Pakunoda had completely lost interest in them.
For her, Chrollo's death meant the Troupe's end. Anyone could be replaced, but not Chrollo. Although Chrollo had said a replacement could be found, no one could truly replace him. There was only one Chrollo. No one could fill his position in the Phantom Troupe. Chrollo was the Spider; the Spider was Chrollo. Animals can survive losing a limb, but not their head.
'Chrollo...' Pakunoda's eyes welled up. Her pale face remained expressionless. Lost and distraught, Pakunoda stared blankly at Franklin and Bonolenov.
Beep beep beep beep beep beep! Just as they were about to fight, Pakunoda's phone rang. Everyone looked at her. Someone was contacting her—odd, given the state of the Troupe.
Pakunoda looked at the unfamiliar number, hesitated, then answered. There was silence.
Pakunoda said, "Hello? Who is this?"
"Chrollo is in my hands."
Pakunoda's eyes widened; color returned to her pale face. She grabbed the phone, her voice trembling. "Really?"
Loki laughed on the other end. "Need me to send a picture?"
The news that Chrollo was alive thrilled Pakunoda. Franklin, Bonolenov, and Kortopi were also surprised. They leaned in to listen.
"Who are you?" Pakunoda asked, regaining her composure.
"You should know me."
They immediately thought of the Flame Kid.
"You're the Flame Kid."
Pakunoda stood up. "Tell me. How do I get Chrollo back?"
"You're Pakunoda, right?"
"You know my name!" Pakunoda was surprised.
"It's strange not to know your opponent's information," Loki said. "To get Chrollo back, find a place where your companions can't hear us."
Pakunoda glanced at the others. "There's no one here. Tell me your conditions."
"How many of you are left?"
"Four, including me."
Loki didn't doubt this; Nobunaga and the others were probably dead. Only four members remained.
"Alright. To save Chrollo, what are you willing to do?"
"Anything. Just release Chrollo."
"Then kill the others and bring their bodies to me. I'll be at the park."
Loki hung up without giving her time to think. He then called Kurapika.
Loki flew through the graying sky.
"It's almost morning," he thought. "Time flies."
He used Geppo, rapidly flying towards the location Kurapika had given him. It took a few minutes—much faster than ground travel.
He stood above a residential area.
"Byakugan!" He activated his Byakugan, searching the area. His Byakugan's 360-degree vision allowed him to quickly search the hundreds of buildings. He quickly located a house.
He opened the rusty iron gate, went through the garden, kicked open the door, and entered. There were footprints and bloodstains. He saw the bodies in the corner.
"They left recently," he thought, following the footprints to a second-floor window. He opened the window.
"Why did they move?"
They shouldn't have gone far. He could still catch them.
He jumped out the window, using his Byakugan to track the footprints. He moved quickly, but not too fast, still keeping an eye on his surroundings. He was confident he was faster.
He went through an alley; across the street was a hospital.
"Strange," he thought. This wasn't the best escape route. They should've gone through less populated areas. And it wasn't the road out of the city. He couldn't guess their reason, but they weren't far.
Behind the hospital, Franklin, Kortopi, and Bonolenov stood on the roof, looking at the hospital one last time.
"Sorry, Nobunaga. This is all we can do. The rest is up to you," Franklin said.
Bonolenov and Kortopi shook their heads. Friendship between members wasn't a good thing.
"Let's go. If Pakunoda dies, we leave Yorknew City immediately."
As they turned, Loki landed on a nearby roof. His keen eyesight locked onto the three figures.
"The cat and mouse game is over," Loki smirked, vanishing into the night.
The three were looking for a place to rest and wait for Pakunoda. They left the roof and walked down a dark alley. Franklin stopped.
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