He's a very trustworthy guy. His prestige seems even higher than Dalzollene's.
Dalzollene noticed all this.
'No! I can't be outdone by a brat!' Dalzollene clenched his fist, turning away from the others.
"Alright! I won't punish Loki for this unauthorized action, but I don't want it to happen again," Dalzollene said. He'd wanted to punish Loki, but Loki had saved Shachmono, Ivlenkov, and Baise. Baise was new, but Shachmono and Ivlenkov were veterans. Punishing Loki would be too obvious. Dalzollene wasn't stupid; he needed to move on quickly.
"Catching the enemies is the priority. The mafia has sealed off Yorknew City; they can't escape. We'll pursue them immediately. The boss has high hopes for us," Dalzollene said, turning around with a smile, patting Loki's shoulder. "Especially for you, Loki. You're strong. I've mentioned you to the boss several times, and he admires you. Perform well this time."
"If you capture the enemies, the boss will promote you."
"Oh, I understand," Loki said calmly, his face unchanged.
Kurapika looked deeply at Dalzollene. 'He wants Loki to have more motivation to deal with the attackers. Heh!' An ordinary person might be motivated by Dalzollene's words and charge recklessly. But Kurapika didn't think Loki would fall for this. His subordinate was outperforming him, and he couldn't accept it.
'Hmph!' Kurapika looked at Loki, who was talking to Baise. Baise seemed more enthusiastic towards Loki after he'd saved her life. Before, she'd had ulterior motives, but now her gaze was clearer, and her gratitude was more apparent.
There wasn't much to do at the auction. They didn't wait long.
"Those bastards were found! They're escaping Yorknew City by hot air balloon! Chase them!" a gang member shouted after receiving a call.
Dalzollene hadn't received the information yet, showing the Nostrade family's position wasn't as high as imagined. But a few minutes later, Dalzollene received the intel and they got into their cars.
Nine people in three cars chased after Uvogin and the others. The mafia acted quickly, clearing the roads for the pursuit.
In the car, Kurapika was driving, Melody was in the passenger seat, and Loki and Baise were in the back. Kurapika looked at Loki through the rearview mirror.
"Loki, what are you really doing?"
Melody and Baise watched them. Loki, looking out the window, hadn't expected Kurapika to ask him then. He thought Kurapika would ask in private. There were Melody and Baise; wasn't Kurapika worried they'd hear? Loki subtly glanced at Melody. Kurapika noticed.
"Melody, don't worry," Kurapika said. He trusted Melody; she was his friend. "She's your person; you shouldn't worry," he said, looking at Baise. He thought they were an unlikely couple.
Loki twitched.
"Don't worry, I won't betray Loki," Baise said, winking at Loki.
Loki sighed. "What do you want to ask?"
"Your reason for coming to Yorknew City was more than Neon's divination ability." Loki's explanation seemed honest, but Kurapika felt there was more. The Nen beasts were strange.
'I can't hide it,' Loki thought. He'd planned for Hisoka to contact Kurapika, and then they'd work together against the Phantom Troupe, seamlessly. But since Kurapika sensed something, he had to say something.
"Hisoka invited me to Yorknew City."
"Hisoka?" Kurapika was surprised. "Why?"
"To help him with a date."
"A date!"
This made Kurapika imagine Hisoka on a date with a woman. Then he realized Hisoka probably wouldn't go on a date; fighting was more likely.
"With who?"
"The Phantom Troupe's leader."
Silence. The words "Phantom Troupe" hung in the air. Melody and Baise's eyes widened in shock. The name was familiar to Nen users.
Hearing "Phantom Troupe," Kurapika's aura became heavy. Melody, looking at Kurapika, felt his terrifying heartbeat. She sweated.
Loki looked at Kurapika. "Am I making Kurapika angry by accepting Hisoka's invitation?"
"No. Why did Hisoka invite you?" Kurapika asked coldly.
"I fought Hisoka in the Heaven Arena, and he invited me to Yorknew City."
"I see!" Kurapika thought. Loki fought Hisoka in the Heaven Arena; Hisoka recognized his strength and invited him to Yorknew City to help fight Chrollo. It wasn't easy to invite Loki. Loki liked challenging strong people, but unlike Hisoka, he didn't kill; he wanted to get stronger. Hisoka enjoyed the hunt.
The Phantom Troupe, all wanted criminals, were strong. Hisoka probably used this to get Loki's help. Loki, arriving in Yorknew City, probably knew about the auction and was interested in the underground auction. That explained why he'd applied to work for the Nostrade family. He might have learned about Neon and her divination ability.
Kurapika understood why Loki was in Yorknew City and working for the Nostrades. He'd figured out Loki's actions. Loki didn't even know that Kurapika had pieced together his motives.
"So, the attackers were…"
"Loki's target is the Spiders."
"The Spiders—the Phantom Troupe's spider tattoo! That's a good name. My target is also the Troupe; they're strong."
Kurapika understood. Hisoka gave Loki information; Loki's Nen beasts were at the auction to test the enemy's strength.
Knowing Loki's target was the Phantom Troupe, Kurapika felt relieved. Melody wondered why Kurapika relaxed.
"Loki! If we meet the Troupe, we can work together."
"You're interested in the Phantom Troupe?" Loki asked, pretending not to know about Kurapika's grudge against them. "The Troupe members aren't ordinary Nen users; you could be…"
"I know," Kurapika said loudly. "I know about the Phantom Troupe. I know what kind of enemies they are."
Loki smiled. "Good."
"Work together?" Kurapika asked.
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