Chapter 30: Cautious and Meticulous
Based on known intelligence, the Ant King Meruem had already occupied the royal capital and was preparing to gather all the residents of East Gorteau into the capital as a food reserve.
The Ant King was powerful, but its time of birth was too short. It not only possessed formidable strength but also extremely high intelligence. Therefore, it understood one thing: it could not expand recklessly but must first stabilize its position.
The Ant King was still unfamiliar with this continent. The humans it encountered were all relatively weak, which puzzled the Ant King—why were humans able to thrive and multiply here?
Memories from its bloodline told the Ant King that it originated from a dangerous continent where many powerful beings existed. Its species, the Chimera Ants, had been driven out from that continent.
The scenes in the Ant King’s memory were inherited from its mother. In the Dark Continent, the Chimera Ants could not even achieve basic survival, let alone dominate. There, their bodies were compressed to about 10 centimeters, leaving no room for upward evolution.
The Ant King understood the terror of the Dark Continent. Compared to it, the continent it now occupied was practically paradise. This made it wonder why the other creatures of the Dark Continent did not invade this land.
The Chimera Ants possessed astonishing reproductive and combat capabilities. Now, this information had reached the V5 organization, which assigned the Hunter Association to deal with the problem. Chairman Isaac Netero had already arrived in East Gorteau.
The V5’s decision was somewhat casual, revealing an underlying attitude that the Chimera Ants were not a threat. Sending the Hunter Association was sufficient; there was no need to deploy large-scale military forces to avoid causing irreversible damage to East Gorteau’s environment.
The V5’s strength lay in their technological advancements, which included high-tech weapons capable of preventing the powerful creatures of the Dark Continent from setting foot on the human continent.
As for the Hunter Association, Isaac Netero’s power was unquestionable, but the Association was merely a privileged civilian organization, not a military force of the V5.
If the situation spiraled out of control, the Chimera Ants would learn the terror of humanity and understand why humans could thrive on this continent.
Once the V5 deployed its military, East Gorteau would vanish from the human continent’s map, becoming a radioactive wasteland.
Su Xiao understood the current situation clearly. He absolutely could not allow the Chimera Ants to develop to an uncontrollable level. Otherwise, he would have no choice but to abandon the main mission and use the main mission failure immunity.
Time was ample now. The main mission had 13 days remaining. The primary task was to eliminate the Ant King within those 13 days, followed by the even more brutal phase of competing for the Ant King’s heart.
After circling the royal capital a few times, Su Xiao gradually moved away from it. The situation inside the capital was peculiar. He had killed Youpi earlier, yet the other two direct guards had not mobilized—this was highly abnormal.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Xiao pulled out a two-star Hunter license from his chest. Netero had likely already arrived in East Gorteau. Teaming up with Netero to deal with the Ant King was the wisest choice, though it would inevitably attract other contractors.
As dusk fell, Su Xiao quickly disappeared into the forest near the royal capital.
……
The next morning, on a narrow path leading to the royal capital of East Gorteau, three people were walking briskly. They were an old man, a white-haired man in sunglasses with a sturdy build, and a well-dressed, scholarly man in a suit.
Buzz~
A mechanical eye flew above the three, causing them to stop.
“Is this a Chimera Ant reconnaissance method? Have they already mastered such high-tech equipment?”
The scholarly man frowned, pushing up his glasses.
“Unlikely. East Gorteau prohibits modern items, which greatly reduces the possibility of the Chimera Ants acquiring technology.”
The white-haired man in sunglasses shook his head. He carried a long, cloth-wrapped bundle on his shoulder, its contents unknown.
“Whatever it is, let’s destroy it first.”
The scholarly man, clearly cautious and meticulous, loosened his tie, ready to act.
“Don’t act rashly. Someone is approaching quickly.”
The old man spoke. He wore loose white robes, had a topknot on his head, and large earlobes, giving him a kind demeanor.
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
Su Xiao emerged from a nearby forest. He had set up surveillance on several routes leading to the royal capital, waiting for these three. More precisely, he was waiting for the old man—Isaac Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Association.
As for the two beside Netero, one was named Morel, with white hair and round sunglasses. He was a well-rounded Hunter with no outstanding strengths but no obvious weaknesses. The other, the scholarly man in a suit, was named Knuckle.
Knuckle’s Nen ability was space-based. Unfortunately, he was too cowardly. In the original story, he was terrified by the aura of one of the three guards, Pouf, and lost all courage to fight the Chimera Ants.
Mind you, Knuckle had not even seen Pouf in person—he merely sensed his aura, nothing more.
“Waiting for us? For what purpose?”
Morel sensed that Su Xiao’s intentions were not friendly and prepared for battle.
“If I’m not mistaken, you’re here to exterminate the Chimera Ants. Coincidentally, so am I. Even more coincidentally, I’m also a Hunter.”
Su Xiao tossed his two-star Hunter license in his hand.
“You illegally obtained a Hunter license, and you expect to gain an equal status in the Hunter Association with it?”
Knuckle spoke, viewing Su Xiao as a person of unknown origin who should not be allowed to join the Chimera Ant extermination team.
“This two-star license…”
Chairman Netero had maintained a kind smile throughout, but when he saw the license in Su Xiao’s hand, that smile gradually faded.
“How is Maha? Still on Kukuroo Mountain?”
Netero recognized the origin of this two-star Hunter license.
“Dead.”
“Dead?”
Netero was slightly surprised.
“If he truly died, the situation for the Zoldyck family must be dire, perhaps no less dangerous than here.”
Netero stroked his white beard, his eyes appraising Su Xiao.
“That old man died inside Kukuroo Mountain. The Zoldyck family hasn’t changed much.”
“I see. So you went deep into Kukuroo Mountain with him?”
Netero knew about Maha’s situation and some secrets of Kukuroo Mountain. After all, Maha had invited him many times.
“Yes. I was hired as a laborer for a few days.”
Su Xiao knew Netero was testing him.
“Kukuroo Mountain must have been interesting.”
“Not really. Just plants and more plants.”
“Oh? What specific plants did you see?”
“Lava ash, exotic flora, and black Nen.”
Su Xiao listed three key pieces of information.
“Is there any need to continue testing?”
“That’s enough. I didn’t expect someone your age to venture deep into Kukuroo Mountain with Maha.”
Netero’s interest was piqued.
“How about we take down the Ant King together? In your current physical condition, you’re no match for it.”
This was Su Xiao’s purpose in seeking out Netero. Without a doubt, Netero was a very safe collaborator.
“Of course… welcome.”
Netero smiled. He had already confirmed that Su Xiao had indeed gone deep into Kukuroo Mountain with Maha. As for whether Su Xiao was good or evil, Netero didn’t care. He only needed to know that Su Xiao was human and strong enough—that was sufficient.