The Encirclement Ends × Breaking the Cocoon and Rebirth

You traitor!

The Chimeric Ant, which looked like Crocodile, cursed loudly at the person in front of it.

Meruem stood still, easily flicked away the lighter, and lit the cigarette he had in his mouth.

"You guys are the ones who should be considered traitors, aren't you? sigh"

He watched quietly.

Until the Crocodile- like Chimeric Ant, amidst its furious roar, finally stopped breathing and became a corpse.

"Phew~ And he even betrayed his own soul."

In this pure white room.

Numerous Chimeric Ant corpses were scattered throughout the area.

Kite's Scythe flashed, then sheathed it and vanished into her Nen Aura.

"This is the fourth team already. Most of the teams that should be coming back should have already done so. How many are still outside?"

He looked at Meruem and asked.

Such matters were naturally best known only to Meruem, who had once been Division Leader.

Meruem pondered for a moment, then exhaled a smoke ring. "There are at least three more teams outside. It seems those three Division Leader have already escaped and are completely out of control."

At that moment, the hole above slid open, Men Qi lightly jumped down, surveying the scene inside the room.

"They acted quickly, another team has arrived, but they're more vigilant and widely dispersed, so it won't be easy to wipe them all out at once."

"Let's finish this quickly," Kite said calmly. "This should be the last batch. We received news yesterday that Gowen and his team have already taken down two teams."

If you include this one, then it's complete.

Night.

Another fierce battle has come to an end.

Men Qi and the others gathered together, looking somewhat tired.

--

"You've done a great job, Lizard." Men Qi's words were sincere. "Without you, it wouldn't have ended so easily."

It's important to understand that Meruem's role as an inside agent was far more complex than simply luring the enemy into an ambush.

He also revealed all the information about the Division Leader's Nen ability.

After all, they learned Nen ability under Neferpitou's tutelage, and most of them only spent a day or two getting the hang of it. With their mutual sparring and understanding, they almost all knew each other's Nen ability.

Unless there are individuals deliberately concealing it, such as himself.

In Nen ability battles, when the basic strengths are roughly equal, the essence is an intelligence war.

Whoever has more comprehensive intelligence and can analyze the opponent's trump cards faster in battle is often able to secure victory.

"Let's go back," Melusina called out. "There are still quite a few things to deal with inside the nest."

They put aside their thoughts and returned together to the depths of the lair.

When Melusina and her group appeared inside the nest, the expressions of many Chimeric Ant present changed drastically.

Seeing this, Rukira, the leader, widened his eyes and whispered to Peggy the Penguin beside him, "They... they're all back? Has the group outside already...?"

"They are very strong," Peggy analyzed calmly. "With an inside man added, the operation would indeed be swift and deadly."

Upon hearing Peggy's words, Rukira looked closely and indeed spotted a familiar figure among Kite and the others— Meruem.

Rukira's brow furrowed deeply; the enemy's movements were far faster than they had anticipated.

He had only just revealed his full ideas to Peggy a few days ago and was still working diligently on the plan.

It seems the enemy has already achieved their objective? A hasty action would be tantamount to suicide.

Is the plan doomed to fail before it even begins?

Just then, Kevin appeared silently behind the two of them.

"Let all the Chimera Ant gather." His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power.

Rukira broke out in a cold sweat instantly. Peggy, however, remained calm, turned her head, nodded slightly, and immediately took action.

Soon, all the Chimeric Ant were gathered in the central open space.

Kite and the others stood quietly to one side.

Kevin stood casually on a slightly elevated platform, while Four Maids carried a pink Cocoon that emitted a faint glow and gently placed it beside him.

Melusina and the others immediately recognized it as Cocoon of Rebirth.

Its effect is just as its name suggests.

"The teams outside have been dealt with," Kevin's calm voice echoed throughout the arena. "Now it's time to settle your issues."

An uneasy commotion immediately arose within the Chimeric Ant.

The meaning couldn't be clearer— Kevin's butcher's knife was about to fall on their heads.

Before the other Chimera Ant could speak, Rukira stepped forward first, looking at Kevin with a serious expression. "What are you going to do? Get rid of the Queen? But the Queen has lost her reproductive ability! Now, she's not even as good as an ordinary worker ant!"

Kevin smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the ant colony below. "Are you still Loyalty to the Queen? Queen who has lost her ability to reproduce should no longer be called Queen."

"With the passing of the Queen, the shackles on your bodies will be broken, and you will all have the ability to reproduce and establish your own kingdoms."

"At a time like this, instead of worrying about the Queen's safety, why not worry about your own lives?" His tone carried a hint of playful curiosity, wanting to see how many of these Chimera Ant were truly Loyalist Faction had defied the fundamental survival logic of the Chimeric Ant.

"Huh? Do we have that capability?"

The crab-like Chimeric Ant tapped its head with its pincers and cried out in surprise.

Many Chimeric Ant wore expressions of astonishment.

Clearly, as long as the Queen is still alive and the shackles remain, they themselves are unaware of this suppressed reproductive instinct—a reproductive function deeply rooted in their biological mechanisms—unless a strong ambition arises.

Some Chimeric Ant seemed to want to argue, but Kevin raised his hand to stop them.

Within just a few days, the original Loyalist Faction had already split: the absolute Loyalist Faction led by Rukira, the Freedom Faction who longed to escape house arrest and seek freedom, and the Neutral Faction who were kind-hearted and content with their lot—the root of the split was the impact of the revival of human memory and the loosening of the Queen's shackles.

The Neutral Faction is the largest, because many Chimeric Ant's souls originate from the honest and law-abiding villagers in the area.

Even after regaining their memories, they were once ordinary people who were used to obeying orders and accepting their fate. Faced with the cruel fate of being devoured and transformed, they found it difficult to even muster a strong desire for revenge, and instead became bewildered and helpless.

Kevin ignored these conflicting thoughts and focused his gaze on Rukira: "Why are you so loyal to the Queen? You should have awakened some fragments of your memories by now, right? In those fragments, didn't you find any that made you hate the Chimeric Ant?"

Rukira was taken aback by what he heard. He thought about it carefully, and then shook his head.

No?

Kevin's voice carried a hint of inquiry.

Did he only recover unimportant fragments?

"What is your reason for being loyal to the Queen? Tell me?" Kevin's voice carried an invisible pressure, and a faint Nen Aura mixed with fine dust began to permeate the air. "Don't your memories cause you any pain?"

Rukira frowned, and under Kevin's questioning, the blurry fragments of images in his mind surged up again.

He couldn't see the specific scene clearly, but he could vaguely hear an incredibly firm voice echoing deep within his heart. "Protect her, do you hear me, Rukira? You are—"

The intermittent sounds, however, were etched into the depths of my soul like a brand.

"I must protect the Queen!" Rukira abruptly raised his head, his voice filled with an almost desperate resolve. "I cannot repeat the same mistake!"

"Repeating the same mistakes?" Kevin's lips curled into a playful smile. "And what was it that led you to betray me in the first place?"

Rukira stared, his mouth agape. The figure he needed to remember was so close, yet he couldn't quite grasp the details.

In this suffocating silence, the pink Cocoon that had been standing quietly beside Kevin suddenly began to shake violently!

This sudden commotion instantly drew the attention of everyone present.

A flicker of excitement even crossed Peggy's eyes.

"What is that? What new trick is Kevin up to now?" Men Qi leaned close to Melusina's ear and asked in a low voice.

Melusina didn't explain much, only briefly mentioning, "New Potion."

The red light inside the Cocoon suddenly became brighter, and the reflection inside became clearer as well.

The crowd saw a black humanoid silhouette moving slowly inside the cocoon.

"Tear-"

-"

A chilling tearing sound rang out.

An arm suddenly pierced through the Cocoon and emerged, its slender fingers gripping the edge of the cocoon wall.

The arm was smooth, white, and had delicate skin; it was undoubtedly human and appeared to be quite young.

Immediately afterwards, another equally slender arm stretched out.

With both arms exerting force simultaneously, tear it outwards with a sudden burst of strength!

With a "rip," a huge tear was ripped open in the tough Cocoon.

A girl who looked to be eleven or twelve years old emerged from the crack, soaking wet.

It seems she has grown compared to when she was human.

Her skin was flawless and white, with only a few drops of sticky liquid on it.

Her long, light gray hair was loose.

Apart from the fine chitinous structures resembling those of Chimera Ant visible at her joints and the pair of delicate antennae protruding from her forehead, she looks exactly like a little human girl, making her arguably the most anthropomorphic individual in the entire Chimeric Ant colony.

Once she's dressed and wearing a hat, no one will doubt her human identity.

She opened her beautiful, large eyes, her gaze sweeping quickly across the ant colony before instantly locking onto Rukira.

The girl opened her mouth and uttered her first clear, trembling call, "Brother?"

The call was like a red-hot steel needle, piercing deeply into Rukira's ear and drilling wildly, as if trying to pierce his skull and reach the depths of his soul.

Rukira froze for a moment, his face showing a mixture of horror and disbelief.

He staggered backward, clutching his head tightly with both hands as if trying to stop the excruciating pain inside, before finally collapsing heavily to his knees with a thud.

"I need to remember—who was that—who was it?!"

He let out a beastly roar, his voice filled with a despairing collapse.

The physical presence that landed before him tore apart the curtain that had been drawn in his mind due to the projection of emotions.

Behind that curtain shouldn't be a Chimera Ant- shaped monster, but something more intimate.

It is what is right before our eyes.

Those murmured words seemed to become clearer, those were the words of advice from a mother.

"As the older brother, I must protect my younger sister, I must protect Lena."

"No problem, Mom."

This is how he answered.

Under the astonished, confused, and inquisitive gazes of the crowd.

Suddenly, Rukira was on the verge of collapse, fell silent.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the girl on the stage. Her image was reflected in his pupils, and his violent trembling froze instantly.

"Rae-Rae-Na-sister?"

His voice was dry and hoarse, full of uncertainty, yet carrying a kind of throbbing that came from the depths of his soul.

"Yes!" Lena's voice trembled with tears, which instantly welled up in her eyes. "You remembered, brother!"

Without hesitation, she jumped off the platform.

Almost instinctively, Rukira rushed forward, stretched out his arms, and caught her steadily.

He placed his hands on his sister's shoulders, gazing intently and greedily at her face, as if trying to etch this lost and regained beauty into his heart.

A few seconds later, he suddenly pulled Lena into a tight embrace, the force carrying the immense joy of regaining her and endless self-reproach.

"Lena... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Rukira's voice choked with emotion, "It's because your brother is useless..."

"I failed to protect you—" A wave of immense guilt nearly overwhelmed him.

"It's okay—it's okay—" Lena hugged him tightly, her tears soaking his clothes.

The scene before them plunged the entire Chimeric Ant colony into an unprecedented uproar.

"Wait a minute! Are there really Chimera Ant like this? I've never seen one like this before!" a Chimera Ant exclaimed in surprise.

"Are you blind? It just came out of its cocoon! It's a newborn!" the other immediately retorted.

"I know! But where the hell are there any unhatched Chimera Ant eggs? It can't be that the Queen just laid them these past few days!" Questions rose and fell.

"Yeah! Where did these new Chimera Ant come from? Could it be—"

"The Queen can reproduce again?"

"Or is it that... there's a new Queen?!"

The murmurs were like boiling water, and the Chimera Ant's suspicious gazes kept shifting between Kevin and the pink Cocoon.

The suspicious look in his eyes made a vein throb on Kevin's forehead.

Just then, Peggy's calm voice rang out, clearly cutting through the noise. "She's the Chimera Ant that Lord Kevin took away yesterday."

These words were like pressing the mute button; the entire lair instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Then came an even more violent outburst!

"Really?!"

"Can I become like that little girl? Become more human?! God, I'm so fed up with this monstrous appearance I am now!" The Toad- like Chimera Ant waved its arms excitedly.

"I can... become human again? Really? Really?!" The other voice was filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

"Great! Hahaha!" Some Chimera Ant even broke down in tears, laughing and crying at the same time.

As memories awaken, many Chimeric Ant loathe their own grotesque, patchwork bodies—not all Chimeric Ant forms are easy to accept; the various bizarre combinations are not only ugly but also extremely inconvenient for living.

The hope of regaining human form ignited the most fervent flame in their hearts.

After the excitement at the scene subsided a bit, the Chimeric Ant that looked like an old tortoise slowly crawled out.

It lowered its posture to an extremely low position, almost prostrating itself on the ground, and respectfully inquired, "Your Excellency—"

"How can we possibly receive such a blessing from you?"

Kevin's gaze swept over the expectant and fearful eyes below, and he gave a concise answer, "It's simple, those who haven't done evil."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand gently.

An invisible pressure spread.

The Chimeric Ant, who had already formed an encirclement on the outside and had defected under Peggy's secret persuasion, acted swiftly in cooperation with Melusina and the others.

Soon, the entire Chimeric Ant colony was forcibly divided into several regions.

"Let me verify them one by one." Kevin stepped down from the platform, his figure flashing like a ghost.

Screams erupted one after another in an instant.

His fists were as fast as lightning, each strike carrying a decisive force.

Some Chimeric Ant were blasted away, their chests or abdomens burst open with huge bloody holes, and they died on the spot.

Others, after being blasted away, simply fell to the ground, writhing and howling in pain; their injuries, though severe, were not fatal.

Others stood there bewildered, wondering how they could be completely unharmed.

Kevin's testing method was simple and crude.

When a Chimeric Ant begins to identify with its human identity deep within its heart, or rather, to see itself as human again, Kevin's "Fist of Good and Evil" will judge it as "one of its own" and determine the consequences it will suffer based on its past "good and evil karma".

Death, suffering, or exemption.

Those Chimeric Ant that show no reaction, or even the slightest discomfort, are not necessarily kind by nature.

On the contrary, it is because they have completely abandoned human identity and placed themselves entirely in the position of Chimeric Ant.

For these thoroughly alienated beings, the "Fist of Good and Evil" no longer regards them as "human beings," and naturally will not trigger a trial for "crimes against humanity."

After one round of screening.

There are fewer than ten Chimeric Ant left that can still stand safely in place.

Peggy looked at the few remaining figures, silently sighed, and muttered to herself, "At least—"

There's still a little left—at least a little left—

If not even one is left, that would truly be his biggest failure.

Ever since he awakened his memories long ago, he has been working hard in secret, and now it seems that these efforts have not been in vain.

What about those? How should we deal with them?

Men Qi pointed to the corner of the wall in the distance, where the Chimeric Ant lay sprawled on the ground, still groaning in pain, and asked.

They weren't killed by Kevin's punch, but they endured immense torment.

"They will survive, of course," Kevin said calmly, glancing at the wailing figures. "But then, it won't be my responsibility."

The implication is that the Chimeric Ant will survive, but they are no longer within Kevin's purview and protection.

The selected few, however, have more choices—at least Kevin will help them become more "human."