Xiang Nan's squad had indeed sped up their hunts.
In under two months, they captured four more test subjects—that is, four more Nen users. These prey were mostly from small mafia families.
Yet even though they had high-tech firearms as trump cards and drew up thorough battle plans, the squad still sustained casualties over those two months. Their eight members dwindled to four.
It wasn't that Xiang Nan's strategies weren't meticulous, but some of these targets boasted Nen abilities, backed by their mafia networks. Unsurprisingly, that led to unforeseen mishaps during the hunts. After all, they'd only just begun hunting Nen users, and the rest of the team had little understanding of Nen or experience fighting Nen users.
Meanwhile, their "poison gas tactics" couldn't be used again.
So Xiang Nan wasn't surprised about the death toll.
Moreover, their activities were limited to the territory of the Republic of Padokea. Once they left the country, they couldn't get support from the military base. Even with relatively few captured Nen users, there were still "ripples" in the underworld.
Some mafias were already taking notice that a certain power was undermining grassroots criminal organizations inside a territory belonging to one of the Ten Dons.
After the Zatobi Family passed this info on to Xiang Nan, he realized it was time to abort the operation. If the Ten Dons got wind of things, there'd be no easy end.
Another issue: from Mia's intel, it seemed that the deaths of Kai and Makosi had angered the Elders of Meteor City, who now sought revenge. Xiang Nan and company had ruined part of Meteor City's "business." Given that group's vengeful nature, they wouldn't let the killers off easily.
Hence, Xiang Nan decided not to escalate further.
From the start, this hunting operation was meant to help him understand Nen and open the door to Nen abilities. Now that goal was achieved, there was no need to push it. Causing a stir with the Ten Dons or provoking large-scale bounties from Padokea's underworld—events that might reach the highest levels of government—would impact Xiang Nan's position in the military, too.
…
One day, Xiang Nan sat in a hotel room, watching a videotape sent by the Zatobi Family.
On screen, wearing a black coat, was Xiang Nan himself, in the midst of "research" on a Nen user. To an outsider, the methods looked extremely brutal. But the camera seemed only to catch his back, for a few seconds, with no full frontal view. From behind, he looked every bit the doctor.
"Heh… I thought we'd wiped all traces, but it looks like we missed something," Xiang Nan chuckled.
He spoke toward a phone on the table, on speaker.
"This footage was apparently restored—at least partly—by some Nen user," came Mia's cool voice from the phone.
"All I got was this snippet. No telling whether they recovered the entire recording or caught your actual face. Word is, certain mafias have put a bounty on you. These past few weeks, most mafia families around the Republic of Padokea who hire Nen users have been lying low—seems they're rattled by what you guys did."
"Is that so?" Xiang Nan sounded amused, not seeming to care much. A mafia bounty was no joke; if he were seen by underworld forces, he could be ambushed at any time.
"They're calling you 'Dr. Death'—some say 'Jackal Doctor'…" Mia sighed. She knew Xiang Nan's fearlessness stemmed from his military ties. "If they really want you, they'll have to deal with the army."
"A new nickname, huh?" Xiang Nan raised an eyebrow. "Sounds decent."
"Captain."
Right then, someone opened the door. Garo entered and gave Xiang Nan a look.
"They're ready."
"Keep me posted," Xiang Nan told Mia, then hung up. He rose and left.
Soon, he took a taxi to the outskirts of the city and then walked into an abandoned building. Back in Kotaki City now, for one last job. Given how stirred up the underworld was, and how they might be targeting him, he'd brought his "prey" here instead.
On a mid-level floor, he'd set up a simple clinic with various medical gear. And on a bed lay a woman—a Specialist-type Nen user.
Specialists were the rarest among Nen users, since the Specialist category typically involved people with strong individuality, leadership qualities, powerful thought processes, and sometimes a bit of "craziness." They were the most unique out of the six major Nen types. Xiang Nan's squad had spent great effort to capture her. Today would be his final day of "research" on her—an important day for him.
"You can all head out now," Xiang Nan told Garo and the other two, standing by the bed.
"Yes, sir."
They exchanged glances and went outside to stand guard.
With a quick look at the equipment readouts and vitals, Xiang Nan commanded the woman—who'd already had brain surgery—to unconsciously vent her aura, just as he'd done before. As with Makosi, she let that life energy run wild without any conscious direction, meaning Xiang Nan could observe and "touch" it safely.
Like before, the specialist's aura soon surged through the space, stirring the bed and stirring dust off the concrete floor. Because this level's windows were broken, it wasn't fully sealed, so the energy wouldn't be as concentrated, thus less threatening to Xiang Nan.
The monitors beeped frantically, setting off harsh alarms. Xiang Nan frowned. After a few minutes, the woman's hair hung in a ragged mess, her skin withered, her life spent. Eventually the systems quieted, the woman dead.
The moment the readouts settled, Xiang Nan opened his eyes. A faint smile curved his lips. He slowly lifted his hand, noticing something intangible—"qi," swirling around his fingertips. It was a curious state: colorless and shapeless, yet he could distinctly "see" and feel it. His life energy.
"I've done it."
He murmured softly. True to the timeline he'd guessed, he'd finally taken his first step through the "Nen" gateway. It'd been four and a half months since finishing the second Extinction round, dedicating himself to Nen practice. That's quite a decent speed—costly, too. They'd exploited a huge amount of resources, plus a top-notch military squad at his disposal. But it paid off.
"And this is only the beginning," Xiang Nan mused. The more he learned, the clearer it became: he'd merely gained the right to sit in the audience, nowhere near actually onstage.
First he'd build a solid foundation in the four basic Nen skills, then figure out what his actual Hatsu (Nen ability) might be. Xiang Nan already had an inkling which type of Nen he'd belong to.
~~~
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