Chapter 118: Human Fountain
In the Kailan Grand Hotel.
Riku had returned and informed Kurapika of the news that another member of the Phantom Troupe had been killed.
"Riku..."
Kurapika's voice choked up. This was originally something he should have done, yet Riku had stepped in to help, and taking such a massive risk at that.
This debt of gratitude was something he found difficult to repay.
"Captain! The situation is bad!"
Dalzoll suddenly exclaimed.
As a professional bodyguard, he frequently browsed the black market, gathering intelligence or purchasing relevant information.
But this time, when he logged onto the black market, he was shocked to see the most prominent headline.
"Highest bounty in history, 100 billion Jenny! Target: Riku!"
The website even thoughtfully included a photo of Riku.
"A 100 billion Jenny bounty!? Hiss—"
"Who is it? Who dares to put a bounty on the Captain in the black market!"
"Damn it! With a price like this, I'm afraid many assassins will take this order."
...
The group present was extremely worried.
The appearance of this astronomical bounty meant that the opponents Riku would face were no longer just those from before, but also countless hounds hiding in the shadows.
"To think they actually put a bounty on me? Hehe."
Riku narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the information. Barring any surprises, this bounty was highly likely placed by the Phantom Troupe. It seemed he had truly pushed them into a corner.
No matter.
He had plenty of time and energy to play with them.
Moreover...
Since the opponent was fully prepared for an all-out war with him, it was highly likely that his friends would be caught in the crossfire.
Therefore.
Days ago, Riku's Lightning Nen Beasts had already spread across more than half the city.
Especially near Gon, Killua, and the others, he had securely established their locations.
"Captain! I hear someone approaching! The heartbeats are wrong, highly likely enemies!"
The bald girl, Melody, exclaimed.
Upon hearing this, Dalzoll and the others experienced a drastic change in expression. Just as he was about to order the other team members to check the situation, they heard the sound of the hotel windows shattering.
Several black smoke bombs were tossed in!
"It's poison gas bombs!! Everyone, hold your breath!!"
Dalzoll shouted.
Even among the Mafia, the quantity of such poison gas bombs was extremely scarce. Only those top-tier assassination families and certain military organizations possessed them.
The moment the poison gas bombs rolled onto the floor, they instantly released a white mist.
The waiters outside the hotel corridor coughed violently after inhaling this mist. Within a few seconds, clutching their throats with expressions of immense agony, they turned purple and collapsed to the floor.
"Don't panic! Gather around me."
Riku narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings, and spoke calmly while holding his breath.
Hearing Riku's voice, all the team members present couldn't help but calm down.
They quickly gathered around Riku, each drawing their weapons, ready to face the impending attack.
An astonishing scene unfolded. Centered on Riku, an invisible spherical barrier formed within a 10-meter radius!
The poison gas outside this barrier was completely unable to penetrate even slightly!
"Amazing! Is this an application of Nen?"
Baise was incredibly surprised.
"Riku!!"
Kurapika cried out softly, as everyone was shocked to see raging flames erupt outside the hotel.
The entire hotel had actually been set on fire, all to deal with Riku's group.
Furthermore, a massive amount of artillery shells and bombs were thrown over.
BOOM—
Deafening explosions resounded.
Everyone's expression turned incredibly ugly. The opponents were clearly targeting Riku and the group, willing to destroy the entire hotel to do so.
Outside the hotel.
A silver-haired man with a scar on his face grinned savagely. Beside him stood other powerful individuals exuding dangerous auras.
Every single one was a Nen-using expert!
To be precise.
They were all people who had seen that astronomical bounty on the black market and came to try their luck.
Some belonged to assassination families, while others were lone wolves.
The astronomical price of 100 billion Jenny was enough to make them risk their lives for a gamble.
In addition, there were also Mafia members controlled by the Ten Dons; they were the ones responsible for the destruction, poison gas, and bomb attacks.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that group inside should be dead by now. How should we split the money then?"
"Hehe, you're far too naive. How could a monster with a 100 billion bounty on the black market die so easily? But barring any surprises, he must be heavily injured at least."
"If he isn't dead, then whoever gets his head first naturally gets the money."
"My thoughts exactly!"
...
It wasn't just these Nen experts standing in the open; many assassins were also hiding in the darkness.
They were like hyenas swarming at the scent of blood, ready to snatch meat even from a lion's mouth.
The entire hotel was burning fiercely in the flames.
Inside the hotel.
Riku remained standing quietly in place, with the others gathered around him. Every single one of them felt incredibly shocked.
Because everyone was surprised to find that, starting from where Riku stood, the area within a 10-meter radius remained completely intact.
Even the floor beneath their feet showed no signs of being scorched by the flames.
Moreover, they had all clearly heard the sounds of bombs and incendiary devices exploding just now.
This meant all the explosions were completely blocked out.
"So... so strong!!"
"The Captain is amazing!!"
"Hiss—This is the Captain's true strength!"
"Thank goodness we followed the Captain!!"
...
The team members following him couldn't help but gasp, their hearts filled with immense relief.
Choosing to follow the Captain was equivalent to obtaining a death-exemption medallion.
If they had faced this level of attack on their own, even with decent strength, they would absolutely be dead by now.
At the very least, not a single one of the team members present was capable of withstanding such a terrifying assault.
But for Riku, this was merely a drizzle.
"Riku... I'm afraid the Mafia is involved, and there are many assassins among them! We need to break out..."
Kurapika was somewhat worried.
"No matter, the good show is just beginning."
Riku sneered, an unprecedented coldness and bone-chilling intent flashing in his eyes.
Since they were ruthless, they couldn't blame him for being merciless.
Outside.
The numerous assassins were waiting quietly. They were like venomous snakes ready to strike from the darkness, or cheetahs on a hunt. Preparing to launch a fatal blow at the prey about to emerge.
Meanwhile, the Mafia leaders responsible for the fire, poison gas, and bomb attacks couldn't help but laugh out loud at their masterpiece. At least in their view, no one could survive such an environment.
The entire hotel had been bombed into collapse!
"Boss, that guy is definitely dead! Now we can go back and report to the Don!"
"If he's alive, I want to see him; if he's dead, I want to see his corpse. Even if he's dead, we have to take the corpse back. We can leave the head to these hyenas!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, for the Ten Dons to put a bounty on them, it just means their lives were too short."
...
The roaring flames illuminated the faces of these Mafia leaders, making their smiles even more savage.
But in the next second.
BOOM—
An even more violent explosion blasted out from within the hotel.
The entire hotel was practically blown to pieces, debris flying everywhere.
The flames seemed to spew out countless tongues of fire, spreading frantically in all directions.
In an instant, shrill, agonizing screams echoed through the night sky.
The Mafia members near the hotel ruins were caught off guard and their bodies were ignited by the flames.
Originally, it should have been fire they could simply pat out, but now it clung to them like maggots on a bone, continuously spreading. Within a single breath, these Mafia members engulfed by the flames turned into human torches.
They were like lit candles, the fire spreading madly.
The sudden explosion instantly threw the entire scene into chaos.
More than half of the several hundred Mafia members present were nearly swallowed by the flames in an instant, and some unlucky assassins were also completely enveloped.
Compared to ordinary people, they were much more resistant to fire, being Nen experts after all.
But no matter how they struggled, even rolling on the ground or jumping into water, these bizarre flames simply would not extinguish.
The others present watched in utter terror as these unlucky souls engulfed in flames gradually had their skin burned away, followed by their muscles and meridians. It was only when they were reduced to stark white skeletons that the flames finally stopped.
"Damn it... what just happened?"
"These flames are too bizarre, they can't be put out! This isn't the fire from the hotel at all!"
"It's Nen Fire!! Fuck! Why didn't those damn bastards mention this monster's ability in the bounty?"
"This guy can actually control fire? Everyone scatter!!"
...
The vast majority of the Mafia members present had already been wiped out in the first wave. The remaining ones scattered in all directions like startled birds and beasts.
Fear was spreading here.
The only ones who managed to hold out a bit longer were the assassins. Aside from a few unlucky ones taken out in the initial wave, most had managed to escape the flames.
Under everyone's incredibly shocked gazes.
A figure slowly walked out from the flames.
To be precise, it was a figure entirely ablaze with fire.
Gulp—
The sound of frantic swallowing echoed as all eyes uniformly locked onto this fiery figure. Cold sweat uncontrollably dripped down their foreheads.
As the flames gradually dissipated, the crowd finally saw clearly that the person walking out was precisely the one with the astronomical bounty, Riku.
There wasn't a single wound on his body. His upper garment had been burnt to ash by the fire, revealing his solid muscle definition!
At this moment, he looked like a Demon King walking straight out of a fiery purgatory.
"Ah?! Th-This guy..."
"Monster! He's a monster!"
"Why doesn't he have any wounds on him? What exactly is going on?"
"This guy can't be burned to death, this guy can control fire!"
...
Those Mafia members who had been scared out of their wits screamed in terror one by one.
As ordinary people, they simply couldn't comprehend these things.
Some guys, emboldened by their own evil, fired their guns frantically in Riku's direction!
Bang! Bang! Bang!—
Muffled and piercing gunshots exploded in the dark night.
"Right!! Shoot, shoot!! Hurry up and kill this monster, shoot him for me."
The Mafia leaders who snapped back to their senses roared hoarsely.
In their hearts was an unprecedented terror.
Even with firearms in their hands, they felt more like prey being hunted by a demon, hysterical with panic and fear.
A dense hail of bullets swarmed towards Riku.
Then, under their incredibly shocked gazes, all these bullets stopped dead in their tracks, floating in the air in front of Riku.
"..."
Silence!
A deathly silence!!
For these ordinary people, such a scene was something they couldn't imagine in a lifetime.
As ordinary Mafia members, having a gun in hand was enough to let them run amok and act recklessly in society.
Yet right before their eyes, they suddenly discovered that their proud firearms were completely useless.
Fire!
Riku snapped his fingers, and instantly, flames blazed around him once more. The bullets floating in the air rapidly melted into molten iron.
Then, they transformed into countless tiny, scorching hot steel needles.
This bizarre scene was simply scalp-tingling to watch.
It wasn't just them.
In reality, Kurapika and the others in the hotel ruins behind him were also completely dumbfounded.
It was simply far too shocking.
One could imagine the scene of thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of steel needles materializing.
They were all true Nen experts!
But it was precisely because of this that they understood the astonishing difficulty of achieving such an effect. This meant one had to split their aura into countless minute strands to control the forging of each steel needle!
In just a single breath, all the bullets melted and turned into steel needles, and their number had multiplied by at least ten times.
Riku raised his head, his eyes seemingly burning with fire. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing his stark white teeth.
Like the smile of a demon from hell.
Or a Grim Reaper raising his scythe to harvest lives.
With a wave of his hand!
Instantly, these steel needles shot out in all directions like a torrential rain covering the sky.
Seeing this, even those powerful assassins felt unprecedented terror and palpitation.
Every single one of them brought out their ultimate defensive moves.
The fine rain of the heavenly streets falls as smooth as silk!
The speed of the steel needles was incredibly fast, almost impossible for the eye to track in the air. Those Mafia members who had just fired at Riku barely had any time to react.
In just a split second, countless steel needles pierced right through their bodies.
They remained standing in place, their expressions still frozen in a state of terrified stupor, stiff as stone statues.
In the next second.
Beads of blood began to appear on the surface of their skin; to be precise, they were tiny puncture wounds.
Like a mineral water bottle pricked with countless holes, blood spurted out from these tiny punctures.
Pfft!
Pfft!
Pfft, pfft, pfft!!
Blood completely blossomed in this moment.
Painting an incredibly beautiful array of colors. It wasn't just these Mafia members; some relatively weaker assassins also instantly turned into human blood fountains on the spot.
This was an unprecedentedly grand feast of blood!
☆☆☆
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