"The captain always needs someone by his side."
Pakunoda whispered calmly: "As the captain, safety is the top priority and the most important thing."
"I think at least two members should always accompany you."
Pakunoda's voice was low, but her tone was remarkably sincere.
She and Shalnark came in together, exactly two members, flanking Luke.
Furthermore, they were always prepared to die.
Just like later on, Pakunoda and Shalnark would always be responsible for guarding Chrollo.
If they hadn't been attacked in the hotel lobby when the power went out, Chrollo would never have been put in such danger.
Pakunoda had accepted and prepared for this role since right after the Phantom Troupe was founded.
"My thoughts are exactly the same as theirs."
Chrollo gave a light laugh.
He did not mind Pakunoda's protective stance.
In his view, Luke, as captain, with such a strange invention ability, was of extremely important value to the Phantom Troupe, someone who needed to be specially protected.
If they ever faced a major crisis, Chrollo would not hesitate to sacrifice himself to secure Luke's escape.
"And besides trusting your invention..."
Chrollo looked at Luke and said: "I also believe that if we were ever trapped, you would have a way to get us out."
Chrollo's tone was calm, but also resolute. "You will definitely pull it off."
"That's not guaranteed…"
Luke joked with a smile.
Shalnark's eyes and attention were already fixed on the images from the spy set.
He then casually grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from somewhere and began to write quickly.
"The surveillance and recording of the information obtained are now in your hands, Shalnark."
Seeing the other party so diligently recording, Luke naturally felt relieved.
As the saying goes, professional matters should be left to professionals; that's how things are done better.
Within the Phantom Troupe, if anyone could be relied on to handle things professionally, it was Feitan for his specialty, killing and torturing prisoners.
But for tasks that involved doing, analyzing, summarizing, deducing, and completing technically rich and intelligent work, like surveillance, Shalnark was the one.
Not to mention, Chrollo was there helping as well. With Chrollo and Shalnark watching Risnorth together, two excellent, potentially top-tier Nen users, Risnorth would be well entertained.
Add to that the likelihood that he might soon face the fists of Uvogin and Phinks, Nobunaga's blade, Feitan's severe torture, and so on, well, in some respects, he would be very honored.
Luke, who loved being the hands-off manager, handed the surveillance work to the two who were interested and then went to the cafe nearby to properly enjoy a parfait.
Parfait is a French word that literally means perfect. As a noun, it refers to a layered ice cream and jelly dessert, celebrated for its near-perfect presentation and taste.
Having finally left Meteor City and stepped out into the world, they now faced the potential storms of this world, so they might as well enjoy themselves while they can!
If there were dancers here, Luke would have had them play music and dance.
"While this is enjoyable for me, for Shalnark and Chrollo…"
Luke returned with his parfait and watched the two already crowded around the Spy Set.
They seemed to be using the Spy Set to ravenously absorb everything the outside world had to offer.
They stayed like this until the image on the screen began to show the headquarters building of the Mom's Help Foundation.
Shalnark and Chrollo were the two most attentive and immersed in the outside world.
They wanted to deeply understand and recognize everything out there.
Their smart brains and wisdom told them how to survive better in this world!
Therefore, the surveillance task on Risnorth was essentially monopolized by the two of them.
Under their watchful eyes, the Spy Set's viewpoint had already approached the headquarters building.
This Spy Set seemed to be made of some special material. Once it entered the Mom's Help Foundation's headquarters building, although many well-dressed men appeared in the direct field of view, none of them seemed to notice the Spy Set's eyes and ears.
It was as if the Spy Set's eyes and ears became invisible; once it entered the crowd, people automatically ignored it.
"It's truly one of Luke's inventions."
Chrollo sighed lightly, once again admiring the device's effect.
"Any surveillance device would have been discovered long ago if it had flown in so brazenly."
"Only the device Luke made can do it without any problem."
Shalnark said nothing more; he simply picked up his pen and drew out every route visible before them.
Yes, any of these could be the path they'd take into that building!
Just as Chrollo was sighing and Shalnark was writing furiously, the eyes and ears of the Spy Sets were swiftly weaving through the corridor.
The moment they received orders, they had only one target: the person in question.
They would arrive before that person at the first opportunity and capture everything that happened to the target, transmitting it all clearly onto that small screen.
After traversing several floors, the Spy Set's eyes and ears reached the upper levels.
It was plainly visible that the higher the floor, the more luxurious the decoration.
The floors were also larger, and fewer people moved about there. By contrast, the crowded lower floors were filled with employees rushing for work.
Chrollo and Shalnark felt they had gained a clearer understanding of the nature of this world.
The Spy Set's eyes and ears then weaved their way past bodyguards, sentries, security systems, and a series of protective measures, finally arriving at the top floor with a lavish door.
The entire door appeared to be forged from gold; the position of the handle was even inlaid with a huge red diamond.
It was the perfect expression to display great wealth.
"The inside must be paved with gold, right?"
Even before entering, Shalnark could almost picture the dazzling sight.
The Spy Set's eyes and ears were patient and did not barge in.
The door was shut tight, so they floated in the air and waited quietly.
Seeing this, Luke no longer disturbed them and left.
This was a good opportunity to use the routes they had just discovered to make some arrangements for the guys outside.
With Luke's departure, the lack of one person here didn't stop Shalnark and Chrollo from keeping their eyes fixed on this scene.
And they were incredibly patient.
More patient than many people would imagine.
And so, more than two hours passed.
Finally, soft footsteps were heard in the hallway.
The Spy Set's eyes captured a tall, slender man in black bodyguard attire.
The man was at least two meters tall.
When he arrived, he stood respectfully before the golden door.
Until…
"Come in."
A faint, lazy voice echoed from within the room.
The tall man lowered his head even lower, then gently opened the door and walked in.
The moment the door was gently pushed open, the Spy Set's eyes and ears followed in.
The view changed.
It was not the gold-strewn extravagance Shalnark had imagined, walls, ceiling, and floor covered in gold.
Instead, the decor had a classical Western European artistic atmosphere: a classic European soft sofa, a wooden bed, a tea table, and a large office desk and chair.
On that classic sofa sat an elderly man in pajamas, leaning back and staring at the ceiling as if savoring something he had just finished doing.
"Have you found a new supply channel?"
The old man's wrinkled face slowly turned down, his gaze moving from the ceiling to the tall man's face.
The moment he showed his face, Chrollo and Shalnark, monitoring the feed, immediately recognized him: the man they had long sought, the chairman of the Mom's Help foundation, Risnorth.
"We have reached a preliminary agreement with some mafia in Yorknew City."
The tall man said respectfully: "They said if the price is right, they are willing to take the risk to search abandoned areas for those children..."
"But there aren't many stable and legal channels like Meteor City..."
"Since there aren't many, why not continue to buy from Meteor City?"
Risnorth asked casually.
"Money is not the issue. What's important is..."
Then he pulled a cigar from his waist pocket and lit it.
"What they are going to do must not involve any risks toward us."
Risnorth said slowly.
"For some reason, Meteor City is currently under particularly tight security."
The tall man explained in a low voice: "Their security seems to have greatly improved and been upgraded. They're keeping a close eye on any infiltrators and their movements..."
"I don't want to hear any excuses."
Risnorth interrupted again, his tone becoming increasingly calm: "Just tell me the result."
"Yes… The result is that this channel is broken."
The tall man, knowing Risnorth's character well, replied immediately, his tone quick but not at all disjointed.
His speech was crystal clear: "We sent many people there again to restock, but they were discovered… Every single time"
As if fearing Risnorth's anger would rage against him, the tall man hurriedly added: "Everyone we sent was discovered, and none of them ever returned."
"So, that channel is effectively broken..."
At the end of his words, the tall man fell silent.
"No one's come back, huh?"
Risnorth slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Did you send others afterward to take a look?"
"I did!"
The tall man, understanding the old man's meaning, immediately replied: "I sent people who were simply there to make a living and observe."
"For people like that, Meteor City doesn't have any intention of making things difficult for them."
"In fact, they even welcomed him with open arms, as if accepting them."
"Then I sent three more people to test the waters, and the result…"
He didn't reveal the result, but Risnorth understood what he meant.
"No one's come back again, huh?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
His face was still wrinkled, and he looked old and frail.
But his eyes were completely clear.
"They don't reject those who come there to make a living, but they won't let anyone with malicious intentions go, right?"
He easily saw through Meteor City's plan.
"They weren't like this before."
Risnorth casually tossed the half-smoked cigar to the side, as if throwing it away like trash.
The tall man immediately crawled over, using his back as the ground, to catch the still-burning cigar.
"You have a keen eye, Chairman!"
The tall man immediately flattered him: "The man I sent over also noticed the differences in Meteor City."
"And the biggest difference now is that, at some point, a saying began to spread there."
"We accept anything you leave here, but don't try to take anything from us!"
The moment Risnorth heard this, he sat up slightly from the sofa.
"Accept anything... But not letting anything be taken, huh?"
"Haha, interesting."
Risnorth laughed, and the tall man lowered his head even further.
The tall man could discern the depth of malice lurking beneath Risnorth's seemingly amused tone.
"In the past, there was always a group of people in Meteor City who harbored fantasies about the outside world."
"They still dreamed of returning to society and earning the world's recognition."
"It seems they've finally come to their senses and begun to face reality."
"They intend to live as people of Meteor City and truly make their presence known in this world."
"They will soon make a big move to announce their existence to the world..."
Risnorth spoke leisurely, but every word mirrored exactly what the Phantom Troupe and Meteor City were doing.
"No wonder he can control an entire company..."
Listening to Risnorth's analysis, Chrollo, standing in front of the surveillance screen, pondered silently.
"We can't underestimate an opponent like that, especially someone who's climbed to the top of a financial empire."
"From now on, no matter who the enemy is, always overestimate their power."
Chrollo made that mental note, while Shalnark occasionally looked up from the screen.
He glanced between the display and the Spy Set, seeming to be pondering something.
"What are you thinking about?"
Chrollo asked directly.
"I was just thinking..."
"Since the Spy Set's eyes and ears could easily locate our target, that guy named Risnorth..."
"Then what if, before we sent them out, we installed a tiny bomb inside?"
"That way, the moment it finds Risnorth, we could just detonate it and blow him to pieces on the spot!"
"... It's a clever idea, and somewhat feasible..."
Chrollo thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"But in reality, it's not that practical."
"The Spy Set's eyes and ears are made from special materials that make them undetectable and resistant to interference."
"If we attach a bomb, it might disrupt their normal functions, causing them to be discovered or fail to locate the target properly."
"That kind of risk simply isn't worth it."
He explained calmly: "Besides, our goal this time isn't just revenge."
"As he himself said…"