Chapter 51: The Annihilation of the Brigade

Tonight, Yoke Xin City was especially chaotic.

Numerous police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks surrounded the Cemetery Tower, their sirens intertwining into a cacophony of noise. Medical personnel continuously carried stretchers in and out, while one body after another, covered in white sheets, was carried out of the building. Members of various gangs stepped forward to identify the bodies.

Police officers shouted hoarsely into their radios, trying to maintain order, while large numbers of black-suited gang members assisted the authorities, giving the scene a distinct air reminiscent of a crime-ridden metropolis.

Near the fountain in the plaza outside the Cemetery Tower, a scar-faced gangster lit the cigarette dangling from his mouth, exhaling a thick plume of smoke. “Finally, this phase is over.”

“What exactly happened inside the building? Is the auction still going on?” asked another bulky gangster.

“Forget the auction. The ‘Ten Elders’ in charge are all gone,” the scar-faced man sighed, taking another drag from his cigarette.

“Huh? What happened to the Ten Elders?” The tall gangster was puzzled by the sudden shift in conversation.

“Just got the news—the Ten Elders were wiped out by assassins hired by the Phantom Troupe. All of them died inside the conference room,” the scar-faced gangster shook his head and tossed a cigarette to the tall man. “The entire underworld is about to be reshuffled.”

The tall gangster bent down to light the cigarette, exhaling two trails of smoke from his nostrils. “How do you know the killers were hired by the Phantom Troupe?”

“Not sure—this is what the top brass relayed,” the scar-faced man shrugged, watching the bodies being carried out of the building. He muttered, “Luckily, I wasn’t assigned to guard duty tonight at the Cemetery Tower. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough lives to account for. Do you know how many people the Phantom Troupe killed tonight?”

“How many?”

“One hundred sixty-eight, and that doesn’t even include those whose identities couldn’t be confirmed or those missing.”

The scar-faced gangster sighed again. “What a cursed bunch… Thank goodness the Nosra Gang is strong enough.”

“What does that have to do with the Nosra Gang?” The tall gangster frowned. “Can you stop leaving me hanging halfway through your sentences?”

“Seven Phantom Troupe members who infiltrated the building were completely wiped out, all thanks to the new member of the Nosra Gang and his friend,” the scar-faced man said slowly.

“These guys are monsters. Floors six through nine of the Cemetery Tower are completely destroyed. Sure, you could say the Troupe used bombs, but how do you explain the sixth floor being entirely covered in frost? Are you telling me they hauled in a hundred ice machines mid-fight? The fifth floor is even crazier. You know the banquet hall, right? That huge place was blown to bits, like two Godzillas duking it out and unleashing atomic breath that caused a massive explosion. It’s just ridiculous.”

“Shouldn’t it be Godzilla versus Kong?”

“Kong doesn’t have atomic breath… Is that the point!?” The scar-faced gangster nearly got tangled in the argument. “Anyway, the Nosra Gang really stole the spotlight this time. No one can say Leight Nosra got to his position through flattery or cheating anymore. Lucky bastard.”

The tall gangster nodded seriously, pretending to understand. “So that new Nosra Gang member instantly became a big star.”

“Exactly. Knowing how sharp Leight Nosra is, that guy’s probably not losing the second-in-command seat anytime soon.”

The scar-faced gangster nodded toward the building entrance. “Look, here they come.”

At the entrance of the tower, Kurapika and Leight Nosra, the Nosra Gang’s leader, emerged side by side, both wearing dark suits.

“Kurapika, thanks to you, not only was my daughter’s divination ability saved, but the Nosra Gang itself might have avoided total destruction. Once the Yoke Xin auction wraps up, I’ll gather the gang’s top brass to officially promote you to second-in-command.”

Leight Nosra was a handsome man with a beard and slicked-back hair. He had risen through the ranks by relying on his daughter, Nion Nosra, who used her fortune-telling to help the gang’s bosses avoid misfortune.

Earlier that evening, his men reported that Miss Nion had been tricked and left unconscious by a young man. Leight Nosra initially thought someone was just after her beauty. But Kurapika informed him that the infamous Phantom Troupe wanted to steal Nion’s divination ability. Although Kurapika’s senior helped prevent the theft, the Troupe wouldn’t give up easily. They planned to use the auction at the Cemetery Tower as a chance to wipe out the Nosra Gang and kidnap Nion.

Leight Nosra was horrified. Without his daughter’s ability, not only would his ascent stall, but with all the secrets he knew about the top bosses, he might not even survive the next week.

After a brief investigation and reviewing surveillance footage, he immediately believed Kurapika and, through Kurapika’s senior, Heather, connected with wealthy allies Rodakindom and Batra. Following Heather’s instructions, they evacuated unrelated civilians from the tower.

Then, using his authority as gang leader, Leight replaced the security personnel on floors seven through nine with his own men. He spread rumors among the lower-floor guards that the Nosra Gang was protecting Miss Nion on the ninth floor—though no Nosra members were actually there—and secretly planted numerous bombs from the seventh to ninth floors.

Of course, all of this was Heather’s plan; Leight Nosra merely carried it out.

Leight was not ignorant about Nen abilities or their destructive potential. But seeing the battle between Kurapika’s seniors and the Phantom Troupe firsthand chilled him to the bone.

The destruction was beyond what any mortal body could cause—something on a higher level of life itself.

With this realization, Leight resolved to cultivate a good relationship with Kurapika’s seniors. Why not hand over the Nosra Gang’s second-in-command position to Kurapika? Lack of seniority was never the real issue in the underworld—power was everything.

In response to Leight’s goodwill, Kurapika nodded slightly. “Thank you for your trust. I will continue to work hard.”

At that moment, Heather, wearing his somewhat tattered black suit and glasses, stepped forward, his face expressing a bored finality. “What a dull ending. I’ll be off then, little Kurapika.”

“Alright. I’ll contact you once this is all settled.” Kurapika nodded. He felt a pang of regret deep inside.

Kurapika’s seniors had indeed engaged in a life-or-death battle with the Phantom Troupe. The fight was evenly matched and intense. Heather had wanted to pull Hisoka out within three minutes, but seeing the two fighting so passionately, he held back.

Unexpectedly, Kurapika’s senior caught Hisoka’s weakness during the fight, using a stolen Nen ability to manifest a pair of arms from his shoulders, firmly gripping Hisoka. His gaze toward Heather and Kurapika was resolute, tinged with a detached weariness:

“At least let me take one… for the Spider.”

Then, a fierce explosion engulfed the entire banquet hall. Heather quickly used his Light Egg ability to shield himself and Kurapika. When the smoke cleared, they found both Hisoka and Kurapika’s senior dead in the blast, their bodies utterly destroyed. According to Heather, their remains wouldn’t even fill a stew pot.

It was not the violent, blood-soaked revenge battle one might imagine. This left Kurapika feeling both empty and somewhat relieved.

Heather adjusted his suit jacket, nodded to Leight Nosra beside Kurapika, then disappeared into the distant darkness.

By dawn, all Nen users with access to news had received the staggering report—

The Phantom Troupe had been completely annihilated.