Mysterious Bug

The following day, in a grove of trees under the cover of night, four people, led by Oboro, hid behind the trees, concealing their figures.

They looked down at the army outside a ruined town not far away.

"It really has been sealed off and turned into a restricted area..." Kaji said in a deep voice.

"In addition to the standard firearms and combat uniforms, he was also wearing a white protective suit... This type of clothing is mostly used to resist bacteria or viruses..."

"That's a bit strange..."

Lance, who was also a member of the gang, took a light breath.

"Bring someone here."

Long instructed the former.

"Yes."

Lance responded and leaped down from the tree branch.

Oboro's gaze shifted again to the soldiers wandering around the collapsed buildings.

They were not only wearing white protective suits, but also sealed helmets.

It gives the impression that a plague is breaking out here.

"There..."

Suddenly, Kaji pointed in a direction.

Following the sound, Oboro and Hisoka looked and saw a large amount of charred material piled up in a corner outside the town, still smoking...

"They're corpses...most likely residents of this town," Oboro said.

"Ah?"

Kaji was stunned.

Burn the corpse!

The enemy of the East Gorteau army was the Botswa Tribe, so why would they kill their own people? It doesn't make sense... And it's even more impossible that they were killed by the Botswa Tribe.

Moreover... they haven't even ventured deep into the Sawtooth Mountains yet; they're still quite far away. How could the battle have affected this area? This place is at least tens of kilometers from the mountains...

Hisoka sat leisurely on the tree trunk, one hand supporting one leg, twirling a card in his hand, and chuckled softly, "It's a source of infection, isn't it... For some reason, once you come into contact with an unknown substance, it will be dangerous and have serious consequences... So, the best way is to kill all the infected people."

"Virus?"

Kaji's expression changed slightly.

Even the Kingdom's army couldn't control it, which shows that this 'virus' has a terrifying ability to spread and proliferate... Once it spreads completely, there is a crisis that could sweep across the entire country.

If it cannot be brought under further control... it may threaten all of humanity.

Could this be the reason the Association assigned the task? "It's not necessarily a virus..." Long murmured.

"That's right, I'm just listing a hypothesis... but it must be some kind of transmission substance similar to a 'virus'..." Hisoka continued.

An absurd thought surfaced in Long's mind.

Zombies...

The video that Dama found shows that the Botswa Tribe can still fight after they die, which does seem somewhat plausible.

At this moment, the three realized that Lance had returned, and his figure disappeared from the tree one after another.

After a while... they appeared in another location.

Pingsen, Dama, and Dangrui, who are ordinary people, along with the villagers who brought them here, are all here.

Lance threw an unconscious soldier to the ground, removed his hood, and woke him up.

"You..."

The soldier opened his eyes and saw a group of unfamiliar faces and a gun pointed at him, which immediately made him uneasy.

He was patrolling the route when he heard a slight noise. Before he could react, he was struck hard on the back of the head and lost consciousness.

At a glance, it was clear that the people he had kidnapped were outsiders.

"If you don't want peanuts... then behave yourself. I'll ask you questions, and you answer." Lance crouched down, his face fierce, and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the soldier's temple, speaking in a cold voice.

The latter nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Tell me the current situation of this battle, as well as your army's battle plan, in detail."

"Good..."

Without hesitation, the soldier revealed the truth.

It turns out that the reason they were dressed so heavily was to guard against a kind of insect, a black insect the size of a fingernail.

Initially, the army of East Gorteau ordered the Botswa Tribe to migrate elsewhere, not for mining, but for logging... also to seize resources.

However, the Botswa Tribe refused. They had lived in the Sawtooth Mountains for countless years, and these mountains were their home. They were furious when they heard that the army was going to carry out large-scale mining and destruction, and said they would not leave.

Then the conflict between the two sides erupted...

The total population of the Botswa Tribe was less than five hundred... how could they possibly be a match for the Royal Army? Although Botswa Tribe put up a tenacious resistance by taking advantage of the terrain and familiar environment and using very primitive fighting methods, most of them were still slaughtered within an hour.

Just when the army thought victory was assured, a turning point appeared... The Botswa Tribe who had fallen on the battlefield, who should have been dead, suddenly rose again. They were mindless, mere corpses. But the power and speed they unleashed, including their aggression, were like those of ferocious beasts! They were like two completely different creatures!

The Botswa Tribe began a frantic counterattack against the bullets... Even with their bodies riddled with bullet holes, nothing could stop their actions.

Only when their flesh and blood are completely destroyed and completely disintegrated... do they seem to truly die.

But this alone is not enough to warrant the king mobilizing a large army.

After the corpses of these Botswa Tribe are destroyed, a kind of worm will grow inside their bodies... If bitten by this worm, the soldiers will also become like zombies, and will start shooting or attacking their own people. Moreover, after death, the number of worms crawling out of the flesh will double and become even more.

So, as time went on... the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Those mysterious insects are very small and hard to spot. They can fly and are incredibly resilient... Smoke, fire, disinfection, and extermination are not very effective.

Moreover, their target is not only humans, but all living beings with flesh and blood... The Sawtooth Mountains are a natural environment with extremely rich wildlife.

Eventually, the army was no longer just fighting the Botswa Tribe ...

There are also countless wild animals, large and small.

"Housing, control, propagation, reproduction... four characteristics!"

Oboro and Hisoka exchanged a glance.

Hisoka snapped his fingers, "It's confirmed now, it wasn't Nen user did it... The spread and scope of this is something that ordinary Nen could not achieve."

Indeed.

If it's due to individual power... that's way beyond what's acceptable.

No quantity limit, no distance limit...

For Nen user use Manipulation, one of the most obvious factors is distance.

You can control a massive number of toys or puppets, or an individual with extremely strong combat power... but if you control something too far away, it will most likely lose its 'link' to you.

Moreover, this isn't just one, but thousands, tens of thousands... or even more.

In addition, the mental and physical capacity of a single person or even a few people cannot handle this workload.

"The king has issued a death order... to eradicate the Botswa Tribe at all costs."

The soldier added hastily.

"So many people have died... He really doesn't realize the seriousness of the situation at all... and he's still thinking about acquiring resources? What trash..." Lance sneered.

Without waiting for Long's orders, he shot the man in the head.

"Kaji, Lance, you two stay here and protect them!"

Long believes that the key point right now is to find the parasite and catch a 'bug' first.

From where they stood, they could already vaguely see the endless black shadows rising from the ground under the starry night sky... that was the Sawtooth Mountains.

"Yes."

The two responded.

Venturing deep into the mountains is obviously too dangerous... It's safer for Dangrui and his companions to stay here.

Immediately, Oboro and Hisoka both left a fleeting afterimage and disappeared.

A moment later, two black streaks of light appeared side by side on the flat ground.

Oboro and Hisoka moved at a terrifying speed, instantly passing through the town guarded by the army, stirring up a strong wind that made the air whistle. A group of soldiers were so frightened that they drew their guns and prepared to fight... but they couldn't see what it was at all.

Once the wind subsided, the view was completely empty; there was no sign of any living creature.

The soldiers were astonished by what they saw... and could only assume it was an illusion.

The scenery around them was constantly being pulled back and forth at high speed, like a revolving lantern.

"Since it's not a personal Nen, what are your thoughts?"

While running, Oboro asked Hisoka a question.

"It's definitely Nen... but not your average Nen. Judging from your expression, you seem to have a slight change in mind?"

Hisoka glanced at him.

"This kind of energy is not limited to humans..."

Long said something.

"Certainly."

Hisoka smiled in agreement.

"Furthermore... some ancient tribes might be involved with things far beyond the human world..."

Long had some guesses in her mind, but she wasn't very sure.

"That would be interesting..."

Hisoka's languid gaze sharpened.

His curiosity was also piqued.

In less than fifteen minutes, they entered another dense forest. Along the way, they saw many rotting soldiers' corpses and wild animals... in considerable numbers, with traces of the battlefield everywhere.

One can imagine the bloodshed and cruelty of war.

Ten miles from the town lies the Royal Army's camp... with at least several thousand men.

But Oboro wasn't interested in them.

Therefore, they did not stop.

Have you noticed?

Walking through the mountains, gazing at the broken and fallen trees and scorched grasslands around him, as well as the white bones and broken corpses of various animals, he said softly.

"Hmm... not a single Botswa Tribe corpse was found..."

Hisoka answered.

The mountain was littered with corpses, almost all of them dismembered and broken, not a single one intact... These must have been infested by insects, and they must be destroyed to disable their mobility.

"They were taken away by their people?"

Long found it somewhat unbelievable.

Given the vast battlefield, how did the Botswa Tribe manage to pinpoint the remains of every single one of their comrades and collect them?

According to the dead soldiers, there are still some Botswa Tribe alive... hiding deep in these mountains, numbering no more than fifty.

They are using insects to fight against the army; their true forms will never show themselves—it's all done remotely.

"It might not have been taken away... maybe it was eaten."

At that moment, Hisoka seemed to see something, and he leaped into a pile of rubble, bent down and picked up a piece of clothing stained with blood.

It is the clothing of the Botswa Tribe.

"Were they eaten by the host creature? It only eats Botswa Tribe... is it some kind of tribal custom?"

"I pondered," Lonely thought.

"Hey... my suggestion is, why don't you and I go directly to them, meet them face to face, or maybe catch one of them and bring them back..." Hisoka looked at Oboro with a wicked grin.

"If you want to die, go ahead and do it yourself. I'm not going to keep you company! The Botswa Tribe must be extremely dangerous, even beyond reason, no matter what power they possess, to be able to create such a scene of carnage and destruction. It's best not to make any rash moves before you've investigated thoroughly," Oboro warned coldly.

"I see..."

Hisoka looked somewhat disappointed.

Then, he turned his eyes and glanced around.

With a smile, he picked up a playing card and said in a cheerful tone, "The mountains are quite lively at night..."

Oboro turned and looked at the dense shadows approaching sparsely in the nearby woods.

Pairs of gleaming pupils lit up from the darkness.

Before they knew it, the two were surrounded...