Chapter 193

Chapter 193

No one in the car spoke; only the hum of the engine could be heard.

After Ron and the others had left, the middle-aged man stood in the distance, watching the direction they had gone, his expression indecipherable.

Only when the sound of the car's engine completely disappeared did the middle-aged man finally retracted his gaze.

A subtle smile appeared on his face.

"As expected of people from the Fiora royal family."

"They're indeed very strong."

Then, the middle-aged man furrowed his brows slightly.

"But that kid... he's a bit off. Doesn't seem like he's from the Fiora royal family."

"His Nen technique doesn't match."

"In fact, I can't even tell what type of Nen it is."

The Zoldyck family's Nen abilities didn't adhere to any specific type. 

However, their combat style had some defining characteristics. 

One was their pursuit of absolute victory in every fight. 

The second was their distinctive assassination techniques. 

But Ron's situation was somewhat unique compared to other Zoldyck family members.

---

"Ring, ring!"

A phone's ringtone broke the silence.

Ron pulled out his phone.

Dominica and Wendy couldn't help but glance over.

Ron answered the call and turned on the speakerphone.

A somber voice came through.

"Who are you?"

"Ron."

"That kid?"

"If by 'that kid,' you mean the youngest male among the three of us, then yes."

As soon as Ron said this, Dominica quickly deduced the identity of the person on the other end of the call.

It must be the Nen user from Taris.

However, Dominica was puzzled.

Why would the Nen user call Ron? And how did they even know Ron's number?

Despite his suspicions, Dominica held back and waited.

"You've got quite an interesting Nen Beast," the voice on the phone remarked. "To think it could leave you and hide on the airship without me noticing at first."

"Judging by your location, you've probably just left the city."

Dominica could feel it: the death of the monstrous fish and the disappearance of the balloon-head people.

Not much time had passed.

Meanwhile, Shusuke Ito stood face-to-face with Hanma Baki.

The brown-haired young man leaned casually against the wall, wearing a white short-sleeve shirt and casual pants, arms crossed. His relaxed demeanour exuded a quiet yet undeniable intensity.

The presence of Hanma Baki visibly irritated Shusuke Ito.

But he didn't attack Hanma Baki.

Instead, he snatched the phone from Hanma Baki's hand and dialled Ron's number.

This was all within Ron's expectations.

A Nen user capable of creating B-rank monsters wouldn't be weak. The odds of Hanma Baki being discovered were high.

Ron had deliberately orchestrated this setup to achieve one goal: to gather more intelligence about Nen users from Taris.

If Shusuke Ito had chosen to kill Hanma Baki outright, Ron's plan would have failed.

However, Hanma Baki wouldn't actually die; Ron would only lose some aura in the process.

As long as Shusuke Ito didn't kill Hanma Baki, Hanma Baki could stay close to him.

If Shusuke Ito contacted anyone else along the way, Ron could attempt to gather additional intelligence.

Thanks to the book-shaped Nen tool, Ron and his team would eventually catch up to Shusuke Ito. But without monitoring his communications, they would miss out on valuable information.

Ron didn't respond immediately. Instead, he glanced at Dominica.

Dominica hesitated for a moment before nodding. At this point, there was no need for lies.

"Yes," Ron said.

"How did you like the little gift I left for you?"

"A bit weak. If it had been stronger, it would've been more entertaining," Ron replied.

Shusuke Ito's face darkened.

"You barely managed to deal with it after all this time, and you have the audacity to talk like that?"

"Battles among Nen users often require information gathering. It's natural to be cautious when unfamiliar with an opponent."

"That's just because you're weak."

Shusuke Ito sneered.

"If we're weak, why are you running?" Ron countered.

Shusuke Ito's expression faltered at the question. Unable to respond, he changed the subject.

"Kid, I know you're not from Fiora. Are you sure you want to get involved in this matter? We only target Fiora citizens."

"But if you interfere, our retaliation won't stop at just you."

"Are you willing to bring disaster upon your family and friends?"

Ron was silent for a moment.

"I can refrain from targeting others in Taris. But you... I must deal with you."

"Me?" Shusuke Ito narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," Ron said. "Because someone I respected was killed by you."

As he spoke, Ron thought of the middle-aged woman at the inn in the small town.

She had been chatty, often talking endlessly even when Ron said nothing. Her demeanor reminded Ron of elders from his past life.

Her chatter had sometimes been annoying, but over time, it felt comforting.

When the skull-faced monster's son falsely accused Ron, and nearly everyone present doubted him, the middle-aged woman had chosen to believe him.

Later, when Ron helped her find the skull-faced monster, she had honored her promise and paid him ten million Jenny.

To Ron, it wasn't a large sum. But to the woman, it was a significant expense, as evident from the contents of her belongings.

Ron didn't see himself as a good person.

But when someone who had left a positive impression on him was killed senselessly, he felt compelled to act.

It was the same as when he saw Nina's plight in Heaven's Arena.

"Are you trying to avenge her?" Shusuke Ito sneered.

"No," Ron replied, shaking his head. "Justice or vengeance—I don't decide those things. I won't act for the sake of justice. I just focus on the present."

"You killed her, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I have the ability to kill you, so why shouldn't I?"

Shusuke Ito's voice grew colder.

But at that moment...

"Beep-beep-beep!"

A sharp sound came from Shusuke Ito's phone.

The phone was broken.

Frowning, Shusuke Ito quickly pulled out his own phone and redialed Ron's number. He had memorized it earlier.

"Ring, ring."

Hearing the ringtone, Ron saw the unfamiliar number and smiled faintly.

His plan had succeeded.

The reason Ron had wasted so much time talking to Shusuke Ito was to provoke him into making this call.

Now that Shusuke Ito had called, Chii could infiltrate his phone.

A small program was injected into Shusuke Ito's device. (t/n Ah smart)