Joey, knowing full well that his insect control abilities had likely been exposed, no longer risked keeping his insects inside the princes' personal chambers.
Instead, he left concealed cameras and listening devices in several key suites.
The bug planted in Prince Sale-Sale's room had lost contact. Joey narrowed it down to two possibilities:
It had been caught, or
It had been interfered with by Sale-Sale's Guardian Beast.
There was no telling what that grotesque thing could or couldn't affect.
Still, the Eighth Prince's suite was vital.
Not only due to a personal grudge Joey had with him, but because Sale-Sale's Nen beast ability was one of the few Joey remembered in perfect detail.
And not because he admired it.
Ever since the appearance of "The Outsider", Hunter × Hunter's manga had transformed into a near-novel, its once image-heavy pages now bursting with dense narration.
From then on, the manga's "visual novel" style made it hard to remember abilities—unless they were grotesque enough to stand out.
But The Outsider's predator-based Nen design left a deep impression on Joey.
The Outsider
A Conjuration-type Nen ability. Once a target is designated and the ability activated, a "foreigner" is gestated within the user's body.
The more accurately the user analyzes the target's ability, the more likely the birthed predator will be a natural counter—a perfect predator.
This ability is ineffective against straightforward combat types like Enhancement or Emission, whose traits are too obvious to be "predicted."
Even Joey felt that, if his Weather Report ability were to be countered, it would take something like vacuum—where even the atmosphere couldn't exist.
Still, vacuum would only neutralize the weather element, not his Nen itself.
So while The Outsider wouldn't work on him, the design logic behind it was something Joey admired.
In the manga, once The Outsider had consumed its target, it was "Mu Xiaobei", Benjamin's private guard, who made his move.
Joey had looked forward to that—how would Mu Xiaobei handle the now-defenseless Sale-Sale?
Too bad Joey couldn't recall Mu Xiaobei's ability—it was buried in paragraphs of text.
But one thing was clear: his ability enabled him to kill and escape clean.
With that, Joey re-sent some beetles into the Eighth Prince's suite as a test.
When they didn't immediately lose contact, he deployed a beetle camera, anchoring it on the bookshelf and disabling the Golden Experience aura so it wouldn't be detected.
Thanks to that footage, Joey confirmed that the man who didn't look at all like Prince Benjamin... was Benjamin.
That gave Joey a critical vulnerability.
Not to threaten Benjamin with—he'd clearly taken precautions against exposure.
But as a bargaining chip?
Perfect.
And the best person to use it on?
Prince Tserriednich.
Since day one, Joey and Kurapika had targeted the Fourth Prince.
Benjamin had agreed to an alliance but had done nothing concrete since.
So Joey now had reason to leak Benjamin's secret to Tserriednich, and force new leverage.
That was why the Nen Beast data Joey had initially given Benjamin included Sale-Sale's Beast—to ensure Benjamin took action, and thus created this exact leverage.
As for Sale-Sale's death, Kurapika couldn't care less.
He only wanted to protect Woble, Marayam, and Momoze—princes who weren't fighting to win, only to survive.
Similarly, Joey had no sympathy for Prince Tyson either.
The fanatic cultist aura surrounding the Sixth District had become even more deranged since Queen Seiko's death.
Even Izunavi might not be safe.
Psychic indoctrination was no joke—it grew stronger the longer you were exposed.
The best example?
Sale-Sale had just died from it.
Still, Joey was betting Benjamin would make his next move against Tyson soon.
The Outsider came with a cost: 48 hours of Nen inability for the user.
A massive risk.
But again, if Benjamin dared use it, he had contingency plans.
That meant he wasn't worried about being attacked in that window.
Why?
Not the Guardian Beast. He couldn't control that.
So… was it another Nen ability?
A soldier's power?
Or perhaps a hidden trait of "Inheritor of Stars"?
Because if Benjamin was really out of Nen, then the Bird Behind the Window attached to Camilla—paid for with Muether's life—would have been wasted.
No way Benjamin would allow that.
Joey suspected the First Prince's bodyguard captain, Barouzameelko, was the real ace.
Kurapika had even said during the meeting, it wasn't Benjamin who gave him the most pressure—it was Barouzameelko.
If Barouzameelko's power matched his cunning, then Benjamin had planned this thoroughly.
Which meant: if Joey used this footage, he'd be burning bridges with the First Prince.
It was too easy to link Benjamin to The Outsider.
So unless he could secure leverage over the First Prince's entire camp, the video would remain vaulted.
Joey extracted the clip and saved it securely.
1:30 PM.
Kurapika ended the day's lesson:
"We're done for today. Please return here tomorrow at the same time."
He and Joey exchanged a glance—they both noticed:
The assassin hadn't acted again.
Maybe the conditions for activating the Nen had not been met.
And neither Satobi nor Kinoshita had shown any strange behavior.
Yokota, the Third Prince's soldier, approached:
"Kurapika, I'd like to accompany you."
The Ninth Prince's guards had remained behind, wanting to discuss their Nen abilities.
"Sorry, I—" Kurapika began.
"I have both the right and the authority," Yokota interrupted. "Or has Zhang Lei already been cast aside now that you've joined up with the First Prince?"
"Not at all. He was the first to help us—we're grateful."
"Even if you've gathered strength, you won't solve this alone," Yokota warned. "And if Zhang Lei can't get priority intel, then maybe we don't need to support you anymore."
The tone was sharp.
"Are you arguing over us?" asked a calm voice.
A Ninth Prince soldier raised his hand, defusing the tension:
"We'll step back. Prince Halkenburg seeks peace. We just want information about Nen Beasts so we can stop this madness."
The soldier revealed his hand—marked with both Nen and a strange feather sigil.
He immediately began explaining Prince Halkenburg's situation.
Joey listened intently, logging it all.
The Ninth Prince's Nen Beast was simple but potent—it amplified collective power of those with shared conviction.
The mechanics were complicated, but the theme was clear:
Prince Halkenburg had charisma, vision, and hated the royal system just like Joey.
If Halkenburg inherited the throne, Kakin might change forever.
But only if Tserriednich died first.
Because if Halkenburg truly respected Tserriednich, that was terrifying.
"Contradiction?" Joey heard Yokota murmur.
"Prince Halkenburg wants to abolish monarchy," he said. "And this is the best time to do it. But he personally hates the bloodshed. He even petitioned the king to withdraw."
"This clash between idealism and duty… It's tearing him apart. His Nen Beast wasn't designed for that."
Kurapika explained how powerful Nen abilities often relied on tight unity between user and supporters.
When that bond broke, backlash followed.
And if Halkenburg really meant it—if he would sacrifice his life to stop this war—that was frightening.
But what if his love for Tserriednich was genuine?
Joey had a thought.
Split personality.
If Prince Halkenburg had a dissociative identity, then his Nen Beast might reflect that duality:
One part: the noble hero seeking peace.
The other: a hidden tyrant waiting to emerge.
He shuddered.
If that was true…
Then Kakin might be far more doomed than it realized.
As the Ninth Prince's people left, they bid Kurapika farewell.
"That was a big help. We're grateful."
A rare moment of calm followed.
No attacks. No beasts. Just breathing room.
But Joey knew it wouldn't last.
At 4 PM, another guard swap took place inside Sale-Sale's suite.
The new soldier? Joey didn't recognize him—but he knew:
That was Mu Xiaobei.
More intel for Joey.
But now it was time to retrieve the camera.
If it got discovered, all that leverage would be burned.
Guards weren't allowed phones, so Joey had to sneak off and hide to check the footage.
After Kurapika's class, he went to the kitchen to cook dinner.
Now that Prince Woble had six guards, Yokota sent one of Zhang Lei's soldiers back.
Only he and Slakka remained.
Yokota wanted to monitor Kurapika, while Slakka was simply being kept away from returning to the Second Queen's control.
And Prince Woble's suite was missing any influence from upper queens anyway.
Joey and Kurapika didn't comment on it.
Besides—they never expected three guards to return from the doomed Thirteenth Prince's suite.
9 PM.
The princess bathed and retired to bed.
Her Guardian Beast's pouch-like stomach looked more swollen than before.
Joey noticed Shurikenv's eyes lingered longer.
Since the beginning, this Nen Beast had seemed like it targeted Nen users.
If Shurikenv stayed much longer, he might fall prey.
His red-rimmed eyes, his constant shoulder glances…
He might already have been asked:
"Do you have time?"
Joey turned to Slakka.
Sure enough, his gaze kept drifting toward Woble's bedroom door—then falling in disappointment when it stayed shut.
Joey glanced at Hisoka.
"Don't worry," Hisoka said casually. "I'm still Woble's bodyguard. I don't care, but I'll finish my assignment."
"Fair," Joey nodded.
"You seem disappointed."
"I am."
"If something bothers me, I'll eliminate the source," Hisoka grinned.
"You'll get dragged in too."
"Wanna test that?"
"No."
Joey turned and walked toward Kurapika.