"Still, fortunately, they haven't gone completely out of control."
Chairman Netero eased his posture slightly. "At least, they haven't yet started massacring ordinary civilians."
"So far, the ones they have killed are mostly people who, even in my eyes, probably deserved it."
"But the more such people they kill, the more dangerous it becomes, because those victims often have powerful forces behind them."
"After all, such people fear death the most, afraid they might end up sharing the same fate."
"To protect their own wealth and lives, they will certainly use every channel and resource they have to retaliate..."
Yes, even though Uvogin and Feitan were still ruthless and lawless by nature, under Luke's influence, the two of them had changed quite a bit.
Unlike in the original story, where they were deeply affected by Sarasa's tragic death… And completely corrupted Chrollo, who led them to the other extreme.
With Luke around, through his words and actions, he influences them. Especially Feitan and Phinks, who developed the concept and foundation of a game called Earth Online.
It placed quite a few invisible restraints on them, making them more cautious, no longer so reckless and unrestrained.
However… when it came to people or situations they couldn't stand or anyone who provoked them, they still showed no mercy.
As for the consequences of their actions… they would think about those after making their move!
"Mhm, I know."
Luke nodded calmly. "With their tempers and personalities, it was only a matter of time before this happened."
Chairman Netero asked: "You're not worried about them at all?"
"Worried? Why would I worry about them?"
Luke looked puzzled. "This is their own adventure, their own lives, their experiences are things they carved out for themselves.
"I won't interfere or meddle in the paths they take after setting out into the world."
"Even though you're all members of the Phantom Troupe?"
Chairman Netero continued: "If I'm not mistaken, your position among them should at least be at the leader's level, right?"
"Even if I were."
Luke smiled: "So what? We only gather as a group when there's a collective mission. Other than that, everyone acts freely on their own."
"Even the leader doesn't interfere with their personal affairs. Besides, the mutual support between the leader and members ended the moment we completed Meteor City's mission as repayment."
"After that, everything's left to fate, life and death, fortune and ruin, all up to the heavens."
"Even if they face fatal danger, none of us would intervene. Because in their eyes..."
Luke chuckled softly: "If you cause trouble and can't handle it yourself, forcing other members to clean up your mess, you would be mocked for life."
"They would rather die than ask for help, and if they really do die… that only proves they were merely capable of that much to begin with. There's nothing to complain about."
This, after all, was the principle the Phantom Troupe had always lived by.
But to Chairman Netero's ears…
"I see… So they've already come to terms with that level of resolve."
He nodded with understanding. "That's why they act entirely on their own terms. They have already accepted life and death; neither is even part of their consideration anymore."
"Exactly..."
Luke continued: "So if you, chairman, are thinking of using me to somehow influence or protect my comrades by having me join your organization, then I would suggest you find another approach."
"That kind of plan is doomed to fail."
Tsk! Another route was shut off?
Chairman Netero stared at Luke, who looked calm and utterly detached.
After a moment, he looked at him again and said, "Before, when you applied for a hunter's license, your stated goal was to explore more of this world. But what if I told you… There's a place beyond this world—"
Before Chairman Netero could even finish, Luke interrupted, seemingly predicting where he was going.
"With a hunter license, I can explore all six continents already; that's more than enough."
"I have no intention of exploring beyond them."
"Whether it's the outer sea, Lake Mobius, or even the Dark Continent..."
Luke smiled faintly at Chairman Netero, his grin unreadable.
"Right now, I'm just not interested."
Chairman Netero: "..."
Great. He predicted his next move, and he even knows about the Dark Continent?!
Once again, Chairman Netero felt that rare sensation, the tricky, exhilarating feeling of meeting a true match.
It had been a long time since he had felt that way.
Was it the last time that man, Ging Freecss, became a professional hunter?
No… Ging was much easier to deal with, just an annoying and pretentious troublemaker.
As long as you understood his personality and what he wanted, he was easy to handle.
Or maybe it was Pariston Hill, that sly fox, his stupid son planted beside him in the association as a spy?
Well, that one delighted in opposing him at every turn, constantly stirring up trouble, which, truth be told, made Chairman Netero's days far less boring.
But since Chairman Netero already knew Pariston's true identity and background, he wasn't that much of a headache.
This young man in front of him, though… was truly impervious to persuasion.
"In that case..."
Chairman Netero thought for a moment, then decided to throw out his final olive branch.
"I can offer you the position of vice chairman of the Hunter Association. What do you think?"
He said it casually, just making one last attempt, after all, Luke's attitude up to now had been absolutely firm.
He clearly wanted nothing to do with such a messy organization.
So Chairman Netero didn't expect him to care.
Besides, the vice chairman's seat had been vacant for ages anyway.
Pariston Hill seemed to have his eyes on it, but with such a whimsical chairman like Netero in charge, the job was already difficult enough.
Not to mention that being vice chairman meant constantly dealing with the V5, given Luke's mindset, he would probably avoid that position like the plague.
So Chairman Netero never imagined Luke would respond any differently.
But people… Really shouldn't be too confident.
"Really?!"
Luke's eyes suddenly lit up. "It's a deal then!"
At first, Luke truly had no interest in Chairman Netero's proposal.
That so-called Zodiacs, said to hold authority second only to Chairman Netero himself, it all sounded grand and impressive, sure.
But in reality…