Chapter 171-175

Chapter 171: Cheetu, the "Stupid Leopard"

"Quick! Fire! Fire! Don't let this thing break through the blockade!"

On a major city street, a uniformed police sergeant raised his gun, shouting orders to the officers behind him while pulling his trigger without a moment's hesitation.

Directly ahead of them, a yellow blur, resembling a bolt of lightning, streaked forward at a speed nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye.

There was no need to ask: this was none other than the Squadron Leader nicknamed "the Stupid Leopard"—Cheetu.

At the sergeant's command, every officer pulled their trigger, unleashing a frantic torrent of lead. For a brief moment, they actually managed to form a relatively dense web of suppressive fire.

Normally, any living creature facing such a hail of bullets would have to take cover or rely on sheer physical toughness to endure it.

But Cheetu, possessing terrifying speed, merely curled his lips into a disdainful smirk, whispering a taunt: "Too slow! Way too slow!"

Massive amounts of aura instantly enveloped his feet.

The next second...

Whoosh!

He vanished from the spot!

No, it wasn't just vanishing. He reappeared directly behind the blockade line.

As for the bullets flying toward him, they struck nothing but empty air.

Before the sergeant or the officers could even process what had happened, Cheetu swung his claws, tearing their throats to shreds in a blur of motion.

Watching the blood spray from their arteries, he burst into a triumphant, arrogant laugh: "Hahahaha! I really am too strong! No one can beat me in speed or reflexes! I am the King of Speed in this world!"

"The King of Speed? Are you sure about that?"

Accompanying the meaningful inquiry, Allen descended from the sky like a falling star, hitting the pavement with a heavy thud that left a massive crater in the ground.

"You?!"

Cheetu clearly recognized the human youth before him, and his expression instantly became guarded.

Although he hadn't participated in the recent battle at the nest, he had heard other Squadron Leaders mention him. This was the one who had used some sort of terrifying poison gas to wipe out an army of two thousand elite ants, the one whose strength even the Royal Guards, Pitou and Youpi, had acknowledged.

"Yeah. That's right. It’s me."

Allen glanced at the dying policemen on the ground, a sharp, cold glint flashing in his eyes.

There was no doubt that this leopard's wanton slaughter of civilians had crossed a serious line for him.

However, Cheetu, who usually only had one track in his mind, was oblivious to the danger. Instead, he asked eagerly, "So, do you want to have a contest of speed and reflexes with me?"

"Sure, why not? But the stakes are your Nen and your life. If you lose, I take them both. No objections, right?" Allen spoke as he began to close the distance with slow, deliberate steps.

Though his movements seemed like slow-motion to the leopard, they exerted an inexplicable and overwhelming pressure.

Gulp.

Cheetu instinctively swallowed hard, suppressing the growing dread in his heart as he replied, "Fine... fine! Provided you can actually catch me, that is!"

"The contract is sealed. I admire your courage. In return, I'll make your death relatively quick."

As the last word left his lips, Allen instantly activated Aura Burst. In a flash, he was right in front of the ant.

If this had been any other Chimera Ant Squadron Leader, they likely wouldn't have had time to react at all.

But in that split second, the leopard transformed into an afterimage and vanished, leaving Allen grasping at thin air.

"Oh? What kind of ability is that?"

Allen turned around to stare at Cheetu, who had reappeared over ten meters away. Surprise was written plainly across his face.

Given his own speed and reflexes, there shouldn't have been anyone in this world capable of escaping him at such close range.

Unless...

"That was close! So close! I almost got caught."

Cheetu patted his chest vigorously, his eyes filled with the relief of a survivor. He knew with certainty that if he had been caught just now, he would have been killed instantly without any room for resistance.

"Interesting! It looks like this game can last a bit longer after all."

With that, Allen launched another attack using Aura Burst, intending to figure out the exact nature of that sudden disappearance.

This time, however, Cheetu was prepared. Before his opponent could even get close, he used his ability to teleport roughly twenty meters away. Then, without a word, he took off in a full sprint, not daring to stop for even a second.

Allen followed closely, repeatedly using Aura Burst to catch up, forcing the leopard to use his ability over and over again.

Thus, the two of them became a blur of pursuit and flight.

Because both were moving at such extreme velocities, they cleared the city limits in no time and entered a vast, endless forest.

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you kidding me?! Is your aura infinite or something?"

After sprinting for over ten kilometers, a look of panic finally surfaced on Cheetu's face.

He couldn't help but panic. He had used his ability dozens of times in rapid succession, and his aura reserves were nearing exhaustion.

But Allen?

He was still trailing behind with effortless ease, occasionally accelerating to close the gap and keeping Cheetu on edge. One lapse in concentration and the leopard knew he was finished.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but at this pace, I can keep this up for an entire day without an issue. Also, your ability isn't actually related to speed; it's a form of teleportation. Furthermore, each jump is strictly limited to within twenty meters, and you can only teleport in the direction you are facing."

Allen revealed his conclusions with a faint, knowing smile after observing the patterns.

It had to be said: because the Chimera Ants had received systematic Nen training earlier than in the original timeline, this leopard had developed an ability far different, and much more powerful, than his original one.

But no matter how powerful an ability is, if the user is a fool, it is difficult to realize its true potential.

And unfortunately, Cheetu was a total idiot.

"Wh... what?! How did you know?" The leopard’s eyes widened in shock.

"Simple. Observation. Why do you think I had so many chances to catch you but never followed through, instead letting you escape by just a hair's breadth every time?" Allen asked meaningfully.

"Dammit!"

No matter how dim-witted Cheetu was, he realized he had fallen into a trap.

But he had already exhausted too much physical and mental energy during the flight. He was at the end of his rope, a prey fallen into a pit. No matter how he struggled, the final result would not change.

Noticing the fear and despair in the leopard's eyes, Allen smiled and offered a suggestion: "Here's a tip regarding your ability. Why limit yourself to teleporting forward? You could make the ability center on yourself and teleport in a full 360-degree radius. If you did that, the difficulty for anyone trying to catch you would increase exponentially."

"Oh! Right! Why didn't I think of that!" A look of sudden realization dawned on Cheetu's face.

However, less than a second later, he felt a sharp, searing pain in his chest.

He looked down to see a strangely shaped dagger protruding from his torso; it had been thrust through his back, and the tip glowed with a light as bright as a flame.

"You lose. Now, your ability and your life belong to me. Vaelstrasz, devour him!"

Allen wrenched the dagger out and issued the command for the Red Dragon to feed.

 

 

Chapter 172: Welfin

Watching Vaelstrasz incinerate the dying Cheetu into a cocoon and swallow him whole, Allen instantly acquired the opponent's ability.

Just as he had predicted, it was a form of teleportation with a maximum range of twenty meters.

To his surprise, there were actually no restrictions on direction; the leopard had simply been so obsessively focused on speed that he never considered moving in any direction other than forward.

Realizing this, Allen couldn't help but shake his head with a chuckle. "A 'Stupid Leopard' through and through. He must have dumped every talent point into speed and reflexes, leaving his intelligence severely stunted. He didn't even understand the mechanics of his own ability. Truly a freak among freaks."

Ridicule aside, Cheetu was still a Squadron Leader. His aura capacity and physical toughness were nothing to scoff at.

Specifically, the Essence of Life extracted from him could significantly strengthen and enhance leg muscle power.

Stowing the flame-red dagger, Perdition's Blade, back into his waist pouch, Allen hopped onto the Red Dragon’s back and took to the skies again, heading toward the next incident site.

Cheetu’s ability, so different from the original story, taught him a valuable lesson.

Except for the three Royal Guards, whose traits were fixed from the gestation period, the abilities of Squadron Leaders and Officers were likely to undergo unpredictable changes due to their early systematic training in Nen.

He could not afford to rely too heavily on the memories of the original plot in his mind, or he might end up paying a heavy price.

As Allen flew at high speed at a low altitude, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

By instinct, he pulled it out and pressed the answer key.

Instantly, Morel’s frantic voice came through from the other side: "Allen! Where are you right now?"

"A city in central Rokario! I just finished off a Squadron Leader that looked like a leopard. Is there trouble on your end?" Allen asked point-blank.

"You killed one already? So fast!" Morel’s tone was thick with astonishment.

The large-scale Chimera Ant invasion of the human world had only begun a few hours ago. Neither the government nor the Hunter Association had time to react yet; only the few who had followed the Chairman to NGL were barely able to mobilize.

"Of course! Don't forget, I've always been known for speed and efficiency. As long as I have an accurate location, these ants won't be able to stay rowdy for long," Allen replied with a cold laugh.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. I have an urgent favor to ask. The Association just received a report that the border city closest to NGL is being invaded by a massive force of Chimera Ants. There are at least two Squadron Leaders and about four hundred soldier ants and Officers. Furthermore, I can't get in touch with my two disciples, nor Gon or Killua. Could you please go and check on them?" Morel pleaded in a deeply worried tone.

"OK! No problem. Leave it to me."

Allen agreed without hesitation and signaled the Red Dragon to change course.

While he didn't believe Gon and Killua would be in any real danger given their current strength, he decided to take a look.

After all, in the anime, those two protagonists had gone on a killing spree through the ant army with an aura capacity of just over 20,000.

Even though the quality of the Chimera Ant army had improved significantly due to their mastery of Nen, the boys were also more than three times stronger than their original selves.

Combined with the fact that many Hunters were originally stationed in that border city, theoretically, nothing major should go wrong.

However, what Allen didn't know was that his judgment was the exact opposite of the reality on the ground.

The timing of the ants' attack coincided perfectly with the end of the duel between Gon/Killua and Morel’s two disciples, the latter of whom were temporarily incapacitated.

Meanwhile, Gon and Killua were being held back in the outskirts by the Squadron Leader Bihorn and couldn't make it back in time.

The vast city was left with only Palm and a few logistics-focused Hunters, who were no match for the ants in either numbers or quality.

"Dammit! There are too many of them! we won't last much longer!"

A female Hunter in jeans kicked away a lunging soldier ant and shouted to her companion.

"I know! But if we retreat, what happens to the civilians?" a fat man nearby barked back, gritting his teeth.

As they spoke, a wolf-like Chimera Ant suddenly dropped from the sky onto a nearby rooftop.

He moved on all fours and carried a device resembling a missile launcher on his back.

Before the two Hunters could react, two small missiles were fired, streaking toward them at high speed.

"Watch out!"

The fat man shoved the woman in jeans out of the way.

Unfortunately, he was hit directly by one of the missiles.

Strangely, the missile didn't explode as expected. Instead, it implanted a plant created from Nen into his body.

The woman who had been pushed aside didn't escape her fate either; the other missile banked, caught up to her, and struck her directly in the back.

Seeing that both Hunters had been hit, the wolf-like ant hopped down from the roof and said with a smirk, "My name is Welfin! From this moment on, I am the master of you two!"

"What?"

The woman looked at him in shock, unable to believe her ears.

But as the will to resist flared up in her heart, the plant implanted by the missile began to grow at an alarming rate.

"Hahahaha! It seems you don't understand your situation. Allow me to introduce my ability—Missileman. Once activated, it will pursue the target until it hits. Upon impact, it injects a plant called the Black Centipede into the body. If you defy my orders, the Black Centipede will grow rapidly and eventually tear your body apart. But if you don't resist, it stops growing. Simple rules, aren't they?"

Welfin laughed wildly as he explained his ability. In his eyes, these two couldn't possibly escape his grasp.

"You want to control us?" the fat man squinted, testing the waters.

Welfin nodded without thinking. "Exactly! I suggest you forget your human identities from now on. If you perform well, I might even ask Pitou-sama to remodel you into one of our kind."

"In your dreams! Even if we die, we won't betray our humanity," the woman stated resolutely.

The fat man refused to be outdone, sneering mockingly, "That's right! I doubt beasts like you, who have only just gained sapience, could ever understand human pride and dignity!"

"Well, that’s a pity. It looks like you’ll be torn apart by the Black Centipede soon then," Welfin shrugged with mock regret.

Just as he was preparing to enjoy the upcoming bloody spectacle, the sun overhead was suddenly obscured by a massive dark shadow.

The moment the Squadron Leader looked up, he saw a giant Red Dragon hovering directly above his head.

The terrifying pressure was so immense that Welfin felt the blood in his veins freeze. His fur began to fall out in clumps as if from extreme stress, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably...

 

 

Chapter 173: Not a Single Normal Person

"Do you have anything else to say?" Allen asked, looking down at his opponent from above.

He clearly recognized the creature's identity; he knew that before being eaten by the Queen, this guy had been one of Gyro's underlings.

Whether it was his past life of manufacturing and trafficking drugs or his current status as a Chimera Ant Squadron Leader, the evidence was sufficient to pronounce a death sentence, effective immediately.

"Don't... don't kill me! I surrender!"

Welfin was clearly no tough guy, nor did he possess any sense of integrity. He collapsed to his knees with a heavy thud, pleading for mercy while simultaneously releasing the Black Centipede from the two Hunters at lightning speed.

Unfortunately for him, Allen had no intention of giving this creature a chance to turn over a new leaf. He didn't believe for a second that a leopard could change its spots, or that a dog could stop eating filth. He flicked a Thorium Arrowhead with a casual toss, and it instantly pierced through Welfin's chest.

Because the projectile moved so fast, it took two or three seconds for the Squadron Leader to feel the agonizing pain. He fell backward onto the ground, feeling his life force drain away rapidly.

Moments later, under the searing heat of the Red Dragon’s breath, he was reduced to a cocoon and swallowed whole.

Once finished, Allen allowed Vaelstrasz to phase back into his ethereal state and jumped down to face the two Hunters. "Are you two alright?"

"Ah! Yes... we're fine! Thank you so much for arriving in time. Otherwise, we really would have died here," the woman said, hurriedly standing up to offer her thanks.

The fat man wiped the blood from his face and let out a wry, sighing laugh. "To think our final savior would be the famous Grim Reaper. After seeing you in person, I finally understand why so many wanted criminals tremble at the mention of your name. They should be afraid. Compared to these Chimera Ants, you are the true monster."

"Thanks for the compliment. However, I’m in a bit of a hurry. Could you tell me where Gon, Killua, and Morel’s two disciples are?" Allen asked bluntly.

He didn't know what was causing the interference, but his Hunting Map ability had recently become completely useless, making finding people an incredibly tedious chore.

"Sorry, we aren't very familiar with the people you mentioned, but Palm should know. She lives in a house just a few streets away," the woman said, turning to point the way.

"Thanks!"

Allen leaped onto a nearby roof, preparing to take the most direct route.

"We should be the ones saying thank you!" the woman shouted, standing on her tiptoes and waving both hands.

"Don't mention it! I'll see you if fate allows!"

With that, Allen vanished from sight. It didn't take long for him to locate the house where Palm lived.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, a piercing scream erupted from inside. A split second later, a crazed woman with long black hair, brandishing two kitchen knives, burst through the window.

There was no need to ask. This woman, radiating a gloom so thick it was palpable, was Knov’s disciple, Palm Siberia.

At this very moment, she was pinned atop a Chimera Ant that looked like an Officer, her kitchen knives blurring in a frenzied hacking motion.

Blood, shredded meat, and severed limbs flew in every direction. The carnage was enough to make one's stomach acid churn just by looking at it.

By the time Palm finally stopped, the poor ant had been reduced to a basic skeletal frame. The rest of its biological matter—muscle, skin, internal organs—had been splattered across the surrounding ground, walls, and windows, coating the nearby street.

As the sole spectator, Allen’s lip twitched slightly as he suppressed the urge to complain.

What kind of disciples are Morel and Knov recruiting?!

There wasn't a single normal person among them!

Knuckle was a guy who looked fierce and hot-tempered but was actually a sentimental softie at heart.

Shoot went without saying, a walking contradiction of pride and cowardice who often missed opportunities because of his internal agonizing and hesitation.

But Palm was the most absurd of all!

Despite being a top-tier beauty in terms of looks and physique, she spent her days dressed like "Sadako" from The Ring. She was neurotic and high-strung, displaying absolutely none of the typical traits of an Enhancer, looking more like a Conjurer instead.

"Hmm? Who are you?"

Having finished dismembering the ant, Palm finally noticed Allen standing nearby. She stood up, clutching her two knives dripping with gore.

Her aura and posture were so unsettling she could have walked straight into a horror movie as a ghost or a psychopathic serial killer without needing a costume.

"My name is Allen. I was commissioned by Morel-san to check on his two disciples, as well as Gon and Killua. If you don't mind, could you tell me where they are?" Allen stated his purpose cautiously.

He wasn't entirely sure if this madwoman would suddenly charge at him and try to mince him too.

"Morel?"

Palm blinked, momentarily stunned by the name, but she quickly recovered. "As far as I know, they went to the outskirts of the city for a duel a while ago. Based on the time, they should have been back by now. Could they have run into trouble?"

Before she had even finished speaking, she rushed back into the house and emerged holding a purple crystal ball. She immediately activated her ability—Wink Blue.

But after a long silence, no image appeared in the crystal ball; there was only a thick, white fog.

"Damn it! What’s happening? Has my ability... failed?" Palm muttered to herself, looking utterly bewildered.

"No, it’s not that your ability failed. Rather, all detection and tracking abilities are being jammed. Someone among the Chimera Ants has developed an interesting ability specifically to counter us," Allen explained meaningfully.

If it had only been his Hunting Map failing, he wouldn't have been so certain. But seeing Wink Blue fail, combined with Kalluto’s previous report about only hearing static through his paper-cutting, it was now 100% clear that the ants were behind this.

He had to admit, it was a brilliant move.

On one hand, they had completely cut off the possibility of being tracked by Nen abilities; on the other, they used Squadron Leaders to attack human settlements to create a massive diversion.

If Allen hadn't already known that East Gorteau would be the ants' primary target, he likely would have been misled by this flurry of tactical maneuvers and made some disastrously wrong choices.

"Jamming? I see!"

A look of realization dawned on Palm’s face.

Just as she was about to say something more, she realized Allen had already vanished, streaking away like an arrow from a bow.

Now that he knew the general location, given his current speed, he could likely find them within ten minutes.

Provided they were still alive, of course.

As for the invading ants scattered through the streets, he dealt with them casually as he passed by.

By the time he cleared the city limits, over eighty percent of the ants in the city were dead. Only a few stragglers remained, putting up a desperate last stand in an attempt to follow their orders to cause more slaughter.

A few smarter ants tried to set fire to a warehouse filled with flammable and explosive chemicals, only to be sliced into pieces by the arriving Palm. The scene was so bloody that many of the other Hunters present instinctively covered their mouths and noses.

With the execution of the last ant, the city finally fell into a state of tense calm. Police returned to the streets to maintain order and organized medical teams to treat the wounded.

 

 

Chapter 174: Killua's Awakening

Just as the Chimera Ants within the city were being completely wiped out, the battle between Gon, Killua, and Bihorn in the outskirts was reaching its conclusion.

Despite Bihorn possessing three times the aura capacity of the two protagonists, and boasting the greatest strength and endurance of any Squadron Leader due to a mixture of superior genetic traits, second only to the Royal Guard Menthuthuyoupi, he was paying a heavy price for his initial arrogance.

Driven by a cruel and conceited nature, he hadn't taken Gon seriously at the start. In several exchanges of raw, physical blows, he had easily sent the boy crashing to the ground.

However, the tide of battle shifted unexpectedly once Killua joined the fray.

Now, Bihorn was covered from head to toe in a dense network of bruises, contusions, and scorched patches of skin from electrical burns. His blood-red eyes glared as steam puffed rhythmically from his nostrils, his every fiber screaming to tear these two brats into pieces.

Killua and Gon were in no better shape.

Gon, who had been handling the frontal assault, had a severely fractured arm. He stood hunched over, mouth agape, gasping for air.

There was no helping it. In a battle between two Enhancers, physical constitution and aura volume are the deciding factors. Experience and technique rarely bridge the gap between win and loss. Unless one develops a specialized ability like Chairman Netero’s 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, the weak simply do not overcome the strong in a head-on clash.

"Dammit! Allen was right, a Squadron Leader is on a completely different level than the soldier ants or Officers. He’s way too hard to deal with," Killua complained, fighting back the rising tide of fear within him.

For some reason, whenever he faced an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, an indescribable dread would well up inside him. This fear would rapidly seize his brain, forcing his body to act against his will, compelling him to turn and run. If the person fighting beside him weren't his best friend, he was certain he would have abandoned them and retreated long ago.

"Killua, are you okay?" Gon asked, noticing his friend's abnormal reaction.

Killua shook his head quickly. "No. I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."

"Keep it up! Just a little longer! We're almost ready to take him down!" Gon encouraged him with a bright, sun-like smile.

Even with a broken arm, his fighting spirit remained high, and his optimism unshaken. He felt no fear of the strong, nor did he hate the enemy who had nearly killed him. His motive was singular and pure: to win the battle.

As the saying goes, the most terrifying person is one who is simple and obsessed. They don't care about the price of failure or how others might be affected; their mind is entirely consumed by the goal.

"Yeah! Got it!" Killua nodded, forcing his terror down.

Seeing the two brats ignoring him to share a moment of camaraderie, Bihorn's rage boiled over. He let out an indignant roar. "Fine! You've succeeded in making me angry! The game ends now! I'm going to show you my full strength, let you feel what true despair is like!"

As he uttered the final word, he hunched over, concentrating all his aura into the two hardened horns atop his head.

In less than a second, he charged forward like a high-speed locomotive. The sheer momentum made it clear that a head-on collision was suicidal.

"Gon! Get out of the way!"

The needle hidden inside Killua's head began to throb again, screaming at him to avoid the clash.

But Gon didn't share that instinct. He clenched his fist, focusing his power for a Jajanken strike to block the charge.

"No! Stop it!"

Amidst Killua’s frantic scream, the two collided.

BOOM!

A powerful shockwave created a localized cyclone, sending dirt and gravel flying. When the dust settled, Gon's fist and arm had been completely impaled by the sharp horn. He fell to his knees, his face a mask of disbelief.

"Hahahaha! Die!" Bihorn laughed cruelly, swinging a finishing blow.

Thud!

Gon was sent airborne, spraying crimson blood. he flew over ten meters before slamming into a rock, where he lay face-down and motionless.

"I'll... I'll kill you! I'M GOING TO BUTCHER YOU!!!!!!"

Dominating by absolute fury, Killua's aura erupted several times stronger than usual. The sheer force of his intent physically forced the needle out of his brain.

In that moment, however, he didn't care why such an object had been in his head. Instantly, the Zoldyck family's most gifted child transmuted his aura into a blinding white glare of electricity.

Before Bihorn could even register what was happening, he realized his right arm was gone. It had been severed cleanly, leaving a massive, spurting wound.

"How... how is this possible..."

The Squadron Leader couldn't believe his eyes. But the agonizing pain served as a constant reminder that this was reality, not a nightmare.

"Next, I'm going to cut off your limbs one by one. I'll make you die slowly in fear and despair," Killua said, his face shadowed, his eyes reflecting a darkness that made the skin crawl.

Terrified by this sudden transformation, Bihorn immediately tried to flee. But the moment he turned, the pain struck again. This time, a leg was severed.

As everyone knows, you cannot run on one leg. He couldn't even maintain his balance.

In the span of two seconds, his remaining limbs were sliced off at speeds the eye couldn't track. Blood geysered from his arteries; without immediate treatment, he would soon die from hemorrhagic shock.

Just as Killua prepared to twist off the ant's head to avenge his friend, a deafening crash echoed from the distance. A figure burst from the woods, piercing through Bihorn’s chest in an instant.

It was Allen, fresh from the city.

He ignored the gluttonous Red Dragon (Vaelstrasz) as it materialized to burn the ant into a cocoon and devour it. Instead, he looked at the dying Gon nearby and frowned. "What happened here?"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! Please save Gon! You have to have a way, right?"

Killua, still in his Godspeed state, flickered to his friend’s side and held him, his face full of desperate pleading.

"To be injured this badly... it seems you treated my warnings as mere background noise."

Allen shot Killua a stern look but immediately produced a Healing Potion and poured it down Gon's throat. Simultaneously, he used Nen Stitches to reattach the mangled arms.

A few seconds later, Gon was pulled back from the brink of death.

Seeing his best friend’s breathing and heartbeat stabilize, Killua finally burst into tears of relief. He bowed deeply. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"I have more important things to do and no time to settle accounts with you two right now. But remember, you owe me an explanation!"

With that, Allen remounted the Red Dragon and took to the skies once more, heading for the next site of the invasion.

As the only person with high-speed mobility, he had to suppress the situation before the civilian death toll exceeded a certain limit. Otherwise, the Association and Chairman Netero would face immense political and public pressure.

As for the reckless behavior of these two protagonists... that could wait. After all, if the Zoldyck family and Ging weren't worrying about them, there was no reason for him, an outsider, to lose sleep over it.

 

Chapter 175: Emergency Mobilization

Over an hour later, inside the house where Palm was staying.

Morel’s two disciples and Killua sat in a circle, staring at Gon, who lay unconscious on the bed.

After a full two or three minutes of silence, Knuckle finally couldn't help but ask, "How much longer until he wakes up?"

"I don't know. Allen didn't say, but the doctor said that physiologically, he's out of danger," Killua replied, head hanging low in dejection.

Without a doubt, he had just received a stern lecture. Believing that all of this was his fault, his heart was currently heavy with guilt and self-reproach.

"Damn it! If only I hadn't passed out back then!" Knuckle clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with frustration and rage.

"I never imagined a Chimera Ant Squadron Leader could be this powerful. Are people like us really qualified to join the Extermination Team?"

Shoot kept his head down, clearly spiraling into a state of intense self-negation and doubt.

When he had awakened and seen the cratered earth and the severe environmental destruction surrounding them, he immediately realized that the intensity of the battle far exceeded his imagination.

If a single Squadron Leader was this formidable, what about the even more terrifying Royal Guards or the King?

In his current weak state, would he just become a burden to his master when the time came?

"The biggest difference between the ants and us lies in their powerful physical constitution and superior life force. Which means, when fighting a Chimera Ant, you must be mentally prepared for an opponent who has more aura, greater strength, higher speed, better stamina, and stronger defense than you. Most importantly, their body structure is completely different from ours. Places we consider fatal might just be ordinary wounds to them. Never let your guard down, or you could die in the next second."

Killua shared all the experience he had just summarized in one breath.

Although he had successfully used a sudden burst of aura at the final moment to force the needle out of his brain, and even used his newly developed ability, Godspeed, to tear a Squadron Leader to pieces, he understood that this didn't mean his overall strength had surpassed Bihorn's.

Quite the opposite.

Even when his aura volume spiked under the influence of extreme emotions, it was only just enough for his Ko to break through the opponent's Ken.

Specifically, an Enhancer's Ken acted like a suit of armor, nearly as tough as a steel plate; every time his fingers pierced through, he felt a jolt of agonizing pain.

"You mean... we still have a chance?"

Knuckle snapped his head up, a glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes.

Killua nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, of course we do. Didn't you see the news? For some reason, those ants suddenly launched attacks on the densely populated cities in the surrounding areas. This means that Chairman Netero can't handle this with just the few people he has on hand. Our mobilization is only a matter of time. Besides, Allen will likely only deal with the Squadron Leaders who pose the greatest threat. We'll still have to handle the remaining Officers and soldier ants."

Just as he finished speaking, a piercing ringtone suddenly erupted.

Palm, who had been sitting in the corner staring at her crystal ball, instantly jumped from her chair. She grabbed the phone, pressed the answer key with lightning speed, and greeted the caller in a tone both nervous and excited: "Se... Sensei! You finally called! Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Palm! Are Killua, Gon, Shoot, and Knuckle all with you?" Knov asked bluntly.

"Yes! They're all here!" Palm hurried to give an affirmative answer.

"Good! Starting now, everyone, including you, is a member of the Extermination Team. Your first mission is to head to the neighboring city of Bratto and clear out the ants wreaking havoc there. Move fast. If you haven't settled it within twenty-eight hours, it will be considered a mission failure. Understood?" Knov's voice carried a hint of severity.

Palm nodded vigorously. "Understood! I won't let you down."

With that, she hung up and shouted at the others in the room, "You lot! What are you standing around for? Get moving!"

"But... what about Gon?" Killua asked tentatively.

"Bring him with us!"

Under the intimidation of a kitchen-knife-wielding Palm, the men in the room quickly chose to submit. Even the hot-tempered Knuckle didn't dare to raise his head.

After all, no one knew if those two knives would come crashing down on them in the next second if they refused or resisted.

Roughly ten minutes later, the group piled into a rented truck and sped toward the neighboring city at maximum speed.

…

At the same time, in another city far away, Knov breathed a small sigh of relief. Without looking up, he said, "I've just confirmed that your two disciples, as well as Gon and Killua, are all fine. The Chimera Ants in that area have been completely wiped out. It seems Allen made it in time."

"Hahahaha! A monster is a monster indeed! To think he's already settled two locations in such a short time. It looks like we'll have the situation under control within a few days," Morel laughed, impressed.

"Indeed. And it's thanks to him launching that campaign early and destroying a large portion of the Chimera Ant army's effective strength. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable," Knov removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah. But the most important thing now is to find the Queen and the King growing in her womb. As long as the two most vital leaders of the colony exist, they can just keep creating more ants. By the way, what about that guy we captured? Did it know anything?" Morel turned to look behind them.

But before he could find anything, Knov replied with a bitter smile, "Don't bother looking. That guy was clearly under the influence of some ability, or had established some kind of Vow and Limitation with his Nen. The moment it prepared to reveal something, its entire body exploded, killing several of the interrogators along with it."

Hearing this, Morel's expression shifted slightly. "You mean... the enemy anticipated this? Every ant that actively launched an attack on populated areas is prevented from leaking any useful intelligence?"

"Exactly. Not only that, according to the information provided by Allen, all abilities related to searching or tracking are being interfered with. Right now, our only hope is that we can find traces of the Royal Guards and the Queen in East Gorteau," Knov explained with a grim expression.

There was no other way.

He had repeatedly reported to the Association, clearly stating their shortage of manpower and the need for high-level Nen experts.

But his reports were like stones dropped into the ocean.

Under the machinations of Vice Chairman Pariston, the Association was currently unable to dispatch any decent Hunters.

Morel clearly knew this as well. He cursed under his breath with a dark look, "Crap! It’s the Temp Hunters and the Review Board again! Those stubborn fools don't know the actual situation; they only care about quotas and contribution points. They have no idea how dangerous the Chimera Ants are!"

"Save your breath. Even Chairman Netero has been sidelined by them; what can you or I do? Let's just hope Allen can handle the heavy lifting and quell this chaos as soon as possible. After all, the Grim Reaper still carries a lot of weight. As long as he's on our side, I doubt those people in the Association will dare to do anything too outrageous for the time being."

With those words, Knov pulled Morel into a slightly dilapidated old jeep. He started the engine and sped eastward along the highway.