Chapter 27: September 1st
Time flew by, and after Su Xiao received another ten Soul Crystals (Medium), the day of the auction's opening arrived.
September 1st, morning.
Yorkshin City was even more bustling, with traffic in the central area completely gridlocked. The incessant honking of car horns disturbed Su Xiao's early morning sleep.
"These damn cars."
Su Xiao sat up, the blanket sliding off to reveal an upper body that wasn't bulky but radiated strength.
Bubu Wang sat at the dining table, holding a cup of hot milk with both paws, drinking it slowly and leisurely.
The past two days had been quite carefree for the man and his dog. They collected five Soul Crystals (Medium) daily, nominally tasked with maintaining order in Yorkshin City, but in reality, they were just eating, drinking, and having fun, having visited several food streets.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, his eyes clearly saying: "Master, where are we going to eat and have fun today?"
"The auction is about to start. We can't be as leisurely as before."
Su Xiao stood up. Just then, the door was pushed open, and Hei Mali pushed a dining cart into the room. Seeing Su Xiao's bare upper body, she lowered her head.
"Breakfast is ready."
Hei Mali secretly glanced up at Su Xiao's bare torso, the shocking scars all over it making her gasp.
Su Xiao walked over and sat at the table. Bubu Wang was playing a mobile game.
"Stop playing. Eat."
Hei Mali set the hearty breakfast on the table. Su Xiao, chewing on some food, looked at her.
"What time does the auction start?"
"Six in the evening."
"Give me more details."
Hei Mali began explaining the auction situation. Today was September 1st, and the auction would open, but it would officially start at six in the evening. The daytime events were just the opening ceremony, such as inviting famous singers to perform.
Given the Ten Dons' wealth and the Mafia's penchant for showing off, the daytime opening ceremony was grand in scale, with invited actors and singers of considerable fame.
After six in the evening, the first session of the auction would begin. This session was semi-public, with only Mafia members participating. The day's auction mainly showcased the financial strength of these Mafia members, allowing them to gain face with the Ten Dons.
The first session would end at eight, and the second session would start at nine. This was the main event, lasting until midnight.
From September 1st to September 10th, there would be an auction every night. As long as one had enough financial resources, they could participate.
In the original story, the auction was disrupted before it could even be held. Su Xiao certainly wouldn't allow that to happen; he was still counting on collecting Soul Crystals (Medium).
So, the Phantom Troupe coming to cause trouble was equivalent to cutting off Su Xiao's income, and a windfall at that. Of course, he would fight tooth and nail, to the death.
Clang!
Su Xiao stabbed a piece of steak. His battle against the Phantom Troupe wasn't without a chance. The Troupe members had a habit: in most cases, they wouldn't gang up on an enemy. They usually fought one-on-one. Sometimes, even if a member died, the others wouldn't intervene, only continuing to fight after that member fell.
This undoubtedly gave Su Xiao an opportunity. The Troupe had too many members; if they all attacked together, he naturally wouldn't stand a chance.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao suddenly remembered the contractors who had joined the Ten Dons' forces. They had already used various methods to inform the Ten Dons about the Phantom Troupe's impending attack.
However, it was all useless. The Ten Dons' forces didn't care about the Phantom Troupe at all. In their eyes, the Troupe was just a band of thieves with Nen abilities, something the Shadow Beasts could easily handle.
Su Xiao had long anticipated the Ten Dons' attitude, so he hadn't even mentioned the Troupe. He just needed to act according to his predetermined plan.
...
5:00 PM that evening, first floor of the auction house.
As the lights came on, a large group of Mafia members gathered in the banquet hall on the first floor. They chatted with each other, boasting about their achievements over the past year. These people held considerable status within the Mafia, and the 6:00 PM auction was prepared for them.
On the roof of the auction house, the night wind blew. Su Xiao surveyed the surroundings through his sniper rifle's scope and the Apostle's Eye.
According to the original plot, the Phantom Troupe would attack the auction tonight, aiming to steal all the items.
From the current situation, no Troupe members had appeared, and nearby surveillance equipment hadn't captured any trace of them either.
"Could the Troupe have changed their plans?"
Considering the presence of contractors, it was perfectly normal for the Troupe to alter their plans.
Just as Su Xiao was searching for traces of the Troupe, a faint sound came from the basement below the auction house.
Crack, crack. A large crack appeared on one wall of the basement, eventually forming a sizable hole. A tall, muscular man with extremely long earlobes poked his head through the hole.
"If the location is right, this should be it."
The tall figure squeezed through the hole into the basement. Although the hole was sizable, it was still a bit tight for him.
This tall figure was named Franklin, a member of the Phantom Troupe, Troupe number 7. He was an Emitter-type Nen user who could fire Nen bullets from his ten fingers. He had a mature and steady personality, often acting as the Troupe's peacemaker.
"This time it shouldn't be wrong. We shouldn't have let Shizuku hold the map."
A slightly hoarse voice came from the dark hole. A short figure jumped into the basement. The hole that was barely passable for Franklin was easy for this man.
The man was about 1.5 meters tall, with narrow, dead-fish eyes, and wore a black trench coat with a high collar that even covered the lower half of his face.
This person was Feitan, a member of the Phantom Troupe, Troupe number 2. He was a Transmuter-type Nen user, with a cold personality and a hobby of torturing enemies.
"I accidentally lost the map. Sorry."
A weak voice came. A dazed-looking girl with glasses jumped into the basement. Her name was Shizuku, a Troupe member, number 8. She was a Conjurer-type Nen user and a newcomer to the Troupe.
The three Troupe members had all entered the basement. At that moment, another figure jumped out of the hole.
"Too slow. If you keep dawdling, I'll kill you."
Seeing the newcomer, Feitan's gaze turned icy cold.
"Sorry, I'm a bit nervous."
The newcomer quickly apologized, his fear obvious.
"Tch."
Seeing this person's expression, Feitan was very annoyed. If their leader hadn't given orders, this person would already be a corpse.
The fourth man to enter the basement wore a black robe. Although he hadn't joined the Troupe, he had found their leader, Chrollo Lucilfer, three days ago through a special method, claiming to know the Ten Dons' forces inside and out.
Needless to say, this guy was a contractor, a very lucky one.
"The auction is about to start. Hurry up."
Feitan took the lead and walked towards the upper levels of the auction house. Shizuku and the others quickly followed. The contractor took a deep breath; he was still a bit nervous. Undoubtedly, cooperating with the Phantom Troupe was like playing with fire, but it was an opportunity.
"Wait."
The contractor spoke. Feitan and the others stopped and turned their heads to look at him.
"Everyone, according to the intelligence I have, now is not the best time to attack the auction house. If we want to get the items, we'd better wait until the auction starts. That's when we'll have a chance to obtain them."
This contractor knew the plot of the Hunter world and was well aware that the items had already been moved by the Shadow Beasts. Attacking the auction house now would only alert the enemy. His main mission had changed due to his contact with the Troupe. He needed to help the Troupe steal the items. If successful, he would receive extremely generous rewards.
"Attack the auction house?"
Feitan's eyes narrowed, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth hidden by his collar.
"How do you know we're going to attack the auction house? The leader only told us to infiltrate the auction house. When he explained the specific plan... you weren't there."
Franklin coldly looked at the contractor.