It seemed like a moment to catch his breath, but Germain suddenly sensed something. He frowned and tapped Kurapika on the shoulder.
Kurapika turned around, confused.
"Teacher?"
"There are more people outside," Germain said calmly. "Drive. Take Neon as a hostage, and don't stop."
Without waiting for Kurapika to respond, Germain stepped out of the car, shutting the door behind him. The car became silent, as if completely cut off from the outside world.
Kurapika was stunned. He looked out the car windows but saw no one. Confused, he suddenly realized what was happening.
Is this the "En" that the teacher had mentioned before?
The enemy must be hiding more than ten or even twenty meters away, using "Zetsu" and "In." No wonder I couldn't detect them.
I wonder when I'll master these techniques.
At that moment, Kurapika felt a deep sense of trust in Germain. Since the extermination of the Kurta Clan, this was probably the first time he'd put his faith in someone other than himself.
Despite his worry for Germain's safety, he followed the order without hesitation.
Kurapika started the car quickly. Over the years, he had traveled extensively and picked up many skills, including driving. As he shifted into gear, his eyes caught the rearview mirror.
In the mirror, he saw his teacher's figure flash by. Germain seemed to be facing off against several enemies. Then, Kurapika heard strange crackling sounds.
Kurapika calmly drove the black car away.
At this point, the car hadn't picked up much speed yet. Neon, seated in the back, suddenly stopped screaming, turned around, and tried to open the door as if to jump out.
Kurapika frowned and was about to stop the car.
However, as soon as Neon opened the door, she was shocked to see a man wearing a bird-beak mask and dressed in a black robe standing right outside.
The sight scared her so much that she scrambled backward, hitting her head against the window.
The masked man, Germain, got into the car, closed the door, and said, "Drive faster. The left side of the city is probably crowded with people. We should head towards the right side."
Kurapika let out a small breath of relief, nodded, and pressed the gas pedal, speeding onto the main road. He overtook other cars and turned onto the Twin Bridges, heading toward the right city district.
Neon noticed the masked man ignoring her, but her fear only intensified. She had never felt so terrified in her entire life. Her body went cold, and she didn't know what to do.
In a panic, she curled herself up, burying her face in her knees and covering her head, as if doing so would make her invisible to the man next to her.
Her sudden quiet was a welcome change for both Germain and Kurapika.
Neither of them wanted to deal with her screaming for the rest of the ride. Germain might've even resorted to force to shut her up if it had continued.
Germain, at that moment, was scanning their surroundings and thinking deeply.
He initially suspected he'd fallen into a gang's trap. As he was questioning why the Mafia would use the Scarlet Eyes as bait and treat Neon like a pawn, he overheard a strange conversation in the darkness.
"Why are members of the Nostrade family here? Wasn't this transaction supposed to be between that bastard Germain and the seller with the Scarlet Eyes?"
"Damn it, Neon Nostrade is in the car. She's been caught. What should we do?"
"Ask the Ten Dons for instructions. This is beyond us."
"But we can't just let them escape. If we do, the Shadow Beasts will lose face again."
"We can still stop them."
"Wait, Germain is coming! Let's take him out first!"
Germain's "En" detected ten Nen users closing in from the left side of the city, along with a large group of hostile gang members.
Based on their conversation, Germain quickly figured out who sent this group of people.
There were ten Nen users present, meaning that while he had been away for a few months, the Shadow Beasts had taken the chance to replenish their ranks, restoring their numbers to ten. They had gathered their full force to deal with him this time.
To the past and present Germain, the Shadow Beasts weren't particularly strong opponents, but their increased numbers made them a bit more troublesome.
Despite this, Germain managed to kill two Shadow Beasts in the dark, fend off the first wave of attacks, and then hurried back to the car, urging Kurapika to start driving.
Kurapika sped along the Twin Bridges, performing some dangerous maneuvers that caused several cars to honk at them. However, despite the risky driving, there was no accident, though Kurapika broke into a nervous sweat.
As the car swayed on the road, Germain thought over some of the strange things he had heard earlier.
He glanced at Neon, who was curled up like a frightened ostrich, and thought: "So, it seems that the Ten Dons and the Shadow Beasts didn't know Neon was with us at first. But how is that possible?"
Light Nostrade is one of the Ten Dons' subordinates, and Neon is Light's daughter. How could they send out the Shadow Beasts without knowing she was here?
Unless they had just received rushed intelligence proving that Germain was here, but the information didn't mention Neon Nostrade at all.
After the Shadow Beasts were dispatched in full force, even if Light got wind of the situation and rushed to explain to the Ten Dons, it would've been too late to call them back.
Something felt off to Germain. He realized there might be something deeper going on behind the scenes.
********
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