At night.
It's still the same restaurant that was exclusively reserved by Torlan.
Just like before, around the restaurant, there were nearly a hundred well-dressed men in black suits, and four large bodyguards standing behind Torlan.
Of course, there are still some differences compared to before.
For instance, the table was filled with a variety of delicious dishes, visually appealing and aromatic, capturing everyone's attention.
Yet, Moses ate the dishes with a lack of enthusiasm, finding it tasteless.
He wondered whether the chef tonight was the same Gourmet Hunter as before.
Moses felt a bit awkward. The motivation for coming here with Lisha tonight was to taste the dishes of that Gourmet Hunter again.
But he never expected that…
The Swamp People phenomenon had spread here as well.
Moses lowered his head to eat, listening to the conversation between Lisha and Torlan.
It seems to be a topic related to the court trial the day after tomorrow, and it is also the last commission Lisha received from Torlan.
But these conversation details were not of great importance.
His attention was more on Torlan.
Sitting across from Moses and Lisha, Torlan still smiled like before, maintaining proper etiquette, giving off a pleasant and friendly vibe.
However-
From Torlan, Moses clearly sensed the aura of Swamp People.
In addition to that, the four bodyguards standing behind Torlan also emitted the Swamp People's aura, and among the nearly hundred men in black suits outside, eight are Swamp People.
In fact, if the conditions for 'replacing others' were not met, neither Torlan nor those black-suited men would be any different from normal people.
'Even a highly vigilant mafia boss has been quietly replaced by Swamp People…'
Moses swallowed the meat and thought silently:
'Did a close person of his become a Swamp People and then look for opportunities to transform him into a Swamp People? Or did he attend a book signing event and directly become a starting Swamp People after meeting certain ability conditions? Relatively speaking, the latter's possibility is relatively low."
Even the most prominent mafia boss in Spice City has been replaced by swamp men quietly, enough to demonstrate the invasiveness of the 'Swamp People phenomenon'.
Moses remained vigilant.
Previously, when he made an excuse to go to the toilet, he could only give a 'be careful' reminder in Lisha's ear in a low voice.
By now, Lisha should be maintaining a high level of vigilance and understanding the need to leave as soon as possible.
Lisha remained composed, discussing the details of the court trial the day after tomorrow with Torlan, and from the corner of her eye, she occasionally casted a glance at Moses, who was focused on his meal.
In just a short time, one-third of the dishes on the table had entered Moses's stomach.
'He's the one who told to be careful, yet he's happily eating like this, and he doesn't seem satisfied. Maybe the problem is not the taste of the dishes.'
Lisha felt slightly confused.
After drinking two sips of water when she first sat down, she didn't touch anything else. She planned to finish the work quickly, and leave with Moses to find out what was going on.
As a host who pays great attention to appearance, Torlan will naturally be more concerned about Lisha's reaction of turning a blind eye to the table full of delicious dishes.
"Lawyer Yorkshire, does tonight's meal not to your taste?"
After talking about one detail of the work content, Torlan switched to another topic at the right time.
Lisha smiled and responded, "I've been on a diet recently."
"I see."
Torlan looked enlightened.
When discussing topics outside of work, Lisha spoke in a friendly tone: "So I brought my 'gluttonous' brother here again tonight, so as not to disappoint your generous hospitality, Torlan."
"Haha, that's indeed the case."
Torlan glanced at Moses, who had been quietly eating since he sat down, with a hearty smile.
At this moment, it was 7:18 p.m.
The street outside the restaurant was as lively as usual, with people bustling around. However, the large area in front of the restaurant's entrance was deserted, with no one in sight.
The reason, of course, was the nearly hundred men in black suits. They're standing quietly and exuding an intimidating aura, making the surrounding pedestrians unconsciously avoid the area around the restaurant.
Wearing inconspicuous casual clothes, Illumi slowly walked through the crowd, clearly heading towards the restaurant.
Unlike at the airport, his presence had already somewhat subdued, but his dark eyes were pitch-black eyes still exuded cold killing intent.
Receiving payment from the employer before the commission is completed… This was not only a waterloo in his career as an assassin, but also a damage to his family's reputation.
Illumi, who rarely shows his anger, was now filled with such emotions.
Thus…
With such emotions in mind, wherever Illumi passed, a difficult-to-express chill swept over the surrounding people, causing them to subconsciously move away from him.
In the eyes of others, it looks like they took the initiative to make way for Illumi.
'The address is correct.'
Stepping into the empty area in front of the restaurant, Illumi ignored the attempts of the men in black suits to grab or attack him, and raised his head slightly to look at the restaurant's sign.
He doesn't care at all whether the photos sent by his employer are true or false, because he doesn't mind giving the 'deceiver' the last punishment he could receive in this life.
'Why is he still alive?'
Illumi took out four round-head needles with a malicious aura from his clothes, clamped them between his fingers, and muttered in a calm tone: "Let me confirm it myself."
"Hey, little boy, stay away…"
Two burly men in the gang took out their guns and walked forward, looking at Illumi with an unfriendly expression.
They sensed the killing intent coming from Illumi, and after warning him, if Illumi made any suspicious move, they would not hesitate to shoot him on the spot.
However, before they could finish their words, each of them was struck by a flying round-head needle, which pierced their foreheads.
In addition to them, there were also two 'lucky guys' in the back who were stabbed in the head by two other needles.
From this moment on, they became Needle People, who would obey Illumi's every command.
This is Illumi's Manipulator Nen ability. By inserting specially made needles into the brains of his targets, he could turn them into Needle People who would obey him until death.
If Moses were present at this moment, he would definitely be surprised to find that, among the four gang members randomly chosen by Illumi, three of them were Swamp People.
However, Ilmi couldn't tell the difference between normal humans and Swamp People, so he gave orders to the Needle People who were controlled by the round-head needles.
So.
The four Needle People, who had already pulled out their guns, turned around and shot at their companions without hesitation.
Bang bang…
The sound of gunshots instantly echoed through the street, and blood spattered from the shot gang members. They all looked at the Needle People, who have been controlled by Illumi, in disbelief, and collapsed to the ground.
On the street not far away, the crowd, startled by the gunshots, scattered and fled.
Inside the restaurant, a continuous barrage of gunfire could be heard from outside.
Moses, Lisha, Torlan, and the four bodyguards present all had their expressions change, and they immediately looked at the restaurant's entrance.
Just as they looked over, the glass door suddenly shattered.
A gang member with bruises all over his body and a dull expression, rushed into the restaurant with glass fragments all over his body.
"Hmm?"
Moses immediately noticed that something was off about the gang member. A conspicuous round-head needle was stuck in his forehead, and Moses's pupils couldn't help but shrink.
'Illumi's Needle People?!'