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Chapter 135: Pursuit
Kurapika was acutely aware of his own strengths and weaknesses. The Nen users in the theater likely weren't the only ones Petter had at his disposal. Assuming that was true, even if he found Petter, he couldn't act recklessly. Waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack was the optimal solution. Furthermore, he had to prepare for the possibility that the capture attempt would be registered as an "attack," triggering Petter's decoy substitution and escape.
Though "escape" was perhaps inaccurate; it was more like anticipating Petter seeking out his second teleportation waypoint. However, as long as the chain landed on Petter, the [Judgment Chain] on his little finger would point him straight in Petter's direction, making tracking him down incredibly simple.
As for whether Petter was in the security room, the noticeably heightened security as he approached confirmed his deduction was flawless. Petter was too confident. If he hadn't personally attended the performance and exposed his ability through Abaki's attack, locking onto him would have been nearly impossible for Kurapika. Petter's ability was undeniably top-tier for escaping.
Predicting when Petter would leave the room was also easy. The moment Petter noticed an existential threat like Ronin, he would initiate his next transfer. Kurapika deduced that Petter absolutely wouldn't choose to leave by directly activating his ability. This tied back to his theory that Petter's ability was restricted by either a set number of uses or a maximum range.
Kurapika was extremely confident in his judgment.
Everything played out exactly as he predicted. The moment the security room door opened, he knew his chance had come. Concealed by [In], the [Chain Jail] on his middle finger and the tracking chain on his little finger shot toward the doorway simultaneously. The instant Petter took his first step out of the room, they burst forward and wrapped around his body.
The very second [Chain Jail] constricted, Petter's body stiffened momentarily. Then, as Kurapika's chains materialized into view, Petter's body began to cave in. This was the result of Kurapika forcefully tightening the [Chain Jail]!
The guards' failure to spot the [In]-concealed chains immediately was already a dereliction of duty. Seeing their boss on the verge of death made their hearts drop. Without a second thought, two Nen users charged at Kurapika.
But Kurapika simply tilted his head to listen. From not too far away, a piercing scream echoed through the air. Had someone discovered Petter's sudden appearance? The chain on his little finger shifted instantly, pointing squarely in the direction of the scream. The [Chain Jail] on his middle finger changed course, snapping like a viper toward the two incoming attackers.
The rushing duo was prepared for battle, but the situation shifted faster than they could react. Pebbles tore through the air from a distance at breakneck speed, striking their vitals just as they moved to block the chains. As the two Nen users crumpled in agony, Kurapika spotted the attacker.
It was Ronin.
"Follow me." Without wasting breath, Kurapika rapidly retracted his chains.
He abandoned the finishing blow and sprinted toward the source of the scream. Ronin swept his gaze over the two downed men before falling in step behind Kurapika.
.....
The moment his ability triggered, a dreadful thought crossed Petter's mind. He had been ambushed. And the piercing scream that followed his teleportation only deepened his frown.
The guest who had fallen dead now bore massive strangulation marks, blood squeezed from the wounds. It was this gruesome sight that prompted a woman nearby to scream in terror.
Petter casually drew a pistol from his waist. Before the woman could stop screaming, he put a bullet through her head, cutting the noise short. He quickened his pace, heading toward the hotel exit. The woman's scream might draw his enemies again, so he chose the most advantageous route—one far away from the remaining three guests he had marked. Even if another scream erupted during his next transfer, he was confident the enemy wouldn't catch on twice.
Petter's plan was solid. But he miscalculated one crucial detail: from the moment Kurapika's chains touched him, he could no longer escape Kurapika's tracking.
Petter had anticipated Kurapika chasing him. Seeing the chains slithering toward him again, a vicious look crossed Petter's face. All his ability points were dumped into evasion; he was practically useless in direct combat. Against weaker opponents, he could stall and find an opening to turn them into dummies. But against someone equal or stronger, launching an attack would only negate his passive escape ability.
So, Petter only attempted to dodge, shouting his most pressing question mid-evasion:
"Who the hell are you people!?"
Ronin, following closely behind Kurapika, didn't really have an answer for him. Or rather, he had no intention of giving him one until they captured him completely.
Kurapika shared Ronin's sentiment. The chains lunged. To Kurapika, Petter's evasive maneuvers were a joke. Only when the chains successfully wrapped around his target did Kurapika display an as expected expression. Petter vanished once more. What remained in the chains was just another dummy. Judging by the corpse they had found earlier, it was true that someone else bore the brunt of the damage whenever Petter teleported.
"An ability jointly developed through Emission and Manipulation," Ronin deduced.
Identifying the six Nen types wasn't an absolute science. Some people could master a single type to 100%, while others could reach around 90% in two different types. Petter clearly fell into the category straddling Emission and Manipulation. However, his Emission traits were entirely focused on spatial teleportation, which was why Ronin hadn't noticed the nuances during his initial observation and categorized him strictly as a Manipulator. He wasn't entirely wrong.
"Mhm." Kurapika raised his little finger. Guided by the chain, Petter had nowhere to run!
When Ronin appeared before Petter once again, Petter's face was etched with sheer shock. How did they find me?! If he couldn't figure that out, even another teleport would just end with him getting caught again.
Unfortunately, crushed by the overwhelming gap in both raw power and abilities, Petter was out of chances. When he exhausted his final teleport, Petter displayed no backbone. He dropped directly to his knees and begged for mercy, looking as pathetic as one could possibly be.
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