There were two palace-like buildings in the garden, one large and one small, separated by a distance of a hundred meters.
Law retracted his En and activated [Sky Walk], stepping on the air to cross the hundred-meter gap and land on the roof of the smaller palatial building.
He then expanded his En again, scanning the interior of the building for any movement.
The En formed a circular field with a diameter of two hundred meters, permeating every corner of the structure. Compared to his Domain, En emitted much weaker Aura fluctuations and consumed far less Aura.
Inside one of the rooms in the building, two men in casual clothes stood facing each other.
Law's En swept over them, penetrating their bodies before continuing to expand and probe deeper into the building.
As the En passed over them, the two men's bodies instinctively reacted, twitching slightly as if stimulated.
"Prepare for combat."
One of the men paled, his Aura flaring up instantly. The other man did the same, his nerves stretched to the limit.
On the roof, Law's gaze shifted toward the room where the two men were located, his eyes seemingly piercing through the walls.
'Second floor. Only two people.'
Through the tactile feedback provided by En, he could sense that the two had reacted to its presence.
Whether these two were the expected enemies or not, subduing them first was the priority.
Law's figure flickered, vanishing from the roof and darting into the building.
After confirming the targets' location, he didn't retract his En nor take the normal route. Instead, he used his Nen Ability to carve circular holes through the walls of each room as he advanced.
'Holding their ground in the room? Are they setting up an ambush?'
As Law moved swiftly, he monitored the movements of the two human-shaped figures through his En. The result was that they were staying put, refusing to relocate even after being detected. This suggested their Nen Abilities might be suited for ambushes.
As he closed in on their location, Law retracted his En and quietly approached the room from above, stopping near the window.
With a flick of his fingers, he cut a perfect circle into the floor.
Below him was the room where the two men were… one standing near the door, the other by the window.
At that moment, a sound came from the ceiling as a circular section of the floor, nearly two meters in diameter, dropped straight toward the man by the window.
"Watch out!"
The man guarding the door immediately raised his hands, aiming at the hole in the ceiling, while the man by the window threw himself to the side, dodging the falling debris.
Bang!
With a loud crash, the heavy floor shattered, sending up a cloud of dust.
Instead of jumping down through the hole, Law moved above the door and lightly stomped, breaking through the floor and dropping into the second-floor room.
The man guarding the door was highly alert and spun around instantly, but Law was far faster, circling behind him in a flash and pressing a palm lightly against his back.
[Soft Strike]
The man's shirt exploded outward from his chest as he vomited a mouthful of blood and collapsed unconscious.
After neutralizing the first target, Law pushed off the ground and lunged at the second man, who had just scrambled to his feet.
Before the man could react, Law drove a fist into his gut, making him cough blood before he too lost consciousness.
When the nature of an enemy's Nen Ability was unknown, striking swiftly and decisively was the best approach.
Even if the threat level was negligible, it was crucial not to give it a chance to manifest.
Thus, treating every enemy with caution and seriousness was the mark of a seasoned Hunter.
Law grabbed the two unconscious men and carried them out of the room, swiftly returning to the room where Clover and Salin were waiting.
Clover was startled to see Law return so soon, carrying two bloodied and unconscious men.
Without hesitation, Law tossed the two men onto the floor and then, right in front of Clover, he extracted their still-beating hearts.
"You..."
Clover's face was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
"These two were the ones sent to 'escort' me away?" Law asked with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Clover nodded with difficulty.
Seeing this, Law sighed and said, "I really am being completely underestimated."
Even though his heart had been sealed into a book by Law's Nen Ability, Clover could still feel his own heartbeat accelerating.
"Salin, leave this to me. You head back to the company first." Law said, turning to Salin. When outsiders were present, he always addressed her by her name… only in private did he call her 'senior sister'.
"Will this be troublesome?" Salin asked.
"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself."
Law shrugged. Regarding that high-ranking cabinet official, he only had suspicions… no concrete information. That was why he had captured these two men alive, hoping to extract some answers.
"Then..." Salin glanced at Clover, whose face had turned slightly pale, "Should we find another collaborator?"
"Is there anyone more suitable than Mr. Clover?" Law smiled as he looked at Clover.
Salin thought for a moment before shaking her head, "Nothing comes to mind right now, but I can look into it when I get back."
"Then it's fine. You go ahead." Law said.
Salin hesitated briefly before warning, "Be careful."
"Got it." Law replied with a nod.
Salin quickly assessed the situation and left without hesitation. Earlier, Law had helped her extract the Zombie Powder, sparing her from a major problem.
At that moment, a voice came from the miniature communicator in Clover's ear.
Law's ear twitched slightly, and he casually scratched it with his pinky.
Seeing this, Clover shuddered slightly and pressed a button on his coat, "It's fine, don't come over."
After releasing the button, he said, "Even though you detected the Zombie Powder, both you and Salin still drank it. Shouldn't you-"
Law cut him off, "You really underestimate Hunters."
Clover fell silent. He had interacted with many Hunters before and often entrusted them with difficult tasks, so he had never looked down on them. But Law was far more formidable than any Hunter he had ever encountered.
And that capability wasn't just limited to strength.
Shifting his attention, Law looked at the two unconscious men on the floor. With a heart in each hand, he suddenly clenched his fists… then immediately released them, as if performing a cardiac defibrillation.
Thud. Thud.
Two dull sounds followed, and the unconscious men abruptly opened their eyes, sitting up with a start.
Seeing this, Law slightly increased the pressure on their hearts. The two men gritted their teeth, refusing to scream, though veins bulged on their foreheads.
When they saw the hearts in Law's hands, realization dawned on them. They exchanged a quick glance, as if reaching some silent decision.
Noticing this, Law frowned… but before he could react, blood silently seeped from the men's eyes, noses, and mouths as they collapsed sideways.
"You killed them?" Clover asked.
Law ignored him, staring at the hearts in his hands. They were still beating, but the rhythm and strength had noticeably weakened.
'How decisive...'
'Well, no matter. There are plenty of other methods. If this one fails, I'll just find another.'
With that thought, Law tossed the hearts back onto the men's bodies before turning to Clover with a harmless smile.
"Mr. Clover, I think we still have room for cooperation. It just depends on how you choose to grasp it."