State Parasite

V5 headquarters.

On the towering rooftop of the building, a middle-aged man with a large belly and a receding hairline leaned against the railing, smoking a cigarette.

He was puffing out smoke... his expression was relaxed and content.

From this vantage point, he could overlook the entire city, giving him a sense of being high above.

The bustling streets and buildings, in view, resemble crisscrossing lines and dollhouses, making the pedestrians who are usually busy seem as insignificant as ants. But... this seemingly weak race, through the long course of history, has given birth to its own civilization.

This is... the truly terrifying aspect of the human race.

The unknown creatures of the Dark Continent are terrifying... but judging whether a species is dangerous and what its danger level is depends on more than just the individual.

For example... their V5 ratings for the five major disasters are mostly at level B or C, while the danger level of an individual human is almost at the bottom. But if you elevate an individual to an entire country, then it immediately changes.

In this world, social interaction is essential.

Those who truly have a voice must be at least a single country.

Just then, the door leading to the outdoor rooftop was pushed open behind him, and a well-dressed young man walked in slowly. Upon seeing him, he sighed softly, "I knew you'd be here."

This rooftop is a place where leaders from many departments like to come out and get some fresh air.

Especially smoking...

Only leaders have the time and qualifications for this. Ordinary staff members like them are so busy that they don't even have time to catch their breath... V5 has too many things to manage and consider, balancing all unstable factors in the human world, diplomacy with many countries... suppressing everything that can threaten humanity, and so on.

Running such a large organization is not as easy as it seems on the surface.

"Sir... Celine is dead."

The man walked up to the other party and reported.

Upon hearing the sound, the middle-aged man threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stubbed it out with his foot.

"He was killed by Oboro. Based on the current situation, the Fills Family wants to dominate the entire gang... and they are very unhappy with our interference."

"Just an ignorant fool who doesn't know his own limitations and can't see the true nature of this world..."

The middle-aged man turned and left without any intention of understanding, directly ordering, "Eliminate these low-class, troublesome gangsters... They're not very useful to begin with, and keeping them around is just a nuisance. They're causing a mess in the media around the world, making things very chaotic..."

Judging from his tone, the gang seemed to be nothing more than a roadside insect, easily crushed with a single step, and there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

With that, the officer pulled the doorknob and prepared to leave.

"I'm afraid... it's not as easy as you think," the man said abruptly.

"Um?"

The former frowned slightly and slowly turned around.

"Is it really that difficult to arrange for each country to eradicate gangs within its borders?"

"Given the information we have on Oboro, I reviewed it again after he killed Celine. Oboro's usual behavior wouldn't be so reckless, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dare disobey our orders... So, I think there must be some reason."

"Tsk... enough with the nonsense. There's no need to investigate this kind of thing. Focus your attention on the important matters, or simply instruct the Hunter Association to have Netero take action. Or perhaps contact the Republic of Padokea beforehand and have them send a separate army there... He's just a gang leader, what can he possibly do?"

The middle-aged man looked displeased. "How about we have the Republic of Padokea blockade the Fills Family's base, and then send a few of our people... with some new stuff. Hmph... what Nen user, what three-star Hunter x Hunter, they're all bullshit... they won't survive."

"There are countless ways to deal with him... What are you hesitating about?"

The middle-aged man's eyes darkened. "I'm appointing you as my deputy... not to fuss over such trivial matters!"

"I've considered all the methods you can think of... The reason I haven't made arrangements yet is because of the reason you just mentioned, the country!" the man said softly. "It's been almost half a month since the global gang riots started. The cause of the incident was the sudden death of the Ten Dons overnight. If I'm not mistaken, this should be a premeditated action by the Fills Family... This gang riot has reached a level rarely seen in recent years, causing a considerable reaction in society... and even causing many casualties among civilians in various countries."

"But... none of the countries have taken any action, as if they are turning a blind eye to what is happening right under their noses... They have only held a few press conferences and sent out some security teams to patrol, just to put on a show, in order to stabilize public opinion... Their fundamental approach is to just go through the motions."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately understood and released the doorknob.

"You mean?"

"That's right. Many countries didn't get involved in this Black Tide Incident ... I initially thought it was a deal between the mafia and some politicians, but it couldn't possibly have this kind of influence. Until... I contacted the prime minister of the Republic of Padokea, and he only replied with one sentence."

The middle-aged man awaits the next installment.

He said... the affairs of the Republic of Padokea do not need outsiders to interfere.

The man handed the documents he had been holding to his superior.

"Next, I conducted some investigations and collected information on the actions of the Fills Family over the past few years, as well as the backgrounds of personnel within the government of the Republic of Padokea. I discovered that... the top leaders of the country's political situation all have intricate connections with the Fills Family, and... the Fills Family is the largest sponsor of the Republic of Padokea's military expenditure, not only in the military, but also in technology, social welfare, etc. It can be said that the Republic of Padokea, as the Fills Family's stronghold, has been subtly controlled... In the last quarter of last year alone, nearly one-third of the Republic of Padokea's total economic output contained the shadow of the Fills Family's control... all of which were businesses under their various family groups, making them a whole country's mafia."

The middle-aged man's originally calm expression gradually turned to shock after his subordinate finished speaking.

"How is that possible? Funding a country? Where would they get so much money?"

"The Fills Family's situation is rather special... In addition to their basic livelihood, the majority of their income in the past two years has come from a game that seems to be specifically designed for Hunter x Hunter, i. e., Nen user. If it were the other Ten Dons, the total assets of their local gangs in their respective territories would only amount to about 10% of the economy of a country, whether openly or covertly... and that's an overestimation."

"..."

"Under these circumstances, the Fills Family is already deeply intertwined with the Republic of Padokea. If we were to take action against their family, it would be tantamount to declaring war on the Republic of Padokea."

"The Fills Family is safe as long as they stay within the country's borders."

The man continued, "Given how other countries treat gangs, their situations might be similar to those in the Republic of Padokea ... but the Republic of Padokea is unique because its territory overlaps with the Fills Family's, which is why they can do this. Other countries, however, have some on other continents that they can't reach... even if they wanted to infiltrate their territory, it would be more difficult. I suspect that the Fills Family wants to control the entire gang by using the businesses of the former Ten Dons in various regions to provide funding and replicate their success in the Republic of Padokea."

"By controlling influential figures in certain countries and then tying them to the national economy, even if it's only a tenth of their influence, it's very difficult to shake them... They are typical 'parasites,' where everyone prospers or suffers together. Right now, they've probably bribed some officials in relevant departments of these countries to temporarily cover up the trouble... The size of the Fills Family is such that funding the Republic of Padokea is already at its limit; the little money they have left can only be used for bribery."

"Based on the available information, this Oboro is quite terrifying!"

"No!"

After the man finished his analysis, the officer immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. "We absolutely cannot let him succeed!"

"We must make him hand over the entire gang!"

"Will we force negotiations with the Republic of Padokea?"

The man asked.

Without a doubt, the Republic of Padokea will protect the Fills Family, as the two are already 'indistinguishable'.

"Send someone to find him again. If that doesn't work, eliminate him no matter what!"

The middle-aged man took a deep breath.

"Clear."

Yesterday's, and there will be three more updates today.