Chapter 6: Amu's Thought Process
Su Xiao stepped off the bus, and a prompt suddenly appeared.
[Prompt: The Hunter has entered a special area, Kukuru Mountain. This is the Zoldyck Family territory.]
[Kukuru Mountain is a dangerous area. Numerous side quests can be triggered here, with a certain chance of triggering hidden quests.]
...
Seeing these two prompts, Su Xiao wasn't surprised. He had guessed this might be the case earlier. The chance to trigger hidden quests was an unexpected bonus.
As soon as Su Xiao got off the bus, several pairs of eyes turned toward him. He immediately noticed these gazes—contractors had arrived first.
A contractor dressed in a suit, looking like a butler, walked toward Su Xiao. This outfit was likely prepared to join the Zoldyck Family.
"Friend, want to team up and go together? Everyone's here for the Zoldyck Family. Before the main quest starts, this is one of the three best choices."
The suited butler smiled. Based on his aura, Su Xiao judged him to be a second-rank ordinary contractor. At this distance, at most two slashes would finish him.
"No interest."
Su Xiao walked toward the oddly structured metal door, with Bubu Wang and Amu following closely behind.
"Another lone wolf heading to his death."
A young woman behind the suited butler shook her head.
"He refused the invitation, so let him go die. Pushing open the Trial Gate is just the first step. That large group of Zoldyck butlers is the real challenge. If he loses to those guys, his chances of survival are very low."
The suited butler shook his head. He and his teammates had managed to pass the Trial Gate together, but were blocked by a group of butlers.
For second-rank contractors, those butlers who mastered Nen abilities were very tough to deal with.
Su Xiao stood before the Trial Gate. It was a combination of seven double-leaf metal doors. The door at the center was the smallest, and the doors grew larger toward the outside, with increasingly terrifying weight.
It was called the Trial Gate because of its weight. The two doors at the center weighed a total of 4 tons, the second pair 8 tons, and so on, stacking up to the seventh pair at 256 tons. The stronger the force applied when pushing, the more doors would open simultaneously.
Su Xiao had no interest in pushing this thing. Brute strength didn't equate to combat power.
Su Xiao gestured to Amu. Although Amu had questionable intelligence, he "understood" Su Xiao's meaning and went up to bite the metal door.
Crunch!
A shallow tooth mark appeared. The few contractors watching from a distance changed expressions, now looking at Amu with full vigilance.
Su Xiao calmly stared at Amu. Amu panicked and prepared to take another fierce bite.
"Push it open."
This time, Amu understood. His rough hands pressed against the metal door, his feet sinking into the dirt.
Clank, clank, clank...
The metal door rumbled. Three doors swung open. Su Xiao and Bubu Wang walked through the metal door, with Amu following closely behind. As soon as he let go, the metal door slammed shut with a bang.
Inside a guard booth not far from the metal door, a bald gatekeeper in a black suit witnessed this scene. He was an outer member of the Zoldyck Family responsible for guarding the gate, not even a butler.
"It seems an extraordinary guest has arrived. I'd better notify the butlers immediately."
The bald gatekeeper picked up the phone beside him and dialed a number.
"Mm, understood. Notify the master as soon as possible. I'll send the 'guest's' photo right away."
The bald gatekeeper hung up the phone and looked toward a group of men and women in strange clothes. These people were also suspicious.
...
After passing through the Trial Gate, Su Xiao entered a forest. This forest was exceptionally dense. Without a detailed map, one might even get lost here.
"Such a peculiar aura... it can hardly be called a living creature anymore."
Su Xiao stopped in his tracks, his gaze shifting toward a nearby thicket.
"Come out."
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, rustling sounds came from the forest beside him. Soon, a giant dog about six meters long emerged from the forest. Its fur was purple, its snout sharp and narrow. Compared to its ferocious appearance, it had a pair of small, black, shiny eyes.
The giant dog looked at Su Xiao. Its gaze was so calm it didn't seem like a living creature. This was a battle hound raised by Silva Zoldyck.
The giant dog had no intention of attacking Su Xiao. As long as someone passed the Trial Gate through normal means, it wouldn't attack.
"Can you understand human language?"
Su Xiao tried to communicate with the giant dog. The dog nodded. It could understand human language, but its attitude toward everything was only numbness.
"If you can understand, then lead the way."
The giant dog walked deeper into the forest, with Su Xiao following behind.
About ten minutes later, Su Xiao was fully immersed in the forest. A wall made of iron bars appeared ahead, with a doorway between the bars. Passing through here officially entered the Zoldyck Family's stronghold.
A group of butlers in black stood before the doorway, lined up in a row, blocking the path.
"Please stop here. You are on private property. Although you passed the Trial Gate, you need to wait here for about 2 to 3 days."
A butler in a black suit with black-rimmed glasses spoke. His name was Gotoh, the head butler of the Zoldyck Family. His strength was decent.
"Go tell that old man Zeno that a friend from Yorknew has come to visit."
Su Xiao's visit this time was a courtesy call. He didn't want to fight his way in for now.
"Guest, I'm sorry. You need to wait here for 2 to 3 days. If you don't have the patience, please turn back."
Cold sweat trickled down the head butler Gotoh's cheek. He could already sense the terrifying aura of the newcomer—sharp, ferocious, and reeking of blood.
"Unfortunately, I don't have that much time to wait."
Su Xiao's eyes narrowed. The situation now was that fighting his way in would be rude, and waiting here was even less possible—time in the derivative world was precious.
"If you intend to force your way through, then I'm sorry. That's the rule of the Zoldyck Family."
A few shiny gold coins appeared between the head butler Gotoh's fingers. Although he knew that if he acted now, all the other butlers around him would surely die, he was the head butler of the Zoldyck Family. Without receiving orders from the master, he couldn't let outsiders into the estate.
"Gotoh, stand down. Don't throw your life away for nothing."
A slightly amused voice came from behind. Hearing this voice, all the butlers present bowed.
An old man walked out from behind the butlers. His hands were clasped behind his back, and a sign hung on his chest that read "No Killing Today."
"I heard you wiped out those guys from the Brigade?"
The newcomer was Zeno, the grandfather of one of the main protagonists, Killua Zoldyck.
"I let a few escape. Didn't kill them all."
Su Xiao's aura calmed down a bit. It seemed he wouldn't have to fight.
"Is that so? What brings you here this time?"
Zeno didn't yet know Su Xiao's intentions. He had some understanding of Su Xiao's personality. It could go either way—friend or foe.
"Sightseeing? Or rather, a visit."
Su Xiao indeed hadn't come to massacre the Zoldyck Family. The Zoldyck Family had a famous old monster still alive.
"You come to the Zoldyck Family for sightseeing? I'm more inclined to believe you came to kill. And... your rate of growth is far too astonishing."
Zeno's expression appeared calm, but inside it was different. Last time he saw Su Xiao, he still had a chance of winning. Now, there was absolutely no chance.
Zeno's old eyes narrowed. He clearly judged that if he fought Su Xiao now, he would definitely die.