Hunter Association Headquarters
In a bright office, Pariston sat straight in his chair, writing on a page while occasionally glancing at the computer screen beside him.
The fluctuating data bar resembled the heartbeat of the Hunter Association and the entire world, symbolizing endless energy.
This was exactly what Pariston wanted to destroy the most. He understood what was important and what wasn't, and there were some things he couldn't do.
With a smile on his face, he hummed a tune he didn't recognize, looking relaxed and cheerful.
"Ding-ling-ling——"
Suddenly, his cellphone on the desk rang, breaking the quiet in the room and sounding a bit intrusive.
He looked over but didn't answer right away. Instead, he waited ten seconds, smiling even wider before picking it up.
After glancing at the caller ID, Pariston answered the call.
"Hello?"
He could hear the sound of rain mixed with distant voices, all carrying a sense of urgency.
However, Pariston didn't rush. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, waiting.
Finally, the voice became clearer.
"I say, can you hear me?" Saiyu's voice roared from the other end, like a beast that had been holding back for too long. "Damn it! This heavy rain..."
Pariston smirked, cleared his throat, and softly asked, "I can hear you. What's wrong?"
"You..." Saiyu paused, struggling to keep his frustration in check. Finally, he managed to say, "Since you heard me, just respond! It's urgent here."
"Yeah," Pariston replied dismissively. He raised his other hand and examined the length of his nails under the fluorescent light.
"In short, the original plan has failed," Saiyu said. "I'm following them now, keeping my distance, so they shouldn't notice me."
He was a bounty hunter, skilled in tracking various criminals and completing special missions. The heavy rain helped him feel confident in his pursuit.
"Hmm... I see..." Pariston replied with a smile. "Weren't you very confident before? Where did it go wrong?"
"There was a problem from the very beginning," Saiyu said frankly. "He killed too quickly..."
Pariston fell silent for a moment, as if he didn't fully grasp Saiyu's meaning right away.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. After a moment's thought, he answered, "Come in."
His female secretary entered the room.
"Mr. Pariston, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have the information you requested."
"Thank you. Please place it here."
The secretary walked in, her high heels clicking against the floor, and gently set the pile of documents on Pariston's desk.
She didn't leave right away.
"Mr. Pariston," she said, enchanted by his handsome face and charming smile beneath his blond hair. "This is the expenditure report for this month. Please take a look."
Pariston's smile grew even more charming. "Okay, thank you for your help. By the way, it's getting late, so make sure to go home and rest early."
"Yes, and... please rest early too, Mr. Pariston. Don't work too hard."
"Hahaha, thank you for your concern."
Seeing Pariston on the phone, the secretary didn't want to disturb him any longer, so she shyly left the room and closed the office door.
"Hey, hey, hey—" Saiyu protested. "Are you flirting with a woman while I'm on the line? Have you thought about how this could expose our relationship?"
"We're just close colleagues," Pariston replied, blinking innocently.
Pariston stood up and walked calmly to the large floor-to-ceiling window. On this side of the Hunter Association headquarters, the air was dry, and it wasn't raining. The distant lights looked blurry, like melted paint.
He enjoyed this feeling of dislocation in time and space, closing his eyes and breathing softly.
"If she can really tell the difference in my phone calls and knows who to talk to about the information, and if it makes an impact, I'd actually be very happy," he thought.
"This means she's finally starting to think for herself. That's great... She's so well-behaved now, isn't she?"
Opening his eyes, a dangerous glint flashed within them.
Suddenly, he focused and changed the subject, asking, "What's the situation over there?"
"I already told you, he killed too quickly." Saiyu snorted. "I calculated the timing and distance perfectly and got the informant to provide accurate information."
"The informant has already run away, leaving no trace. I have everything under control. The actions of the Ten Dons went just as I expected."
"All the Ten Shadow Beasts are out. They're determined to win this time. They just happened to catch Germain and Kurapika, who have the Scarlet Eyes and are about to leave."
"Everything is normal up to this point... I expected they'd be chased all night until they were exhausted by dawn. At that time, Kurapika will be killed by the Shadow Beast."
"Kurapika is too weak. He's a burden to Germain and will definitely be the first target for the Shadow Beast. Besides, Germain should be able to handle a few Shadow Beasts but will end up heavily injured."
"I will appear at that moment as one of the twelve Zodiacs of the Hunter Association, showing that I'm on Chairman Netero's side to gain Germain's trust."
"Next, I'll fight alongside Germain and take down the remaining Shadow Beast members. We will break through successfully and head to the base I set up in advance to rest."
"Yeah." Pariston replied with a smile. "Isn't this great?"
Saiyu could hear the mixed tone in his voice, sometimes unsure if he was being serious or mocking him.
"I have to admit that things got out of my control from then on."
"Less than half an hour after the chase began, Germain extended the line of the Shadow Beast members on the Twin Bridges and started killing them one by one..."
"He killed all ten Shadow Beasts. Not a single one was left. He acted so quickly, with a decisiveness and cruelty that surprised me. I missed my best chance to step in..."
"The important thing is, you know, each of us Nen users has a few 'key moments' in our lives."
"These 'key moments' come from our daily efforts and thoughts, along with a sudden insight."
"Once they happen, we become completely different from who we were before."
"I may have witnessed Germain's 'key moment.' In the next month or so, as long as he builds on this gain, he will reach an incredible level."
"It's really hell... Not only did I run into them by chance, but it was also when Germain broke through his limits. I completely missed my chance."
Pariston listened quietly for a while, then laughed. "So you wanted to wait until Germain was at his most critical moment to help him, but you ended up messing it up, right?"
"You never expected he would break through and he is likely to strengthen his abilities in the next month."
"At that point, you wouldn't be sure if you could gain the upper hand against him. You might even end up following his lead, right?"
Saiyu didn't respond to Pariston's questions. The only sound was the rain.
"I will give the information to the three major Mafia family in the Kakin Empire," Pariston suddenly said.
"W-what?" Saiyu confirmed, "Why?"
"Why not?" Pariston quickly opened the French window and stepped onto the balcony. "The Ten Dons won't be at ease for a while..."
"You want to create chaos?" Saiyu understood, paused, sighed, and asked helplessly, "I admit defeat. What should I do next?"
********
Hey Guys, due to lack of supporters I am planning to stop translating this fic. If you like this fic do consider supporting me.
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer