Arriving in Ejin
"Hmm..."
A strange rock plane flew slowly through the sky.
Dusk was approaching, and the novelty of soaring through the sky had worn off for Ian and the others aboard the plane.
After several days of travel, exhaustion had caught up with them. Even the usually energetic Uvogin had fallen fast asleep.
Before this, Ian had almost flown in the wrong direction.
Fortunately, Chrollo had helped him correct their course, making sure he knew where Ejin City was.
"Machi, get some rest too."
"Going by what Chrollo said, we should reach Ejin City tonight. Don't worry."
Ian turned his head to look at Machi, who had stayed behind him the whole time, and spoke softly.
Machi shook her head, her pretty eyes narrowing and the corners of her mouth lifting.
"I'm not tired yet. Besides, I'm afraid you'll fall asleep again, Ian."
Ian gave a sheepish smile and hurriedly said,
"I was just teasing you before. I didn't really fall asleep..."
"Anyway, if you don't rest, neither will I."
Machi murmured softly, leaving one thing unsaid.
At that moment, she was content just to stay quietly behind Ian...
Ian chuckled and shook his head, turning back to look ahead as a thought crossed his mind.
Finally... we've left Meteor City...
From now on, we'll truly be stepping into the world of hunters...
"Ian, do you think we'll still be together in the future...?"
"Will we really be able to live out there...?"
Perhaps nervous about their imminent arrival in the outside world, Machi asked quietly.
Ian didn't turn around. He simply gazed ahead, his eyes resolute as he spoke.
"Don't worry, Machi. As long as you're willing, we won't be separated!"
"We'll live happily out there and enjoy a truly free and unrestrained life. No matter who they are, anyone who stands in the way of our happiness... we'll eliminate them!"
Hearing his words, Machi nodded gently and closed her eyes.
All the tension vanished from her fair, delicate face, replaced by complete reassurance.
She... believed in Ian!
And Ian had never lied to her!
For some reason, the corners of the mouths of the others, who had been asleep at the back of the plane, also curled up involuntarily.
Night had fallen.
After a long flight, Ian finally saw the lights of a city on the land ahead.
Firelight, a symbol of human civilization, marked a place where people gathered.
"Everyone, wake up! We're about to reach Ejin City!"
Ian called out to wake the others. They quickly woke up and craned their necks to look ahead.
When they saw the tiny city sparkling with lights below, they couldn't help talking over one another.
"Ah, is that Ejin City? It doesn't look very big!"
"Idiot, we're over a thousand meters up in the air. Everything on the ground looks like an ant from here!"
"But there are so many lights. Even the streets are lit up. How extravagant! Don't the people here have to work? How do they live?" Nobunaga asked, somewhat puzzled.
Hearing him, Ian opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but then closed it again.
He had almost forgotten that these children, who had grown up in Meteor City, knew nothing about how people lived in the outside world.
Perhaps Chrollo understood a little.
But he probably didn't have an accurate understanding either.
People... could never understand something they had never seen...
The work Nobunaga mentioned probably meant something like "picking through trash" in Meteor City...
They had no concept of people in the outside world earning pay for their labor through work.
As far as they were concerned, if they could exchange what they "picked from the trash" for enough bread to stay alive, the people at the "supply exchange point" were considered to have a conscience!
Alas, I have to say, Meteor City is ruthless... far too ruthless...
Look what they've driven a bunch of children to...
They're practically no different from those African children in my previous life.
"There are many things you may have to see for yourselves to understand."
"For example, the way people outside Meteor City live. If you don't see it for yourself, you won't understand it just from my telling you..."
Ian chose his words carefully before speaking to Nobunaga.
Of course, his words were meant for the others to hear as well.
He knew very well where their talents lay. Aside from correcting their bad habits a little, he wouldn't interfere too much with their growth.
After listening to Ian, everyone aboard the plane nodded thoughtfully.
Before long, the rock plane had reached the skies above Ejin City.
Fortunately, it was nighttime.
Otherwise, if anyone spotted the unidentified flying object in the sky, it would probably cause a huge commotion.
It would be bad if they happened to alert the V5.
After all, the V5 countries might really be deliberately restricting the development of aviation!
Perhaps it was to keep people from discovering the truth: that humanity really lived in just one small lake in a vast world.
After circling in the air for a while,
Ian soon found a somewhat secluded open space. The plane circled slowly before finally making a successful landing.
It had to be said.
Everyone jumped down from the plane one after another.
Only when their feet touched the hard, solid ground did they regain the sense of security that came from standing on the earth.
Once everyone had left the plane, Ian stopped supplying it with Nen.
Soon, the rock plane returned to a huge brown rock several people long, standing alone in the open space.
Ian couldn't help marveling at how useful the Nonliving Hypnosis Loudspeaker was.
At least for him right now, the item was no less valuable than a wishing machine. As long as there were objects around, it could increase what he was able to do exponentially!
It was late at night.
Everyone carefully observed their surroundings.
This place was completely different from Meteor City. Even at night, streetlights stood all around, allowing them to make out the surrounding scenery.
Ian looked around.
Apart from the streetlights, there were numerous enclosed wire fences nearby, making it look rather like a prison.
At the thought, Ian couldn't help frowning. He had no desire to get involved with a government agency now, especially when they had come from Meteor City and had no identification.
Before long, however, Ian discarded that guess.
"Woof! Woof!"
On a street outside the wire fence, he noticed someone walking several large, sturdy black dogs on leashes.
Those dogs were clearly not prison guard dogs. With a servant walking them, perhaps they had unwittingly entered the private property of some important figure in Ejin City.
"Let's leave first. We'll find somewhere quiet and secluded. This isn't a suitable place to stay for long."
Ian spoke softly to the others.
Now that they had reached the outside world, none of them understood the situation, so for the time being, they all followed Ian's lead.
Just as they were preparing to climb over a secluded section of the wire fence and leave,
"Who goes there!? How dare you come to the Xierku Family's territory to steal!?"
Suddenly, an angry shout rang out from a distance.
Several burly, muscular men with fierce expressions ran out of a building, shining their flashlights furiously at the group.
"We've been spotted!"
Ian spoke helplessly. He had only been paying attention to whether anyone was on the surrounding roads. Who would have thought people would be hiding inside the building like security guards?
And they weren't even resting in the middle of the night... what dedication!
There was no helping it. Since they dared to block the group, Ian had no choice but to let Uvogin deal with them.
Though the men were big and burly, dealing with a group of ordinary people like them would naturally be easy for Uvogin.
"Uvogin, stop them!"
Ian covered his forehead helplessly.
He hadn't expected to run into trouble again as soon as they reached Ejin City. He only wanted a proper rest. What had he done wrong?
"Don't worry, leave these guys to me!"
Uvogin stepped forward. The swelling on his face hadn't gone down yet, but he bared his teeth in a vicious grin.
There were other things he didn't understand.
But fighting was his specialty!