Actions on All Sides × Escapees

The top of a building.

Several people of different ages, some young and some old, sat in different parts of the room.

Morel stood with his burly body in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, wearing sunglasses that he almost never took off, while outside the window was a panoramic view of the city at night.

"Okay, hurry up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Morel hung up the phone and put it in his pocket before turning around to look at everyone in the room.

Chairman Netero sat on the sofa, his eyes closed, his body motionless, like a meditating monk, seemingly lost in thought.

Gon Jie and Qi were sitting together at the dining table, eating the fast food that had just been served.

They chatted idly, laughing and joking.

Besides these two, there were two other people.

These two were his apprentices.

The young man with Slicked Back Hair, who looked like a biker gangster, was named Killua.

Another man, with a ponytail and a tall, thin appearance, was wearing layers of thick clothing, with only one arm exposed.

This is another apprentice, Shoto.

Finally, there was one woman standing alone in a distant corner, disheveled, with a slightly vacant look in her eyes, like a madwoman.

That's Nobu's apprentice, Palm.

"Chairman, are we really going to take them?" Morel couldn't help but ask, his tone tinged with worry.

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent. All the light gathered around and then shifted to the Hunter x Hunter Chairman, who was meditating with his eyes closed.

Upon hearing this, Netero slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at everyone, he chuckled and said, "Why not? They're not children anymore, and they've already passed the trial, haven't they?"

These words silenced Gon and the others.

Because essentially, they haven't passed the trial yet, and in the end, neither side could do anything about the other.

In short, they were evenly matched and the game ended in a draw.

And they almost came to blows, engaging in a life-or-death battle.

But if it gets to that point, it becomes meaningless, because whether it's injury or death, the trial will lose its purpose.

They had originally planned to establish some rules, which would be decided in a final battle between the two sides.

To everyone's surprise, Netero and the others returned.

This clearly undermined their previous trials.

So they all gathered together.

Since Chairman Netero has said so, Morel naturally won't say anything more.

Instead, he spoke about the current situation, "According to the Hunter x Hunter on the outskirts, the Chimera Ant haven't come out yet. Kevin and the others should be doing a good job."

"The problem is the Ant King. The Association's intelligence hasn't pinpointed its exact location yet; we can only speculate based on the direction Kevin pointed out earlier."

As he spoke, Morel went directly to the side, pulled down a map, on which were the directions he had previously marked and speculated.

"Based on our current location and the direction Kevin gave us, we can confirm that the Ant King went in this direction." As he spoke, he pointed to a location on the map.

The Mitreli Federation, where they are currently located, is on the edge of the world.

"If they continue in this direction, they've penetrated deep into the Mitreli Federation. If they keep going like this, they're very likely in East Gorteau now, which is also a closed country, making it very suitable for the Ant King to hide and develop there."

Upon hearing this analysis, everyone's attention shifted to it.

"In that case, your mission is to infiltrate this country and find the location of the Ant King," Netero gave the order directly.

Morel nodded in response to the order and did not refuse.

East Gorteau.

The capital of a coastal country.

This is a magnificent complex of buildings resembling an ancient Palace, and the head of state of this country resides here.

But now, the Palace appears lifeless and seemingly empty.

If you sniff the air gently, you can detect a faint, nauseating smell of blood.

The Ant King resides in the deepest part of the Palace.

Inside that luxurious room.

He was sitting cross-legged, looking utterly bored, surrounded by a mountain of books.

As the Ant King, he was flipping through these books at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people, greedily absorbing the knowledge within to enrich himself.

"I need quiet," the Ant King said without looking up, his voice icy.

"Your Majesty, I—" Youpi began cautiously.

"Bang!"

A long, thin tail with a sharp needle-like tip struck like lightning!

The powerful force immediately sent Youpi had been standing by serving, flying away and crashing into a pillar in the distance.

The Ant King, who had launched the attack, maintained his original posture, his gaze never leaving the book.

He simply stated coldly and unequivocally, "I don't want to say it a second time."

At this moment, Youpi, who had been knocked away, struggled to his feet, endured the pain, and knelt on one knee to respectfully accept the order.

"Yes!"

Then, he slowly and unsteadily left the room.

After walking quite a distance, they finally saw Neferpitou leaning against the wall on guard in the dimly lit corridor outside the Palace.

Neferpitou looked at Youpi's disheveled appearance with a gloating smile.

"It seems you've angered the king."

"This is a blessing," said Youpi without changing his expression, as if he truly believed it.

"Heh, maybe." Neferpitou shrugged noncommittally.

"The King is currently absorbing human knowledge, and it won't be long before he begins his journey to domination. We should share his burdens and make preparations," said Youpi calmly, looking at Neferpitou.

"I think the most important thing is to increase the King's strength first," Neferpitou said thoughtfully, arms crossed, in response to Youpi's suggestion.

"The King is invincible; you should be able to see that." Youpi's tone was filled with absolute confidence.

The three of them had sensed the Ant King's power perfectly from the moment he was born.

I have felt this deeply during this time together.

The opponent's strength has been growing at an astonishing rate since birth, and the Ant King's learning ability is so powerful that it inspires despair.

Even the Royal Guards, who were already exceptionally gifted at learning, had to admit defeat.

The Ant King is undoubtedly a genius, an absolute all-rounder, and a being standing at the pinnacle of life.

Even though Youpi had fought Kevin and Melusina and was at a disadvantage, even dying at one point, he still didn't believe these humans would be a match for the Ant King.

"If you really think that way," Neferpitou scrutinized Youpi with a cold gaze, "You wouldn't have kept it a secret."

"That wasn't concealment; it was a consideration made for the King," Youpi replied calmly, remaining unfazed by Neferpitou's accusations.

"So you clearly understand that those humans pose a threat, and might even threaten the Ant King," Neferpitou pointed out incisively, too lazy to argue with him about whether it was a cover-up.

When the Ant King was born, the Royal Guards did not proactively explain their previous tragic experiences, which already made their stance clear.

When the Ant King was born, his invincible aura of looking down on everything and despising all things made it clear to them that he was a born domineering and invincible king.

If the situation had been revealed at birth, given the king's personality, he would have undoubtedly turned and headed towards the lair without hesitation, directly challenging those powerful enemies.

What Neferpitou truly cared about was the king's unfathomable arrogance, or even haughtiness.

Although the other party was only recently born, Neferpitou, the strongest among the guards, knew perfectly well that the King was definitely not a fool.

Such a being with absolute intelligence could not possibly have failed to discover that the Royal Guards were deliberately concealing things from him.

Such failure to report in a timely manner, or even intentional concealment, should, in principle, be severely punished by the Ant King, or even eliminated.

But the Ant King did not do that.

This demonstrates the opponent's arrogance, which made him completely disregard the fear in the hearts of the Royal Guards. He possessed absolute confidence and strength, believing that he was destined to win.

And those things happened before he was born.

After his birth.

Everything will be different then.

That's why he seems so nonchalant, idle, and indifferent.

"And even if, as you said, the King needs to improve his own strength first, he still needs enough food," you should know that, right? You should have seen the King's Nen ability.

Neferpitou couldn't immediately offer a rebuttal to Youpi's words.

As one of the earliest born guards, she became particularly attentive to Nen ability after suffering a major setback.

Therefore, after the Ant King had a brief glimpse of the outside world, Neferpitou made detailed observations and speculations about the Nen ability that the other party had awakened and displayed almost instantly.

It is certain that the Ant King will possess the Nen ability of a king—he can absorb all the essence of his "food" by devouring it.

This includes Nen Aura.

In other words, if you eat a powerful Nen user, the user's strength will increase accordingly, no matter how many you eat.

They devour the world and grow stronger by preying on the strong.

But whether it's stockpiling troops or going out to hunt for a sufficiently large amount of "good food"...

Their whereabouts will inevitably be exposed.

So they are currently in a dilemma.

Near the Ant Nest.

The returning Chimera Ant began to gather here.

They hesitated, each driven by their own doubts and fears, lingering and observing around the nest, an atmosphere of unease filling the air.

"So what's the situation inside? Leopard, why don't you dare go in and scout it out?"

A Chimeric Ant that looked like an upright male lion stood to the side and asked impatiently.

The Leopard Chimera Ant that had been called out glanced at him and gave a disdainful sneer.

"Hmph, I wouldn't dare go in. I haven't even had a chance to properly enjoy this world yet, and I don't want to die here without knowing why."

"What's there to be afraid of? So much time has passed, whether we won or lost, the enemy should be out of there by now."

"The nest looks so peaceful," the Lion Man tried to convince him.

"Heh, who knows?" The leopard man crossed his arms, his eyes scanning the entrance to the lair warily. "What if it's an ambush set up by the enemy? If we foolishly go in, they'll wipe us out in one fell swoop."

Despite much persuasion, the leopard man remained unmoved and refused to go inside to investigate.

The Lion Man sighed and turned to look at his subordinate next to him, who had huge compound eyes and resembled a fly.

"And you? Your flying ability should be enough for quick reconnaissance."

Faced with his boss's gaze, the Fly Man could only shake his head helplessly, his wings emitting a soft buzzing sound.

"The enemy has powerful flying warriors. My limited flying ability won't give me any reconnaissance advantage, and I'll definitely be spotted and shot down immediately." His tone was clearly filled with fear.

This is also something that frustrates Lion Man.

"Don't bother," a burly crocodile Crocodile Chimera Ant covered in hard scales interrupted their discussion impatiently, saying gruffly, "Meruem is already in! We just need to wait patiently for him; that kid should be back soon."

"I see," the Lion Man said, his expression relaxing slightly. "If it's that guy, his invisibility ability is indeed perfect, and it would make reconnaissance much safer."

They all knew the weakest Chameleon Division Leader — Meruem.

Although he wasn't particularly strong in combat, his unpredictable and elusive stealth ability was a unique advantage in reconnaissance missions.

However, what they didn't know was that right beside them, only a few meters away...

Meruem, whom they had placed high hopes on and who had gone in to investigate, stood there motionless, holding his breath, as if he were Rock blending into his environment. He listened to all their conversations and the surrounding situation clearly, and observed silently.

After gathering enough information, he quietly and swiftly ran back like a ghost.

Only after he had moved a safe distance away from the Chimera Ant did he suddenly release the breath he had been holding, leaning against the tree trunk, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

Kite leaped lightly from a high branch nearby, like a falling leaf, and landed in front of Meruem.

"How about it?"

Kite asked in a low voice.

Looking at Kite, Meruem, while catching his breath, quickly said, "There are four Division Leader gathered outside, along with their respective subordinates, about ten Army Leader. Fortunately, not all of them have their full complement of troops—"

These words immediately made Kite frown, and she couldn't help but ask, "So, the composition of the returning team is somewhat different from the team that went out to carry out the breakout mission? Some members have left or gone missing?"

"That's roughly the idea," Meruem nodded in confirmation.

"That's troublesome----"

Kite murmured, a hint of worry rising in her heart.

This indicates that some Chimera Ant not only broke away from the Queen's control, but also directly broke away from their direct superiors, choosing to act alone or simply abscond!

These Chimera Ant are definitely the ones with a strong sense of self-determination, not to mention that after Kevin removed the Queen's reproductive organs, her genetic control was gradually weakening.

Moreover, as time relentlessly goes by, free will will gain more and more of the upper hand until it completely breaks free from its constraints. Perhaps some Chimera Ant have already completely fled this area and never even thought of coming back.

Although a slight worry crossed her mind, Kite quickly suppressed it, and that was all.

After all, his current responsibility is to deal with the looming threat.

He believed that both the Hunter Association and Kevin, who was stationed at the lair, should have made certain preparations and contingency plans for this.

"In that case, let's proceed according to the original plan." Kite's eyes hardened.

The number of division Division Leader and Army Leader gathered was considerable, but they had to act immediately.

If the situation continues to drag on, the number of Chimera Ant that arrive and gather will increase, making it difficult for them to effectively eliminate these scattered and wary Chimera Ant.

With the cooperation of Meruem, this "traitor," we must launch the annihilation operation as soon as possible.

NGL Autonomous Region Boundary.

The night was as dark as ink.

A Chimeric Ant looks remarkably like a giant Bat is taking advantage of the cover of night to flap its wings and fly at low altitude.

"Haha, only a fool would go back! I'm leaving this godforsaken place and returning to the bustling human world; that's paradise!"

As the Bat Man flew, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself with smug satisfaction, already envisioning a wonderful future.

Recently, the fragments of memories belonging to his "past life" have been appearing more and more frequently and become clearer in his mind.

As these memories surged to the surface, he also learned more about the prosperity and convenience of human society.

Although this monster looks completely different from before, the immense power and speed it possesses are simply mesmerizing!

With such power, he felt he could at least live a very "exciting" life in the shadows of the human world.

For example, in the city at night, one can freely "hunt" unsuspecting prey.

After having this idea, his mind became unusually active, and his desire for freedom grew wildly and uncontrollably.

Therefore, he decisively and without hesitation broke away from his unit and flew away alone.

He had made up his mind that even if he returned to human society, he would never be arrogant or careless. He would be like a predator lurking in the shadows, discreet yet deadly.

With his strength and flying ability, he could easily appear unnoticed in the city's dark corners, freely enjoying the "beauty" of the city night.

The more he recalled this beautiful picture of life, the more his heart burned with passion and filled with an urgent longing.

"Call out--!"

A sharp, piercing whistle suddenly tore through the silence of the night!

Before the Bat Chimera Ant could fully recover, a scarlet crossbow bolt slashed through the air like a venomous snake, striking precisely at the base of its left wing!

"Pfft! Boom!"

The moment it hit, the red crossbow bolt exploded violently.

Although the explosion didn't seem particularly powerful, the direct penetration into his flesh and subsequent detonation immediately created a huge hole in his already relatively fragile bat wing membrane.

One of its wings drooped limply like a tattered flag, and its body instantly lost its balance, tumbling and crashing down from the air like a weight.

"Ugh--!"

The Bat Man let out a cry of pain and a scream.

Although his other intact wing instinctively flapped frantically in an attempt to stabilize himself, coupled with his own powerful reflexes, it could only slightly slow down the speed and impact of his fall.

At best, it can only be said that it avoided the fate of being smashed to pieces on the spot.

"Snap! Crash!"

He crashed into the dense forest below in a disheveled state, breaking thick branches and scattering leaves everywhere.

The moment he landed, his strong will to survive made him disregard the excruciating pain and dizziness emanating from various parts of his body, and he struggled to get up immediately.

"Call out--!"

Another deadly whooshing sound!

Another scarlet crossbow bolt followed closely, this time striking his still-intact right wing precisely!

"Boom!"

Another explosion rang out, and the Bat Man's other wing was instantly torn to shreds and completely rendered useless.

Having lost his wings, the very means by which he could fly, this Chimeric Ant, known for its flight ability, immediately lost its greatest asset and escape tool.

He was completely trapped.

Sure enough, some restless Chimera Ant began to cross the line.

A calm voice rang out from the dark woods.

Pakunoda slowly emerged from the shadows, her gaze locking onto the Bat Man O who was struggling miserably on the ground.