The agreed-upon day arrived quickly: the morning of April 9, 1998.
The mist over the Shimeile Wetland had not yet fully dispersed when Leo, having packed his simple luggage, set off on his return journey.
Three hours of rapid travel.
He did not stop while passing through the Biscayne Forest Park—he soon returned to Kent City.
9:40 AM, Kent City Central Plaza.
Sunlight spilled onto the gray-white floor tiles, and the fountain's water jet tilted slightly in the morning breeze.
A few pigeons paced on the ground, startled by pedestrians, fluttering up onto the shoulders of a sculpture.
Leo sat at an outdoor cafe on the west side of the plaza with a cup of coffee in front of him.
He didn't drink it, just sat quietly, his gaze occasionally sweeping toward the plaza entrance.
Ten o'clock sharp.
A figure appeared at the edge of the plaza.
The newcomer wore a black sweater and dark casual trousers, his signature curly hair particularly striking in the sunlight.
He wore those round-rimmed glasses; his eyes behind the lenses met Leo's while scanning the plaza, and he immediately flashed a bright smile.
Retz.
He walked over with large strides, his pace steady and powerful. Leo stood up and reached out to welcome him.
"Retz, welcome."
"Haha, Leo, long time no see!"
Retz gripped his hand and shook it vigorously.
"I rushed over as soon as I got your call. I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"
His tone was relaxed and natural, as if he had come to meet an old friend.
"Not at all."
Leo let go of his hand.
"It is my honor that you could come to help."
"Hey, don't be so polite."
Retz waved his hand.
"We're both Hunters; helping each other is only right."
The two sat down.
Leo didn't engage in small talk and went straight to the point.
"I have prepared the payment, and I can transfer it at any time."
Retz nodded and recited an account number. Leo took out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and transferred 2 billion into Retz's account.
Leo said with a smile.
"Alright, it's been transferred to your account; you can check it."
"Straightforward. Then let's begin."
He sat up straight, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
The next second, Nen surged.
Retz gripped his right hand in the air, and a pale golden halo bloomed in his palm.
The halo gradually condensed and materialized—first in the shape of a pen, then a blank sheet of paper.
The two items turned from intangible to tangible in the air and finally landed in his hand.
The pen was pure white, its tip shimmering; the paper had a delicate texture with faint, elusive patterns along the edges.
Leo watched quietly without urging him.
"Alright."
Retz opened his eyes, spread the paper on the table, and hovered the pen over it.
"Tell me the name, physical characteristics, height, and build of the person you are looking for—every detail you can think of. The more detailed, the more accurate the location."
Leo nodded and began to think. Chrollo would be left for last; as the leader, he always moved with two members, making him difficult to deal with.
The other members moved in pairs. Among those remaining, Feitan's ability was also quite troublesome, so it was better to deal with him first.
As long as he could find Feitan, he could take out two Spiders at once.
After selecting his target, he closed his eyes, and the image from the original manga appeared in his mind—a short figure standing there, holding that iconic umbrella sword.
"Name—" Leo opened his eyes, "Feitan Portor."
Retz's pen tip landed on the paper, recording quickly.
"Height is about 1.5 meters."
Leo continued.
"Dark blue short hair with a center part, shoulder-length. He wears a black leather trench coat with a stand-up collar that can cover half his face. There is a skull pattern printed from the collar to the chest area."
Retz wrote with focus, his pen tip dancing across the paper.
Leo paused.
"He carries an umbrella with him; it's a long-handled, deep red umbrella sword, and there is also a skull pattern printed on the umbrella surface."
Retz finished the last few words and looked up at Leo.
"Anything else to add? For example, areas he often frequents?"
Leo thought carefully. There were many battle scenes featuring Feitan in the original work, but the detailed information was actually limited.
He shook his head.
"That's all."
"Alright."
Retz looked down at the dense text on the paper and nodded with satisfaction.
"The information is very sufficient, especially that umbrella sword—this kind of iconic personal item is an excellent anchor for my ability."
He put down the pen, held both sides of the paper with his hands, his movements gentle and solemn.
Folding.
Not folding randomly, but following a certain set of rules—folding in half, then in half again, his fingertips pressing down on every crease.
Leo could feel that as the folding progressed, the Nen within Retz was slowly flowing into the paper, like pouring water into a container.
The final fold was complete.
Retz opened his palm, and a small white paper crane lay there.
"Alright."
He took a deep breath and held the paper crane in his palm.
"Now it's up to this."
Nen was injected.
The paper crane's wings trembled slightly.
Then, as if pulled by an invisible thread, it slowly rose from Retz's palm and hovered in mid-air.
The wings flapped gently, and the paper crane circled above their heads.
Then—it descended slowly and landed back in Retz's palm.
Retz did not show any disappointment; this was within his expectations.
He looked at Leo and explained.
"My ability has a range limit. If the target is within fifty kilometers, the paper crane will automatically fly in that direction; if it is beyond this range, it will descend back into my hand. Once the ability is deactivated, it will take three days before I can use it again."
He paused.
"It seems the person you are looking for is not near Kent City."
Leo nodded without saying much.
"Then we'll try another place."
The two stood up and left the plaza.
Over the next two days, Leo and Retz traveled between multiple cities on the continent.
On the afternoon of April 9, they arrived in Saba City.
The paper crane lay quietly in Retz's palm, showing no reaction.
On the morning of April 10, they appeared in Yorknew City.
The paper crane took flight, circled once, and landed back in his palm.
Retz shook his head.
"Not here. The target might be further away."
On the evening of April 10, the two arrived in the coastal city of Croll; the paper crane remained dormant.
On the morning of April 11, they set foot on the land of the Guganyu Kingdom.
But Leo had no mind to appreciate the scenery; his gaze remained fixed on the paper crane in Retz's palm.
First stop, the royal capital Clause. The paper crane was quiet.
Second stop, the border town of Belk. Still no reaction.
Third stop—
On the afternoon of April 11, Audur City.
This was an industrial city located in the eastern part of the Guganyu Kingdom, completely different from those bright and beautiful tourist cities.
On both sides of the streets were dusty, old buildings; tram lines crisscrossed into a net, and the air was filled with a faint smell of soot.
Just as Leo and Retz walked out of the station, Retz suddenly stopped.
"There's a reaction."
He opened his palm.