
Nobunaga said, "Be careful. I'm going first."
His Ken let him see everything. He dashed forward. Machi tried to stop him, but he was already gone.
"Nobunaga..."
Clang clang clang! Chains rattled. Nobunaga turned, but dozens of knives flew from all directions, entering his Ken.
Clang clang clang! Nobunaga deflected them all.
"Who's there?!" He sheathed his sword, no longer daring to rush forward. He had to watch his surroundings.
While Nobunaga searched, Gon, Killua, and Kurapika reached the fourth floor.
"One attack, then leave. Why not continue, Kurapika?" Gon asked, confused. They should attack; they might kill someone.
Killua said, "One attack is enough. They'll know we're here and won't act rashly. We'll reach the fourth floor while they hesitate."
"Killua's right. There are too many enemies. We just need to attack each floor to buy time," Kurapika said.
Kurapika didn't understand Loki's plan; Loki hadn't explained it fully, only saying to delay the Troupe.
The fourth floor was filled with mirrors; wandering aimlessly would get them lost. Small 'surprises' fell from the ceiling.
Breaking things might trigger explosives! The smoky fourth floor made the Troupe grim. They weren't injured, but it was disgusting.
They didn't have Uvogin's Nen to withstand grenades and explosives; they needed distance.
The fifth floor was similar, but still effective. The sixth floor had countless small traps. On the seventh floor, Gon attacked from behind a dummy, then was pulled away by Kurapika's chains. They reached the twentieth floor, taking over ten minutes. The plan was going well.
Meanwhile, Hisoka finally arrived at the hotel.
While the Troupe invaded the auction, Chrollo successfully entered the hotel. After hanging up, he swaggered in; no one stopped him. He acted like he belonged there.
But this caught Baise and Rinsen's attention. Hidden cameras recorded Chrollo entering. Linssen immediately notified Baise.
The cameras weren't detected, but if they'd been watching directly, Chrollo would've sensed it. Baise watched the footage of Chrollo entering.
"Prepare to retreat."
Rinsen was confused. Why retreat? Was there an enemy? Even if that guy was an enemy, he was alone. Baise didn't explain.
Baise contacted Melody and Basho. Loki's orders were to notify them if anyone entered the hotel.
Chrollo entered the hotel and took the elevator to Neon's floor. He knew where she was.
He opened the mahogany door; the smell of alcohol filled the air. Melody and Basho were passed out on the sofa, snoring loudly.
Chrollo looked at them for a few seconds, then went to Neon's room.
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