Call X Bug Infestation

Inside the Volcano.

Kevin sat cross-legged beside the Altar.

Just like that, I stared at the Phoenix Egg in the center.

The flames on the Phoenix Egg had completely disappeared, and a bright light could be clearly seen flashing continuously from the egg.

The flickering rhythm is like breathing.

The shimmering light shone through the eggshell, and the surrounding temperature had long since returned to the normal temperature of the Magma Chamber.

Although it was still hot, it was much better than the intense heat when the Phoenix Egg emitted flames.

At least it won't turn someone into a dried-up corpse after staying here for a certain period of time.

For this reason, the dried meat that was originally hanging here has long been removed.

Footsteps came from the tunnel behind.

Beget walked over.

He held a data tablet in his hand, wore glasses, and stared at the Phoenix Egg in the center of the Altar.

"According to predictions, it should have entered the final stage, and the incubation period will be within the next ten days."

Kevin nodded.

After spending almost half a year here, the Phoenix Egg is finally ready to hatch.

"You go out and rest. I'll take turns watching over things for you."

Since the Phoenix Egg could hatch at any time, they began to implement a rotation system.

To ensure that the hatching of the Phoenix Egg is always supervised, and that everyone can be summoned when it is about to hatch.

Kevin nodded.

He got up, stretched, and walked towards the outside of the Volcano.

We walked through the tunnel and arrived at the camp outside.

"That's about enough, you can send the message now."

After thinking for a moment, I sat down by the extinguished fire, turned on my phone, and dialed a specific person.

Another continent.

In a remote Small Town, Pakunoda, who was researching something, answered a phone call.

"Master?"

"It's me. The Phoenix Egg is about to hatch. If you want to witness this with your own eyes, you can get ready to come over."

Kevin said.

This was agreed upon beforehand, so he would inform others before the hatching process began.

Upon hearing this, Pakunoda fell silent, looking at the documents in his hands.

After thinking for a moment, he said regretfully.

"I'm sorry, Master. Pons and I are working on a commission from an Association about an unknown creature."

"We've gathered some information and are preparing to enter special national territory; at this point, it might be inconvenient to return."

Simply put, once you accept a quest, you should at least complete it as quickly as possible; most Hunter x Hunter are very committed to fulfilling their contracts.

Even if faced with a situation that may be rare in thousands of years, one can only give up at such a moment.

Not to mention that this mission seems extremely dangerous and could potentially cause widespread casualties. He couldn't forgive himself for leaving for personal gain at this time.

"An unknown creature? That's a shame. I'll record the footage."

Since we can't witness it in person, watching the recorded footage is better than seeing nothing at all.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

After hanging up the phone.

Kevin didn't think much of it, after all, it was a very normal thing.

After thinking for a moment, he dialed the number again.

The call was made to Kite.

Judging by the timeline, Kite should still be on vacation right now.

Kevin knew Kite's schedule; logically, Kite's contract with the Kakin Empire should have ended more than a month ago.

Even the most workaholic should take a break after three years of work, and Kite isn't exactly a workaholic.

It's normal to be on vacation right now.

A phone call was made.

Kite's voice came from the other end of the line.

"The Phoenix Egg is about to hatch. Do you want to come and witness it with your own eyes?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

After a while, Kite's voice finally rang out.

"Unfortunately, I'm currently tracking down a very harmful insect, and I'm already on my way there."

"So I'm sorry, but this unknown insect could be very dangerous, so we need to deal with it as soon as possible."

Now it was Kevin's turn to fall silent.

Is it a coincidence?

Although Kevin didn't know Kite's current work goals, nor did he know what kind of commission Pakunoda had just accepted.

However, one thing is clear: both targets seem to carry a hint of unknown creature characteristics.

Moreover, harmful insects?

In an instant, all the information connected.

Would you like to chat with me if you don't mind?

Kite didn't think much of it upon hearing this.

After all, Kevin's profession is Phantom Beast Hunter, so he would definitely be interested in such unknown creatures, whether they are insects or something else.

Anyway, I'm on my way now.

Kite didn't refuse, and said directly.

"It is a large insect, estimated to be around two meters in length. Based on some remaining limbs we found, we believe this insect is very likely Chimeric Ant."

An unknown giant Chimeric Ant.

Upon hearing the term, Kevin immediately thought of Chimeric Ant.

Kevin is Phantom Beast Hunter, and his Nen ability requires the creation of various materials, so he has research and knowledge of all kinds of plants and animals.

Especially those plants and animals that were vastly different from the creatures in his former world.

Chimeric Ant belong to this type.

Judging from its appearance, the Chimeric Ant is a type of Chimera Ant, and it is clearly listed as Class-1 Quarantine Species in various documents and information.

Level 1 isolation simply means that this creature will almost never appear within the range of human activity; once it does appear, it needs to be eradicated.

In addition to specific areas, any organisms found in other areas must be eliminated immediately.

This is a species that can cause extremely serious damage to the ecosystem.

This top-level isolation system exists precisely because of a characteristic of Chimera Ant.

This is an extremely greedy Chimera Ant.

They employ a special form of spawning called Phagogenesis.

The so-called Phagogenesis refers to the process by which the Ant Queen of Chimeric Ant ants transmits the characteristics of other organisms to the next generation by eating them.

To put it simply...

The Ant Queen eats two other insects, some of which have protective exoskeletons and others that can fly.

After the Ant Queen eats these two insects, she can lay one to five eggs, and these eggs will have characteristics of both organisms.

It possesses both a protective shell and wings for flight.

These are abilities that Chimera Ant did not originally possess.

That's how exaggerated and outrageous it is.

Research has shown that Ant Queen absorb the genetic material of stronger organisms to preserve their species, and they often eat the species they choose until that species becomes extinct.

This is why it is called a Level 1 isolated organism.

The Ant Queen only has her own genes, while the Soldier Ant that are born after she has eaten two other organisms are actually infertile.

In other words, the two combined genes cannot be passed on.

To lay the same type of Soldier Ant again, you have to eat the two corresponding organisms again.

Because of this characteristic, if the genes of certain organisms are particularly useful and are chosen by the Ant Queen,

Then they will keep consuming this creature to produce Soldier Ant, and so on, eating and eating.

It is highly likely that it will directly consume some species within its range to the point of extinction.

This greedy attitude makes them the best ecological destroyers.

Moreover, they have a voracious appetite, capable of consuming several times their own body weight in a single day, and each Ant Queen has different preferences.

Some even call them Gourmet Ant.

The Ant Queen is about ten centimeters long.

And what Kite just said.

Judging from the limbs they found, the Ant Queen may have been two meters in size.

In other words, this Ant Queen is very likely to eat humans.

Kevin couldn't yet determine whether the Ant Queen preferred humans, but given its size of two meters, there was no more suitable food in this world than humans.

Furthermore, it's important to know that the secondary Soldier Ant born from the Ant Queen are capable of genetic fusion.

Using humans as the base, and then adding the genes of other organisms.

They would definitely be an excellent source of recruits.

This could very likely lead to the creation of new Demonic Beast, as the resulting secondary Soldier Ant would certainly possess human-like intelligence.

"Have you thought of anything?"

Kite asked.

Kevin's sudden silence made Kite think that he seemed to have thought of something and had begun to ponder it.

"I must tell you, your actions on this trip were extremely dangerous. Could you tell me where you learned this information? Ideally, the whole process."

Upon hearing Kevin's words, Kite immediately became serious.

"Parking."

He suddenly said.

The teammates around them seemed a bit confused, but they still parked the car on the side of the road in the wilderness.

Waiting for Kite and Kevin to speak.

Only then did Kevin begin to speak.

"About a month or two ago, Tell, whom you had met once before, died. He was murdered."

Kite recalled Tell's message in her mind.

"This murder was premeditated. After his death, he sent Ann a secret message, containing only one word."

[Insect]."

"Based on our understanding of his Nen ability and our past personality analysis, the message he conveyed may not be related to the danger he poses, but rather to some kind of major disaster."

"Our analysis suggests it was related to a natural disaster, but given the extent of his murder, it's highly likely it was a man-made disaster, a natural disaster caused by human intervention."

"And without a doubt, it's related to insects, a pest infestation deliberately orchestrated by humans."

Upon hearing this, Kite immediately fell even more silent; he wasn't stupid.

Once this information is connected, it's easy to draw a conclusion.

These giant Chimeric Ant were either artificially created or deliberately delivered.

The level of danger is different from what was previously expected, because someone is manipulating things behind the scenes, which greatly increases the Danger Level.

"I see, then everything makes sense."

"It seems you've thought of something?"

Kite nodded.

"The source of the information was the head of the Biological Investigation Bureau of the Kakin Empire. He told me about it at the time, and it was obvious that he did it on purpose."

Based on our investigation, we have discovered that this highly dangerous Ant Queen is currently very likely in the NGL Autonomous Region.

"What place is that?" Kevin, somewhat puzzled.

Although he understands the international situation, he should know that the world consists of several continents, each with large countries as well as numerous small countries.

Some countries have shrunk to the size of a single city.

There are so many countries that even Kevin cannot know them all.

"That was the perfect hunting ground for Chimeric Ant. It was a primitive agricultural society that had abandoned all mechanical civilization. There were no mechanical objects in the entire country."

"Moreover, their philosophy and laws have shaped their concept of harmony with nature and struggle against nature."

"Even during a plague, they resisted treatment from outsiders because it meant they had failed in their fight against nature and deserved to die."

"The entire country is so extreme, and extremely xenophobic, with almost no contact with the outside world."

With that explained, Kevin understood everything.

If it wasn't intentional, Kevin's name would be written backwards.

The right time, the right place, the right thing.

This was undoubtedly a huge disaster.

And this disaster will continue to breed and expand until it reaches a point where it is difficult to resolve.

"Be careful, keep in touch with me, and remember to contact me if there are any problems."

"By the way, what's your blood type and birthday?"

The beginning was fine, but the end left Kite a bit confused.

This seems to be a prerequisite for some kind of Nen ability.

However, out of trust in Kevin, Kite did not hide it from him.

After hanging up the phone.

Kevin fell silent.

Is it a coincidence?

He couldn't help but think in that direction.

Because all the information converged on him in a somewhat coincidental way.

Foreseen disasters, characteristics of insects, Kite, Pakunoda.

But upon closer examination, it seems that this is not the case.

Because whether it's Kite or Pakunoda, the likelihood of them being connected to this matter is extremely high.

Both of them are Hunter x Hunter involved in biological surveys.

Whenever there is a disaster or any problem, people will contact these two people through various channels.

This is career-related.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Kevin felt that Pakunoda might also be investigating related information.

Besides coincidence, there is another possibility.

This incident could be very harmful, so it will spread outwards through various channels.

Naturally, more and more people will be drawn into it.

"What an unfortunate time."

Kevin said with a hint of helplessness.

He needs to wait here for the eggs to hatch, but the eggs will take several more days to hatch.

Therefore, he cannot set off immediately.

He was genuinely interested in this Biological Disaster.

Not to mention that disasters can affect many people.

He had almost no reason not to conduct the relevant investigation.

"Let's wait until they hatch."

After all, the Association should already know about this.

What Pakunoda just said is that they received a commission to investigate.

The surveys were conducted by more than one group and were likely commissioned by the Association.

In other words, the dangers there have begun to become known to the outside world.

Furthermore, Kite's abilities should not be underestimated.

Although it could be a very serious Biological Disaster, it shouldn't pose a significant problem for these people.

To Kite, there wasn't much difference between a two-meter-tall Chimera Ant and an ordinary Chimera Ant.

If we need materials, we can just buy them from them later.

As for rescuing people and preventing disasters...

Kevin has to admit that in this area of ability and expertise, he is certainly not as good as Kite and Pakunoda.

Let's leave it to a professional organization like Association.

He'll go over and take a good look after they hatch.

Let's prepare the necessary transportation first.

But perhaps the problem will already be solved by then?

After all, the Hunter Association is still very powerful.

"However, I must remind Pakunoda to be careful."

With that in mind, Kevin dialed the number again.

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