Chương 68: The Kunai Lands

Just as Sari raised his arm to throw the kunai, a thunderous sound came from the attic of Evans Manor. The next instant, his entire upper body was blown apart as if struck by a shell. Shattered flesh and bone sprayed through the air. Boom. The bullet did not stop after tearing Sari apart. It continued into the vehicle behind him and detonated it. Fire spread along the roadside. Inside the attic of Evans Manor, Jack looked at his work with satisfaction and climbed up from the floor.

He casually slung the sniper cannon over his shoulder and scratched himself a few times while muttering,"While the feeling's still there, I should hurry back and continue..." He did not notice that the three-pronged kunai had been thrown into the air by the explosion's shockwave. It traced an arc and landed on a patch of grass not far away. Back in Gambi Town, Light Nostrade frowned at his silent phone. Ten minutes earlier, Sari had called to report that he was approaching the outer area of Evans Manor.

Since then, nothing. Light had ordered him to call roughly every ten minutes and explain his current situation. Now the time had passed, and Sari had not contacted him. Something had gone wrong. After waiting a little longer with no response, Light called back. The dial tone rang. No one answered.

'He was discovered.' Light immediately understood that Sari had likely been found. More likely, he was dead. He quickly sent Aren a message explaining the situation. Not much time had passed since Sari went silent. Even if someone from Evans had thrown away the kunai, it should not have gone too far yet. In the villa's backyard, Aren was still guiding Neon's training when his phone vibrated. He glanced at the message.

"Oh. Looks like those mercenaries have some skill. They killed him before he could report back." Aren had specifically told Light that the kunai only needed to be thrown from a safe area. Given Light's caution, he would not have arranged for someone to approach too deeply. That meant the mercenaries' detection range extended a considerable distance beyond their base. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Neon, take a break. I have something to do, so you get a holiday." Aren knew that if he left, Neon would secretly slack off anyway. In that case, he might as well give her permission openly.

"Yay! You are the best, Master! Mua!" Hearing that she did not need to train, Neon jumped off the equipment, ran to Aren, and planted a kiss on his cheek. Aren rubbed her head, then placed his hand on the table beside him and created several small snacks from his previous life.

"Here. You've been very obedient these past two days, so these are your reward. I'm going to handle serious business."

"Mmm!" Neon's attention was instantly swallowed by the snacks. Flick.

"Ow!" Aren tapped her forehead lightly.

"You sneaky little thing. As soon as you have snacks, you forget me." Neon held the faint red mark on her forehead and pouted.

"Neon didn't!" Looking at her adorable expression, Aren pinched her cheek.

"All right. Eat. I'll be back soon." White light flashed, and he vanished from where he stood. Beside the Flying Thunder God kunai lying alone on the grass, Aren's figure appeared. He looked at the burning vehicle not far away and rubbed his chin.

"The firepower is impressive. No wonder Bart nearly died in one exchange." He measured the distance between the car and the manor with his eyes.

"And their detection range is around five hundred... no, more like seven hundred meters. Maybe even farther." That range could not be En. Even with his current aura reserve, Aren could not cover such a wide area with En for casual monitoring. If so, it had to be a Nen ability.

"Hm?" While thinking, Aren suddenly pinched a fly beside him. Gyo. After focusing aura into his eyes, he saw the faint aura wrapped around the insect and smiled.

"So that's how it works. Not bad for support." The Hand activated at his fingertips, erasing the fly completely. Inside the manor, the blind mercenary stiffened.

"A real expert is here. One of my little darlings was discovered immediately." Adam's reaction was calmer. He patted the women leaning against him and signaled them to leave. The others stopped their activities as well. Adam looked at his team, a savage smile forming on his face.

"Brothers, work." After casually putting on clothes, he asked the blind man,"How many?"

"The last image showed one person. I haven't seen anyone else yet. I'm moving the other little darlings over."

"Oh?" Adam raised an eyebrow, surprised that the other side dared to come alone. He trusted that Nostrade knew about them. Someone had survived their last attack and gone back. If the enemy knew they were a full mercenary squad and still came alone, there were only two possibilities. Either he was an idiot. Or he was an absolute expert. Since he had found the blind man's little darling so quickly, the first possibility could be ruled out. Adam glanced at his now-equipped team.

"Brothers, the one coming is tough. Take your positions. Try to finish him in one wave."

"Yes, Boss!" At that moment, none of them looked debauched anymore. Every one of them suddenly looked like a hardened killer. They played hard, but they worked harder. Aren walked along the road toward Evans Manor as if taking a stroll.

"Hey! You! Which family are you from? This is Evans territory!" A guard team saw Aren's leisurely posture and expensive suit. For a moment, they were unsure whether he represented some family coming to negotiate.

"Oh, right," Aren said politely.

"I suppose I barely count as Nostrade. I came here to beat all of you to death, or be beaten to death by you." He spoke without a hint of killing intent. His expression remained calm.

"What did you say?" The guards froze, unsure whether they had heard wrong or he had misspoken.

"Didn't understand? Then how about this?" The Hand activated in Aren's hand. With a casual sweep, he erased the head of one dumbfounded guard. Blood sprayed upward like a fountain. Only when warm blood splashed across their faces did the others react.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! At the manor gate! Nostrade is here again!" The leader grabbed the radio at his chest and roared. The others raised their guns and fired at Aren. Muzzle flashes and bullets filled the air.

"Do you mafia people have no other tricks? At least throw a grenade or something." Aren sounded bored as Limitless Technique opened around him. This time, he did not intend to wait until they emptied their magazines. The leader had already notified the others through the radio. That meant these men had finished their purpose. Aren waved his right hand. The bullets suspended in the air shot back along their original paths.

"I really hate being shot at." Bullets tore through flesh. Blood burst outward in every direction.

"Mon... monster..." One guard lying on the ground breathed out his last word.