Ron Hiluk's Pursuit

After rescuing Uvogin, Ian and the others quickly left the area.

Sooner or later, Uvogin's escape would be discovered.

Whether or not the Third Elder knew about it,

once the escape happened, he would probably send people after Uvogin, if only to assert his authority.

So everyone had to hurry and leave Meteor City.

Not long after they left,

a burly figure slowly entered the prison corridor, frowning at the shattered locks scattered across the floor.

It was Ron.

He hadn't expected the promising young talent he had taken a liking to to actually slip away...

"Heh... that's fair enough. If the kid couldn't even overcome a little difficulty like this, he wouldn't deserve to be called a genius..."

"But... that kid shouldn't have had enough strength to break out of here."

"Was he hiding his strength?"

"It's rare for me to have some free time. I'll play with you for a while..."

With that, he walked over to the trembling prison guard.

"Pull up the prison surveillance footage."

His voice was cold, utterly devoid of warmth, like the ice of deep winter.

"Y-yes, Lord Ron!"

The guard answered shakily and soon brought up the footage.

When he saw the boy who had suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of Uvogin's cell, even the battle-hardened Ron's pupils contracted.

He watched in silence as Ian rescued Uvogin.

Only one word echoed in his mind.

Genius...

An undeniable genius!

He was clearly even younger than Uvogin, yet he had already mastered Nen.

Although the Nen Ability he had developed didn't seem to offer much of a boost in combat, the strength he had displayed in twisting those specially made locks apart with his bare hands was astonishing enough!

"An Enhancer?"

"No... that invisibility seemed to rely on some kind of item. Conjuration or perhaps Specialization..."

"But even so..."

"That kid's young body can still unleash such incredible force!"

"With such terrifying talent... I can't let that kid get away!"

A beastlike gleam appeared in Ron's eyes, as though he had found his prey.

He wasn't even interested in dealing with the negligent guard. He couldn't wait to find the Third Elder and tell him the news.

Two exceptionally gifted young Nen users.

If he recruited them, the heights they reached in the future would directly affect the extent of the territory the Third Elder could control.

Meteor City's Third Elder, one of the seven giants who controlled the fate of everyone in Meteor City.

Bohu Hiluk.

He was also Ron's uncle.

They were family, a superior and subordinate bound by strict rules, and like-minded people walking the "right path."

They had devoted their lives to Meteor City, working to change its existing order.

It was all for a greater goal!

And to achieve that goal, they needed to gather talent!

Meanwhile,

Ian, Chrollo, Uvogin, and the others had already left the West District.

"So killing Angsa wasn't the point!?"

"That guy only caught you because he saw your strength or potential?"

After listening to Uvogin recount what had happened to him,

Nobunaga scratched his head, utterly baffled.

A thoughtful look appeared in Chrollo's eyes, as though he were considering just how powerful Ron, who had easily defeated Uvogin, was.

"And that guy even forced you to fight other Nen users in your cell..."

"Tch, what a nasty way to amuse himself. He's a bit of a freak..."

Feitan commented under his breath, his hands behind his head.

Ian merely looked up at him and thought,

You won't be much better yourself in the future...

When it comes to being a freak, you two are about even...

At that moment, Machi raised her small hand and asked in puzzlement,

"If that guy didn't capture Uvogin because he killed Angsa, do we still need to run?"

"After all, Uvogin hasn't offended the Third Elder, has he?"

At her words, everyone's expressions grew grave. Pakunoda rubbed her temple and gently explained,

"Before, perhaps we could have stayed..."

"But after rescuing Uvogin without permission, we've already offended the Third Elder!"

"At a time like this, even if we want to explain, things probably aren't up to us anymore."

Ian said calmly,

"Pak is right, but we planned to leave Meteor City anyway, so it doesn't matter whether we've offended the Third Elder."

With that, he looked at Chrollo.

"How is it, Chrollo? Have you arranged a way out?"

Chrollo nodded.

"I arranged everything earlier. We'll owe the First Elder a favor, but we can go straight to the border, then take a vehicle out of Meteor City and into the outside world."

Ian thought for a moment, then asked,

"I haven't had a chance to ask until now. Roughly how long will it take to get from here to the outside world?"

Chrollo had already looked into it and answered evenly,

"Two days on foot through the garbage dump will take us to the border. From there, a two-day, one-night ride will get us to Ejin City, the city closest to Meteor City."

He paused, then continued slowly,

"The First Elder has prepared supplies for us, but once we reach the outside world, we'll have to rely on ourselves for everything..."

"Meteor City won't give us any help in that regard."

Ian nodded at his words.

"Yeah, that's fine. We don't need to worry too much about supplies. My Nen Ability is enough to handle that."

Whether they needed food or water, a single food magazine would be enough to feed them all.

He had never intended to rely on Meteor City in the first place.

Once they reached the outside world, they would be free as birds in the open sky.

Besides, they still had nearly four days ahead of them, enough time to check in and draw four items.

That should be enough to deal with some unexpected situations.

Although he had never met the First Elder,

since Chrollo had persuaded him, the man had probably made a move with an eye to the future.

The reason the Phantom Troupe would return to Meteor City to help wipe out the "ants" in the future was probably this invisible "debt of gratitude."

This First Elder was an interesting fellow.

He could accept and support their departure from Meteor City, yet still hold to his own standards on certain matters of principle.

It was late at night, and a bright moon hung high in the sky.

Ian and the others had not rested along the way, pressing on toward their destination.

But just as they crossed a hill of garbage,

"Awoo~"

a sudden wolf howl rang out in the distance behind them, breaking the silence of the night.

"Hm!?"

Everyone was puzzled.

"A wolf?" Ian asked, somewhat confused.

"Here in Meteor City... I've never heard of any wolves..."

Uvogin was limping, but his eyes were sharp as he stared behind them and spoke seriously.

Everyone seemed to think of something, and their expressions turned grave.

"Looks like we need to pick up the pace..."

Chrollo said calmly.

Everyone nodded.

Clearly, no one could be sure that an unexpected occurrence like this during their escape had nothing to do with them.

And at that very moment,

in a dumping ground behind them,

under the moonlight,

a giant black-furred wolf, a full two meters tall, sat on the ground with a large lump on his head and a disgruntled look on his face.

"Sorry, Ron. Black Wolf sometimes can't control himself when he sees the moon!"

A blond man was apologetically explaining himself to a dark-haired man as powerfully built as a bear.

The latter was Ron.

A cigar hung from his rugged face, which was filled with exasperation. He glanced at the giant wolf, then at the blond man, and said helplessly,

"Baines, you spoil Black Wolf too much!"

"No wonder your missions always fail. This time is different, though. We have to get those two kids."

Seeing Ron's anger subside, the blond man named Baines hurried closer with a sheepish grin.

"It's rare to see you value a genius so highly. Now I'm curious just how extraordinary their talent is."

"But they seem to have planned to run from the start."

"Black Wolf has been tracking their scent. Judging by the direction, if I'm not mistaken, they're trying to leave Meteor City."

Ron took a deep drag on his cigar and said with a hint of helplessness,

"Sigh, I was careless."

"I thought a little provocation would be enough to make Uvogin settle down and work for the Third Elder."

"I didn't expect things to turn out so differently from what I wanted."

His gaze sharpened, and he continued excitedly,

"But that's exactly why I noticed another kid."

"That child's talent for Nen is one of a kind!"

Hearing Ron's assessment, Baines nodded, then shook his head. He glanced at his companion Black Wolf and smiled.

"The way you put it, I can hardly wait to meet our little genius..."

"In that case, let's have some fun with those kids."