Chapter 92

On a cracked, uneven white surface, a group of figures stands in formal black suits. On the far left, a long-haired man with a ponytail leans forward, hand behind his head, gazing downward with a serious expression. In the center and right, several silhouetted or fully detailed individuals face forward: a blond man, a woman in a dark dress, a tall man with a cross tattoo on his forehead, a massive broad-shouldered man with an eyepatch, and others including a small spiky-haired figure and a long-haired child. The chapter number No.092 appears in the upper right. The group maintains a formal, imposing lineup against the stark background.

Gon thrashes wildly in the grip of the long-haired man, whose sharp-toothed face looms close. Small panels show rapid TAC TAC impacts as Gon struggles, his arm extended and body twisting. The long-haired man leans in and asks, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" A massive right-side panel erupts with motion lines and the huge word "CATCH" as Gon is slammed forward, hands outstretched and face strained. Below, a close-up reveals the long-haired man's intense eyes and the impact "CRAAA" shaking the scene. Killua appears in profile, eyes wide with shock, shouting "GON !!!" The bottom panel fills with swirling dark smoke and debris from the violent collision.

A tight close-up shows Hisoka's face, a black spade marking under one eye and sweat drops visible, as he calmly states, "ONE MOVE, AND I CUT." The lower panel explodes into a dramatic full-body shot: Hisoka stands holding Gon firmly from behind, one arm locked around the boy's torso. Hisoka's muscular build and heart-patterned shirt are highlighted against radiating speed lines and a bright background flare. Gon hangs limp in the hold, eyes half-closed and body slack. Hisoka's other hand grips Gon's arm tightly while his hair flares wildly from the force of the moment.

A close-up reveals a sweat-drenched eye marked with a chain-like symbol as tension builds. Feitan leans in with a stitched mouth and cold stare, demanding answers. "Do you know the chain guy?" he asks. "Answer my question." Gon, bound and furious with sweat flying from his face, shouts back, "I have nothing to tell you!! I'll say it once more!!" Nobunaga, ponytail swaying, raises a hand and firmly orders, "Stop it." Feitan ignores the command, his eyes narrowing as he declares "Feitang!" A sharp "clic" sounds from his movement. The long-haired interrogator looms over the two captured boys, his expression unchanging.

Nobunaga confronts Feitan, asking "You're aiming to break his arm, right? Because you know what I'm trying to do." Feitan retorts about carefully removing nails and starting with the fingers. Nobunaga snaps "Stop what?" and strikes with a loud "BAM-!! DAM" impact. Feitan snaps back, "I don't have to listen to you. Who are you to order me around?" Hisoka suddenly appears with spiky white hair and a sly look, sweat visible on his cheek. Uvogin looms in the foreground with heavy stitches across his face and declares, "That's enough, Nobunaga." Killua watches with wide eyes and sweat drops. The tension among the Phantom Troupe members peaks as the interrogation is halted.

The long-haired man stands with a stern expression and declares, "I KNOW." Nearby, Killua and Shizuku confront him. Shizuku states, "SERIOUS QUARRELS ARE FORBIDDEN BETWEEN MEMBERS," while Killua adds, "YOU'RE NOT RESPECTING THE RULES." The man extends his arm holding a coin and asks, "THAT OKAY?" He continues, "IN THAT CASE, WITH A COIN." A close-up reveals the coin's spider emblem design. The man flips the coin high into the air. Small panels show the result: "TAILS." Then "HEADS." The coin spins with a large "FLAP" sound effect as the man catches it, his face focused and intense.

Gon stares in surprise at Feitan, who stands with arms crossed and says, "LEAVE HIM ALONE, FEITANG." The word "HEADS." appears near the scene. Shizuku asks, "THEY STILL HAVEN'T TOLD US ANYTHING ABOUT THE CHAIN GUY," while another voice questions, "WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITH THEM?" Pakunoda, her face heavily bandaged with stitches, asks, "WHAT DO YOU SAY, PAKUNODA?" She replies, "IF THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, LET'S RELEASE THEM." In a close-up, Pakunoda states, "I EXAMINED THEM ON OUR WAY HERE," and adds, "NEITHER OF THEM KNOWS ANYTHING." Killua and Gon stand nearby looking concerned as Pakunoda, now in a suit, stands with hands on hips.

Killua stares ahead with a serious expression as voices discuss the situation. A hooded figure sits among rubble while another character stands nearby. Someone notes, "Your intuition was wrong... that rarely happens..." Another replies, "Yes. Really?" Killua adds, "No trace of the chain guy in their memories." Gon stands in the foreground with a determined look, sweat drop visible, as the group processes the information. A voice says, "Odd..." and another confirms, "But if Pakunoda says that, there's no possibility of error." In a flashback-like panel, Gon asks, "Gon, did they do anything to you on our way here?" He answers, "No. I was just asked questions." Killua reflects, "That's what I thought. We were examined without being aware of it." A narration box explains, "A technique with basis other than intuition... They seem to completely trust the judgement of that Pakunoda. But what did they examine?" The page ends with a large banner: "WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO US?"

Killua reacts with shock, eyes wide and sweat drops flying, as he processes the revelation. A close-up shows his face with exclamation marks and the words "HOW CAN SHE KNOW THIS?!" and "NO TRACE OF THE CHAIN GUY IN THEIR MEMORIES." The scene shifts to a moving vehicle where a short-haired woman sits with Gon and Killua. She states, "A nen user with a chain..." and asks, "And you?" A large text box declares, "THE POWER TO SEARCH MEMORIES?!" The woman continues, "By touching the person she targets?!" She leans toward Gon and inquires, "Does that remind you of anything?" Gon sits with a neutral expression, hand resting on his knee, as the implications sink in.

A massive impact-shaped panel dominates the top with two large speech bubbles. Someone reflects, "IT'S TRUE THAT AT THAT TIME, I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR..." Another voice answers firmly, "IN THAT CASE, I UNDERSTAND!! BUT IT'S DANGEROUS!!" Below, Kurapika stands in profile, sweat visible on his face, thinking "IT'S OVER!!" and "IF SHE EXAMINES ME AGAIN..." while declaring internally, "BUT NOW, I'VE MADE THE CONNECTION!!" In a smaller panel, Gon, Killua, and Leorio stand on a rooftop overlooking the city. Leorio says, "YEAH... IT'S POINTLESS TO KEEP THEM HERE." He continues, "IF THEY'RE NOT RELATED TO THE CHAIN GUY, WE CAN LET THEM LEAVE, RIGHT?" Gon and Killua look concerned. Kurapika's close-up shows his eyes narrowing as he thinks, "THERE MUST BE A LEAD." A tap sound effect appears as he touches his chin. In the final panels, Kurapika's face is shown in profile while a stern man with slicked-back hair and a high-collared shirt speaks: "WE'LL RELEASE THEM ONLY WHEN THEY'VE SPILT ALL THEY KNOW." He adds, "IT'S POSSIBLE THEY KNOW HIM, WITHOUT KNOWING IT THEMSELVES," and "IF THE CHAIN GUY DOESN'T NORMALLY USE HIS CHAIN..."

The scene continues on the rooftop. Nobunaga stands with hands on hips, stating, "WE KNOW THE CHAIN GUY IS PART OF THIS CLAN." A man with short hair replies, "YES, THAT'S TRUE." Nobunaga continues, "HE DOESN'T NEED TO USE NEN TO GET INFO. BEING PART OF NOSTRAD CLAN, HE HAS ALL HE NEEDS." In the next panel, a short-haired woman with crossed arms says, "SO, YOU HAVE THE SAME OPINION AS NOBUNAGA." Someone adds, "EVEN IF THEY KNOW SOMETHING, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CHAIN GUY. THE CHAIN GUY ACTS ALONE." Nobunaga turns to the woman and says, "YOU CAN GO BACK HOME. THERE WE GO." A close-up shows his face as he declares, "OTHERS CAN BE RELEASED. HE'S OUR OBJECTIVE, THAT'S ALL." Gon looks surprised, Killua comments, "THAT'S OUT OF THE QUESTION," while Gon reacts with a sweat drop. The final large panel is a close-up of Nobunaga's intense eyes as he says, "WE WON'T LET THEM LEAVE."

Amid the rubble of a destroyed room, the man with glasses sits casually among broken furniture and calls out, "JOIN THE RYODAN. KID." Gon stands at a distance in the wreckage, glaring toward the voice. The long-haired man leans in and suggests, "TEAM UP WITH ME." Gon snaps back with visible anger, "NO WAY." In a tight close-up, Gon's face twists with fury as he shouts, "I'D RATHER DIE. ENTER YOUR CLAN?" The long-haired man rubs his head and asks, "WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH IT?" while adding, "YOU USE REINFORCEMENT?" He then laughs and remarks to the side, "IT SEEMS HE REALLY HATES US," followed by mocking chuckles of "HE! HE! HE!"

The long-haired man laughs loudly while declaring they will keep the captives until the boss returns. A tall blond man questions whether the boss will accept the plan. The long-haired man continues laughing with "HA! HA! HA!" and affirms there is no doubt. A woman with a ponytail stands nearby. The blond man tells another character to take charge of watching the prisoners. A girl with light hair replies indifferently, "PFF... I DON'T CARE." In the ruined hallway, Gon wonders aloud, "WHY DID THEY MAFIA STOP MOVING?" The long-haired man sits alone again in the debris, looking contemplative.

Killua stands atop the ruined structure, hands on his hips, surveying the destruction below. "After all the mess they caused, they haven't moved any more, and have disappeared, it's not very natural," he remarks. Below, several men sift through debris while one notes, "All we caught today are those kids." In close-up, a man with glasses adds, "Our primary objective was to search for the chain guy, and at the same time, distract the mafia men who would come to attack us." Another replies, "We've screwed up in our calculations." Killua continues, "I can't believe they've renounced, so, it's strongly possible that they're preparing the next attack." He then offers, "I'm going to give you a list of the men of Nostrade clan that I found on the hunter site." The group agrees, "Whatever, we'll start hunting directly." At the bottom, Killua holds up a sheet of paper displaying five photographs with handwritten notes. "Apparently, they're the bodyguards of the girl of Nostrade, they're always with her," he explains. "The priority are these five." An older man with a scar stares at the list and mutters, "His daughter...?"

Killua's face fills the panel as he recalls, "But he told me the chain guy wasn't with them." He adds, "They're the ones who caught Libo." In the ruined cityscape, voices discuss marking targets: "Put a cross on the top left one." Another answers, "Ah! I already took care of that guy." A third notes, "We don't know what the chain guy looks like, so we must continue searching for someone who knows him." The plan is set: "We'll proceed in teams of two, lists in hand, and go for real." Killua raises a finger and says, "Wait a minute. Let's meet back here tonight, at 10 pm. That's all!" A long-haired girl watches silently. In the background, a man with spiky hair stands among rubble while another complains, "What am I supposed to do? Nobunaga isn't free." At the bottom, Hisoka smiles with a heart-shaped speech bubble while the long-haired girl reacts with surprise.

In a devastated corridor littered with broken crates and shattered tiles, Gon and Killua sit small and distant at the far end of the ruined hallway. A tall figure with a topknot and long hair sits calmly in the foreground, one hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed sword, eyes half-closed. Below, Killua’s face fills the frame in close-up, sweat beading on his skin. His thoughts race: if he had moved even an inch, Hisoka would have killed him without hesitation. The lust to kill had totally paralyzed him. A small panel shows Gon’s startled expression with the sound effect “AIE!” Killua wonders what he had been thinking, realizing the overwhelming pressure Hisoka exerts.

Killua continues his internal struggle. He tells himself he is not able to fight, but immediately rejects the thought with a burst of “THAT’S WRONG!!” Imagining Gon seriously hurt, he realizes he could not move. Multiple overlapping speech balloons hammer the point: an enemy must be fought to kill or not at all; protecting a friend is more important than anything else; the answer “you can’t beat him” is wrong. In the final panel Killua stands beside Gon as a powerful aura flares with the sound “SHUUUU”, both boys looking forward with determined expressions.