"Child?"
Leorio and Knuckle looked at the scene before them, a strange feeling rising in their hearts.
Looking again at the master inside the power armor, it was a sturdy man with a three-seven part, black and white diagonal bangs, estimated to be thirty years old.
Such a powerful, composed, and imposing man.
Was actually saluting a young boy who looked only ten years old, which was hard to comprehend.
But in reality, they could never have imagined that this was an elderly man over sixty years old.
Even less could they guess that this two-year-old child standing before them actually had a psychological age of over two hundred years.
"You've worked hard, Chief Instructor."
But as soon as Pride spoke, their expressions changed drastically.
Pride's voice was not that of an ordinary child. To be precise, it was difficult to even discern if it was a human voice.
Because as he spoke, it was as if countless people were speaking at once, a mixed timbre of various men, women, young, and old voices, instinctively sending shivers down their spines and making their throats constrict.
"Is that you?"
"The boss of this mysterious organization, and the mastermind behind the attack on Greed Island."
Gon Freecss stepped forward, standing in front of Leorio and Knuckle, blocking their view and protecting them.
Gon Freecss looked down at the ten-year-old boy in a child-sized suit. Somehow, his heart was beating faster and faster.
It was as if, standing before him was not a child, but a demon from the depths of hell, about to burst forth and devour them.
"Clap..."
Pride closed the pages of the book in his hand, placing the book titled "Paradise Lost" on the multi-purpose chair beside him. With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked towards Gon Freecss and the other two, stopping less than seven steps in front of them.
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Gon Freecss."
He seemed to have seen through Gon Freecss's thoughts and smiled amiably.
Correspondingly, as he took a step forward, Gon Freecss's left foot moved slightly backward, an extremely subtle movement that Leorio and Knuckle did not notice.
But Gon Freecss's assessment of this ten-year-old boy in a suit rose another level in his heart.
Dangerous!
Gon Freecss frowned tightly, subtly took a deep breath, his emotions recovered, and he calmly said.
"I'm very curious about your organization. Can you tell me about it?"
"Oh~" Pride's eyes lit up when he saw Gon Freecss stabilize his emotions in just a few seconds.
He had just deliberately put pressure on Gon Freecss, displaying his might, to give him a show of force.
To make him understand that this was not a place he could casually come and go.
He knew Illumi was very concerned about this person, so he had thought that this person named Gon Freecss would have some special qualities, and he also knew that he could break free from his pressure.
But he didn't expect the other party to break free from his mental pressure in five seconds. He was indeed no simple character.
Thinking of this, he looked up again at Gon Freecss and Leorio and Knuckle behind him.
"It's not impossible, as long as you join."
Pride's tone carried a hint of mockery.
Among the three, Gon Freecss and Leorio did not respond. Only Knuckle pouted, picked a booger from his nostril with his right pinky finger, then connected his pinky and thumb and flicked.
"Whoosh..."
The small booger flew towards Pride, landing on the smooth ground in front of him.
"Knuckle..."
Leorio nudged his waist with his elbow and shook his head, signaling him not to mess around.
"Tch, we wouldn't join such a shady organization."
Knuckle looked up, disdainfully saying in a proud manner. He had no good feelings about this mysterious organization that had suddenly attacked Greed Island.
"Hehehe..." Pride slightly lowered his head and chuckled softly, "Our guests seem to be impatient. Take them to the laboratory."
"Yes, sir."
At the doorway, two Alpha Squad members stood at attention, carrying Gauss Rifles, and stood beside Gon Freecss and the other two.
"Proceed with your respective tasks as previously arranged."
Pride, with his hands clasped behind his back, turned his back to everyone and instructed the three doctors who had been waiting for a long time.
"Hehe, rest assured, Mr. Pride."
The three doctors were all old men in their fifties.
But at this moment, their mood was a reversal of their usual calmness and seriousness, showing great anticipation.
"Hehehe, I've been waiting for this moment for two months."
One of the doctors, wearing glasses, rubbed his hands together as he looked at Gon Freecss and the other two, a crazed smile spreading across his lips.
"Whoa, I have a bad feeling about this."
Knuckle looked at the doctor with the crazed smile on his face, and a drop of cold sweat ran down his temple.
The three doctors led the way, with two Alpha Squad members following behind. The group of eight walked towards one of the Weapon Development Department's laboratories.
"Buzz..."
At this moment, in the research institute's Multi-purpose Conference Room, as Pride had just sat back down on the multi-purpose chair, Illumi's face appeared on the tabletop.
To be precise, it was on the screen of the tabletop.
"How are things?"
In the video, Illumi stood in front of a large, circular panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, with his hands clasped behind his back.
"The people have been brought back to headquarters."
"There are three people: Gon Freecss, Leorio, and Knuckle."
Pride replied calmly, his voice having returned to his usual ordinary boy's timbre.
"Very good. Have the Weapon Development Department quickly understand and master the principles and manufacturing methods of the Spell Cards. We need them."
"I've already instructed them to do so."
Pride replied.
"Additionally, Ahmed did a good job with this matter. Give him a reward."
"Oh~ what reward do you plan to give him?"
Pride asked, feeling a little curious.
"I will allow him to go to the Ozma Federation and participate in the rebellion within the Ozma Federation."
"Let him take the Alpha Squad he personally trained and stir up some trouble."
"Understood."
Pride's eyes lit up, and he smiled faintly.
Time: October 20, 1988.
Location: Northernmost border of the Kakin Empire, Anchorage, Mount Baker.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~"
The biting cold wind swept through the valley, carving a magnificent, peerless landscape on this enormous snow-covered mountain.
"Shhh... shhh..."
A thinly dressed figure walked steadily through the wind and snow.
His chest was wide open, and snowflakes drifted onto his body and face with the biting cold wind, but he seemed to feel none of it, still resolutely advancing forward.
This year, as usual, he returned to Ambitious Peak.
"Gurgle gurgle..."
Julius stood on the cliffside halfway up the mountain, gazing at the old suspension bridge, hundreds of meters long, that led to the opposite cliff. He let out a long sigh of relief.
"I wonder if Master has returned."
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).