Hunter × Hunter Chapter 74: Hunter × Hunter No.9

The title page for chapter No.074 opens with the header 'No.074 ◆ SEPTEMBER 1ST ③' at the top. Below, a large illustration shows Killua in the foreground on the right, wearing a fur-collared jacket, his spiky white hair prominent as he looks toward the left with a neutral expression. To the left and slightly behind him stands Gon, facing right, wearing a checkered scarf, his spiky black hair and wide eyes visible as he gazes at Killua. A small speech bubble-like shape floats between them. Dominating the lower half of the page is large, stylized Japanese text reading '零中見舞申し上げます' with additional smaller Japanese characters 'たけい みちる' visible beneath the left portion. The overall composition emphasizes the two boys facing each other against a plain white background.

A long-haired observer peers through binoculars from a high vantage, reacting sharply as motion lines burst outward. "SOMETHING'S HAPPENING!" the observer exclaims, eyes wide behind the lenses while a bald companion stares upward in surprise. Below, an overhead view reveals several parked cars scattered across a tiled plaza at night. People move purposefully among the vehicles, some walking briskly toward the building entrance. In the final panel the same long-haired observer and bald companion stand together beside a tall building. "LET'S WARN THE BOSS!" the bald man urges. "ARMED GUYS!" the long-haired observer adds, both turning with urgent expressions.

A small figure in a dark outfit leaps forward with a sharp "TAP" sound, shouting "OKAY!" and "LET'S GO!" Motion lines streak behind the jumping character. Beside them a muscular man in a dark sweater holds a phone to his ear, saying "I'LL TAKE CARE OF CONTACTING RINSEN AND THE OTHERS." His face twists as he reacts, "WHAT...?! HURRY AND HEAD FOR THE BUILDING!" The lower panel shows a grand hall interior where a massive impact "TADAN" sends debris flying. Several men in the foreground react with shock: "THERE'S NO ONE NOW?!" and "NOTHING?!!" Silhouettes stand scattered across the empty floor under ornate chandeliers.

Chaos erupts inside the auction building as alarms blare and voices overlap. "Brouha Brouha Get an eye from here!" someone yells amid the crowd. A young person with short light hair clutches a phone and reports, "It seems incredible, but everyone who was in the room has disappeared!" Nearby, another voice adds, "Other protection groups were also in position, but it seems they've lost control over the situation." Outside, the night skyline of York Shin City glows while a voice confirms, "We've locked everywhere!! Absolutely no one! Yes, no security guards, nor clients!!" A stern close-up shows intense eyes glaring forward. In the vast empty auction hall, footsteps echo as a lone figure walks across the tiled floor. "WAS STOLEN!!?" a shocked voice cries. Two mafia members react with alarm; one bald man growls, "Mafia jeer at us! They could have escaped only via the roof." Another demands, "Where could they be?" Every single object aimed to be sold today is gone.

Against the starry night sky a large black-and-white striped hot air balloon drifts silently. A commanding voice orders, "Anyone who sees a suspicious balloon must shoot it down!" Another voice adds, "Transmit the information to every organization in York Shin City!!" Below on the streets a scarred man with slicked-back hair speaks into a phone while pedestrians pass by. "The people on board must be brought back alive!!" he insists. A smaller panel shows the balloon now distant over the illuminated city. In a crowded street scene a voice warns, "Don't forget to specify that the community offers a high reward to the organization that finds them!" Numerous figures run and gather in the streets as the search intensifies.

A close-up shows a determined man with spiky black hair and a scar, sweat on his face, shouting urgently. "WE MUST GET THE THIEVES!! RIGHT!" he declares. In the next panels, a woman with a ponytail gestures and commands, "NOBODY SHOULD ENTER HER ROOM BEFORE WE RETURN! GOT IT? DON'T LEAVE THE YOUNG LADY ALONE!!" Two figures stand in the background as someone replies "YES!" A man in dark clothing leaps away, calling back, "I'LL SEE YOU AT THE INTERSECTION GOING THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLACE SQUARE. I'M GOING TOO!" Nearby, a small bald character and a blonde girl discuss the situation. "YES," the girl says. "THE REWARD WILL CREATE A SECOND EFFECT. SCUWALA, LEAVE FIVE DOGS HERE, WE NEVER KNOW!!" In the final panel the blonde girl continues, "OUR BOSS SEEMS TO THINK LIKE THIS. THE PRIDE AND THE GLORY TO GAIN WILL INCITE ORGANIZATIONS NOT TO COOPERATE."

At night in a ruined cityscape, a figure sits alone on rubble under a starry sky. "NOTHING?" a voice questions from off-panel. Several bandaged or wrapped figures stand in the darkness. A blonde person and a white-haired man with a headband converse; the man has a sweat drop on his face. "NOPE, THE CHEST WAS EMPTY," he replies. A large balloon gondola filled with many people floats above the destroyed buildings. "FOOOOOOO" sound effect accompanies the scene. A long narration explains, "THE ONLY INFORMATION WE COULD OBTAIN FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE SALE IS THAT SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE OUR ARRIVAL, ALL THE PIECES WERE MOVED TO ANOTHER PLACE."

Under a starry night sky a striped hot-air balloon drifts past city lights. A voice declares that the timing was much too perfect. In close-up a man with a cross tattoo on his forehead stares at his phone and murmurs that it is as if they knew what was going to happen. Another voice states there is a Judas among us. The spiky-haired man with a matching cross tattoo glares forward and growls confirmation. In a dimly lit room with large windows the man wearing a fur-collared coat and earring holds a glass and insists that in his opinion Judas was not a traitor. He concludes it is impossible for there to be a traitor among them.

At a round table several figures sit in discussion. One voice asks what a supposed traitor would gain by selling them out, listing money, glory, or power. Another suggests thinking about it a little. The spiky-haired man recalls Judas sold Christ for thirty deniers but questions the parallel. The cross-tattooed man with long hair leans in and asks how much the mafia would pay if there really were a traitor among them. In extreme close-up the cross-tattooed man questions whether any of them would be satisfied with that kind of reward. The fur-collared man states that supposing there is an indication they can only say things halfway and that there is another point to bring up. The spiky-haired man replies that no one is right and there is no traitor among them.

A man with wild spiky hair and a headband reflects on recent events. "The mafia was a bit more prudent than usual after receiving certain information. If I make a synthesis of what you told me..." he muses. Another panel shows a man with slicked-back hair smoking by a window, concluding, "From this... this is what I conclude... They gathered their clients, telling them nothing of what they knew." A close-up reveals a stern face with a star tattoo on the forehead, noting an informant who lacks precise details: "An informant exists, but he is unable to obtain precise information. And despite this, one of the main heads of the mafia community trusts him." In the final panels, the spiky-haired man and a companion with a diamond-patterned shirt discuss their next move. "Anyways... what about us? What should we do?" the spiky-haired man asks. The other replies, "I don't understand well... who told what to whom?"

A young woman with pigtails and a headband strikes a bound captive, producing a loud "shat" sound. The captive confesses under pressure. "Yeah," confirms an off-panel voice. A close-up shows a stern face with cross-shaped pupils asking, "Have you found out where the pieces from the auction have been moved?" The reply comes: "No, but..." A map of the world appears as narration explains underground auctions managed by the mafia across six continents, divided into ten territories. Each territory is led by one of the ten Godfathers. Silhouettes of the Godfathers stand together, each protected by their elite guards, the Injimiu, also called the Shadow Beasts. "I see," concludes a voice.

A woman with short dark hair and a visor stands in profile, analyzing the situation. "HERE'S WHERE IT GETS COMPLICATED." She continues, "AND HOW DID THEY MANAGE TO MOVE EVERYTHING?" Nearby panels show a hot air balloon against the night sky as voices respond, "YEAH, PROBABLY." "USING THE FACT THE MEMBERS OF THE INJYUU DIDN'T CONTRIBUTE IN THE SECURITY SERVICES, WE CAN DEDUCE THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WE WOULD BE COMING." A silhouette points at a diagram: "ALL THE PIECES AIMED TO BE SOLD WERE TOGETHER IN A CHEST ABOUT 25 METERS SQUARED, BUT..." "PRO-GRAM CHANG-ING." "ONLY ONE MEMBER OF THE INJYUU WOULD HAVE BEEN SEEN COMING." "IT'S TRUE THAT THE SECURITY SYSTEM WASN'T VERY EFFECTIVE." In a large hall with tiled floors and a grand archway, the same woman now faces forward, arms at her sides. "LEAVING BEHIND A DEFINITELY EMPTY CHEST." "THE ONE WHO CAME WOULD HAVE TO HAVE ARRIVED AND DEPARTED WITH EMPTY HANDS." A small man in the background reacts with "!?" She concludes, "IT MAY BE THE GUY CALLED 'THE OWL.'"

A close-up shows the visor-wearing woman's intense eyes and earpiece as she speaks: "YES, IT SEEMS THAT WAY." "HE MAY USE THE SAME TYPE OF NEN AS SHIZUKU..." In the next panel a spiky-haired man grins and says, "GO AHEAD." "CAN WE FIGHT?" A hand grips a can labeled "INJYUU" while text reads, "THE ENEMY USES NEN." "THOSE IN CHARGE OF THE AUCTION AND OBJECTS MUST HAVE ALSO REALIZED THAT ABOUT 500 OF THEIR CUSTOMERS HAVE DISAPPEARED." Below, a striped hot air balloon floats over a nighttime cityscape of illuminated skyscrapers. A large speech bubble declares, "CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR SELVES." Another voice calls out, "YOU SHOULD SEE THOSE 'INJYUU' APPEAR THEN." "FOLLOW THEM!!" "THIS WAY!!"

A tall vertical header reads N.I.SE.N.NE.N above a column of close-up panels showing Gon's face. His expression shifts rapidly from wide-eyed shock with gritted teeth, to a bright confident grin, then a flat neutral stare, followed by another confident smile. In the next panel Gon looks forward with a calm, slightly curious face as a jagged speech bubble bursts in from the left: "SO? LAST CHANCE!! WHAT'S YOUR ANSWER ?!" A sharp lightning-shaped sound effect "Brrrrrr" crackles beside him. Below, a wider panel reveals four figures reacting together. A suited man on the right points accusingly while shouting "WE TOLD YOU 5!!!" Gon, standing in the center with his arm raised, answers "I KNOW, DASEN!!!!" To his left, Killua and Leorio flail in surprise, their bodies leaning back from the impact of the exchange. A small footnote at the very bottom explains the Japanese wordplay for "Year 2000."