Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

This is not a one-size-fits-all choice.

Finding a balance between getting what the Elder wanted and ensuring Ellie's safety could be achieved with clever use of God Hand...

Law had come up with a plan, a plan centered around the unique capabilities of God Hand.

But first, he needed to regroup with Barney and the others first.

After making up his mind, Law knew he needed to find Barney as quickly as possible, but there was something else that needed to be resolved before leaving.

He looked at Kenda, who was visibly anxious, and asked, "Kenda, do you have any money with you?"

Kenda was confused when he heard this. He didn't know what Law meant by asking for money at this time, but he still answered honestly: "I do."

"Great, give me all of it." Law said, extending his hand. After a pause, he added, "Well, not all of it, keep some for yourself."

As Ellie wiped the rain-soaked parts of her clothes with a towel, she looked at Law, as she was just as puzzled as Kenda.

'Is he asking for payment?'

This thought flashed through Kenda's mind. But thinking that he still had to rely on Law, he took out all the cash he had without hesitation.

"Is this everything?" Law looked at the thick wad of bills in Kenda's hand.

Kenda nodded and said, "Yes."

Law stepped closer, took most of the money, and left Kenda with a small portion.

"Wait for me here. I'll be back soon."

Without explaining further, Law took the money and disappeared through one of the round holes in the wall.

At this time, with the faint light coming in from outside, Kenda finally noticed that there were two round holes with smooth cut in the living room. One led to the alleyway, which he'd entered through, while the other led somewhere else.

He glanced at the round hole near the door and the perfectly cut stone lying on the ground, his face full of puzzlement. He had no idea what Law was up to.

Ellie tilted her head slightly, thought about it, and seemed to realize something.

Two minutes later.

Law returned through the round hole again. The thick stack of cash in his hands had dwindled to just a few large-denomination bills. However, each note was worth ten thousand, so the remaining sum was still significant.

Outside, the sound of gunfire on the streets had noticeably decreased, but it still hadn't stopped entirely. Judging from the frequency of shots, it was clear that many people had been killed, though it was unknown which side had the upper hand.

After returning to the living room, Law placed the remaining banknotes on the table.

After he took Ellie out of the alley, he used God Hand to carve through walls, creating a direct path across the street.

He had damaged several houses along the way and finally came to the living room of this house. Then, based on the Nen fluctuations of the bearded man and the earless man, he took timely action and rescued Kenda.

Although he could use his Nen Ability to repair the house, conserving his Aura was more important given the situation. Thankfully, Kenda had money on him, so he could give some compensation to the owners of these houses.

If the amount wasn't enough, there was nothing he could do, but if he gives too much, they can just consider it as compensation for the mental damage.

"Do you know where Barney is?" After putting down the money, Law looked at Kenda. He no longer called Barney by 'Boss', but called him by name, which represented a change in attitude.

Seeing Law leave the money on the table, Kenda seemed to realize what had happened, and his expression suddenly became strange.

'He wasted two precious minutes just to give compensations?'

Seeing that her guess was confirmed, Ellie smiled adorably.

"We're on the left side of the street, and Master and the others are in an alley on the right side. It's only ten meters in a straight line, but with the firefight still unresolved, we'll have to take a detour."

Kenda suppressed the mixed feelings in his heart and explained in serious tone.

"Then let's take the detour."

Without thinking too much, Law agreed with Kenda's idea. After all, stray bullets didn't discriminate, and he had to consider Ellie's safety.

As soon as he finished speaking, Law picked up Ellie in a princess carry.

Being picked up by Law in such a hurry, Ellie's face turned slightly red, which was not very obvious in the dim light and lasted for a moment before disappearing.

"I'll take the lead."

Kenda glanced at Ellie in Law's arms. With his right arm out of commission, he silently accepted Law's decision to carry Ellie.

The three of them decided to take a roundabout route, avoiding the intense firefight on the main street, to reach the alley on the right where Barney was waiting.

At this point, the fierce firefight was nearing its conclusion. Many civilians had been caught in the crossfire, and both the assassins and Barney's subordinates had suffered significant losses.

On this trip to Yorknew City, Barney had only brought around twenty subordinates, prioritizing quality over quantity. Therefore, when faced with so many assassins besieging them, although they couldn't eliminate the enemies quickly and swiftly, they weren't ruthlessly wiped out either.

While they hadn't gained the upper hand, they had at least succeeded in holding off several times the number of enemies.

The rather awkward horse-faced man and the spiky-haired man hadn't been entirely useless, as they managed to take down a few assassins with underhanded tactics. However, in terms of contribution, compared to Barney's subordinates, they could be said to be just slacking off.

But it wasn't entirely their fault, after all, neither of them knew how to use a gun.

Realizing they weren't much help, when the intensity of the gunfire decreased significantly, the two of them decisively ran to the alley on the right, ready to regroup with Barney.

…

Deep in the alley on the right.

The heavy rain continued but failed to wash away the stench of blood.

There were two bodies lying on the flooded ground, and next to them stood a burly man with a severed arm. It was Martin.

The bodies on the ground belong to the Jackal Brothers, who are also relatively famous assassins in the underworld. While their individual strength was average, the two of them have excellent tacit understanding and are very powerful when they work together.

Martin fought fiercely with the two men and successfully killed them at the cost of his right arm.

With his dominant arm gone, Martin's combat ability had dropped sharply.

Using his left hand and his teeth, Martin tied a cloth tightly around the stump of his arm. His face had turned pale from blood loss and the intense pain.

It was not until the battle was over that Barney, who had been hiding nearby, walked over to Martin. He frowned, and asked in a deep voice, "Can you hold on?"

"I can, but we need to leave this place immediately," Martin replied.

"Let's go." Barney's expression was grim. He pulled out his phone and began walking deeper into the alley. He wanted to make sure of Ellie's safety and location.

Martin followed Barney silently, staying alert for any movement around them.

Boom!

Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder rolled across the sky, as if tearing through the heavy clouds.

In the instant that lightning flashed, the scene went from dark to light and then from light to dark, briefly exposing several figures lurking in the shadows.

Perched atop one of the alley's buildings, a pair of pitch-black, emotionless eyes observed the scene coldly.

Illumi stood at the edge of the rooftop, making no effort to hide himself, though he had erased his Aura completely, so he was not discovered by anyone, whether it was the 'mantis' or the 'oriole'.

Bang.

In the alley below, Martin's knees suddenly went weak and he fell to the ground without warning. His face was filled with shock.

Barney had just dialed a number when he heard the sound and looked back. He saw Martin kneeling on the ground and his expression changed immediately.

"The Jackal Brothers' claws are poisonous." Martin said through gritted teeth, his face contorted in pain.

When he heard that, Barney clenched his teeth, and walked towards Martin, ready to support Martin and leave together.

"Master, you should go first, I'll catch up in a moment." Seeing through Barney's intention, Martin looked up and stopped Barney with a serious tone and expression.

Facing Martin's determined gaze, Barney fell silent.

At this time, the call connected, and Kenda's voice came through the phone: "Master, Young Lady is safe. We're on our way to you now."

Barney took a deep breath, suppressing the fury rising in his chest. As he lifted the phone to his ear to reply to Kenda...

Schlck!

A hand suddenly pierced through Martin's chest, and the blood-stained palm appeared in Barney's eyes.

Martin's body trembled as he slowly lowered his head to look at the hand that had impaled him. Just as he tried to turn his head to see who it was, his head suddenly tilted weakly and he died without a sound.

The shocking turn of events left Barney rooted to the spot, and the words he was about to say were stuck in his throat.

The person who killed Martin was Kuri.

He pulled his hand free and looked at Barney coldly. There was another person beside him, it was Vogt.

"It's you..." Barney growled, his voice trembling with rage.

His fury stemmed from the brazen betrayal of the longstanding partnership between the Mafia and Meteor City.

…

At the same time, Kenda, who sensed something strange through his cell phone, was startled. They were not far from Barney's location, and the horse-faced man and the spiky-haired man were also approaching Barney's location.