Xiang Nan and the other Hunters from the Association quickly regrouped outside the hotel.

By then, the streets were already crowded with stunned onlookers.

Everyone was staring at the blazing fire in the distance, their faces full of fear. That all-too-familiar feeling was back—chaos, disorder.

Whether it was what Xiang Nan had experienced entering other worlds, or the aftermath of the intruder incident in Zaban City—it was always the same: panic and destruction.

The fear in the crowd started to spread like wildfire.

Cars were jamming up the roads… people either ran in every direction or gathered in small groups to talk in hushed, frantic tones.

Just like that, the peaceful night shattered.

"Xiang Nan, call from the Chairman."

Pariston handed him a phone with a calm smile, gesturing for him to take it.

Everyone's attention immediately shifted to Xiang Nan.

Pariston looked completely unfazed, like the appearance of intruders didn't bother him one bit.

"Chairman," Xiang Nan said, answering the call.

"Xiang Nan... tell me everything you know—just use your usual, subtle way of speaking."

Netero didn't waste time with small talk—he went straight to the point.

Xiang Nan glanced at Pariston, then asked,

"Chairman… you're in Yorknew too?"

"Yeah," Netero replied simply.

"Then I won't go into detail about the Multiverse. I'm sure you've got a general idea… especially with Cheadle and Mizaistom here."

Xiang Nan's eyes swept over the woman and the man in the cow-print suit as he spoke calmly.

By now, he was certain: until recently, only Netero and Pariston knew about the Multiverse.

But now, Pariston had clearly let two Zodiac members in on the secret.

If Cheadle had known beforehand, she never would've been played so easily by him and Pariston—she wasn't stupid.

And judging from how differently Cheadle and Mizaistom were reacting compared to the other staff, Xiang Nan could tell Pariston had already briefed them—probably even mentioned the Nameless Town.

Pariston had clearly anticipated that Xiang Nan might try to use the Multiverse against him. And now that the battlefield had dropped into Yorknew, it was obvious he and Netero had predicted this. They were definitely staying in contact.

Xiang Nan organized his thoughts and replied,

"Long story short, those people who suddenly showed up—they're here to destroy our world. Sure, we might come from the same place, but without any intel, I can't analyze them properly. I'll need to scout the battlefield myself."

"While I'm doing that, Chairman, don't get involved. Wait until I've gathered enough information. After all, you're our ace—we can't let the enemy get even a glimpse of your hand."

Xiang Nan gave a faint smile.

"Got it," Netero replied.

After a few more exchanges, Xiang Nan handed the phone back to Pariston—right under Cheadle's icy glare.

She was pissed.

She'd just learned what secret he and Pariston had been hiding—and that they'd waited this long to fill her in.

Something big was about to go down in Yorknew. Just like Zaban City.

Xiang Nan didn't offer an explanation. He simply turned and walked away.

"Let's go check it out… but don't make a move until I say so."

With that, his body flickered out of view, streaking straight toward the explosion site.

With Netero present—and now that the Multiverse had been revealed to Cheadle and the others—it served as a kind of protection for Xiang Nan. Pariston's response was lightning-fast.

As for Cheadle… she still didn't realize this entire crisis was really a high-level chess match between him and Pariston.

"That old man's making his stance pretty clear," Xiang Nan thought as he ran.

"He's fine with watching me and Pariston butt heads—as long as we don't go too far. If I cross the line, he'll intervene. And from where he stands, he's clearly leaning toward Pariston…"

"And using me as the key to unlock the Multiverse… yep, the old man's still got it."

Xiang Nan sighed.

Both Netero and Pariston were using him.

Ever since he declared war on Pariston and lured him to Yorknew, the old man and the Rat had probably figured it out. They realized the Zaban City incident could repeat here. Which meant—the Association was prepared.

Netero had come to Yorknew in secret. On one hand, to keep things from going too far and protect Pariston. On the other, to clean up this incoming battlefield as fast as possible.

But there was clearly more to it than that.

The Association had responded way faster this time than they did during the Hunter Exam.

Almost as soon as the explosion happened, Cheadle and the others had gotten a call from Netero.

Xiang Nan was a "player," but his backing was too powerful. Not even the Association—or V5—could afford to pressure him directly.

They couldn't force him to work for them or squeeze him for intel.

So instead, they used his conflict with Pariston to push him into action… to slowly peel back the truth of the Multiverse.

The fact that they dared to do this? No doubt V5 gave the green light.

In other words—V5 was finally ready to investigate the Multiverse.

He and Pariston were both being played.

But Xiang Nan was sure Pariston knew it ahead of time. He went along with it on purpose—because it also let him box Xiang Nan in and align himself with the Association and V5 as a "partner" in this incident.

And with those connections? If Xiang Nan wanted to take him down now, he'd really have to think twice.

Not to mention… Pariston still had ties to Kakin.

If he died here, the fallout would be massive.

That was the big picture.

On the micro level, Pariston's quick reaction had already flipped Cheadle and Mizaistom—plus a few others—from "neutral" to "on his side."

"This guy's planning is insane," Xiang Nan thought. "He prepared for every outcome. Even if no intruders showed up, he was still ready to act. This rat… his schemes are layered so deep…"

"And I'm sure he's still hiding more cards."

He shook off the thought and looked toward the battlefield in the distance.

That firepower… it was insane.

Who could've caused this much destruction?

Based on what he knew from anime, there were only a few characters with fire abilities strong enough to level a city like this.

The problem was… he hadn't watched nearly as much anime as Beishi—the walking wiki.

Swoosh.

Just then, after fully separating from Pariston and the rest, a shadow slipped from the dark—Illumi.

He silently caught up, running beside Xiang Nan across the tops of stopped vehicles.

They moved like ghosts.

"Don't act yet," Xiang Nan said. "Let me assess the situation first."

"Okay," Illumi nodded.

How many intruders were there this time?

Where were they from?

How strong were they?

Those were the first questions they needed answers to.