---
The next day.
Kai arrived at the hotel early in the morning.
"My lord, here's everything—the active gangs in the city, along with the school faculty and their zones of influence..."
Though he hadn't slept all night, Aruba looked refreshed and alert.
"If you've got questions, just ask."
Seeing Aruba's conflicted expression, Kai spoke without even looking up.
"My lord, if it's about making money, you could open casinos, collect protection fees, or run smuggling operations. But... this school thing…"
From his perspective, schools didn't have much profit potential.
After all, how high could tuition fees even go?
Hearing the words making money, Machi quietly stopped what she was doing and walked over.
Kai glanced at her and thought with a smirk, Little money-grubber.
He put the documents aside.
"Of course I know those other methods are lucrative, but if we're talking about long-term, scalable profit—nothing beats real estate."
Hospitals, schools, commercial zones… once you develop the infrastructure, property values in the surrounding areas skyrocket.
Then you can use loan schemes to drain every last penny from the locals.
People are even willing to gamble away their next thirty years for a slice of that dream.
In this chaotic world ruled by gangs and power,
Land is far more valuable than they realize.
Kai didn't bother explaining further.
"Money can wait. First, we consolidate the gang forces in the city."
That was Kai's initial strategic goal.
No matter what business you want to run—you need control first!
---
Following Aruba's intel, Kai and his team split up and launched a blitz on the city's underworld.
It took just three days to dismantle the local gangs and unify them into one massive crime syndicate.
"Aruba, when it comes to infiltrating official channels, do it properly."
"If a problem can be solved with money, don't be stingy. Get them on our side."
"And those who won't play ball... I trust you know what to do."
Gangsters will always be gangsters.
If you want to scale operations, you need official cooperation.
Brute force alone won't cut it.
"Understood, my lord."
"I've also left you a ton of gold in the basement. If you run short on funds, use that."
For Kai, converting gold into usable currency wasn't difficult anymore.
It still held high value, but with his Nen ability growing stronger by the day,
Creating gold had become easier and easier.
Still, he didn't want to rely on it too heavily.
Dumping too much gold into the market would disrupt the economy and crash prices.
Plus, he needed to prioritize.
He was building a syndicate to serve him—not the other way around.
If he had to do everything himself, what was the point?
He'd be better off forming a small, elite combat unit like the Phantom Troupe.
But more importantly—
Kai had recently discovered that his Nen ability, [Virtual Reality], wasn't truly limitless.
When he tried to conjure too many items at once, the process would fail.
Even with enough aura, he couldn't materialize 100 million chopsticks in a single attempt.
He hadn't yet found the exact limit, but it varied by object type.
I wonder if the limit scales as my strength grows... Kai mused.
---
After laying out the development plan for Aruba, Kai and his team returned.
Aboard the airship—
"Kai, are we targeting Elder Lido specifically? Or are we wiping out the entire Council of Elders?" Nobunaga asked, his voice low and filled with killing intent.
Kai had shared his theory with everyone days earlier.
Logically, they had no real grudge against the Ten Dons.
They'd never crossed paths—not even once.
Why would the Council spend a fortune hiring the Zoldyck family just to eliminate them?
With every other option ruled out, the most improbable answer was the truth.
Uvogin didn't care. He tore into a drumstick and growled, "Let's kill that raccoon first. If the council gets in the way, we kill them too."
Killing might not solve every problem.
But it solves most of them—fast and clean.
Kai scratched his chin. "Meteor City is also part of my plan. Aside from Lido, we won't touch the other elders unless necessary."
"They've been managing things for years—might still be useful."
"But if they resist... well—" he chuckled darkly.
He wasn't trying to be edgy.
It was just the truth.
If they didn't obey, they'd meet the same fate Uvogin had in mind.
Since they weren't in a rush, their return trip was much slower than before.
They even made a stop—Kai found a legendary blade for Nobunaga.
Forged centuries ago by a master smith, it looked unimpressive, but the aura it gave off was unmistakable.
Back in Meteor City—
"…So that's the plan, Chrollo. What do you think?"
Instead of going after Elder Lido immediately, Kai summoned Chrollo and laid everything out.
Chrollo listened quietly, his expression unreadable.
After a long pause, he replied calmly, "Not interested. Do whatever you want."
Straightforward and blunt.
Kai just smiled.
He had already predicted this outcome.
Whether or not Chrollo accepted didn't matter.
Someone as proud as him would never fall under someone else's command.
He might look detached, but his ego burned brighter than most.
"But I'll help you take down the Council of Elders."
"Deal."
Kai didn't hesitate.
Some things didn't need to be said out loud.
Chrollo was simply repaying his past debt for saving his life.
After this, they'd be even.
Chrollo's request didn't quite fit with Kai's plan, but if the job got done, that's what counted.
"We'll take out the elders from Sectors 3 and 4."
"You handle the rest."
Without waiting for further discussion, Chrollo took Franklin and the others and left.
"Franklin, Pakunoda, Feitan... they've all learned Nen now," Kai noted inwardly.
In the time that had passed, they'd all grown stronger.
Even Pakunoda, who hadn't awakened Nen the last time they met, was now controlling her aura skillfully.
I wonder if they've developed their own abilities... Kai pondered.
Judging by Chrollo's confidence, probably.
Who would've guessed the first target of the Phantom Troupe... would be the Council of Meteor City?
No... not the Phantom Troupe. I won't let you become those people again.
Kai looked at Machi, the corner of his lips curving into a quiet smile.
Without Machi, Nobunaga, and Uvogin… would the Phantom Troupe even exist?
---