Mia chose to cooperate and returned to Zerta City.

Or rather, she had no real choice.

Though she didn't fully trust Xiang Nan's proposal, her life was basically in his hands. Not only did these people easily wipe out the Yeschi Family in one night, but they also demonstrated they could obliterate her car convoy in mere minutes. Such overwhelming power forced her to bow her head.

The conditions Xiang Nan laid out were simple: use the Zatobi Family's force to fight the Vick Family to the bitter end, while Xiang Nan's side would deal with Vick's leadership and boss. After that, with the Yeschi and Vick Families eliminated, Zatobi would scoop up the benefits—ending up the sole underground force in Zerta City.

That had always been the dream of each of the three families, yet none had ever achieved it.

So, with Xiang Nan pushing from behind the scenes, the Zatobi Family—previously inclined to back down against the Vick Family—now launched a ferocious counterattack. Zerta City sank into complete mafia mayhem. Even official forces couldn't quell the turmoil. Day or night, police sirens and ambulances blared all over the streets, with multiple neighborhoods locked down.

…

"Vickhill also has a Nen user at his side…like that guy, Kai, from Meteor City. He's another product sold by the Elders of Meteor City to the mafia. From what Kai told me, this fellow is an Emitter. Overall, he's weaker than Kai, or else the Yeschi Family wouldn't have survived as long as they did," Xiang Nan explained a few days later in a room, handing out some documents to his teammates.

He held a photograph—a picture of the Nen user employed by the Vick Family, the real target of Xiang Nan's squad.

Xiang Nan had coerced Mia's collaboration precisely because both families were intimately familiar with each other and could provide the intelligence he needed for his mission.

"You already know the basic traits of Emitter-type Nen users. From Kai's intel, we don't have a full picture of this guy's ability. In any case, just like when we took down Kai, we have to make the most of our advantage. Also, there's Vickhill—the Vick Family's head. Meteor City's Elders value their reputation if they want a long-term commercial arrangement with the mafia. They're clearly developing the mob market. So, as we did with Donny, we can leverage Vickhill himself during the fight.

"The Nen user's top priority is definitely protecting Vickhill," Xiang Nan continued to outline the plan. He lifted one finger for emphasis.

"Vick has a clear advantage over Zatobi. The only reason they haven't already crushed them is the complex underworld environment that touches on the Ten Dons. This Mia is merely the mistress of some marginal figure under the Dons, so we don't have to worry much about her or fear future trouble from that direction.

"But from what I've gathered about Vickhill's personality, the Zatobi Family's sudden counterattack will enrage that old fox… I'm guessing once the fighting escalates beyond his tolerance, he'll send this Nen user to assassinate Mia.

"So all we have to do is pre-arrange the battlefield and wait for him to take the bait.

"Compared to Kai, this guy's level is a bit lower, so the operation should be slightly easier."

He glanced around.

"Any questions?"

"None," Garo and the others said, exchanging looks.

"Contact the base—we need to restock our gear."

"Right."

…

Zatobi's crazy offensive left the Vick Family reeling. Vickhill, head of the Vick Family, considered Mia's sudden boldness completely out of character.

A few days later, inside a lavish VIP lounge at some local firm, the white-haired old man with a cigar—Hill—smashed an ashtray on the floor in fury.

"I thought that bitch had left the city… This is so unlike her."

He collected himself, face dark with anger. The underworld is always about big fish eating little fish. Though the Vick Family was top dog in Zerta City, out in the broader criminal world, not only bigger families but even medium ones could stomp them out. The group behind Mia might use one casual order to end them.

Hill even suspected Mia had murdered Donny, using outside help.

"I've been poking around, but Zatobi hasn't hired any new guards or bodyguards. If they brought in a pro Hunter or Nen user, word would've leaked," said a blond man resting on a sofa, legs crossed, swirling a wine glass—Makosi, an Emitter from Meteor City.

"Funny thing: Donny was said to have phoned an Elder before his death. Then radio silence that same night."

"What're you implying?"

Hill turned, sensing something in Makosi's tone.

"I'm saying whoever killed Kai must not be simple. But if Mia truly had a top-tier fighter, we'd probably be dead already. You can have hordes of men, but that won't matter if they face a genuine beast. If Mia really had some unstoppable trump card, she wouldn't have waited 'til now—she would've destroyed us outright.

"So either the threat is less formidable than it appears, or something's gone wrong with that card. If Kai was killed, it might've cost them dearly—maybe they're badly injured."

"That might… be our chance," Hill said, meeting Makosi's gaze.

"Right. So, if you want to strike first, just say it. Or I can go check things out."

Makosi grinned.

~~~

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