Chapter 132 – Divergent Destinies
Netero was also surprised.
Given the old man's expectations, Haze would agree this time.
"Hmm…"
The chairman nodded. "I understand your attitude, but… whether or not you become one of the Twelve Zodiacs is not something you can decide on your own."
"If you insist on refusing, then I'll have to be a little stubborn."
Haze smiled.
Stubborn?
Netero's hand, which was holding a teacup, paused.
Was he referring to the Dark Continent?
"I'm really not interested in power. It's too troublesome and a waste of time," Haze added.
His meaning was clear: replacement.
Withdraw your idea. I won't cause trouble, and I'll go to the Dark Continent.
In the eyes of others, Haze's two consecutive refusals of positions among the Twelve Zodiacs made his words quite convincing—he truly didn't want to participate in managing the Association.
Could it be… that everyone had misunderstood Haze?
Yorkshire thought so.
Don's judgment of Haze wasn't wrong. What exactly was this man planning?
If he were scheming to gain greater power, then above the Twelve Zodiacs there was only the chairman… but replacing Netero was nothing more than a pipe dream.
"All right, then I'll respect your decision."
The old man pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly:
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
Seeing this, Haze waved his hand and left under everyone's gaze.
"I'm leaving too."
Ging Freecss stood up and followed closely behind.
Gail observed the expressions of the other Twelve Zodiacs. As expected, Haze was right—even if he killed Saiyuu, there was no need to worry about the consequences.
What secret was Haze referring to?
…
On the other side, Haze entered the elevator with a smile.
Before the doors closed, a hand stopped them.
Ging Freecss stepped inside.
The elevator began to descend.
In the small space, the two remained silent; the atmosphere was calm.
After a moment, Ging spoke first, without looking at Haze, asking directly, "Is the chairman in danger?"
"How would I know?" Haze laughed.
"You're probably starting to build an image of integrity and benevolence, right? You've rejected a position among the Twelve Zodiacs twice, you possess immense strength, and you're happy to help newcomers to the Association… On top of that, the Fils family has been bringing in new recruits to the Association over the past few years. Even if they're not many, it's enough."
Ging looked at the metal panel of the elevator, the reflection illuminating Haze's blurred face, and said calmly, "To the lower-ranking Hunters… someone who hates power yet has such a realistic image has no reason not to be supported. You can take advantage of this opportunity to win over a lot of people. After all, many people dislike those above them—the powerful."
"That's what you said. I never admitted it," Haze joked.
"What I don't understand is why you gave up the Twelve Earthly Branches just to gain more. Other than the position of chairman, there's nothing else that should interest you… Yet you wanted to replace him, which is impossible, and you still did it. This only proves one thing—that you're certain the chairman will step down for some reason.
"And from what I understand of the chairman, even if he trusts you, he wouldn't hand over the Association or make any deal with you. Under normal circumstances, your plan is doomed to fail. However… every action you take has a purpose, and therefore it won't fail. So the chairman is in danger."
With a chime, the elevator reached the bottom.
Haze stepped out and patted Ging on the shoulder. "Don't overthink it. Do you really think anyone in this world can kill the old man?"
"I truly have no interest in power."
After saying that, with one eye peeking out from behind his sunglasses, he winked at Ging.
Then he walked away.
"Yeah, you're not interested in power… but you admire strength immensely," Ging thought.
Sometimes, the farther you stay from power, the easier it is to rise.
Ging had no doubt that once the chairman's position became vacant, the first successor chosen by the lower-ranking Hunters would be Haze.
In outsiders' eyes, Haze was the "cleanest" one.
"Troublesome…"
Ging Freecss rubbed his hair and sighed softly.
In the following days, just as he had predicted, someone leaked the news, and the fact that Haze had twice rejected the Twelve Zodiacs began to spread within the Association. There were also rumors that Haze had killed one of the original Twelve Zodiacs, Shenhou Xiyou.
It was said that Xiyou had a complicated background and had tried to frame Haze, but failed.
Being able to kill a member of the Twelve Zodiacs was enough to prove Haze's strength, and people instinctively admire the strong. The key point was that Haze was different from other Twelve Zodiacs or three-star Hunters—he was highly respected and had taken care of many young Hunters.
It should be known that the entire Hunter Association had fewer than seven hundred members in total.
Therefore, with just a small spread, the news quickly became public.
There were also Hunters who had been taken care of by Haze, who personally testified to the situation…
The weak detest—even loathe—those powerful figures far above them; this is human nature, and it's the origin of the term "master" used by the Alliance. But when someone is strong and yet mingles with the masses, the situation changes.
All of Haze's plans were laid bare before Ging's eyes… yet he couldn't stop them.
Because… he lacked charisma and a good reputation.
Based on this, even if Haze played his cards openly, Ging could do nothing about it.
No one would listen to him.
As for joining forces with Pariston—forget it…
The most crucial thing now was to find out where the danger to the old man lay.
…
"Sir, the informants we've cultivated over the years have completely infiltrated the core of the regimes of several countries."
In a master bedroom, Haze was speaking with David.
David was reporting on the progress of the Fels family's mission over the years.
"In some small countries, our people occupy key positions, and as you ordered, they've entered royal families through women and childbirth. The same applies to some larger countries, such as the Kakin Empire. With the support of the officials we've placed, everyone assigned to a position wields considerable influence within the royal family."
"Hmm…"
Haze was satisfied.
Project Honey Pot was something Haze had proposed several years ago.
It involved using the mafia to cultivate exceptionally beautiful women, introducing them to royalty in various countries, and then using their offspring to establish identities.
Relying solely on officials was not enough.
"Crushing Honey Pot No. 3 in the Kakin Empire… it's been exposed."
"Yes."
"And… is Honey Pot No. 1 still not operational?"
"It's still very difficult for her to become queen for now. That Gray Meat Don isn't as naive as he looks—he's quite shrewd. Although Honey Pot gave birth to an illegitimate child, it has never been acknowledged. Moreover, those princes are involved with certain mafia forces, so we can't make too many moves."
"That's enough. There's no rush," Haze ordered.
"Sir, the young lady would like to ask: could we take control of the underworld forces in one decisive move, eliminate the Ten Elders, and have our Fels family rule them all? With our current strength, we already surpass them completely, and eliminating the remaining armed forces of the Ten Elders wouldn't be difficult… This would also make our plan more feasible. Otherwise, our operations in some territories will remain somewhat restricted. After all, those are territories of the other Ten Elders…"
David made the suggestion.
"Don't worry. The Ten Elders will die soon. We don't need to lift a finger. You should also resign from that position and choose a trusted confidant as a scapegoat," Haze said calmly.
A scapegoat?
Would something happen to the gang?
David was bewildered.
"How is V5 doing?" Haze changed the subject.
"The first and second batches combined only brought back five people… However, we have quite a few spies in key positions within the official agencies of these countries. Over time, I believe the number will increase…"
"Well done," Haze praised.
He spoke with David for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Because… someone had arrived.
Biscuit led Wing in without any courtesy, barging straight into Haze's room without even knocking.
Wing couldn't stop her.
"Hey, hey… have some manners, will you? What if I wasn't wearing clothes—wouldn't you be exposing me? Or is that what you're hoping to see?"
Haze lounged lazily on the sofa, amused.
"Hmph, don't be so narcissistic! You're not my type!"
Biscuit blushed and retorted disdainfully.
"Tch… I should've taken a photo of you barging into my room back at the Sky Arena." Haze touched an old wound. "Clearly you were the lustful one that night. When you saw how beautiful and charming I was, you couldn't control yourself and dragged me away by force… If I hadn't reacted quickly and escaped danger, maybe… maybe I'd already be—"
Biscuit covered her face and threw the mud back at him.
"Good."
Haze clapped in approval.
Biscuit had brought Wing to say goodbye.
Wing had appeared this time because he was worried something might happen to Haze… fortunately, the situation was resolved in the end.
Now that everything was fine, he was returning to the Heavens Arena.
"Why are you still staying in that place? With your strength, you should've been training properly in the Association long ago," Haze said, looking at Wing.
"I'm not like you. I know my limits…"
Wing smiled faintly, adjusting his glasses frequently. "Besides, compared to taking risks and reaching higher levels, I've realized I prefer watching some newcomers or young people strive to grow… They give me a sense of vitality and hope."
"I can see a bright future."
"Have you picked up some influence from the old lady?"
Haze pointed at Biscuit.
"Aaaaah!"
Biscuit flew into a rage and launched a flurry of punches at Haze.
Haze didn't even flinch.
Wing looked at Haze before him, filled with mixed emotions.
Back then, the two of them had trained together in the Heavens Arena, but now, Haze's level and strength were something he probably didn't even have the right to admire.
This was a true genius.
In any era, there were probably only a few…
Clearly, he wasn't one of them.
During their meetings over the past few days, Wing had asked Biscuit what level Haze had reached.
Biscuit had only replied with one sentence: if the two of them together were Haze's mortal enemies, their chances of victory would be under 10%—and that was an optimistic estimate.
Even Chairman Netero had privately told Biscuit that he would have to exert great effort to defeat Haze.
Hearing this at the time, the shock and disbelief Wing felt were indescribable.
However, he had already come to terms with it…
He accepted his own mediocrity.
Moreover, Wing's mindset had changed over the years. Everyone is born with a different mission, and their strengths are different.
Perhaps Haze was the one who longed for strength and dared to ascend.
And perhaps he himself was better suited to nurturing newcomers, passing on what he had learned over the years, and better inheriting the Hunter's will… He might not be able to do it, but he believed that in the future there would be a second Haze, a third Haze.
"I really can't do anything with you…"
Understanding Wing's personality, Haze smiled faintly. "Not bad. I'll return to the Heavens Arena someday… I haven't been back in years, and my Arena Master title was revoked long ago."
"Isn't that unnecessary…? Do you still care about that empty title?" Wing asked in surprise.
"I'm just going back for a while…"
(End of Chapter)