Chapter 74: The Snatcher

Auren’s eyes sweep across the children. Every single one of them looks carefree and oddly cheerful.Some are sitting indoors with books, or playing games, but most are running about in the small garden, laughing and enjoying the day. A group of older children have claimed a table, acting as if they’re adults, talking in hushed tones while spinning a bottle between them.

What the fuck is this? I thought they liked Nibana. Guess children are children—looks like they didn’t give a fuck after all. I should remember that.

Even in January, Meteor City’s climate stays relatively warm, making it a perfect day for the orphans to be outside.

Scanning the scene, Auren notices one child standing out—a girl a few years younger than himself, sitting alone with her back against the house. Her gaze is fixed on the playground in the distance, her eyes filled with quiet hatred toward the other children. She looks lifeless, isolated… as if she’s already given up.

Auren walks toward her and stops right in front, blocking the sunlight so that his shadow falls over her.

“Are you here to kill more people?” the girl asks flatly.

Auren chuckles. “Maybe… just one person, though. I am a killer, after all.”

“Can I make a suggestion, then? You are a killer, right?” the girl asks, her eyes lighting up ever so slightly.

Hmmm?

“You’ve got someone you want me to kill for you?” Auren says. “I suppose I’ve done my share of assassinations. Since you’re still young, I can offer you a fifty-percent discount. Just give me a hundred million Jenny and I’ll consider it.” He smiles faintly.

The girl sighs. “I can offer you 671 Jenny. It’s all I have.”

Auren shrugs. “You’re just a bit short of the target. Tell me who you want dead, and why. Nibana and her lackeys are already gone, so who are you talking about?”

“I want to kill Ella…” the girl whispers, pointing at a cheerful girl about her age, with shiny red hair, across the yard. Six other children crowd around Ella, all smiling at her.

She looks like the center of attention.

“Tell me the story. If she’s done something truly bad, I’ll punish her,” Auren says.

“My name is Killi. I always liked this place. We were taught to read, to count. We each had a bed and enough to eat. I had friends. Then Ella arrived—an outsider. She was always alone, even bullied. I tried to befriend her, but the others hated it. Still, I stuck by her. I abandoned the bullies and became her only friend. For a whole year, we were best friends! Then, just a week ago, she changed. She ignores me now and plays with the same people who bullied her,” Killi explains bitterly.

“Not very grateful, huh? Did you two have a fight?” Auren asks.

I should cut this short. Listening to kids complain about small dramas isn’t the best use of my time.

“Her personality changed,” Killi says. “She still looks the same, especially in front of the others, the Elder, and the caretakers. But when it was just the two of us, she showed her true personality. She used to be quirky, always thinking positively. She wanted to be an artist. She hated people who bullied for fun. Now, she’s completely different. I hate the others… but I’m starting to hate her even more. She’s a vile traitor—a betrayer!” Killi’s eyes lock onto Ella, her hatred shining through.

Auren hesitates before mumbling, “A sudden personality change… like she’s a different person.”

Am I overthinking? These are children… but she’s the only one who could have gotten rid of those documents.

“I think betrayal deserves punishment,” Auren says. “I’ll think about your request.”

“Really?!” Killi’s lips curl into a twisted smile. “Thank you, Auren!!”

“No problem,” Auren replies with a smirk, turning away.

He walks toward the group of older kids, moving quietly, his face calm, but a few drops of sweat running down his cheeks before dropping onto the ground.

…I… No. Let’s gather more information first.

He stops in front of their table, and their game of spin the bottle comes to an abrupt halt as all eyes turn toward him.

“Tell me about Ella and Killi,” Auren says flatly. “I heard they had a little fallout.”

“We don’t pay attention to little kids,” the girl in the center of the group replies.

“She’s only a couple of years younger than you… not exactly a big difference,” Auren says, his voice filled with irritation.

“Even you look younger than us—you don’t get it yet, huh?!” one of the boys adds with a smirk.

Auren smiles faintly, reaches for the bottle in the middle of the table, and picks it up.

Then, without warning, he channels a small amount of aura into his mouth and exhales—a sharp gust of wind infused with Nen strikes the bottle, shattering it into countless glittering shards that scatter across the table.

The children freeze. They can feel the aura lingering in the air, and the sight of the bottle transforming into razor-edged fragments leaves them silent, their eyes fixed on Auren.

“You kids live very safe, sheltered lives here. If you walk out into the real city with that attitude, you won’t last a day. You might want to think about the way you talk to someone like me,” Auren says calmly, his gaze locked on the boy and the girl.

Both drop their eyes to the ground. Even the others look unsettled, their expressions worried as they avoid meeting his gaze.

“Now… does anyone know anything about that Ella girl? What happened? I know you pay attention—no matter how much you act cool and ‘grown up,’” Auren asks, for the second time.

“…She likes to draw. Was bullied. Killi helped her,” one of the quieter girls says reluctantly. “Killi was popular with the other kids, but after helping Ella, she got cast out.”

A boy adds, “Then Ella changed. She suddenly started hanging around the others, and within days she was close with them. It’s weird. She even gave away her art supplies—the ones she used to guard like treasure—just to get in with them. She looked desperate, even a little determined, like she had to become friends with them.”

It is weird… Is she being controlled… or maybe…

Auren thinks it over.

Nibana suddenly changed… now it’s this Ella kid. Could it be possible to take over someone’s body? No… Nibana was still alive—I spoke to her before I executed her. But she seemed hollow… like a shell of her former self. Should I confront Ella? How? At worst… my body could be stolen. That’s a huge risk. Still… Nen is not the only way to control someone. Sometimes the solution is way simpler than you expect.

Leaving the garden, Auren enters the mansion again. He activates Zetsu, moving silently up to the second floor. From the shadows, he studies the children, focusing on Ella. She sits there with a bright, almost unnaturally perfect smile, glancing around the room and toward the mansion as if she’s paying close attention to how she’s perceived by others.

Auren uses Gyo in combination with In, suppressing his presence entirely, and examines her closely.

Her aura… it’s a little stronger than the others. And it’s frighteningly smooth—she’s completely in control of her body and emotions. Is she a Nen user? Possibly… definitely suspicious.

Feeling uneasy, Auren slips out of the mansion.

He moves quickly down the street and approaches a neighbouring building. Knocking firmly on the door, he’s greeted by a servant in a suit.

“This is the residence of an Elder, right?” Auren asks without wasting time.

“Sir… Auren,” the servant says, startled. “Please come in.”

Auren steps inside and is led into the living room, where the oldest Elder from earlier is waiting. Auren smiles faintly.

“I need something, Elder. I need you to get me a drug that can knock someone out. Sleeping gas, chloroform, an injection—I don’t care. It just has to be effective.”

“Get it for him,” the Elder orders immediately.

A few minutes later, Auren is led to a small warehouse guarded by multiple armed soldiers. Inside, racks of weapons, shelves of body armor, stacks of supplies, and piles of resources line the space—copper cables, assorted metal parts, and containers filled with different liquids.

One soldier hands him a small syringe and a vial of clear liquid. “A quarter dose is enough to knock out an adult,” the soldier explains.

“Give me more. I’ll also need ropes, handcuffs—preferably adjustable for smaller wrists—a blindfold or one of those headbags people use in kidnappings. Give me at least two of everything and a huge backpack. I’m not exactly used to this kind of work, so sorry if I don’t know the proper terms,” Auren says with a grin.

“It’s alright…” the soldier replies, though he looks uneasy. “I’ll get you the equipment. But… can we help you? We’d rather you didn’t cause a large incident.”

“Don’t worry. I’m just hunting for a certain cancer cell hiding deep in our beloved home,” Auren explains. “I’ll try to cut it out carefully—without taking too much surrounding flesh, though I can’t guarantee it.”

“I see… thank you for your service,” the soldier says, still looking wary.

The other soldiers look visibly worried, one of them even gulps and walks away, not wanting anything to do with Auren.

A few minutes later, Auren returns to Nibana’s mansion with a backpack full of gear. Using Zetsu, he silently approaches the playground. Concealed behind a slide, he waits for his opportunity. Ten minutes pass before the children begin climbing onto the structure, one after another taking turns sliding down.

The moment Ella slides down, Auren moves. He yanks a bag over her head in one swift motion and plunges a syringe—loaded with twice the recommended dosage—into her side.

After a second of confusion and brief struggling, she goes limp and collapses as her body slides onto the ground, landing on her stomach.

Auren wastes no time. He locks the handcuffs around her wrists, ties her with rope for extra security, and tightens the bag over her head.

The surrounding children stare, frozen in shock.

Ignoring their wide-eyed looks, Auren heads toward the exit—only to spot Killi watching him, her face amused.

Then she smiles. “Wow! You actually did it! Thank you, brother Auren! Punish that traitorous, backstabbing bitch for me, okay? What have you planned for her?”

Auren nods. “No problem. I’ll spare you the details. You seem like a strong girl, however. I think you value real friendship, not fake backstabbers like this little traitor here, right? How about this—would you be interested in learning Nen? I’d teach you personally.”

“What? You’d teach me?” Killi says, her expression shifting from surprise to intrigue. “I… I’d like that.”

She pauses, thinking hard, before repeating, “Yes. Please teach me.”

Hehe… Nen, huh? I have mentioned that term to quite a few people. Their reactions differed quite a lot.

Auren smiles faintly. “No rush—you can take your time deciding. But there’s one small thing that worries me… and we need to deal with it right now.”

“What is it, Auren?” Killi asks, confusion in her voice.

Auren’s expression turns ice cold. “You know too much.”

His foot snaps upward, striking her chin and stunning her. Before she even knows what hit her, he stabs another syringe into her arm.

As she goes limp, he restrains her just as he did Ella, then hefts both of them onto his shoulders.

The other children scream in panic, scattering in every direction, their horrified eyes locked on him as they flee.

Kidnapping children is surprisingly easy… but it does feel a little strange.

Anyway, time to visit Miss Big Nose.