Chapter 101

"I won't answer. There's no need."

"Pick it up. It's better to clarify things."

With a thought, Ron summoned Chii's form beside him.

Nina hesitated for a moment before finally answering the call.

As soon as the call connected, Chii used the signal to track the exact location of Kyler's phone, embedding a program of her own design—far beyond the programming abilities of this world.

"Lina, have you made up your mind? Just let Ron come and get it. What could you still be worried about?"

"Or do you have no feelings for your mother at all?"

Kyler's pleading voice echoed.

Ron raised an eyebrow slightly.

Now he understood why Nina didn't want to answer earlier and had hesitated over her mother's final words and belongings.

Nina saw meeting Kyler as dangerous and didn't want to put Ron at risk.

Not answering the call was her way to prevent him from hearing Kyler's request and being tempted to go.

"Nina, ask him for the address and time."

Nina hesitated.

"It's fine. I might not even go," Ron reassured her.

Hearing this, Nina nodded.

"Where and when?"

On the other end, Kyler's face lit up.

"Tomorrow evening, 12 West Alley."

"Got it."

Nina ended the call.

"Brother, we're not really going, right? Kyler's claims are likely false, just a trick to lure us into a trap—a dangerous one."

Ron nodded.

"I know it's a trap."

"In fact, Kyler knows we know it's a trap."

"But he thinks I'll underestimate him, so he believes I'll go despite the danger."

"However, that's where he's wrong."

"I don't underestimate anyone."

As a member of the Zoldyck family, with Zeno and Silva constantly emphasizing family principles, Ron would never make the mistake of underestimating others.

Only with absolute certainty does he make a move.

Understanding the opponent's situation thoroughly.

In the past, Ron lacked his own intelligence sources, making him reactive, but now he had Chii.

Once Nina answered the call, Chii quickly pinpointed Kyler's phone signal, locating it and injecting her own program into his device.

The program allowed them to monitor Kyler's calls and texts.

It could access call logs, and text files, and even capture audio and video through the phone's microphone and camera.

However, using the microphone and camera posed some risk of detection, especially since Kyler was a Nen user. (T/n don't remember them having that strong of a sixth sense? Chi uses nen with her programming) 

So, for now, Chii held off on activating those features.

A location ping appeared on Ron's phone—Kyler's exact location at that moment.

Ron opened his laptop and pulled up a map.

"Here?"

Ron examined the location.

It wasn't far from the address Kyler had given Nina. The area was secluded—close to Heaven's Arena but almost forgotten, like a hidden village within the city.

Frankly, Ron hadn't expected such a place to exist near the arena. It seemed surreal.

Despite being in a bustling city, the buildings here were old, the streets narrow, and people crowded the area.

It felt more like a slum than part of a thriving metropolis.

This immediately reminded Ron of Meteor City.

Meteor City was abandoned by the world.

And here, this place was abandoned by the city itself.

"Brother, you're not planning to go, right?"

"We'll wait and see."

For now, Ron had no intention of going.

The intelligence was too sparse.

If Kyler, having lost his powers, was still daring enough to invite Ron over, he must have prepared a trap. He must have an advantage of some sort.

And it certainly wasn't just a matter of a couple of guns or a bit of poison.

Most likely, Kyler had backup.

Ron's current plan was to use Chii's abilities to keep Kyler under surveillance.

If he could gather enough intelligence, he wouldn't mind facing Kyler himself.

But if the intel wasn't sufficient, Ron had other methods in mind.

During the incident in Meteor City with the KUTE thieves, Ron had already tried something similar once before.

As someone who specialised as an Emission-type Nen user, Ron's Nen beast could travel far from his body.

Ron considered sending Hanma Baki.

He'd carry an item imbued with the power of Killer Queen.

Even the members of the KUTE thieves hadn't been able to deal with Ron effectively.

Did Kyler really think he could find someone stronger than the KUTE thieves?

Ron didn't believe it.

Soon, a flood of information appeared on Ron's computer screen.

This data was all extracted by Chii from Kyler's phone.

There was a frequently contacted number, with all the messages deleted.

Kyler's contacts list had three numbers.

One belonged to Nina.

The other two had notable labels, one of which particularly caught Ron's attention—marked as "Gluttony."

"'Gluttony?'"

"A name based on the Seven Deadly Sins… this person must be unusual."

Ordinarily, Ron wouldn't pay much attention to someone with a label like that.

But Kyler wasn't just anyone.

Kyler was a Nen user on the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena, stronger than most rookie competitors. His ability was the repulsive Synthetic Beast.

Given that context, someone Kyler referred to as "Gluttony" couldn't be ordinary.

Just then, a call came in.

Kyler quickly answered.

"Master Gluttony."

"Kyler, do you need something from me?"

"Master Gluttony, I need a favour—I want someone dead."

"I'm busy."

"I understand, but I wouldn't ask you to do this for free. I'll consult with my teacher, and he'll compensate you."

The other end went silent for a moment.

"After I finish what I'm doing."

As the call ended, Kyler smiled and looked toward Heaven's Arena.

"Kid."

"You'll come, won't you?"

"I'm just a broken man now. Someone like you, a genius, must look down on me, right?"

"Even if you think I'm setting something up, it shouldn't threaten you, right?"

"But I'm not alone."

"Master Gluttony's power will far surpass yours."

"It's because of you that Nina left me. It's because of you that I've become worthless."

"I have to kill you!"

What Kyler didn't realize was that his phone's microphone was still active.

The recorded audio files were being transmitted discreetly.

Ron opened the audio files Chii had sent.

There were two segments.

One was a recorded conversation with Kyler.

The other was a recording of Kyler's muttering to himself.

"So Kyler was just talking to Gluttony."

"Someone Kyler addresses as 'Master'—Gluttony must be a Nen user and one with strength above Kyler's."

"And Kyler has a teacher?"

"A teacher he likely met during those six months he disappeared?"