To be, or not to be, that is a question.
Staring at the contact name "Kuroro" displayed on her phone screen, Mo'er Si found herself pondering a philosophical question:
"To be, or not to be?"
This internal struggle didn't last long, only about half a minute.
...Whatever!
With the end of her life not too far off, Mo'er Si no longer worried excessively about the future!
Besides, she wasn't a character without the ability to fight back. She wasn't a member of Kuroro's Phantom Troupe. She was, after all, the eldest daughter of the Zoldyck family, possessing a powerful backing—did she need to fear Kuroro?
Yes! There was nothing to be afraid of! Nothing to worry about! Just a mere Kuroro, a character she had already collected, a piece of chewed gum, no need to be concerned!
She put on her headphones and answered the call.
"...Mo'er?" Kuroro spoke first after the call connected.
"..." After years apart, he used such an intimate address right off the bat?
Kuroro's nerve was truly thick. No, perhaps he wasn't here to cause trouble, but to ask for a favor?
Listening to Kuroro speak with the headphones on was like listening to a second-generation otome romance radio drama.
...If you can talk, say more!
"Mm," Mo'er Si responded softly, as she was currently monitoring the protagonist trio—Gon, Killua, and Leorio—in the building opposite, and couldn't make any sounds that might draw attention.
"You're not using a voice modulator anymore," Kuroro immediately recognized her natural human voice. "It suits you very well. Although it's been a long time, the moment I hear your voice, your image naturally appears in my mind."
Kuroro's tone was incredibly gentle, as if he were chatting with an old acquaintance. Each pause at the end of his sentences was accompanied by clear breaths, like an intimate whisper between lovers on a pillow.
*So seductive.jpg*
Of course, Mo'er Si wouldn't be swayed by such trivial tricks. The R-rated radio dramas she had listened to in the "real world" were far more stimulating than anything Kuroro was offering now. Kuroro was, at best, an amateur.
Hmph! Just a mere Kuroro, a piece of chewed gum.
"What is it?" Mo'er Si adopted a completely indifferent, business-like tone.
"I want to commission the Zoldyck family for an assassination," Kuroro got straight to the point. "The target is the 'Ten Dons', methods are unrestricted, and as for the timing, I'd prefer it to be as soon as possible. Money is no issue."
...Pfft. As soon as possible? Money is no issue? He's impatient, he's impatient!
"The Ten Dons? That's a big job," Mo'er Si said unhurriedly. "I can't handle it alone, I'll need to discuss it with them first."
Make him anxious, make him anxious!
"The Zoldyck family has already accepted the 'Ten Dons'' commission, haven't they?" Kuroro stated with certainty. "Considering this, will the Zoldyck family accept my commission?"
"Have they?" To say it like that, was it a deduction? Yes, it wasn't hard to deduce. The mafia had lost their strongest Nen users, the "Ten Pests" group, and had to seek outside help. This naturally included the most renowned assassin family in the dark world, the Zoldycks. It was only natural for the Ten Dons to have the appropriate contact channels and sufficient funds to hire the Zoldycks to eliminate the entire Phantom Troupe.
Kuroro himself was the most dangerous criminal; he could handle most matters himself and didn't need to hire assassins. This was his first time employing the Zoldycks, and he wasn't entirely familiar with their business model.
A common rule for professional assassins is "during a commission, if the employer dies, the commission is immediately canceled." Therefore, if the Zoldycks simultaneously accepted two conflicting commissions, the result would likely be receiving payment for only one, effectively doing two jobs for the price of one—clearly not cost-effective.
"Don't worry, as long as there are enough people, conflicting commissions are fine," Mo'er Si said. "It just depends on who is faster. Consider it an internal competition mechanism for the Zoldycks."
At least the slower party would still get the deposit, so it wouldn't be entirely pro bono work.
"If the Zoldyck family accepts both commissions, which side would you join?" Kuroro asked.
"..."
Ah, I see. So this was the hidden reason Kuroro called her? Mo'er Si had been a member of the Phantom Troupe and knew a lot of their intelligence. When the Troupe faced the risk of annihilation, Kuroro had to have some concerns about her.
"I'll choose neither side," Mo'er Si stated flatly. "I'll transfer your commission to my brother."
She didn't have time to deal with the affairs between the Ten Dons and the Troupe. Her most important task right now was to keep a close eye on the protagonist group, ensuring they didn't accidentally meet their demise.
"Illumi Zoldyck?" This was the only brother of Mo'er Si that Kuroro had met.
"Yes."
"I received his business card." (Chapter 206)
"...Oh." Mo'er Si wasn't interested in when he received the business card.
"But my acquaintance with him is shallow," Kuroro's voice gradually lowered. Then, a faint smile crept over the radio waves, as if he were lightly biting Mo'er Si's ear, just like he did in bed. "Whether out of reason or personal preference, my best choice right now is you, Mo'er."
The intimate address, drawn out with slightly elongated tones, made Mo'er Si shrink her shoulders, and a crack appeared in her rock-solid heart.
...If you can talk, say more!
"No matter the outcome, being able to talk to you before I die, to hear your voice, I'll have no regrets."
...If you can talk, say more!
"Shalnark and Uvogin are missing," Kuroro suddenly said. "They're likely in grave danger."
"..." Yes, certainly in grave danger. Those two 2 billion-jen checks had already turned to ash.
"2 billion jen, that's the price the 'Ten Dons' set for each 'Spider'," Kuroro chuckled, though his laughter was soft. "I've set their price at 20 billion jen each. Is that enough?"
20 billion x 10 = 200 billion
"And the full expedited fee, 200 billion jen."
200 billion + 200 billion = 400 billion
Oh, 4 billion was gone, but 400 billion had arrived. No, this commission required multiple people to cooperate, and Mo'er Si would only receive a portion. Moreover, Mo'er Si was currently busy watching the protagonist group!
"The expedited fee is for you separately." Although he started with a question, Kuroro knew the industry rates. 20 billion jen was definitely enough to buy the head of a "Ten Don." Besides that, his personal provision for Mo'er Si was simply to ensure the job would be done. Money for lives shouldn't be begrudged; there were many ways to earn money back, but human life was singular.
Money makes the world go 'round.
"..." Mo'er Si's rock-solid heart was fiercely wavering.
She had initially planned to watch from the sidelines, but the money he offered was too much.jpg.
Moreover, wasn't this perfectly in line with the original plot's progression? According to the original plot, the Zoldyck family simultaneously accepted the commissions from the Ten Dons and Kuroro, and the result was that the latter's commission was completed first, the Ten Dons were all eliminated, and the Phantom Troupe survived.
Do you suddenly feel that 4 billion jen isn't much? Heh, perhaps better days are yet to come.
After ending the call with Kuroro, Mo'er Si dialed Illumi's phone, requesting a "wish."
Two one-jenny coins, representing two wishes.
The first wish: Illumi accepts the commission to assassinate the "Ten Dons" on Mo'er Si's behalf. (Meaning Illumi will give all his commission rewards to Mo'er Si for this instance.)
The second wish: Illumi completes the commission to assassinate the "Ten Dons" before anyone else from the Zoldyck family. (If this fails, the "wish" is void.)
"Sister, it seems you quite like Kuroro's type," Illumi plainly revealed his displeasure. "Did you contact him first?"
"Shut up," Mo'er Si replied coldly. "It's time for you to work. Remember, don't disappoint me."
Shalnark's early death had already caused a significant deviation from the original plot, so there was no need to cling too tightly to it. Even if Illumi was a step late and Kuroro died, Mo'er Si still had the 200 billion jen expedited fee that Kuroro had just transferred. The 100 billion jen deposit had been transferred to Illumi, allowing him to select helpers from the Zoldyck family.
"Mm."
The moment Illumi finished speaking, Mo'er Si hung up the phone.
Although his sister's attitude was quite harsh, they had been together just a few days ago...
Ah, I can't disappoint her, I must hurry.
Illumi dialed the current head of the Zoldyck family, Silva's, phone.
When commissions conflict, it's necessary to communicate in advance and coordinate manpower. The party that completes the commission first also needs to inform the other party in a timely manner to avoid doing redundant work.
"Father, Mo'er Si just transferred a commission to me," Illumi reported to Silva truthfully. "It's from the Phantom Troupe leader Kuroro, requesting the assassination of the 'Ten Dons' as soon as possible."
Mo'er Si had asked Illumi to handle the commission for her, meaning she wouldn't participate in it. Illumi could have completely concealed Mo'er Si's involvement and claimed it as his own commission, but he didn't.
Silva's order to Illumi back then was "prohibit any form of active contact with Mo'er Si." This command clearly had loopholes, and it was also intended to maintain balance within the family, leaving a sliver of leeway.
Now that Illumi had directly broken through this thin veil and deliberately exposed the loophole, what was he trying to achieve?
"Why did Mo'er Si contact you?" Silva asked.
Regarding family commission coordination issues, Mo'er Si could have directly contacted Silva, and the matter would have been resolved. Yet, she chose Illumi, and Illumi still had to contact Silva for coordination. This unnecessarily added a communication step; wasn't this redundant?
"I'd love to answer, but... I'm not really sure about her thoughts either," Illumi said.
"This isn't the first time she's 'actively' contacted you, is it?" This was Silva's second question.
Illumi remained silent. Only a brief puff of air escaped the phone receiver as he suppressed a chuckle.
"..." Silva frowned. "Look out for yourself."
One cannot punish family members without reason.
Illumi had exploited a loophole and hadn't violated the order, nor had he caused any problems so far. Apart from a verbal warning, Silva had no reason to punish him.
Of course, Silva harbored no expectation of such a reason appearing.
Who would wish for tragedy to occur?