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.