HxH: Apex Predator

"Hello? Hello?!

Father, bad news—there's a high chance that Bat has been attacked. He's likely dead!"

"What happened?"

"I called him just now and caught him in the middle of provoking someone. Then I heard a scream, and after that... nothing. His phone is unreachable."

"What about the other two? When will they arrive on-site?

We need to prepare for the worst. Contact 'Razorhand' Henry immediately.

Tell him I need to borrow his Shadow Beast member, Rabid Dog, for a few days. Offer him ten billion Jenny and a favor in return."

"'Razorhand' Henry?

You mean Henry Shelby—the head of the Shelby family, the underground emperor of the Begrossé Union, and one of the Ten Dons?"

"Exactly. Now, do as I say—quickly!

Once the news of Bat's death and the Solomon family's massacre spreads, countless hyenas will be circling, waiting for an opportunity to pounce."

"If we don't demonstrate the Gambino family's overwhelming strength, they'll swarm us and pick our bones clean.

Especially those within our own ranks who harbor ill intentions. We need to strike fear into them immediately—make an example out of someone if necessary."

"More importantly, I'm worried that bastard Andrea will interfere once he hears about this. Even if we manage to stabilize the situation, his meddling could cost us dearly."

"Father, are you saying we should move against the Genovese family?

But that would break the balance. Besides, how can we be sure that Tony doesn't have allies among the Four Families besides the Kolobo family?"

Gordon, overwhelmed by Bat's demise and his father's ominous predictions, blurted out his concerns.

"That's precisely why I told you to contact Henry.

We need a force that can intimidate the other three families, ensuring they don't act recklessly—or worse, side with Tony."

"But why Henry?

Ten billion Jenny is one thing, but a favor? Isn't that too steep a price?

You have more than one ally among the Ten Elders. Why make him your first choice?"

"Heh, what do you think an 'ally' really is? Exchanging pleasantries? Sending gifts? That's just surface-level nonsense.

The Gambino family dominates the Yorbian continent and controls half of the underground forces in Saherta ."

"Even among the Ten Dons, there's a hierarchy.

Those beneath us in power will show respect—until the tides shift. If they merely refrain from kicking us while we're down, I'll be grateful."

"Besides, like us, the other families have rivals of equal strength on their own continents. They won't—or can't—send their best enforcers to Yorbian for an extended period."

"The only exception is the Shelby family, which has already unified the underground world of the Begerossé Union.

They have the luxury of lending out their Shadow Beast elites without concern."

"Beyond that, Henry and I share one of the strongest personal relationships among the Ten Dons, simply because our families have minimal conflicts of interest.

So the best move right now is to strike a deal with 'Razorhand' Henry."

"We need to stabilize the situation within our family immediately.

I must secure the support of at least three of the Four Families to wipe out the Genovese family as fast as possible.

The reward for their cooperation will be Genovese's territory and businesses."

"Father, the Genovese family is one of our subordinate families. Their holdings are vast—you're just giving all of it away?"

"Don't let short-term gains blind you.

What we give away now, we can reclaim later. Our true enemy isn't one of these vassal families—it's the Agnelli family next door. "

"There's a saying: 'Before dealing with external threats, stabilize your own house.'

If we don't feed these wolves first, how will we drive them to fight our enemies? Remember, people only fight to the death when their own interests are at stake."

"Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to lure in the real prey.

More importantly, we can't let them be swayed by the opposition.

Before the news spreads, contact Henry. Have him send his men immediately. Then we move to the next phase."

"Once Rabid Dog arrives, call a meeting. Summon the heads of the other three families. We'll give them a show of force—make them fall in line."

..........

Meanwhile, after finishing off Bat, Ryker placed a call to Tony, who wasted no time asking about the recent events.

"Nothing much.

I had just wiped out the Solomon family when some bat-winged freak appeared out of nowhere and started running his mouth.

Judging by his appearance, he was probably their reinforcements, so I took him out."

"You want a description? Alright, listen closely..."

On the other end of the line, Tony's expression darkened as he listened to Ryker's account.

A bold speculation took root in his mind.

Though he found it hard to believe, an instinctive voice in his head whispered that it was true—Bat was dead.

Ecstatic yet anxious, Tony immediately contacted his spies within the Gambino family.

He needed to know their every move the moment they made them. At the same time, he ordered his son to convene a meeting with the other two families—excluding the Kolobo family.

He even considered hiring Ryker for another job—just in case someone else got to him first. But no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't reach Ryker.

Because at that moment, Ryker was inside the Kamui space, thoroughly examining Bat's corpse.

..........

The underground forces of Yorbian were like a boiling pot of oil—on the verge of erupting.

All it needed was a single drop of water to set off an explosion.

Meanwhile, in Saherta, another major underground power—the Agnelli family—had also caught wind of the latest developments within the Gambino family.

And they were sharpening their blades.

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