Makosi's Nen ability was called "Best Friends Construction Crew."
He was an Emitter, but his Nen ability somewhat resembled Manipulation. In reality, he couldn't directly control the rats—only communicate with them. The rats had free will of their own. They were a type of Nen beast.
There were a total of thirty rats, split into three "construction teams" of ten each, each team serving a different function.
Nen ability structure and development are intimately tied to the user's personal experiences. For Makosi, this ability originated from certain childhood memories in Meteor City.
Most children there had, at some point, rummaged through garbage to survive. In those dark days, rats were among the few creatures that brought Makosi any sense of warmth or fun. Even though people outside loathed rats as filthy and ugly, he felt differently.
So when it came time to "create" his own Nen ability, he naturally leaned in that direction. And on the six-part "Hex" chart of Nen, Emitter lies next to Manipulator. Makosi's own aura wasn't purely Emitter; part of it also bordered on Manipulation. However, his development of the Manipulation aspect was relatively minor, so the ability he showcased remained mostly in line with Emitter traits.
Of course, he himself didn't fully grasp the detailed makeup of his Nen type.
Right now, he was releasing these rats so they could slip into the target's room and other corners of the building, gather intel, then return to report. Based on that, he would decide his next move.
But soon after unleashing the rats, Makosi heard their distressed squeaking from upstairs—an unusual noise only he could pick up.
"Damn it… something's off!"
The rats' squeaks made his expression harden. Next thing he knew, a few of them scurried down the staircase.
Boom!
Suddenly, the building trembled violently. An intense flash and blast from an explosion sent debris, smoke, and flames surging down from the upper floors. The rat swarm, being Nen beasts, instantly vanished in the flames.
An ambush!
Alerted by the rats' alarm calls, Makosi reacted at once, body shooting backward like an arrow off its bow. He'd just been on the first-floor landing—inside the ground-level lobby, not far from the entrance. Even if the floor beneath him was also rigged with explosives, he still mustered enough aura for defense, and his quick reflexes minimized the harm.
In a whoosh, Makosi sprang out of the smoke and flames, retreating a good distance—roughly about 30 meters—before finally halting, face grim. His clothes and hair were scorched, and his skin bore burns. Fortunately, none were fatal. Without his Nen, he'd likely have been done for.
Heart pounding, Makosi stared at the building: though it hadn't collapsed outright, the outside was severely damaged, and mafia members ran around screaming, their bodies aflame. He swallowed, shaken.
He'd been using his Zetsu to hide his aura. How had they located him, and pinned down his exact spot? And their methods were brutally thorough—destroying everyone in and around the building just to get him.
"Huh?"
Makosi's relief was short-lived. As the heavy smoke drifted, he realized the air carried more than a stench of fire and burning. Some other gas seemed to be in play.
Poison gas?!
A chill raced up his spine. He remembered a time long ago, when certain countries had unleashed chemical weapons against Meteor City. Now, seeing signs of toxic fumes, he was about to flee the contamination zone—
Bang!
A piercing round struck his shoulder—a penetrator round that not only tore through his body but also blasted a small crater in the floor by his feet. The bullet was terrifyingly fast and powerful, and his nerves were already frazzled.
He'd dropped Zetsu and couldn't respond quickly enough, unable to muster aura defense in time. So the shot blew a fist-sized wound into him, making him go cold all over.
Looking around dizzily, he saw several figures wearing gas masks emerge. Only then did he realize: his rats hadn't squealed because they sensed an explosive trap, but because they'd picked up on the toxin disguised within the bomb. The detonation was just a smokescreen, its actual force not that large. The real threat was the poison gas.
This type of chemical weapon was contraband highly restricted by governments—rarely, if ever, seen on the black market and definitely not permitted for large-scale warfare. It was considered inhumane. A small family like Zatobi could never have procured it on their own. Unless… It came from an official channel.
"Shit…"
Makosi finally understood how Kai had been taken down. And he realized who was really backing the Zatobi Family—inevitably, the Republic of Padokea's official forces.
"Goddamnit…"
Cursing again, Makosi felt his surroundings spin. In the next moment, he collapsed onto the ground with a thud. Soon afterward, the armed, gas-masked squad closed in, confirming he was unconscious.
"Target's out of commission—he's lost consciousness," they reported to Xiang Nan via earpiece.
"Wrap it up."
"Copy."
…
In a darkened monitoring room on the building's top floor—where the bomb blasts hadn't reached—Xiang Nan and Mia both wore gas masks. Dust covered their clothes, and the floor was cracked. They had stayed at the top level during the explosion. The bombs were rigged on the lower three floors; much of the force expanded upward, but not severely enough to reach them. The true kill factor was the toxin, not the blast itself.
Just like with Kai, Xiang Nan had calibrated these bombs' destructive force. They guessed the Nen user's approximate zone, although it was impossible to track him precisely—Makosi had easily avoided direct detection. The plan never required pinpoint accuracy, though. As long as Makosi entered the building, they intended to flood the entire industrial zone with poison, ensuring any living thing inside died.
Xiang Nan's "gas bombs" were basically standard chemical weaponry—nowhere near the level of something like the Poor Man's Rose, but still potent enough in closed quarters. It activated rapidly, dispersing quickly, yet losing effectiveness soon after. Enough for him to trap and kill one Nen user. His official access let him obtain only a small quantity, which he used under a "medical research" guise.
But a small dose was all he needed to exterminate every lifeform in the building. No wonder these things were banned by V5 and all major governments.
It was quite an elaborate setup just to bag a single Nen user. After all, they'd even used Zatobi's men as collateral damage. From Xiang Nan's standpoint, it was worth it—he'd just captured another test subject.
~~~
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