Kaizen opened the audio file sent by Altan on his laptop. It contained two parts: one was a message from Carlisle, and the other, a recording of Carlisle talking to himself.
"Did Carlisle just talk to Gluttony?" he murmured.
"Anyone Carlisle addresses like this must be a skilled Nen user—someone even stronger than Carlisle."
"On top of that, Carlisle has a mentor? Did he meet this teacher during the six months he went missing? Now, Carlisle seems to be placing his bets on this Gluttony. In his mind, Gluttony is stronger than me."
Kaizen turned to Altan, furrowing his brows as he digested the new information.
"'Gluttony' is a bit too vague to track down on its own, though."
During Carlisle and Gluttony's exchange, Altan had already initiated a hack to trace Gluttony's phone. Soon after, Altan transmitted Gluttony's location to Kaizen's screen.
"A dojo?" Kaizen muttered, seeing the location.
"Shen dojo?" He squinted, the name sparking something in his memory. "I think I heard of it before. Back when I was competing in Heavens Arena, one of my opponents mentioned belonging to this Shen dojo."
"Could Carlisle be from this dojo?" he mused aloud, before instructing Altan, "Find out everything you can about Shen dojo."
It didn't take long for Altan to compile a preliminary report. Shen dojo was no small operation. With plenty of disciples, many of whom had competed at high levels in Heavens Arena, the dojo left a digital footprint on various websites—likely to attract students as a means of income.
The information soon came in full.
"Wilder… that's the guy I fought in Heavens Arena," Kaizen recalled, scanning the details. "This Shen dojo is considered a first-rate establishment in the city. Its founder's made it past the 200th floor of Heavens Arena and has gathered hundreds of disciples, many of whom have decent records in the arena."
He paused, raising an eyebrow. "But honestly, they're all a bit too weak. Even if Gluttony is their top fighter, he's no match for me."
Just then, another message pinged from Altan.
"What?"
Kaizen's eyes narrowed as he read. "The Shen dojo… it's gone?"
An image loaded, showing a blood-stained corner of the dojo. The splatters were fresh and heavy, yet no bodies could be seen. A data file from Altan, accessed through a government hack, detailed the incident further.
"This happened recently," he muttered. "Everyone from Shen dojo has vanished—disciples and the founder alike. Blood's everywhere, but there are no bodies. Hundreds of people, just… gone."
Altan sent over additional footage, video and audio captures from the local authorities who'd arrived at the dojo. These were stored on a government server, which Altan had infiltrated directly.
Kaizen played the video.
"En," he whispered, activating his ability to focus.
Most people would see nothing out of the ordinary, but with the right Nen skills, Kaizen could spot residual aura lingering on the video.
"There's a violent aura here," he noted, "and traces of death—like their last moments left an imprint."
Death's residual aura, he knew, often carried heightened emotions like fear or rage. In these cases, the aura's potency was frequently much stronger than it had been in life.
Altan updated Gluttony's location, indicating he was no longer near the dojo but still on the move. A thought struck Kaizen as he processed the evidence: perhaps Gluttony wasn't a Shen dojo disciple at all. Instead, he might be the one responsible for their massacre.
"He could be the one who wiped out Shen dojo," he said to himself. "If Gluttony truly devoured all those bodies, his nickname makes sense. This guy might be worth some caution."
Despite the gravity of the situation, Kaizen didn't feel overly concerned. He was safely positioned in Heavens Arena, a location far more secure than the Shen dojo. As long as he stayed put, even someone as deadly as Gluttony would have a hard time getting to him.
With Altan by his side, Kaizen had access to invaluable intel without the risks that would otherwise come with gathering it.
"That's the advantage of having a top-class intelligence operative," he noted. "Without Altan, tracking down Gluttony would be costly and inefficient. I'd either have to shell out a fortune or investigate personally, and neither option's ideal."
He glanced at Altan. "Your worth is more than I could've hoped for, Altan."
Turning back to his screen, Kaizen gave new instructions. "Altan, dig up anything you can on Gluttony. Use keywords like 'strong,' 'cannibalistic,' and 'high food consumption.' Also, check for recent clashes between Shen dojo and any other groups."
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