"Hello? Allen, why are you calling me all of a sudden? Don't tell me you've run into some trouble you can't handle yourself?"
As the brief dial tone ended, Chairman Netero's voice immediately crackled through the receiver. It might have been an illusion, but his tone seemed to carry a hint of schadenfreude.
"Laugh all you want. Laugh while you still can, because after you hear this news, you won't be smiling for long," Allen replied crossly.
"Oh? What exactly happened?"
Chairman Netero instantly dropped his cynical attitude, his voice becoming dead serious.
"Remember our discussion about the possibility of the ants migrating to East Gorteau? Well, that prophecy is likely coming true. According to the investigation by Baise and Illumi, the behavior of this country's supreme leader has suddenly become erratic. He's been frequently mobilizing the military, and after each deployment, a portion of the population mysteriously vanishes. So far, the number has reached two to three thousand. How does that sound? Familiar?"
Allen didn't hold anything back, straightforwardly sharing everything he knew. He believed that with the Chairman's cunning and experience, he would understand exactly what this implied.
As expected, Netero fell into a silence that lasted for over a minute. He finally let out a soft sigh. "Sigh… so the ants have already seized control of East Gorteau's government and military. This means we'll be facing not just the ants, but humans under their control as well, correct?"
Allen nodded without hesitation. "Yes! And it's more than that. If I'm not mistaken, such a massive number of disappearances isn't just for the Queen to feed. They are researching how to transform humans into Chimera Ants on a large scale and at high speeds. If they succeed, they could use East Gorteau's population of millions to instantly assemble a massive army composed entirely of Nen users. Combined with an industrial base and weapon R&D capabilities, you can imagine how severe the consequences will be."
"This is the worst-case scenario. The threat is more than ten times greater than it was in NGL," Netero concluded swiftly.
He finally understood why Allen said he wouldn't be smiling. The thought of tens of thousands of Nen-using ants equipped with modern human weaponry made the 120-year-old man's skin crawl. At that point, there might be no way to completely eradicate the Chimera Ant legion unless the V5 directly formed a human coalition for total war.
"Exactly. The biggest headache right now is how to handle the modified victims. If left alone, certain individuals will surely take the opportunity to exploit them," Allen hinted meaningfully.
"Hmm… I'll need to consider that. Also, don't be in a hurry to act. I need to contact the V5 and secure authorization. After all, this involves a sovereign nation's government. It would be best to find a few collaborators from within; that way, we can avoid open conflict with the human military."
Chairman Netero didn't give an immediate answer, instead cautioning Allen not to act rashly.
But Allen clearly wasn't having it. He chuckled and replied, "Well, you'd better move fast, then. I won't wait forever."
"Don't worry, the V5 will give us authorization within a few days at most. They won't sit idly by while the Chimera Ants grow powerful enough to establish their own state. Alright, let's leave it at that. I'll call you once the authorization is in hand. That will be the time for the general assault."
With that, Chairman Netero hung up.
"A few days? You still overestimate the efficiency of those old bureaucrats."
Listening to the busy tone, Allen tossed his phone into his pocket and took to the skies on the Red Dragon (Vaelstrasz), heading straight for his next destination.
…
Meanwhile, in the basement of the East Gorteau palace, the Chimera Ant Queen's distended abdomen was ruptured. She lay on the ground, twitching in agony.
Beside her, a creature radiating a terrifying aura was flicking its tail, surveying its surroundings with a gaze of intense curiosity.
The King... was finally born!
The three Royal Guards sensed this immediately. They rushed into the basement from all directions and knelt reverently, their faces filled with ecstasy.
"Where is this?" the King questioned, his brow furrowing.
His gaze was cold and ruthless; he didn't even acknowledge his dying mother nearby, acting entirely on biological instinct.
"Your Majesty, this is the basement of the East Gorteau palace," Pouf was the first to answer eagerly.
"Palace?" A flicker of interest appeared on the King's face.
"Yes! Would you like to go up and see?" Pitou suggested proactively.
The King nodded. "Of course. And have the food ready. I am hungry. Remember, I want the most delicious food, not that trash."
"Understood! We have prepared everything for you." Pitou shot a glance at Youpi.
Youpi understood immediately. He rose and headed for the dungeon, intending to select two unlucky prisoners with the highest aura capacity to serve as the King's first meal.
Undoubtedly, these cruel ants had already learned how to initiate humans into Nen, effectively farming them like livestock.
As for the Queen, she was abandoned the moment the King was born. She had fulfilled her historical mission and no longer held any purpose.
The moment the Queen died, the Squadron Leaders still wreaking havoc outside felt it simultaneously. Specifically, the invisible genetic shackles binding them suddenly snapped.
With the shackles gone, they were no longer bound to obey the Royal Guards. They began to exert their independent will, and some even awakened memories from their time as humans.
Quickly, the Squadron Leaders split into two factions. One side decided to go solo and find a place to propagate their own species, while the other intended to swear fealty to the King.
No one noticed that beside the Queen's corpse, a tiny, helpless infant struggled to crawl out of the viscous fluid.
A Chimera Ant with long blonde hair, a cute appearance, and a pink hat, looking much like a young girl, saw this. She rushed over, picked up the palm-sized infant, and cradled it carefully. Her eyes were filled with compassion, but also with fear of the King's cold-blooded cruelty.
While the three Royal Guards were preoccupied with the King's birth, she slipped out of the palace unnoticed with the infant.
The arrogant King, however, cared nothing for such trifles. He sat in the center of the magnificent hall, tearing apart and consuming two humans who had recently mastered Ten.
He wore a look of immense satisfaction during his first meal in this world. "Good food. I am pleased. It seems you have not only chosen a fine location but have also kept everything in excellent order during this time."
"We are unworthy of such praise! To satisfy you is our greatest honor," Pouf bowed deeply, tears of emotion even welling in his eyes.
"By the way, why is it so quiet here? There are hardly any servants or guards," the Ant King asked curiously.
"A thousand apologies. We suffered a crushing defeat recently and lost many soldiers. But please do not worry; a new army is in preparation. Soon, you will have a larger, more elite force to conquer the world," Pitou explained, her head bowed in shame.
"A crushing defeat? Who defeated you?" The King's eyes widened in surprise.
"It was... a human! An incredibly powerful human! Even Pitou and I together were no match for him," Youpi answered softly.
"A human? Interesting! There are warriors among humans who can rival us? Then his flesh must be quite delicious indeed!" The Ant King bared his teeth in a cruel, bloodthirsty smile.
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