A faint smirk appeared on Chrollo's face.
"Our purpose is to make our name known, to stir the entire world into waves of chaos."
"And what better target than a man like him, a top businessman with a mask of righteousness?"
Chrollo had already set his sights on Risnorth.
He was the perfect stepping stone for Meteor City to make its name known to the world.
Meanwhile, on the surveillance feed, Risnorth continued: "Our recent supply operations, none of that has been leaked out, right?"
He looked coldly at the tall man.
"Not a single one, Chairman."
The tall man straightened and answered righteously.
"The people I sent out were hired through third-party channels; there's no way anyone could trace it back to us!"
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear."
Risnorth's expression softened slightly, and he nodded.
At that moment…
'That one before… Shouldn't count, right?'
Though the tall man's voice sounded firm and confident, cold sweat was already soaking through his back.
In truth, the recent batches of personnel he had sent out were indeed covered by multiple layers of third-party encryption, ensuring no one could trace them.
But the few who initially handled business with Meteor City's supply channels… did know a little.
'Still, they shouldn't know too much...'
'And it's been so long since then, Meteor City hasn't made any moves.'
'Most likely, they either don't know it was us, or they know but don't dare provoke a major company like ours.'
'Either way, it won't be a problem.'
'After all, that place is nothing more than the world's dumping ground.'
'Where people who can't survive elsewhere gather to scavenge for a living.'
'It's only because we needed children that it became one of our stable supply sources.'
'Otherwise, we wouldn't have even bothered to look their way.'
'If that place knows what's good for it, it should stay out of our sight.'
As those thoughts churned in his mind, the tall man's anxiety finally began to ease.
His lips curled upward, and he straightened up again, his face full of confidence.
He had thought of Meteor City far too simply!
"Alright, you can get out now."
Risnorth took a moment to gather his thoughts and, having not yet noticed anything wrong, waved casually at the tall man.
"Understood."
Then, without a word, he lowered his head again and slowly backed away.
As he retreated…
"Don't forget to continue finding the buyers and the supply channels."
Risnorth's orders followed suit: "Remember, no risks toward us."
"I can accept others taking risks, but I will not accept risks involving me."
That was Risnorth's deliberate warning to the tall man.
The latter answered respectfully, never once raising his head as he walked backward out.
Now, only Risnorth remained, along with the floating Spy Set's eyes and ears, invisible to any human perception, quietly hovering there, silently recording everything that continued to happen in the room before them.
"Useless trash!"
Once the tall man was gone, Risnorth cursed casually.
"He can't even handle such a small task."
"Looks like it's time to find a replacement."
Risnorth frequently changed his secretaries whenever he was dissatisfied.
Once he found a suitable new secretary, they would take over, and the old one would naturally step down.
As for the consequences of stepping down…
A secretary who knew Risnorth's secrets inevitably went to where they were supposed to go.
Risnorth felt a bit restless.
His once-calm heart, disturbed by recent events, began to stir again.
So, without hesitation, he chose the same method he had always used to calm himself:
He walked to a certain cabinet, placed his hand on an inkstone at its side, and gently turned it.
Instantly, the entire cabinet silently split open.
What appeared before Risnorth and Spy Set's eyes and ears was a pitch-black passageway.
Risnorth seemed very familiar with this route.
He lifted his foot and stepped straight in.
The moment he entered, the two sides of the cabinet swiftly closed behind him.
Before they shut completely, the Spy Set's eyes and ears slipped in after him.
Tap, tap, tap…
The passage was utterly dark, with only the sound of Risnorth's footsteps echoing clearly.
"He's probably walking down some kind of staircase."
Shalnark analyzed while recording. "It should lead from his room to an underground chamber."
"He's using a spiral staircase that descends into his secret room."
"So he really does have a secret!"
Shalnark muttered and leaned forward involuntarily.
He felt the excitement of catching a big fish.
"Our goal is to make the outside world aware of Meteor City's existence and purpose."
"And one of the most important parts of our mission is to prove that the other side first took something from us."
"If we can find evidence of them stealing what belonged to us, that will be the strongest support for our cause."
These thoughts flashed rapidly through Shalnark's mind.
Now, under the influence of Luke and Chrollo, his thinking had become far more comprehensive and mature.
He was even beginning to mentally calculate the next steps ahead.
Such growth was extremely rare and precious.
This was also why, in the Phantom Troupe many years later, aside from the leader, Chrollo, Shalnark would be the one with the broadest and deepest knowledge.
Whether in his ideas or his way of thinking, he stood out as truly exceptional, one of the few members of the Phantom Troupe with great potential.
He was constantly striving to enrich himself, accumulating, refining, and learning everything that could make him better.
At this moment, Shalnark had already made up his mind to gather evidence of Risnorth's crimes.
After all, a secret passage like this, one hidden from the public eye, must lead to something Risnorth didn't want anyone to see.
And what was hidden there would likely be solid proof of his illegal acts.
No one had taught Shalnark this; he figured it out himself after watching tapes of movies and shows.
His ability to learn was remarkable.
"Alright then, let me see what kind of evil deeds you filthy bastard have been doing!"
Shalnark prepared his notebook and pen, his expression turning solemn.
He was ready to record everything, the deep malice hidden beneath the glamorous surface of these wealthy elites.
"Whether it's murder, torture, cruel punishment, rape, or kidnapping... I'll write it all down, every single detail!"
In Shalnark's mind, the worst these people could do would probably be no more than that.
He had even seen worse in movie tapes, live burials, skinning, and other grotesque acts.
But those were done by madmen and twisted psychopaths who took pleasure in inflicting pain.
People like these rich tycoons, he thought, at least had to maintain their image and reputation.
Surely they wouldn't go beyond certain limits.
Shalnark's hand, which had been holding the pen, suddenly froze.
The scene shown on the monitor made his expression stiffen instantly.
"How... How could this be?!"
Pakunoda, who had been silently watching beside him, suddenly covered her mouth.
Her body went rigid, then began to tremble uncontrollably.
Even Chrollo, upon seeing the scene being displayed, felt his pupils sharply contract.
"There's actually... A place like that?!"
What they saw in that image, even to describe it in the mildest, most restrained way, was a ground littered with severed limbs and mangled remains.
The broken bodies of children, tossed aside like trash.
As for the parts of the scene that were too horrific to describe...
"Ugh!"
Pakunoda turned around abruptly, her throat convulsing violently.
She didn't actually vomit.
Being from Meteor City, she wasn't easily frightened by gruesome sights.
But the sheer impact of this sudden, horrific image was enough to trigger a powerful physical reaction.
Even the young Shalnark's lips were trembling; his face had gone pale white.
"So... This is what they really are."
A calm voice spoke behind them.
The three turned around almost at the same time.
"Luke..."
Shalnark managed to force out the words.
It was the first time he realized his voice could actually sound this hoarse.
Hell on earth is nothing more than this.
If one were to describe it simply, skulls were everywhere, bones like a forest.
Human hair was tangled into felt, and flesh and blood had rotted into dust.
It's no wonder that someone like Pakunoda, born in Meteor City, felt some physical discomfort.
This was no mere torture.
This was a perverted and twisted massacre.
And those being tortured and dismembered were all children.
Every piece of flesh came from children who had been abducted and brought here.
From the external limbs and facial features to the inner skin.
Every organ in the human body has been dissected.
In this place, one could find every kind of human fragment imaginable.
"He's human too..."
Shalnark muttered: "How could he do something like this..."
They were clearly creatures of the same species.
What's more, these were all young children. How could he have done such a thing...
"Based on the intelligence I have seen before..."
Chrollo's mind flashed back to the intelligence Luke had given him.
Among them was one piece of information that stuck in his mind: "Risnorth once had a son."
Chrollo spoke slowly: "It is said that his son was very intelligent, lively, cheerful, and sunny... A truly outstanding young man."
"Risnorth loved his son very much and truly poured his love into him."
"He truly put a lot of effort into cultivating him into an outstanding talent."
At this point, it would sound like a heartwarming story.
But... Stories like this often have… but.
"But..."
Chrollo continued: "An unexpected event struck."
"When Risnorth's son was eight years old, he took his son to a kingdom on the Azian Continent to do business."
"It was there that Risnorth was attacked."
"Not only was he seriously injured, but his beloved son also perished in the attack."
"There was a famous photo in the reports from that time..."
It showed Risnorth lying face down in blood, staring helplessly at his son, whose head and body had been severed.
To see his once bright, cheerful, excellent, and beloved son appear before his eyes in this state...
The blow to Risnorth was undoubtedly immense.
"In the end, Risnorth survived the attack."
"The kingdom's authorities expressed great regret over what happened."
"They also promised them that the culprit behind the attack would be found and brought to justice."
"But Risnorth's son will never return..."
Chrollo paused at this point.
"There was also a rumor in the report."
"Risnorth also suffered severe injuries after the attack."
"He almost lost his fertility..."
Watching his son die tragically before his eyes, and then suffering severe injuries himself and losing his fertility...
Even if he was a successful businessman, experiencing such a sudden and devastating blow would have been difficult to endure.
"Later reports said Risnorth eventually walked out of the shadow of his grief."
"Moved by his loss and in memory of his son."
"He established the Mom's Help Foundation, hoping to make life better for children everywhere."
"Because of his personal tragedy, he became well-liked and trusted in industries related to children."
"Many consumers sympathized with Risnorth's experience and believed that he truly wanted to do something for children."
"As a result, Risnorth's foundation flourished, growing into a behemoth in just a few years."
"It could be said that, through this tragedy, Risnorth's business empire reached even greater heights."
He lost his beloved son, nearly died himself, and suffered a wound that would never heal.
Yet instead of collapsing, he stood up again, challenged life anew, and dedicated himself to children's welfare. Such a story sounded so inspiring, so full of positive energy.
In other words... It's so politically correct, he's praised by the elite, loved and pitied by the common folk.
The world has kissed my Soul with its pain, asking for its return in Songs.
To ensure that no other child would suffer as his own did, he created a foundation dedicated to helping children, which is a noble, shining example of virtue.
Official support and public sympathy lifted Risnorth back to success.
But... Judging from what they now saw in this hidden passage, it seemed Risnorth was not quite the man he claimed to be, nor the saintly figure his foundation portrayed.
"When people undergo great change, especially pain or trauma."
Luke said slowly: "They are easily driven over the edge."
"Humans, with their complex minds and emotions, differ from other creatures in that way."
"Their psychology and thinking can shift in ways no one can predict."
"And once malice and restraint both cross the line, there's no telling what horrors they're capable of."
From Luke's perspective, anyone who could carve out an empire in the ruthless world of business was no saint to begin with.
Especially in this world, the world of hunters, a place far more dangerous, where people's minds turn darker and more twisted.
Anyone who could survive and make a name here… Luke is more inclined to believe that he is not a kind person.
So, after such a trauma... The possibility of falling into the dark abyss of hell might be even greater.