HxH: Apex Predator

Andrea's eyes were fixed on the scenery outside the window, yet his focus was elsewhere. The latest intelligence had sent him deep into contemplation.

Before long, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to reality.

Without turning his head, he remained in his previous posture and said, "Come in."

The door opened in response. A striking woman with flowing black hair cascading over her shoulders stepped inside.

Her tall, curvaceous figure was accentuated by a form-fitting dress, and the youthful innocence that once graced her face had been replaced by a mature, intellectual allure.

The rhythmic clicks of her high heels accompanied her every step, stirring the hearts of those in her presence.

"Darling, the latest news—Old John has begun aggressively recruiting soldiers. According to reliable sources, three days from now, he will secretly convene a meeting with the four vassal families."

"Oh? It seems the old bastard is getting restless. He's likely already secured reinforcements, and if my guess is correct, they'll arrive within three days. That means he's planning to make his move against Tony soon."

"For Tony, that meeting will be nothing less than a death trap. I doubt he'll walk into it willingly.

But John must have anticipated that as well. The real purpose of the meeting is probably to intimidate the other three families into submission."

"At the same time, they'll likely discuss how to deal with the Genovese family—how to carve up their territory and business once they're eliminated.

John is going to use these spoils as bargaining chips to ensure short-term stability for his own family—preventing me from taking advantage of the chaos and stopping any of the other Ten Dons from stirring up trouble."

"Well then, I'll grant him his wish. I'll add fuel to the fire and watch from the sidelines as it all burns down.

I can't wait to see his face when the time comes. I bet it'll be quite the sight, hahaha!"

Then, his expression turned serious. "Jessica, have you found out anything about the kid Tony hired? The one who wiped out the Seven Gangs and the Solomon family?"

Jessica nodded. "We've got some leads, but the intel isn't fully verified. There are rumors that Tony hired someone from the Zoldyck family."

Andrea's brows lifted. "The Zoldycks? A single kid?

I see… That explains it. No wonder Tony dared to move against the Solomon family."

"The crazy part is—his plan almost worked. The only reason it didn't was because that kid turned out to be so ruthless that even Bat got taken out. That's what escalated the whole situation to where we are now.

Looks like I owe that kid a thank-you. Without him, we wouldn't have this spectacle to enjoy."

Jessica hesitated. "That's why I said the intel might not be reliable. The Zoldycks are known for their strict business code. They only take contracts for the right price—at least ten billion to start. There's no way Tony could afford that kind of money."

Andrea chuckled. "Interesting… Regardless, start preparing. The entire family is now in wartime mode. Everyone stays sharp."

"Get in touch with Owl—tell him to finish whatever he's handling and return to headquarters immediately. We'll likely need him in action soon.

Also, start reaching out to the vassal families under the Gambino family. We can afford to make our contact with Tony visible, but not too blatant."

"As for the Bonanno and Lucchese families, keep our usual level of discretion. They're just pawns in this game—I don't expect them to be of much use.

The key is the Kolobo family. Make sure our contact with them remains completely secret. Actually… I'll handle Sosa myself."

Andrea leaned back, satisfied. "That's our current deployment. We'll adjust depending on how the situation develops."

After Jessica left the room, Andrea turned to the closed door, his gaze deep and unreadable. He once again fell into silent contemplation.

.......

While the underworld of the Yorbian Continent churned with unseen turmoil, our protagonist, Ryker, remained cut off from the outside world within Kamui Space.

At this moment, he was racking his brain, trying to develop a brand-new Nen ability. Since he had adopted a new identity to remain undetected, he needed to create an entirely different fighting style.

His last encounter with that blond narcissist had given him some inspiration. Ryker was now considering using a gun as a medium for his Nen Bullets.

This would allow him to maintain his preferred long-range combat style while disguising his techniques. He even toyed with the idea of adding restrictions to amplify their power or grant them unique properties.

But that wasn't all—Ryker was determined to develop a spatial ability as well. After all, Kamui had already shown him how powerful and convenient spatial techniques could be.

As the saying goes: It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but the reverse is impossible. Even with a new identity, he couldn't let go of his reliance on spatial abilities.

However, for someone like Ryker—who had already lived through the rigid thinking of nearly three decades as a corporate drone—creating an entirely new spatial ability from scratch was proving to be a monumental challenge.

So, he decided to borrow—no, draw inspiration—from the countless artistic works he had seen in his past life. By adapting and personalizing those ideas, he could develop something unique.

A rough concept had already formed in his mind. The tricky part was figuring out how to integrate the various elements and what conditions to impose to maximize its effectiveness.

As Ryker wrestled with his ideas, the days slipped by.

Meanwhile, Rabid Dog had secretly arrived on the Yorbian Continent after two days of travel from Begrosse.

However, he did not immediately report to the Gambino family headquarters. Instead, he made a covert call to Old John to arrange a meeting location.

Following the plan, a Gambino contact escorted him in secret to Old John's residence, minimizing the risk of discovery.

John's strategy was simple—before the family meeting, no one could know that Rabid Dog had arrived. He wanted to deliver a shocking surprise at the banquet.

But while Old John managed to keep the truth from his own vassal families, he failed to deceive his fellow Ten Dons—Andrea.

Jessica quickly reported Rabid Dog's movements to him, along with intel on Old John's secret dealings with Razor hand Henry.

Andrea laughed. "Hahaha! The old bastard really went all-in this time.

If he pulls this off, he's going to be in serious trouble anyway. His three vassal families will grow too strong for him to control easily."

"I told him before—the Gambino family's four-family system should have been scrapped ages ago.

These days, you can't even trust your own blood relatives. And he still thinks he can run an empire relying on four vassal families?"

As he finished speaking, Andrea dismissed Jessica, letting her return to her work.

Then, after watching the door for a few seconds, he muttered under his breath, his voice barely above a whisper:

"Don't disappoint me."

_______________________

Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-

patreon.com/ShadySmuggler