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"…After the Hunter Exam, Hisoka went looking for someone to treat his injuries. He should've almost fully recovered by now," Elijah said hesitantly.

"Good to know… If you don't have Hisoka's contact information, then if you see him again, give him a message for me—tell him I can help him get a chance to fight Chrollo."

"Alright. If I run into him, I'll pass along your message," Elijah agreed.

"Great. That's everything I needed. I won't keep you any longer—farewell."

After settling the business and making necessary preparations, Alex saw no reason to linger. He stood from the sofa, ready to leave.

Elijah didn't try to stop him. After all, the Zoldyck family, while hospitable to guests, didn't typically allow people to stay overnight. However, as a formality, he still escorted Alex and his group all the way to the Trial Gate before turning back.

The Trial Gate could be opened both from the outside and the inside.

"You want Hisoka's contact info… Are you planning to have him help us deal with the Phantom Troupe, like Elijah?" Shiba asked in a low voice as the gate closed behind them.

She hadn't spoken much while they were inside the Zoldyck estate, mostly engaging in brief exchanges with Kikyo. But now that they were outside, she took the opportunity to ask Alex directly.

Alex had nearly killed Hisoka in the past, so it would make sense for there to be lingering hostility. Still, from his earlier conversation with Elijah, she suspected a deeper motive.

Mia, too, looked curiously at Alex. She'd never met Hisoka herself, but she had heard plenty from Shiba about the Hunter Exam and the deadly duel Alex had fought with him.

"Chrollo is the Phantom Troupe's leader. Hisoka only joined to fight him," Alex explained calmly. "But Chrollo is always surrounded by the other members, so Hisoka never gets the chance for a fair one-on-one. With his personality, I'm sure that once he hears my message, he'll reach out and accept my proposal."

As he spoke, Alex suddenly paused and looked back at the now-closed Trial Gate. His eyes grew distant and focused, as if peering straight through the massive stone doors, beyond the mansion, into a darkened, heavily guarded room deep within.

"Aluka Zoldyck… No, it's better to call you 'Nanika.' Next time I come here, I'll be ready to complete your achievement," he thought silently.

In truth, the Zoldyck family's main achievements weren't limited to the Trial Gate. One other major goal was [Make a Wish], referring to a wish granted by Nanika.

But unlike the Trial Gate, Nanika was treated as a deeply guarded secret—practically a taboo within the Zoldyck household. Even now, Alex didn't plan to act on that particular achievement until he was absolutely sure he could handle the risk.

"I get it now," Shiba nodded.

"It's smart to have a wild card like that ready," Mia added, understanding the plan.

Neither of them knew what Alex had been thinking about Nanika, but they were satisfied with his answer regarding Hisoka.

"Let's talk more in the car," Alex said, breaking his gaze from the gate.

He motioned for the others to follow. They returned to the off-road vehicle parked not far away. Once they were all inside, Alex drove off, leaving Kukulu Mountain behind.

Dust swirled in the wilderness as the vehicle sped along a winding road that stretched like a serpent through the rugged terrain.

Far down that same road lay a scene of devastation—evidence of a recent battle. Scorch marks from gunfire, charred car remains, and signs of destruction littered the area.

"We found them. These are the remains of Sickdog and his team."

"The report checks out. They were tracking someone named Alex when they left the city… Looks like they were wiped out by him."

"Damn it, the nerve of that guy—to actually kill our Yin Beast operatives!"

On the side of the road, five decomposed or half-devoured corpses were collected and laid out. Sickdog, Porcupine, Ghostbat, Kappa, and Earthworm—dead.

The captain of the Yin Beasts, Owl, stood silently as four other operatives either watched coldly or reacted with fury.

"Enough," Owl finally said, his voice firm. **"Complaining won't change anything. The fact that Sickdog's team was wiped out tells us this Alex is stronger than we anticipated.

What matters now is reporting this to our superiors and letting them decide what to do next."**

He pulled out his phone and began dialing.

"This is Owl… I'm reporting in."

The scene shifted to another location—a lavishly decorated conference room, where a well-dressed man sat in front of a large round table.

Nine other figures appeared on large monitors surrounding him. This was no ordinary meeting—it was a video conference between the Ten Dons, the shadowy overlords of the criminal underworld.

The man put down his phone, then looked around at the nine screens.

"You've heard Owl's report. Now let's discuss how we deal with this." His expression was grim.