The Phantom Troupe arrived far sooner than Ivan had expected.
Even though the situation on Yalan Street had already exploded into chaos, he hadn't imagined the Troupe would track him down this quickly.
Unless they had discovered what happened at the abandoned warehouse in the suburbs.
If they had pieced together from that scene that Ivan might have revived, then their speed made sense.
Otherwise, it could only be chalked up to sheer bad luck.
Either way, it disrupted his plans.
If things went wrong, Ivan knew he could easily end up in a life-threatening situation.
From the moment the small dinosaurs detected the enemy and were attacked, his position was essentially exposed.
Anyone with a brain could deduce that Ivan was inside the Judicial Bureau.
The feedback from the dinosaurs confirmed it.
So he had to prepare himself to face the Phantom Troupe at any moment.
The call connected.
A man's voice came through the receiver.
"Hello. Who is this?"
"Ivan."
He didn't bother hiding his identity.
After all, he was calling Hinrigh specifically to negotiate.
There was no point backing out now.
The fact that Hinrigh's number was written in his notebook wasn't strange.
In truth, Ivan didn't even need to check the notebook.
The number had long been memorized.
For the original Ivan, that phone number carried a special meaning.
"I thought you were dead," Hinrigh said calmly.
"Thanks to you, I almost was."
Ivan didn't waste time chatting.
"Is the deal still on?"
On the other end of the phone, Hinrigh fell silent for a moment.
He seemed to be thinking.
After a brief hesitation, he answered.
"I can help you."
"I know."
Ivan had already reached the underground parking garage.
Several cars were parked there, including his own.
He pressed the unlock button on his key.
A car not far away flashed its lights.
As Ivan walked toward it, he continued speaking without pause.
"But you should also know that I won't join the mafia."
Hinrigh didn't deny that.
Instead, he asked seriously:
"I'll confirm one more time. Your father really never told you anything about the file?"
Even though his subordinate Lynch had already interrogated Ivan using his ability when they captured him earlier, Hinrigh still wanted confirmation.
After all, the fact that Ivan was alive and moving freely right now was already abnormal.
"No. He never told me anything. I know absolutely nothing."
Ivan answered decisively.
Hinrigh paused briefly.
Then he gave his answer.
"Three days."
"I can buy you three days."
"That's enough."
Ivan opened the car door.
"But whether you can profit from this business afterward will depend on your own ability."
He deliberately set expectations in advance.
"As long as you keep your side of the agreement," Hinrigh replied confidently, "the rest won't be a problem."
"Funny, though."
"Seven years later, and we end up cooperating again."
"And it turns out we've both chosen similar Nen abilities."
"That's interesting."
Then Hinrigh's tone shifted slightly.
"But choosing to make this deal means you're willing to cooperate with the mafia, doesn't it?"
"Looks like you've changed after all these years."
"I used to think you'd stay stubborn forever."
"You've seen enough darkness by now, haven't you?"
"In Kakin, the mafia and the Judicial Bureau aren't really that different."
There was a trace of satisfaction in his voice.
In Hinrigh's mind, Ivan was already halfway into his camp.
The deal between them was simple.
Hinrigh would provide intelligence.
Ivan, acting as an investigator of the Kakin Judicial Bureau, would conduct raids and investigations against businesses tied to the Cha-R Family and their involvement in the new narcotic trade.
What the Xi-Yu Family did afterward—taking over Cha-R's territory or business—had nothing to do with Ivan.
In other words—
The credit and the enmity would both fall on Ivan.
But once Ivan accepted the deal, even if he never officially joined the Xi-Yu Family, he would still become entangled with them.
From that point on, it would be nearly impossible to completely distance himself.
Even if he later cracked down on Xi-Yu businesses, it wouldn't erase that connection.
That was why Hinrigh sounded so pleased.
In his eyes, once Ivan took the first step, the rest would follow naturally.
But that logic applied to the old Ivan.
The current Ivan was different.
Ever since his journey through the world of Steel Ball Run, he had developed his own standards for judging right and wrong.
Still—
Hinrigh had said one thing that was undeniably true.
To Ivan now, the mafia and the Judicial Bureau looked very much the same.
The car engine started.
Ivan drove out of the garage toward the street outside the Judicial Bureau.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Be careful," he said into the phone.
"The Phantom Troupe might come looking for you."
Without giving Hinrigh a chance to reply, Ivan ended the call.
In the memories of the original Ivan, there were many scenes involving Hinrigh.
During his childhood, Hinrigh had been more than just his closest friend.
He had been like an older brother.
Back then, the original Ivan had often followed Hinrigh around the streets, getting into trouble.
Every time, Judge Lyman would scold him afterward.
But the boy Ivan had adored the person who once rescued him from bullies.
Unfortunately, things changed after Ivan entered the military academy.
Their relationship gradually grew distant.
When Hinrigh publicly revealed himself as the young leader of the Xi-Yu Family, one of Kakin's three great mafia families, and invited Ivan to join him—
Their paths finally diverged completely.
Contact between them became rare.
When the original Ivan investigated the Carnage Festival, it was Hinrigh who helped him locate the abandoned village tied to the case.
At one point, the original Ivan had even considered joining the mafia.
But thanks to Lyman's guidance and Caesar's support, he eventually stepped back from that path.
Instead, he chose to stand on the front line.
He became an investigator.
Ivan suddenly remembered something Caesar once said:
"The Judicial Bureau is an independent institution.
Even though the Chief Justice still handles royal matters, our authority grows stronger every year.
One day, we might truly gain the power to change this country.
Until then…
Keep walking forward for the sake of the justice in your heart."
Ivan thought of a sentence he had heard before:
Resolve means carving a path forward through a pitch-black wilderness.
No one embodied that idea better than Caesar.
Because Caesar had always been walking that path.
Ivan's car shot out from the Judicial Bureau's back entrance and sped down the street.
The autumn wind rushed through the open window, clearing his mind.
His drifting thoughts returned to the issue he truly needed to focus on.
Originally, he planned to visit the Third Hospital after meeting Sevanci.
But the Phantom Troupe had moved far too quickly.
Now he had no other choice.
He didn't know what secrets awaited him at the Third Hospital.
He didn't even know if Corea would be there.
But he did know one thing.
The secrets hidden there might be the key to confronting the Phantom Troupe.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
http://patreon.com/KuroTL