Chapter 142 : Phantom Troupe's Speculation!!

Menchi looked down and saw that it was indeed a photo of the master and disciple who had just left.

In the photo, they are sitting cross-legged on the grass early in the morning, practicing Nen of the Flame, with the soft light and mist surrounding them.

"Why are you taking pictures of them?" Menchi asked, curious.

Bisky raised his eyebrows proudly and said, "Keep looking."

Menchi turned to the next photo.

The second photo shows Germain teaching Kurapika step by step how to use the "Water Divination" to test his own Nen Type.

The third photo shows Kurapika opening his Scarlet Eyes and doing the "Water Divination" for the second time, with Germain standing nearby, looking hopeful.

The fourth photo shows Germain buying a chain from a nearby town and giving it to Kurapika, who accepts it with both hands.

The fifth, the sixth, and so on...

Most of the photos are of Germain and Kurapika. Other people from the mansion occasionally appear in the background, but they are only a small part of the photos.

It seems that many of these photos were taken secretly by Bisky.

Wing, who knew his teacher's habits well, understood what was happening after hearing Shizuku's voice and glancing at the photos.

So Wing covered Zushi's ears and took the innocent child away from the scene.

"Teacher?" Zushi asked.

"Zushi, let's go quickly. We still need to continue practicing," Wing said.

Buhara also quickly left, making light footsteps.

Menchi was still puzzled, "I don't understand the point of these photos."

"Tsk tsk tsk," Bisky made a dismissive sound and shook his finger.

"You young people don't understand yet… In a few years, when you're thirty or older, you'll realize the value of these photos."

Shizuku and Menchi looked at each other in confusion and shook their heads.

Bisky would sometimes say things that were hard to understand. If they didn't get it, they didn't get it—no need to dig deeper.

——Meanwhile

At Meteor City:

Outsiders think Meteor City is dirty and messy, but the locals see it differently.

To them, the trash is valuable. The people of Meteor City, dressed in heavy protective gear, often find useful and unique tools in the garbage.

Of course, they sometimes find abandoned babies, corpses in suitcases, and discarded guns and ammunition.

They collect everything, sort it out, and send it to the elders' area for review.

As for the chaos, it's not true.

The elders' palace, the church, the living areas, and the dumping zones are all well-organized. People who have lived here for years can walk from one end to the other with their eyes closed.

The Phantom Troupe, who have played a big role in keeping things in order, now stood on a barren plain outside Meteor City.

The group was split into two with cold expressions, standing about two meters apart. There was no heated argument, just a feeling of distance between them.

"It's been almost two months," said Nobunaga, with his long hair flowing. "Waiting any longer is pointless. It's like Germain and Hisoka have vanished. I don't think we should stay passive."

Uvogin, muscular and also with long hair, agreed loudly, "If they keep hiding, are we supposed to just stay hidden in Meteor City?"

The rest of the group stood behind Chrollo, showing their clear stance.

"They won't disappear forever," Chrollo said calmly. "I admit I misjudged them at first, but now their true nature has been fully revealed."

"For them, our alliance is the hardest situation to deal with. We actually have the advantage."

"The elders of Meteor City are also on our side. They will work with the 'Ten Dons.' Since Germain is our common enemy, they are eager to help us gather information."

"Whether it's Germain, Shizuku, or Hisoka, as long as they show up near the Mafia, there will always be clues for us to follow, and then we can act together."

Uvogin wasn't good at arguing, so he looked at Nobunaga and left the debate to his "partner."

Nobunaga lived up to Uvogin's expectations: "Boss, you've overlooked three points."

Chrollo listened quietly, his expression unchanged, as if he already knew what Nobunaga was going to say.

"First," Nobunaga began, holding up a finger. "Hisoka thrives on the thrill of the hunt. The more we show fear and hesitation, the more excited he gets."

"He's like a cat playing with a mouse. It won't be easy to make him anxious."

"I don't know much about Germain, but his actions are inconsistent. It's clear he used some sort of Nen ability to evade Pakunoda's 'Psychometry.'"

"He joined the Phantom Troupe and killed Phinks, Franklin, and Feitan one after another. It can't just be about 'competing for the leader's position.' He must have another goal."

"Perhaps he's been sent by a rival force... So, as long as we don't reveal any weaknesses, he won't show himself."

"In summary, Hisoka and Germain are both patient. I wouldn't be surprised if they appear again in a year or two."

Chrollo continued to listen calmly.

"Second," Nobunaga said, holding up a second finger. "Hisoka killed Kortopi and peeled off Bonolenov using his signature style, 'Cards.'"

"Germain is clearly different. If he won in a one-on-one fight with Phinks, that's understandable. But I can't figure out how he managed to win against both Feitan and Franklin."

"We've all seen the results of the two battles. Phinks caused a lot of damage at Stonehenge, but after Germain killed him, Germain was almost unharmed."

"At the World Tree, Feitan must have used 'Rising Sun,' which completely destroyed Franklin's body, leaving only debris. But what about this situation?"

"Feitan is dead, but Germain escaped. Not long ago, Germain used this 'achievement' to become a 'one-star hunter,' and this news was posted on the professional hunter website."

Shalnark, who had been searching for information about Hisoka and Germain online, discovered this. Since Shalnark has a hunter's license, accessing the professional hunter website is easy for him.

Nobunaga, holding the hilt of his samurai sword, said, "Think about it: among Phinks, Franklin, and Feitan, which one was weak?"

"But not only did they all die, none of them were able to take Germain down with them. This could mean either a huge difference in strength or that he had information about our Nen abilities."

"I think it's more likely he had information. So, how did our Nen Ability info get leaked?"

"Also, shortly after we returned to Meteor City, Shizuku completely cut off contact with us. What's going on?"

"If we stay here without figuring out the truth and how Germain got his information, we might end up suffering losses or falling into a trap like Phinks, Franklin, and Feitan."

Everyone present wasn't foolish. They had already thought of these points, especially the second one, but they hadn't fully considered it.

The more they thought about it, the more it pointed to one conclusion: there is a traitor within the Phantom Troupe.

Machi is the main suspect because she was in charge of contacting Hisoka and Germain, and during the Stonehenge battle, Germain let Machi go.

Machi didn't say anything; she just stood there with her lips pressed together.

Even Paknoda's "Psychometry" can't clear her suspicion, as Germain had previously avoided detection.

Nobunaga looked at Machi and said, "Is it possible that you're being controlled by some Nen ability without knowing it, and this ability makes Paknoda unable to detect it?"

As childhood friends, Nobunaga still trusted Machi.

Machi had been quiet for a while before she finally spoke up.

"I did have a strange encounter with Germain. He asked me to come and sew up his wound."

"But it was in the middle of the night, and I didn't notice when he went out to fight or when he came back."

"He was badly hurt. I used my 'Nen Stitches' on him, and then he left. The next time I saw him was at the Battle of Stonehenge."

"Looking back, that request was really odd, and he never contacted me again."

Nobunaga nodded in agreement. "It seems like to activate this ability, you needed to 'see Germain's wound and get his blood on you.'"

"After Machi was attacked, Germain or someone else must have used a 'Nen Ability' similar to Pakunoda to get our Nen abilities information from Machi."

"As for the 'Vows and Limitations,' it's probably because Germain was seriously injured. But that injury might have been a trick to mislead Machi."

"They let Machi go to make us doubt her and create internal conflicts."

"Information about our return to Meteor City was likely reported by someone from there. Since Germain is from Meteor City, it's normal for him to have informants there."

Everyone in the Phantom Troupe agreed with Nobunaga's reasoning.

Machi frowned, clearly annoyed, but quickly hid her feelings and composed herself.

Chrollo didn't comment but asked, "Nobunaga, you mentioned you have a third point. What is it?"

Nobunaga looked at Chrollo and said slowly, "The power behind Germain is unknown."

"He and Hisoka acted separately, so they're probably not partners, just temporary allies."

"We now know he has a Nen user helping him avoid Paknoda's 'Psychometry,' get information from Machi, and help him at the World Tree."

"If we face him again, we'll have to consider the unknown forces backing him, which we don't know anything about."

"Even if the Meteor City's elders or the Ten Dons tell us where he is, it could be a trap set by his backers."

"Boss, we need to take the initiative and investigate thoroughly. We can't fully trust the information from the Meteor City elders and the Ten Dons. Otherwise, we might end up in a situation we don't understand."

********

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