After Silva brought Killua to the Heavens Arena, he arranged for a one-month stay at a nearby hotel. Along with that came the provision of three meals a day.
But aside from these necessities, Silva didn't give Killua a single penny.
This meant Killua couldn't even afford something as simple as a bottle of soda.
To make matters worse, the prize for winning a match on the first floor of Heavens Arena was barely enough to cover a bottle of Coke.
"Clack!"
The sound of hesitation echoed as Killua stood in front of a vending machine, his hand hovering indecisively. Kaizen, watching from a distance, captured the moment with a click of his camera.
Moments later, Kaizen sent the image to Milluki via email.
"Ding!"
Milluki opened the email, his eyes lighting up with amusement.
"Look at that face!" he exclaimed. "Even after all the times Father used his whip on me, I never made an expression like that."
He chuckled cruelly, muttering, "The poor kid can't even buy a Coke. How pitiful."
Feeling strangely satisfied, Milluki transferred 10,000 Jenny to Kaizen's account as payment for the photo.
Kaizen glanced at the notification on his phone and smirked faintly.
"I wonder what Killua would think if he ever saw these photos," Kaizen mused, his tone neutral.
Within the Zoldyck family's twisted logic, even if Killua found out about the surveillance, he would likely target Milluki for revenge, not Kaizen.
It was no different from how people killed by the Zoldyck family rarely sought revenge against them directly. Instead, they blamed the clients who hired them.
Kaizen reflected on an example from the past:
When the Ten Dons were assassinated by the Zoldycks, the underworld leaders didn't retaliate against the family. Instead, they sought revenge on the Phantom Troupe, who hailed from Meteor City.
This mindset was ingrained in the world of assassins: the killer was simply a tool.
Killua's matches on the first floor of Heavens Arena were straightforward. He breezed through his opponents, securing both his victory and a modest reward—a can of Coke.
Immediately, he returned to the vending machine and bought the soda.
"Glug, glug, glug!"
Killua drained it in one go, sighing with satisfaction as he tossed the empty can into a nearby trash bin.
Later that evening, he returned to the hotel Silva had booked. Swiping his keycard, he entered his room, kicked off his shoes, and leapt onto the bed.
As his body sank into the mattress, he felt an unfamiliar sensation—a rare taste of true freedom.
In the confines of the Zoldyck Manor, Killua had enjoyed a relative amount of independence. No one closely monitored his every move. Yet, this was different.
Here, he was entirely on his own.
"This… is the outside world," he murmured.
Meanwhile, Kaizen had shifted his focus. Surveillance footage of Killua's hotel room played silently on his laptop.
He had already sent Raiken to the hotel earlier to set up a hidden camera. Despite Killua's natural instincts for spotting surveillance, Kaizen's meticulous planning ensured the setup remained undetected.
Kaizen divided his time carefully:
Training Shizuku, Nina, and Sally in Nen. Refining his own Nen abilities. Investigating the royal families of Talis and Fiora as potential targets for his next project.
Kaizen's ultimate goal was to create his fifth Nen Beast.
Both the Taris and Fiora Kingdoms intrigued him for their unique traits. If he could absorb their characteristics, the Nen Beast he crafted would undoubtedly surpass his previous creations.
Among his current Nen Beasts, Killer Queen and Altan stood out as his favorites. Their powers were irreplaceable. However, he admitted that Raiken and Ryunosuke Akutagawa lacked the same allure.
Still, Raiken offered one advantage: combat skills that Kaizen could personally utilize. Akutagawa, unfortunately, had no such benefit.
Kaizen reached for a box on his desk and opened it, revealing rows of gleaming needles.
Each needle radiated a faint Nen aura, but Kaizen wasn't done yet.
He retrieved a crystal feather bone—a rare and highly toxic material. Carefully, he began coating the needles with its venom.
One by one, the needles were infused with the poison, transforming into deadly weapons.
"Now I have these poisoned needles to add to my arsenal," Kaizen mused. "Along with my Scissors and Rotten Knife. Though, honestly, those scissors are redundant—they're no match for the knife's durability and sharpness."
Deciding to put them to better use, Kaizen called for Nina.
"This is for you," he said, handing her the Nen-infused scissors.
"Brother Kaizen, what's this?" Nina asked, her eyes wide.
"They're Nen tools, stronger than ordinary weapons. You'll find them useful."
"Thank you, brother! But…" she hesitated.
"Don't worry about me," Kaizen said, waving her concerns away. "I've got my knife. The scissors don't suit my needs anymore."
Encouraged, Nina accepted the gift with a bright smile.
Just then, Kaizen's phone chimed. A new email had arrived.
------------
+200 chapters on patreon.com/FanficsHub