Ian's Plan for Facing the Enemy

Under the bright moonlight, the two groups moved in the same direction.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

The sounds of figures speeding through the air rang out across the garbage-filled landfill.

Ordinarily, no one came here except the Scavengers' garbage trucks.

But the landfill outside Meteor City seemed unusually lively that night.

By the light of the moon, Ian and his companions flashed past the enormous mounds of garbage around them.

"Someone's approaching!"

The group sped onward, beads of sweat already forming on their foreheads, but their feet never stopped for a moment.

Even Pakunoda, a girl who had yet to awaken her Nen, gritted her teeth without a word of complaint.

At the rear of the group, Feitan cast a cold glance behind them and spoke in an icy voice.

"They're about to catch up!"

Chrollo's expression remained calm, though his mind was racing through ways to deal with the enemy. In an even tone, he said,

"The one coming is most likely the Nen user who captured Uvogin. Based on what Uvogin told us, we can't underestimate his strength... or rather, it's far beyond what we expected."

He paused, glanced at Ian, and continued.

"Without Ian's item abilities, all of us together would be no match for him."

"And right now, we can't be sure whether he's pursuing us alone..."

Chrollo objectively analyzed what they knew about their possible pursuers.

Even if the assessment was grim, everyone present knew that this was the situation they were about to face.

There was a good chance that more than one enemy was coming.

Chrollo continued.

"However, judging by what happened to Uvogin, I don't think this guy will pose much of a threat to us."

Everyone was taken aback again.

Seeing their confusion, Chrollo calmly explained.

"Don't forget what he wants. If he only wanted to kill Uvogin, someone with his strength wouldn't have needed to waste so much time."

"If he wasn't trying to kill him, then what was he after?"

"Talent as a Nen user. What that guy really saw in Uvogin was his talent."

At that, Chrollo glanced at Ian, who looked thoughtful, and continued.

"And Ian, I think you may have become his target too."

Everyone was stunned by his words.

Even Ian was taken aback for a moment. After thinking back briefly, he clapped his little hands and nodded helplessly.

"Chrollo's right. It must have been the closed-circuit cameras."

Then he lowered his head and muttered,

"I almost forgot this world has science and technology..."

If Chrollo hadn't reminded him, Ian really wouldn't have thought of it. After spending so long in Meteor City, he had almost come to believe he was living in an age without any technology at all.

In Ian's view, technological development in the Hunter x Hunter world was terribly lopsided.

It was like a student with an uneven education who had picked the wrong branches of the tech tree.

Of course, perhaps those at the top of human society were deliberately controlling it.

Research into lethal weapons was by no means inferior to that of his previous life, as demonstrated by the famous low-cost nuclear weapon, the Poor Man's Rose.

Later on, a single small Rose nuclear bomb could even destroy Meruem's powerful body.

It was so small and easy to carry that it could even be surgically implanted in the Hunter Association chairman's body.

These low-cost miniature nuclear bombs had once been widely used in human wars.

Although the nations had signed an agreement and tacitly agreed to destroy these nuclear weapons together,

once war broke out, if they were needed, hundreds or thousands of these low-cost nuclear bombs could be mass-produced in a short time with a sufficient industrial base.

As for what other highly lethal weapons the V5 nations had hidden, the manga had yet to reveal them.

But one glimpse was enough to suggest the whole picture. Presumably, each nation had its own trump cards hidden away.

When it came to war, the Hunter World's weapons research even surpassed that of his previous life.

But in aviation and spaceflight, the Hunter World had only slow-moving airships and didn't even have airplanes. It was utterly incredible.

Perhaps... those at the top of human society feared that the terrifying truth—that humanity occupied only a few small islands in a lake at the center of a vast world—would be discovered and cause panic across society.

No one heard Ian's muttering clearly, but they could all see his expression.

Uvogin was the first to step forward, speaking in a grave voice.

"Don't worry, Ian. If that guy comes after us, even if I die, I won't let him hurt you!"

"Uvogin's right. Don't worry, Ian. If he wants to take you away, he'll have to step over our dead bodies!"

Nobunaga touched the sword at his waist and slowly stepped forward, his voice utterly firm.

Chrollo and the others looked at Ian without saying anything more.

Seeing the worried expressions on Machi, Uvogin, and the others' faces, Ian couldn't help chuckling.

"What are you thinking? Don't make things out to be so bad. No matter how strong the enemy is, we haven't reached the point where we have to face them head-on."

"If we can't beat them, we just run for our lives!"

He looked seriously at Uvogin and asked,

"Uvogin, do you remember the name of the guy who hurt you?"

At Ian's question, Uvogin clenched his teeth and answered grimly.

"Of course. That bastard—I'll remember him even after I'm reduced to ashes. Ron Shiryuk, that's the guy!"

Having learned the man's name, Ian nodded and glanced at Chrollo and the others, making no attempt to hide what he was doing.

He focused his thoughts and slowly raised his palm.

Chrollo and Feitan's gazes sharpened at the same time.

Here it comes again...

That's the aura of Nen!

The next moment, a doll in a green suit appeared in Ian's hand. It was the Trip Expert, which had shone so brilliantly in his earlier fight with Feitan.

At the sight of the Trip Expert, Feitan's face stiffened, and he involuntarily took a step back.

Ian noticed the small movement, glanced at him, and chuckled.

"Don't worry. We're companions now. I won't have the Trip Expert use those same methods against you again."

Feitan gave a cold snort and replied stiffly,

"Hmph. I'll master a powerful Nen Ability too. Next time... next time, I'll never lose to this thing again!"

Ian made no comment, while Uvogin scratched his head and spoke frankly.

"But that's just one of Ian's items. Ian's going to keep getting stronger too, right? Feitan, you're setting your sights way too low!"

Feitan's face darkened, and he glared angrily at Uvogin.

Nobunaga lightly elbowed Uvogin, fighting back a laugh as he spoke.

"Hey, Uvogin, why do you keep blurting out the truth like that?"

"Don't forget, you're still injured yourself. If you've got what it takes, give that guy called Ryuk or whatever a good beating someday!"

Uvogin clenched his fist and said earnestly,

"I'll pay that guy back twice over for the humiliation he put me through. Just you wait!"

Ian paid no attention to their chatter. He took out a 100 Jenny coin and put it into the back of the Trip Expert, which he had placed on the ground.

"Click-clack... click-clack... click-clack..."

With a sound like an old clockwork mechanism being wound, the little green doll slowly began stepping from side to side.

Chrollo, Pakunoda, and the others watched its every movement closely from nearby.

When Ian had fought Feitan earlier, they had been too far away to get a good look.

Now, looking at the little doll before them, they saw that it gave off no fluctuations of power whatsoever.

No one would have imagined that such a little thing could have beaten Feitan black and blue.

It also made Pakunoda, Franklin, and the others interested in Nen Abilities.

"Clink!"

With a crisp sound, the coin dropped into the Trip Expert's body.

Ian spoke in an even tone.

"Go, Trip Expert. Attack the guy nearby named Ron Shiryuk."

In the moonlight, a cold glint flashed across the sunglasses on the Trip Expert's face, making everyone's hair stand on end.

Then it turned around and slowly waddled off behind the group.

Its tiny back and swaying steps unexpectedly gave off a sense of powerful, unwavering conviction.

"Gulp!"

Nobunaga swallowed, staring wide-eyed at its receding back as it walked straight away. He said with a sigh,

"It's obviously just one of Ian's toys, so why do I keep feeling such an overwhelming pressure from it, like it's taking on the whole world alone..."

Uvogin rubbed his chin, nodded, and murmured,

"Maybe this is a miracle that belongs to Ian alone..."

Nobunaga couldn't help rolling his eyes and shooting him a sidelong glance.

"Hey, there's no way words like that could have come out of an idiot's mouth!"

Uvogin grinned, rubbed his head, and laughed.

"You saw right through me! It was Machi. Machi said it, but I agree with her!"

"Hey, who are you calling an idiot?!"

With that, the two started wrestling again.

Pakunoda and the others quietly watched Uvogin and Nobunaga's antics.

Machi walked between the two and said irritably,

"The enemy's almost caught up. Save your strength and get ready to run..."

After sending out the Trip Expert, Ian stood there thinking for a while.

He didn't know exactly how many enemies there were.

But Chrollo, the brains of the Spider, was probably right. They needed to prepare for multiple enemies to come after them.

The Trip Expert could only target Ron, and it would merely slow his pursuit a little.

If they wanted to shake the enemy off completely, they needed to come up with another plan.

Unfortunately... it wasn't time for the item check-in to refresh yet.

If he relied only on the items he already had...

At that thought, Ian's eyes lit up!

I've got it!

I only need to delay them for half a day, until the new item arrives!

With the Set-Building Machine, that shouldn't be difficult.

Mazes, matrices, traps, obstacles, illusions... there's bound to be one that suits you!

At the thought, the corners of Ian's mouth rose, and he said confidently,

"Let's keep moving."

"Uvogin, sorry for the trouble, but I'll probably need you to carry me the rest of the way. I'm going to make a surprise for the guys chasing us!"

Seeing Ian like that, Machi and the others immediately relaxed.

The sense of urgency from the enemy's pursuit vanished entirely.

Chrollo, Pakunoda, and the others could clearly feel the change in the group.

But after witnessing the "miracles" Ian had performed before, they had also come to trust him a little.

He wasn't the sort of person to speak without reason.

"Hop on, Ian! My back's as tough as steel!"

Hearing that Ian needed him, Uvogin was filled with fighting spirit. He looked ready to burst out of his clothes to show how strong he was.

Ian smiled awkwardly.

Everyone: ...