NenMaster
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Chapter 131
🕑 Added 2024-12-30 20:08:39 +0000 UTCHearing this name, Netero nodded gently.
"I understand. The Hunter Association will also classify this as a criminal organization, and both the leader and its members will be listed as wanted criminals.
"The Hunter Association will follow up on this matter and keep a close watch," Netero stated his position and revealed the Hunter Association's next move.
However—
Apart from labeling the Phantom Troupe as a criminal organization, there were no other substantial actions taken.
After all, weren't there already countless wanted criminals in this world?
It was clear that when facing pressure from V5, Netero was particularly adept at deflecting responsibility.
The party on the other side of the line didn’t argue much after hearing Netero’s response.
While the Hunter Association was the largest civilian organization backed by V5, expecting them to follow V5's orders completely was unrealistic.
As long as Netero presented an appropriate attitude, it was enough for the higher-ups.
After a few additional reminders, they hung up the call.
At the same time, they faxed over several images of identified criminals.
There were five images in total that V5 had obtained.
These included: Chrollo (the leader), Uvogin, Nobunaga, Feitan, and Phinks.
These were precisely the five-person team that had attacked the Mosibiah Treasury.
Some were captured during the fighting, while others were photographed by nearby surveillance cameras.
"Are there only five members of the Phantom Troupe?"
Netero picked up one of the photos first. "Based on their methods, the time of the Mosibiah royal family's death, the way the soldiers died, and other details..."
"The Phantom Troupe’s membership definitely exceeds five people."
"Mm-hmm!"
Beans nodded in agreement, inwardly amazed.
Indeed, when it came to battle analysis, no one was more experienced than Chairman Netero.
Beans watched as Netero placed the photo of Uvogin on the table and pointed at it with his finger:
"This man has a spider tattoo on his back, with the number XI on it."
Netero said seriously, "This means the group has at least eleven members!!"
Beans: "..."
So, Chairman, you didn’t deduce that from their combat behavior—you just looked at the picture?
His expression twitched slightly, unsure of where to begin his rebuttal.
Then—
"And after observing closely, the spider tattoo has twelve legs. Including the head or torso…"
Netero continued his observations:
"Based on my estimation, the group has about twelve to thirteen members."
...
"Can you really deduce that much from a spider tattoo?" Beans subconsciously stared at the photo.
The next second, he froze.
"Eh?"
He exclaimed softly, looking at the photo again.
"What’s wrong, Beans?"
Netero noticed his odd reaction and asked.
"This person…"
Beans pointed at Uvogin in the photo, his silver hair draped over his shoulders. "He’s one of the Floor Masters of Heaven's Arena."
"Oh?"
Netero scrutinized the image again. "Are you sure?"
"I’m certain."
Beans affirmed, "Around this time last year, Heaven’s Arena had a rather embarrassing incident.
"Two highly popular Floor Masters were supposed to have a decisive match in the arena, but they both disappeared at the last minute. They stood up the arena and the world’s eagerly waiting audience."
"This caused Heaven’s Arena to lose tremendous face, and its reputation nearly plummeted."
"One of the Floor Masters who disappeared was this person—Uvogin."
"And the other… here!"
Beans flipped through and pointed at Nobunaga's photo. "The other Floor Master was him. They were close partners."
...
"Who would’ve thought both of them came from a criminal organization… Wait!"
Beans slapped his forehead as he realized. "No wonder they skipped out on Heaven’s Arena. They were off committing crimes!"
"Two powerful Floor Masters choosing to do something like that…"
Beans shook his head slightly, feeling a bit regretful.
"So they were Floor Masters of Heaven’s Arena. That makes things easier."
Netero picked at his ear with his pinky. "We’ll just request their records from Heaven’s Arena. That’ll make arranging their pursuit much more convenient."
"Records?"
Beans froze for a moment. "Didn’t I give you a complete file on all the Floor Masters during the last Olympia Martial Tournament?"
"Did you?"
Netero looked skeptical, but when he saw Beans’ determined expression, he squinted and admitted:
"I think I do recall something like that."
"Chairman!!!"
Beans' face darkened. "You never even looked at the records I gave you, did you?!"
"Of course not!!"
Netero vehemently denied it.
That’s a relief, Beans thought to himself.
"I just left halfway through the tournament because something came up. I didn’t finish reading the documents."
"You didn’t finish…"
Beans nodded reflexively but immediately froze, his eyes wide.
"You left halfway through?! When was this, and why didn’t you tell me?!"
"Doesn’t that mean you stood up Heaven’s Arena, just like those two Floor Masters?!"
"Well, it’s not quite the same," Netero said nonchalantly. "I had Botobai take over for me while I was gone."
Despite Beans’ outburst, Netero remained unfazed, speaking in a tone that implied “this is no big deal, no need to make a fuss.”
"What about the speech and closing remarks I wrote for you?"
"Ah, I skipped those parts."
Beans: "…"
Those speeches were written with my blood, sweat, and tears!
Covering his face with one hand, Beans sighed.
"No, I must keep a close watch on the Chairman during events like this in the future. I can’t let him slack off again…"
With that determination in mind, Beans began handling the Phantom Troupe’s bounty.
Since many details of this incident couldn’t be revealed to the public, they fabricated a few charges against the Phantom Troupe and temporarily classified them as B-Class Wanted Criminals.
However, under the "danger level" category, it was clearly marked as "A-Class."
For seasoned bounty hunters, this indicated that while the Troupe’s crimes might not be numerous yet, they were undoubtedly on par with typical A-Class criminals.
With their numbers, the Phantom Troupe would likely be an exceptionally troublesome group even among A-Class criminals.
When the news about the Phantom Troupe broke, the public had a lot to say:
"Another dangerous criminal organization?"
"Phantom Troupe? Well, that’s an interesting name."
"Seriously? The Kude Thief Group only just disappeared, and now we’ve got this Phantom Troupe?!"
"How are we supposed to live like this?!"
"Although their crime level is listed as B, the danger level is A. That means they’re almost as dangerous as the Kude Thief Group!"
The complaints and sighs continued until photos of the Phantom Troupe’s members were released.
"What?!?!"
All over the world, martial arts fans were stunned.
The Floor Masters they worshipped turned out to be criminals?!
It was such an outrageous revelation that they struggled to believe it.
The fans couldn’t fathom why anyone would abandon the glory, fame, and wealth of being a Floor Master to commit crimes.
Heaven’s Arena officials were equally shocked and confused.
They never expected that Uvogin and Nobunaga had skipped their high-profile match to engage in murder and arson.
Did Heaven’s Arena really have so little appeal?
However, once they learned from the Hunter Association that the Troupe members hailed from Meteor City, it all clicked.
Oh, they’re from that place. Well, that explains everything.
People from Meteor City didn’t think like normal people.
With their confidence restored, Heaven’s Arena signed a cooperative agreement with the Hunter Association to pursue the Phantom Troupe together.
