NOVEL WEB Chapter 93: Don't Even Think About Running Away
Before attending the auction event, Moro never expected to cross paths with Biscuit in such a way.
In the past, he had envied Gon and Killua for having the opportunity to learn from Biscuit.
Yet, he never imagined that because of the whole ordeal with freeloading the Execution Blade and Death Nen, Biscuit would voluntarily offer to exchange contact information with him.
Although he found it somewhat difficult to handle Biscuit's mischievous harassment, forming a connection with such a high-level Shingen-Ryu master was an incredible stroke of luck for Moro.
Perhaps in the future, he could find an opportunity to seek guidance from Biscuit...
After exchanging contact information, Biscuit simply left a parting remark—"Call me when you're free"—before hurrying away.
She had yet to start carving the unburned emerald she received from Akesai, and it had been on her mind ever since.
Tonight, she attended the auction solely to bid on that heart-shaped ruby.
Had she not run into Moro at the venue, she would have left immediately after securing the ruby.
Not long after Biscuit left, Moro received a transaction from the auction house—42 billion.
This was the total revenue from several auctioned items that evening, including the Scarlet Eyes. Even after deducting a 5% fee, he still had over 42 billion.
Now, Moro's total wealth had surpassed 50 billion.
However, compared to the aggressive bidders at tonight's auction, his 50 billion was probably just a drop in the ocean.
Leaving the VIP lounge, Moro thought about the three other buyers who had purchased Nen-infused items.
But by now, they had already left with their winnings.
"Not a problem."
With money, he could simply buy intelligence from the Hunter website.
Tracking down the identities of a few buyers was a trivial matter.
It would just mean another favor from Kanzai...
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Moro stepped out of the Nampis Auction House.
From the moment he arrived at the auction event to now, not even a week had passed, yet his Lifespan Energy had surged from 19% to 34%, and his wealth had increased fivefold.
With results like this, he figured he should come again next year.
Leaving Nampis Auction House, Moro hailed a cab straight to Rin Palace Airport, located on the outskirts of Yorknew City.
Now that his business here was done, he had no intention of staying any longer and planned to catch a flight that very night.
Yorknew City was a bustling metropolis, but beyond its borders lay an endless expanse of barren wilderness—a stark contrast to the city's prosperity.
The landscape consisted of scattered cacti, clusters of withered yellow grass, and towering red rock formations.
The only airport nearby was a ninety-minute drive from the city.
This was only possible because a high-speed highway had been built between Yorknew and Rin Palace Airport.
The taxi sped along the highway.
The night was clear, with a full moon hanging high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the land.
Perhaps because of the excellent visibility—or maybe because the driver was a chatterbox—he kept trying to strike up a conversation with Moro throughout the ride.
Moro simply responded with a series of "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm."
Yet, the driver seemed completely oblivious to Moro's indifference and continued rambling on.
Realizing that he still had ninety minutes of this ahead of him, Moro couldn't help but feel helpless.
"Young man, let me tell you someth—huh?"
The driver was mid-sentence when he suddenly spotted something streaking through the air ahead of them.
In the backseat, Moro's eyes narrowed as he immediately recognized what it was.
A rocket-propelled grenade!
Without a moment's hesitation, he kicked the car door open and launched himself off the highway into the wilderness.
BOOM!
In the next instant—
The taxi was struck by the RPG and exploded into a raging fireball.
On a nearby rock formation—
Dokumushi (Poison Mosquito) casually discarded the now-empty RPG launcher and smiled.
"Nice. This thing works really well."
With his hands in his pockets, he leapt down from the rock and strode toward the burning wreckage.
At the same time—
In the wilderness beside the highway—
Moro watched the taxi engulfed in flames, his expression growing cold.
SCREEEECH—
The sharp screech of braking tires echoed from behind.
A few black sedans screeched to a halt after witnessing the explosion from a distance.
Further down the road, additional vehicles slowed and stopped—many belonging to auction attendees who were also heading to Rin Palace Airport.
This was the only road leading from Yorknew to the airport, meaning that anyone planning to leave that night had no choice but to take this route.
Even those who had arrived in private airships had to park them at Rin Palace Airport, as it was the only place providing storage and pre-flight preparations.
Moro's right hand crackled with sharp-edged aura, his gaze cold as he scanned the black sedans in the distance, assuming they were enemies sent to pursue him.
But then—he spotted a familiar figure stepping out of one of the sedans.
Zetsu Zetsura.
Realizing this, Moro immediately dismissed his previous assumption.
Zetsu Zetsura also noticed Moro and was momentarily surprised. His gaze then shifted to the burning car wreck and the scattered debris, his brows furrowing slightly.
Moro quickly snapped his attention away from Zetsu Zetsura, tensing up and preparing for battle.
Suddenly—
A killing intent flickered in his senses.
The moment he reacted, he heard the sound of the ground splitting open behind him.
A twisted, nearly naked man emerged from the soil, his grotesque figure clearly inhuman.
It was none other than Earthworm, a member of the Shadow Beasts.
With a fierce punch, he lunged straight for Moro's skull.
Without even looking back, Moro pushed off the ground, using Antelope Step to instantly dash forward.
SWISH!
Earthworm's punch hit nothing but air. Landing steadily, he turned his murky yellow eyes toward Moro, a hint of surprise flashing within them.
"He dodged…?"
His raspy voice carried a slight tremor, betraying his astonishment.
Ambushing targets from underground, launching a surprise attack—
That was his signature kill move, one that had never failed.
In coordinated hunts, no one had ever evaded his strike.
Yet tonight, this supposed prey had avoided it as if he could foresee the future.
Moro coldly assessed the attacker.
"Shadow Beast Earthworm."
"Oh? You're well-informed."
Earthworm did not attack again. Instead, he carefully examined Moro's aura and quickly determined his level.
Moro, in turn, gauged his opponent's aura strength—somewhere between Level 45 and Level 50.
During this brief standoff—
Another man, dressed in a jacket with slanted bangs, stepped forward from behind Earthworm.
At a glance, Moro instantly recognized him—another member of the Shadow Beasts.
Dokumushi (Poison Mosquito).
His aura was weaker than Earthworm's but still at least Level 40.
Now that Dokumushi was in position, Earthworm spoke in his signature quivering voice:
"Since you know who we are… don't even think about running away."
Moro remained silent, his aura sharpening into deadly points.
—Meanwhile, at the distant highway—
Zetsu Zetsura stood beside a black sedan and reported to the man inside:
"It's that young ability user we saw at the hotel yesterday. He's being targeted by the Shadow Beasts—Earthworm and Dokumushi."
Inside the car, Batra remained expressionless, indifferent to the situation.
Zetsu Zetsura easily read his reaction.
Even if Batra had other thoughts, he would immediately dissuade him.
When it came to the Ten Dons, it was best not to get involved.
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