An abnormally massive physique, coupled with a bizarre biological structure.
To onlookers, it resembled a child's whimsical, illogical doodle.
That was the impression Chimera gave others.
Considering the abruptly silenced commotion earlier and the bloodstains splattered all over Chimera's body, those present could easily guess what had happened.
A sense of fear toward Chimera naturally welled up in their hearts.
And when they saw this terrifying monster docilely lower its body, pressing its blood-soaked head against Morrow's feet, an additional chill ran down their spines, accompanied by an indescribable sense of absurdity, leaving them trembling silently.
Morena watched Chimera in silence.
She knew Morrow was the champion of the Battle Olympia.
After their parting in Kakin, she had taken some time to delve deeper into Morrow's background.
Thus, she learned that among the prizes for the Battle Olympia champion was a magical beast Egg.
Though there was no concrete evidence, she had a faint suspicion... This bizarre creature before her, defying all logic, was a magical beast hatched from that Egg, one beyond human comprehension.
While Morena's attention was captivated by Chimera, Morrow quietly observed Morena.
He pondered, at this point in time, whether Morena's ability, Contagion, With Etude of Love, had been fully perfected.
Regarding the ability's specific mechanics, Nen awakened at level 21, and a significant boost in Nen output occurred at level 51. Were there further progressive enhancements after that?
If so, was the next so-called "level-up evolution" stage at level 81?
Morrow didn't know.
Seeing Morena again now, he could only confirm one thing: after reaching level 71, no evolutionary phenomenon had occurred.
Gregg and Eros, tasked with Morena's safety, tensed up upon noticing where Morrow's gaze was fixed.
They tightened their nerves, subtly adjusting their stances, ready to respond at any moment.
Morrow noticed Gregg and Eros's movements, his eyes shifting to sweep over them.
He recognized these two; they were the top combatants of the Heil-Ly Family.
But he recalled that they only took orders from the current head of the Heil-Ly Family and had no direct affiliation with Morena. He wondered why they were with her now.
Morrow's eyelids lowered slightly, his expression thoughtful.
After eliminating Porcupine and Slug, he had originally planned to leave immediately. But upon seeing Morena, new ideas surfaced.
It wasn't about extracting more information on Contagion, With Etude of Love from her, but rather considering the relationship between the Heil-Ly Family and Kakin's Fourth Prince, Tserriednich.
Morrow knew Morena would eventually betray Tserriednich; it was only a matter of biding time for the right opportunity.
So he wondered if he should approach Morena, using her as an entry point to investigate the location where Tserriednich stored the Scarlet Eyes.
Or perhaps, more decisively in the future, under the premise of mutual benefit, leverage Morena to eliminate Tserriednich, thus settling the matter once and for all.
Even if I were to make contact, now is not the time.
Morrow thought to himself. He knew that Gregg and Eros only took orders from the current head of the Heil-Ly Family.
If he wanted to use Morena to investigate the location of Tserriednich's Scarlet Eyes collection chamber, he would at least need Morena to secure the position of family head.
Given this, there was no need to rush.
With this thought, Morrow abruptly turned and walked toward the devastated entrance.
"Roar!"
Seeing Morrow move, Chimera arched its neck and swiftly raised its head, sweeping a predatory gaze over the crowd of guests ahead.
This gaze, more dangerous than any wild beast's, instantly sent tremors of fear through the assembled guests.
A flicker of human-like mockery flashed in Chimera's eyes before it turned its massive body and followed behind Morrow.
Man and beast emerged from the Kandeli Building.
On the open ground before the building lay hundreds of corpses.
About two-thirds of them had been pierced by Morrow's Shooting Stars and remained relatively intact.
The remaining bodies, however, were gruesomely mangled.
These were Chimera's work, a brutal massacre completely divorced from the purpose of feeding.
Morrow glanced at the bloodied remains scattered across the nearby ground, surmising that these gang members had likely been torn apart by Chimera's tail strikes.
Even without the amplification of Life Energy, Chimera possessed such destructive power. Combined with its innate ability to dwell in magma, it truly lived up to being a species superior to magical beasts.
Morrow withdrew his gaze and leaped onto Chimera's back.
Chimera lifted its head with a cry and soared into the night sky.
With Morrow's departure, the guests in the hall collectively sighed in relief.
Despite their formidable mental fortitude, having narrowly escaped death left them weakened, many collapsing to the floor.
Gregg and Eros exchanged glances, seeing mutual relief in each other's eyes.
Morena stared at the wrecked entrance, resting her index finger horizontally against her chin, her eyes filled with contemplation.
At that moment, gang members continued to arrive at the Kandeli Building.
But all they found were corpses strewn across the ground and the long-dead bodies of Porcupine and Slug in the hall.
Including Rabid Dog and Bat from the weapons warehouse... Tonight, nearly half of the Ten Dons' proud Shadow Beast Squad had been wiped out.
And the perpetrator was just one man.
"Split up. One team comforts the guests, the rest check for survivors."
"Damn... Was it really just one person?!"
A heavy gloom settled over the gang members who arrived at the scene.
What kind of terrifying monster could single-handedly decimate the gang's strongest Shadow Beast Squad and a nearly 500-strong armed force?
Soon, a detailed report of the attack was presented to the Ten Dons, who controlled everything from behind the scenes.
When the Ten Dons learned that four Shadow Beasts had died in the assault, even these veterans of countless storms couldn't maintain their composure, their faces darkening with gloom.
"Find out the full story before midnight," ordered one of the Ten Dons, his eyes shadowed with menace.
The gang members under their command proved somewhat capable, managing to investigate Morrow's origins and identity, as well as his reasons for attacking the weapons warehouse and subsequently assaulting the Kandeli Building that very night, all before the deadline.
When all the information was laid before the Ten Dons, within moments, all the Ten Dons present turned their gaze toward one individual.
That person was Gambino.
Facing the scrutinizing looks from the other Ten Dons, Gambino wore a gloomy expression, unusually restless as if sitting on pins and needles.
Previously, his son Nolan had misused his authority to dispatch the Shadow Beasts, ultimately leading to the deaths of Mosquito and Worm.
To settle the matter at that time, Gambino had been forced to concede numerous benefits.
Little did he expect... Tonight's attack was once again connected to Morrow.
Last time, it was the Shadow Beasts Mosquito and Worm who had initiated the assault on Morrow. Their failure and subsequent deaths left no grounds for justification; they were simply incompetent fools.
This time, however, it was gang members who suddenly attacked Morrow, triggering the ensuing chain of events.
After reviewing the report, the Ten Dons couldn't help but suspect that Gambino had privately mobilized forces to attack Morrow in Yorknew to avenge his son Nolan.
"Do you really think... I would do something so foolish?"
Gambino spoke with a dark expression.
Having risen to his position, how could he make such a stupid decision driven by personal feelings?
He had already been deeply angered by Nolan's overstep back then, which was why he had personally gone to deliver a stern warning.
Yet Nolan had completely ignored his caution.
In that case, he had only himself to blame for his death.
When forced to choose between the gang's interests and family ties, Gambino would unhesitatingly prioritize the former.
Thus, facing the scrutinizing and doubtful gazes of the other Ten Dons, Gambino was in no mood for pleasantries.
The assembled Ten Dons, after all, understood Gambino well and did not press the issue further, patiently awaiting the latest investigation results.
Subsequently, the various actions of Pavel and his group, who hailed from Meteor City and had left their posts without authorization, were presented to the Ten Dons in the form of a report.
The Ten Dons had not earned their reputation as the world's highest leaders of the underworld for nothing.
With just a glance at the report, they detected a strikingly familiar scent.
"Meteor City..."
One of the Ten Dons snorted coldly.
Accustomed to using others as pawns, they easily discerned Pavel's intentions after piecing together the intelligence.
For such a betrayal, attempting to manipulate them as tools, they could hardly maintain a favorable disposition.
But what truly displeased them was... Despite knowing the full context, they had no choice but to plunge headlong into the situation.
After all, the losses this time were far too severe.
If they didn't reclaim their standing, it would only damage their prestige and reputation.
"This matter must be settled thoroughly."
"And Meteor City cannot be let off so easily!"
Cold bloodlust simmered in the eyes of the Ten Dons.
—--
Chimera flew away from Yorknew City and landed on a rocky mountain in the surrounding desert.
Late into the night, Menchi and Kurapika also arrived at the rocky mountain to reunite with Morrow.
Since they had already entrusted the auction matters to Ging, there was no need for them to return to Yorknew; they could simply wait here.
"I still need to make a trip."
But Morrow intended to meet with Morena, necessitating another visit to Yorknew.
Hearing this, Menchi asked in surprise, "Didn't we already leave the matters to Ging?"
"It's about something else."
Morrow paused at this point, glanced at Kurapika, and said softly, "It's also related to the Scarlet Eyes."
Hearing it involved the Scarlet Eyes, Kurapika's expression shifted slightly.
"Morrow, is it about the whereabouts of other Scarlet Eyes?"
"You could say that."
Morrow looked at Kurapika and said, "I originally planned to tell you about this when the time was more appropriate."
Kurapika pursed his lips, hesitating to speak.
He desperately wanted to ask about the whereabouts of his clansmen's eyes but worried it might affect Morrow's judgment and actions.
Morrow, however, didn't overthink it.
"Tserriednich, the Fourth Prince of Kakin, is an obsessive organ collector. He likely possesses many Scarlet Eyes."
As he said this, Morrow observed Kurapika's reaction and could clearly see a trace of anger in his expression.
An organ collector.
Whenever the whereabouts of the Scarlet Eyes were involved, it inevitably tied back to this identity.
Morrow continued, "Kakin has three major mafia families. Each of these families is closely linked to a prince of Kakin, you could even say they are the princes' shadowy subordinates."
"And one of these mafia forces, called the Heil-Ly Family, is backed by the very Tserriednich I just mentioned."
"If we want to seize the Scarlet Eyes from him, we must consider the risks involved."
When mentioning the risks, Morrow's tone remained calm.
There was one thing he didn't mention.
That was Beyond, currently lying low in Kakin.
If they were to target Tserriednich, it might draw out Beyond, and that would be the most troublesome issue.
Without elaborating on this point, Morrow went on:
"Last time in Kakin, I encountered someone from the Heil-Ly Family. Coincidentally, I ran into her again tonight. The reason I need to go back is to start with her and see if I can uncover the whereabouts of Tserriednich's batch of Scarlet Eyes."
"After all, Tserriednich is a prince of a major nation. If we can retrieve the Scarlet Eyes in a more secure way, that would be ideal."
In the face of a superpower like Kakin, even top-tier experts like Netero couldn't act recklessly.
Let alone them, who hadn't yet firmly established themselves among the first-rate.
After hearing Morrow's explanation, Kurapika finally understood why Morrow had said to wait for the right time...
He was probably worried that Kurapika would lose his composure and act impulsively.
Kurapika wanted to say that he wasn't the same as before; he wouldn't be easily swayed by emotions anymore.
But in the end, he remained silent.
He knew... Everything Morrow considered and did was for his sake.
—--
Evening of September 5th.
Ging attended the auction held at Southernpiece that night.
Following Menchi's request, he spent 820 million to bid on one of the Seven Chef's Knives.
However, when it came to bidding for the Scarlet Eyes, he encountered a tenacious competitor.
The other party seemed equally determined to secure the Scarlet Eyes. After a fierce bidding war, the price of the Scarlet Eyes, which might have been won for 2 billion, skyrocketed to a staggering 5 billion.
Although no budget had been discussed when he promised Morrow... Ging always kept his word and didn't care about the cost.
Even as the bidding quickly surpassed 6 billion, he didn't bat an eye.
Do you understand what it means to be a top-tier billionaire?
In the end, Ging successfully bid 7.8 billion for a pair of Scarlet Eyes, followed by another 2.9 billion for a second pair.
At first, Ging was puzzled as to why his bidding opponents gave up so quickly... It wasn't until he was intercepted by Gregg and Eros on his way out of the Southernpiece Auction House with the Scarlet Eyes and kitchen knife that he finally understood.
"Hurry up and make your move. That way, I can defend myself, and I'm in a bit of a rush."
Ging looked at the hostile Gregg and Eros, exuding an aura of extreme weakness.
Gregg and Eros couldn't help but exchange glances.
They clearly felt that the person before them was weak, yet something felt off...