Chapter 33: Rebel Leader Old Smoke
"Never heard of it."
Su Xiao hadn't been in East Gorteau two days ago, so naturally, he had no idea what had happened here.
"Here's the gist of it. That guy wasn't weak. His main ability was Nen energy, and it was a very specially structured Nen energy at that. That kind of pure Nen energy definitely didn't come from the Hunter world; it was strengthened within Reincarnation Paradise..."
Old Smoke said this, and Su Xiao already guessed what was going on.
"That person was eaten by the Ant King?"
"Bingo. You should know the Ant King's ability—the more it eats, the stronger it gets."
Old Smoke's expression had already turned grim.
"What type? Specialization?"
Su Xiao also understood the severity of the situation. The Ant King wasn't just powerful in combat; his Nen ability had terrifying growth potential.
The Ant King's Nen ability was the Specialization type. It could enhance its own Nen by devouring the flesh and blood of Nen users. If it were just enhancement, that would be one thing, but it could also choose desirable abilities to strip away.
In the original story, after the Ant King ate the cells of two of his three Royal Guards, Youpi and Pouf, he gained both of their abilities, and those abilities were even amplified in his hands.
"If it were just Specialization, it might be manageable. But that guy was an Enhancer—pure, disgustingly pure physical enhancement. Although the Ant King didn't gain any special abilities, it got an even stronger body. Otherwise, Mizusaki and Dust wouldn't have come to me on their own, and I wouldn't have paid the price to have Chairman Netero search for other contractors. The Ant King is stronger than in the original story."
Old Smoke slammed his hand on the wooden table beside him, getting more and more agitated. This guy was originally a convict, and his greatest hobby was inciting prison riots to find opportunities to escape. But he had been betrayed by those fellow inmates many times. If this guy had been born in ancient times, he would definitely have been a rebel leader—the kind who would start a rebellion even in times of peace.
"So, we need to unite! Work together to destroy the Ant King! For a better..."
His good-natured personality shattered in an instant. Old Smoke's hands trembled as he lit that ridiculously thick cigarette. Anyone with half a brain could tell this guy's mental state wasn't exactly normal either.
In fact, looking at the war world, it was clear that most of the strong people in Reincarnation Paradise were, to some extent, unhinged. Yan Chen, Black Blood, and the like were top-tier lunatics, while Old Smoke, Mizusaki, and Dust were relatively normal.
"Here we go again."
Mizusaki rubbed her temples. Her head was throbbing. Compared to the sharp-tongued Dust, she felt that Old Smoke in his 'rebel leader mode' was even more unreliable.
"I'm just a bit of a schemer. Why do I have to cooperate with you guys? Life is full of hardships."
Mizusaki sat cross-legged on a wooden table. Despite her words, the look on her face, like she was waiting for a show, betrayed her true nature.
"Comrades! We must work together with one heart! Strive to destroy him before today..."
The impassioned Old Smoke got more and more carried away, unable to stop. Because he was smoking heavily, the room gradually filled with smoke. Su Xiao glanced at the unlit cigarette in his hand, silently threw it on the ground, and even stomped on it.
Su Xiao, Mizusaki, and Dust all remained silent. Old Smoke seemed to have flipped some switch and started rambling endlessly. In his impassioned speech, he had already planned out a 'grand blueprint' for the four of them to cooperate and fight all the way to the fifth rank.
"Dust, say something, make him shut up. My head is already buzzing. How is he more long-winded than my aunt?"
Mizusaki was barely suppressing the urge to chop Old Smoke down. Dust hesitated for a moment, took a drag of secondhand smoke, and then spoke.
"Old Smoke, stop deluding yourself. Your leadership skills are terrible. Besides, we haven't even seen the Ant King yet. Even if we can kill it, we'll be enemies afterward."
The moment Dust finished speaking, the chattering Old Smoke abruptly stopped. His eyes bulged as he stared intently at Dust.
"We must unite!"
Old Smoke's expression at that moment could only be described as heartbroken, as if Dust had committed some unforgivable betrayal against him, a crime punishable by death. But... Old Smoke had already forgiven him in his heart.
"A severe delusional patient."
Su Xiao immediately guessed Old Smoke's condition. When Old Smoke wasn't having an episode, he was a good guy. But when it flared up...
Dust was rendered speechless by Old Smoke's heartbroken expression. His mouth opened and closed, and after mentally comparing their verbal sparring abilities, he chose to remain silent.
Old Smoke continued his racket. Bubu Wang's gaze shifted to Su Xiao. It could already imagine a 'rage bar' above Su Xiao's head. The 'rage bar' was now at 30%. When it hit 100%, Su Xiao might just chop Old Smoke down.
In fact, Mizusaki and Dust also had 'rage bars' above their heads. If Old Smoke kept blathering on, he might very well die before the Ant King did.
Old Smoke, however, was completely oblivious and continued his impassioned speech. Mizusaki felt like leaving, but unfortunately, the meeting place agreed upon with the Chairman was right here. Leaving abruptly would be a breach of trust.
Actually, Su Xiao didn't care about Old Smoke's rambling at all. Compared to his deceased friend, the chatterbox Hae Dong, Old Smoke was only at kindergarten level. That guy Hae Dong could talk Su Xiao's ear off for over ten hours, from what they had for dinner to childhood bedwetting incidents, and when his throat got dry, he would even pop a few throat lozenges.
About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Chairman Netero pushed it open and entered. The blathering Old Smoke suddenly stopped, as if a switch had been flipped, switching directly from speech mode to good-guy mode.
What Su Xiao didn't know was that one of his acquaintances had a grudge against Old Smoke. That person was Yan Chen. Yan Chen had once made a harsh threat to rip out Old Smoke's tongue and shove it up his ass.
If you were counting the number of enemies, Old Smoke would undoubtedly be the highest among everyone present. That was beyond dispute.
"It seems you all are getting along well."
Netero looked at the thick smoke in the room. This concentration couldn't be cleared just by opening the windows and doors.
"Chairman, you're too slow."
Mizusaki stood up. If she hadn't been waiting for the Chairman, she would have left long ago.
"Only ten minutes."
"You have no idea what I've been through in the last ten minutes."
The Chairman looked a bit puzzled.
"Chairman, are we setting out?"
Old Smoke had a smile on his face, a smile that vaguely held a sense of exhilaration.
"Mm. The Chimera Ant incident needs to be dealt with quickly. Let's try to resolve it before nightfall tonight."
Netero turned and walked downstairs. Su Xiao, Mizusaki, Dust, and Old Smoke all got up and followed. The group headed straight for the direction of the East Gorteau royal capital.
Everyone was moving very fast, so it didn't take long for them to reach the vicinity of the royal capital.
Boom!
A loud noise came from the courtyard of the royal capital, and then a figure was sent flying high into the air.
The Hunter Association had already begun their assault on the palace. They were now fighting in the courtyard area. It wasn't just the Hunter Association; various adventure groups and independent contractors were also mobilizing, fighting various types of Chimera Ants in the courtyard, trying to reap as many benefits as possible.
The Ant King was inside the palace, but the contractors fighting in the courtyard didn't seem worried about the Ant King appearing. The reason was simple: as long as the Chimera Ant side wasn't completely routed, or until the aura of a powerful being appeared, the Ant King wouldn't leave the palace. It was playing chess with someone. The Ant King's mind wasn't on the battle at all. In its eyes, those fighting in the courtyard were just small fry. The only ones barely worth its notice were its two direct Royal Guards.
"Let's deal with the Ant King first. As for the heart, we'll each rely on our own abilities afterward. If we can't take down the Ant King, we'll all die."
This time, Old Smoke finally stopped talking nonsense. The fact was indeed so. The penalty for failing the main mission was forced execution.
Ps: (Promoting a friend's book, title: One Piece: Sword Demon General.)