In the fantastical world of the Six Continents, no one knows which race might possess unique abilities and special constitutions. The Kurta Clan, with their distinctive traits, is something that even Morin finds tempting. If he had the chance, he would also want such additional abilities!
For the V5, such a constitution is something they would never let slip by. Gaining an extra Nen ability would exponentially increase the power under their command. Whether it's for future expeditions to the Dark Continent or strengthening their rule and power on the Six Continents, it would be nothing but beneficial.
Thus, sending their forces to annihilate the Kurta Clan seems justifiable. Unfortunately, the Kurta Clan managed to escape the crisis brought by the Phantom Troupe, only to fall into the pursuit of the V5. The Kurta Clan had long secluded themselves in these mountains, unknown to others. Perhaps it was to prevent others from coveting their Scarlet Eyes, or to keep the secret of their ability to possess two Nen abilities from being exposed.
The Kurta Clan knew that once these secrets were revealed, they would never have peaceful days again. Now, the fears of the Kurta Clan's ancestors have become reality. The name of the Kurta Clan has become history. Perhaps they will be remembered in history books for their Scarlet Eyes, one of the seven most beautiful colors in the world. But eventually, they will likely fade into obscurity.
This time, it was the V5 who acted, unlike the original Phantom Troupe, ensuring no one escaped to spread the word. Even so, they took precautions by disguising themselves as the Phantom Troupe during the massacre. This way, if any Kurta Clan members managed to escape, they would blame the Phantom Troupe, not the righteous leaders of the V5.
"It seems the Phantom Troupe still hasn't caught the attention of the V5, or they wouldn't so carelessly pin the blame on them," Morin sighed, shaking his head. "Perhaps, as Chrollo suggested, it's time to show the V5 our stance."
"Of course, all of this is just my personal speculation. To know the real situation, we need to consult an expert." The expert he referred to was none other than the internet-savvy, game-addicted youth, Ishukube, who seemed to know everything about the web's secrets and news.
After settling Baise, Morin entered the online world. "Looking for recent intel and news on the V5?" Ishukube, with his graffiti-covered face, thought for a moment and then pulled out a card. "Those guys are tricky, with Nen users specifically protecting their network. Getting intel from them is a bit..."
"If you succeed, I'll give you ideas for three new games," Morin offered a deal Ishukube couldn't refuse. After all, Morin had countless game ideas from his previous life: shooting games like CS, strategy games like Red Alert, RPGs like Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, Grand Theft Auto, and more.
"Really?!" Ishukube's graffiti face lit up at Morin's offer. "Leave it to me!" He accepted the task decisively. The virtual network space around them brightened as colorful data streams zipped through the space, flickering on and off.
Time passed slowly. Even for Ishukube, the uncrowned king of the virtual network, facing the massive network built by the V5 was challenging. However, the uncrowned king, though without a crown, was still called a king. Morin watched as the surrounding data streams gradually calmed down.
"Done!" Ishukube wiped the sweat off his graffiti face, almost smudging his artwork. A small USB drive appeared before him. "This contains what you want."
"Thanks!" Morin took the USB drive and vanished instantly. "I'll send you the games later."
"Make it quick!!"
Back in his room, Morin plugged the USB into his computer and meticulously reviewed the V5 intel. Ishukube had taken great risks to obtain this data, so even though it was incomplete, it was enough for Morin to understand the whole story.
After the last image disappeared from the computer screen, Morin exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair. "I understand why even someone like Netero, who rarely meddles in V5 affairs, chose to stay out of this."
The Kurta Clan massacre was indeed orchestrated by the V5. Their goal was to acquire the Scarlet Eyes' secondary Nen ability to enhance their power and influence, and to prepare for future expeditions to the Dark Continent. They sent elite forces, as Morin had suspected, disguised as Phantom Troupe members, to wipe out the Kurta Clan completely, leaving no survivors.
However, some were spared by the V5. Among the survivors were men, women, teenagers, and the elderly, but the majority were children. The V5 knocked them out and took them away, even taking some corpses in batches, while the rest had their eyes gouged out.
Seeing this, Morin's gaze turned serious. He could guess why the V5 spared some lives and took some corpses. To study the Kurta Clan's Scarlet Eyes and discover the method to construct a secondary Nen ability, they needed samples from the Kurta Clan's constitution. For research, living subjects provide the most authentic responses...
The footage ended with the V5 transporting the Kurta Clan members away. The situation inside the V5 headquarters, especially the research on the Kurta Clan, was undoubtedly heavily guarded. Ishukube had done well to get this far. At least Morin had a full view of the V5's actions and intentions.
"Netero probably guessed the truth and the experiments, which is why he chose not to get involved," Morin mused. "But since this involves the Phantom Troupe, it can't just be let go."
Morin had no particular feelings about the Kurta Clan's tragic fate. It wasn't his doing; in fact, he had inadvertently helped them avoid the Phantom Troupe's hunt, allowing them a few more years of life. In that sense, Morin was a minor benefactor to them. He had done all he could for the Kurta Clan and didn't intend to interfere further.
Now, the V5 was his, and the Phantom Troupe's, primary target.
Chrollo acted swiftly. Upon confirming that their next target was the formidable V5, he immediately contacted the members. Ignoring Uvogin's wild talk about storming the V5's countries and twisting off their leaders' heads, Chrollo made arrangements for each member.
"Given that the V5 is an organization we can't currently contend with, a full-scale attack is off the table for now. When the time is right, we'll return the injustice we've suffered," he said with a smile. "But we can still collect some interest."
This meeting was held online. With technical support from Ishukube, all the Phantom Troupe members joined the meeting and received Chrollo's orders. The V5 is an alliance of the world's five strongest countries, akin to a certain organization from Morin's previous world. Each country's strength is undeniably formidable.
Chrollo's idea of "collecting interest" involved the Troupe members causing trouble in these countries, making life difficult for them in various ways. Clearly, Chrollo was rational enough not to engage in a direct confrontation with the V5, knowing they couldn't win.
"Just as well, I've been hearing some fools badmouthing us, which is quite annoying," Feitan said with a hint of irritation, clearly not in a good mood. Phinks, beside him, seemed equally agitated.
"Still bothered by those idiots?" Uvogin said nonchalantly, picking his nose. "Nobunaga and I have already taken care of a few."
With the Phantom Troupe's "misdeeds" exposed, many places had people foolishly cursing them, which annoyed Phinks and Feitan. The cities they were in had already seen various disturbances. As for Uvogin, wherever he went, chaos followed.
"Be careful," Franklin, the big brother, advised. "The V5 has deep roots, and there might be some unknown, unpredictable Nen users." Before the official action, he reminded everyone once more. The others had no objections until...