The Changing Environment X Jin's Return

"Roar!"

"We've been discovered."

With a distant roar, a piercing gaze shot directly at Gon.

The gaze, sharp as needles pricking his skin, relentlessly heightened his vigilance.

A flash of lightning streaked across the treetops in the upper left corner.

It passed by Gon, and the two disappeared from the spot together.

In just two breaths.

A strange monster, resembling a lizard but with long, agile hind limbs and its forepaws touching the ground, landed here like a dragon.

It licked its eye with its long, thin tongue, then looked around.

His two eyes bulged outwards, and his perceptive gaze covered almost the entire surface.

Its nose pointed upwards, and its two dangling antennae swayed, emitting specks of light.

It immediately sensed the direction the two had fled. With a push of its hind legs, it slithered away quickly, like a snake gliding along the ground.

Qi, dragging Gon along, was covered in electricity, leaving a blue arc as they darted hundreds of meters away in the blink of an eye.

How could it detect us from so far away?

Gon was puzzled, but he raised his left hand and slapped it out with his palm.

"Cloth!"

Rock Paper Scissors.

"Bu" means to shoot out Nen Bullet.

A Nen Bullet shot out, striking a nearby tree stump and causing it to collapse, blocking the way behind the two.

However, at that moment, Qi Xiang noticed something, his body jolted, he stopped abruptly, and then jumped up on the spot.

Then lightning bolts appeared, leaping left and right between the tree stumps.

Just before they were about to take their first step, the ground cracked open, and a rock spike protruded upwards.

It was incredibly fast; if it weren't for Qi's sharp reflexes, he would have been pierced through by now.

However, the protruding rock spike, after missing its target, was launched directly.

It shot straight at us with the precision of a well-aimed aim.

At this moment, Gon was being dragged along, and his hand changed from a cloth to a pair of Scissors with two fingers running parallel.

"Scissors!"

The Nen Aura instantly transformed into a sharp blade, which slashed out with a flick of the finger.

It sliced through the flying rock spikes.

However, this delay allowed the four-legged lizard monster following closely behind to slide close to the ground.

"Prick!"

A sound of something cutting through the air.

Two more rock spikes emerged from the ground, one of which precisely pierced the lizard monster, piercing it through.

A scream was heard from the lizard, and then the rock spikes dragged it into the ground.

In the blink of an eye, only a small hole remained in the ground.

Qi and Gon stood high on the tree stump, looking down.

The environment, which had just been filled with fierce fighting, suddenly became quiet.

Taking advantage of this moment, Gon Emission his circle, which swept across the ground.

"It's gone, it's like it's left."

"Phew, we're pretty lucky."

Kiy said, and then jumped on the tree stump, and streaks of blue light flashed across the sky.

The two quickly returned to their temporary camp.

Various Nen Beast were hiding around the camp, and Men Qi was on guard.

Enter the camp.

Miss Cookie from Biscuit is massaging Buhaci has a twisted wound on his body that looks like a burn, but is different, that runs from his neck across his shoulder down to his lower back.

A very gruesome wound.

Qi and Gon were not surprised.

Biscuit looked at the two people who had returned and asked them a question.

"How about it?"

Kiy shook his head, his tone somewhat helpless. "There's simply no way to explore further. There are too many monsters, and all sorts of different types."

"Although they attack each other, they are relatively restrained. We, on the other hand, who explore haphazardly, always end up crossing into monster territory and getting attacked."

Biscuit nodded upon hearing this, without much change in expression.

But Buhaci got up, and Miss Cookie disappeared.

The previously gruesome, writhing wounds on his body had now calmed down.

The wrinkles on Buhaci's face relaxed.

"Call."

He let out a sigh of relief.

"Isn't it getting better?" Gon asked, looking at him.

Buhaci forced a smile and shook his head.

"The injury is the same as before, no change."

Two days ago, while they were exploring, Buhaci encountered a flying insect, a strange kind of Mosquito Fly.

Its speed is ridiculously fast, almost comparable to that of the Kiy.

However, these Mosquito Fly are naturally camouflaged and extremely well-hidden.

They are already on high alert.

But suddenly it flew over and a needle Buhaci's body.

It carries a certain toxin, just like a normal mosquito, making it undetectable.

But Buhaci is Nen user after all; he can still react when his body is touched.

Just as I was about to attack, the mosquito was incredibly fast and immediately flew away, attempting to escape.

Fortunately, by then, Kiy had already realized what was happening.

A bolt of lightning killed the mosquito.

This mosquito is extremely fragile, but its piercing point is sharp and long.

The scars on Buhaci's body were caused by these mosquitoes.

Even with Kevin's medicine, there was still no way to cure it.

This is because the mosquito's venom is not an ordinary toxin, but a type of Nen Poison.

Fortunately, after a long period of training, Xiahara has ample physical fitness and mental strength.

This kind of Nen Poison is like a patch that has a small opening; it doesn't cause much harm, but it absorbs Nen energy when it takes effect.

The amount of Nen Aura absorbed during an attack is actually quite significant.

Fortunately, after examination, it was found that this Nen Poison was attached to the wound like a wound and did not spread; it was more of a Nen ability.

It's painful when it flares up.

"It's time to go back. Although the Nen Poison in Buhaci's body doesn't show any signs of worsening, it's still best to treat it."

Biscuit said.

They all nodded.

There's nothing to gain from staying here any longer.

They stayed on the outskirts of the Gale Grassland, their original mission being to conduct extensive reconnaissance of the surrounding area.

Based on the previous three reconnaissance missions, the outer perimeter of the grassland is not actually too dangerous, since this area is close to the grassland and is the territory of other creatures.

There will be gaps between such powerful creatures.

Like the Resentful Eater Snake and the Long-haired Creature Gelan.

The distance between their territories is quite far.

Separated by a Giant Beast Kingdom, and then by a forest.

Given the sheer number of Resentful Eater Snake, they are unlikely to venture this far.

But when they came to explore this time, the situation had changed dramatically.

The monsters around Gale Grassland have become extremely dense, and many of them appear to be quite powerful.

So much so that Biscuit and her team were unable to cope.

Moreover, there are too many of these monsters gathered together. Although you can see them fighting and clashing with each other, it's completely disproportionate to their sheer number and population.

It's as if these creatures are suppressing their desire to fight each other, each occupying a small piece of territory.

What are we waiting for?

This is why Buhaci stayed here even after he was injured, once it was determined that his condition would not worsen.

Because there is clearly a problem with this situation.

Normally, Kevin could be summoned at this point via Ant Speech.

But after the description, Kevin felt he couldn't quickly resolve this Nen Poison.

Although he has knowledge and experience in this area, don't really expect him to be some kind of medical master.

These are professional matters that Qiduo needs to handle personally.

However, it's impossible to let Qiduo, the only doctor, leave the core of the base and come to such a far place as the Gale Grassland; the risk is too great.

So this fourth exploration has come to an end, somewhat anticlimactic.

So much so that Men Qi and his companions didn't even venture into the grasslands to hunt those highly nutritious creatures.

One reason is that there are more organisms around the grassland, and those high-nutrient organisms are no longer near the edge.

Fortunately, those Wind Blades would occasionally reach the edge of the grassland as a warning.

"Let's go back."

A few days later.

--

When Buhaci returned.

Everyone was ready, Qiduo pulled the other person directly into the medical room.

Kevin was also there to assist.

After a thorough examination.

"Fortunately, this appears to be some kind of biological Nen Poison. Based on your description, it's likely a method used by Mosquito Fly to inject toxins and then drain life."

Life is equal to Nen Aura.

"Under normal circumstances, these Mosquito Fly should transform your Nen Aura after injecting the toxin, then absorb the toxin and leave, because it is essentially an absorbent, stored, and carried toxin."

"Even if it's not absorbed back, the effect of depleting your Nen Aura and causing you pain will make the battle more favorable to your opponent."

Unfortunately, before the mosquito could even begin its fight, it was electrocuted and reduced to ashes by Qi.

"It's easily solved, don't worry."

Qiduo spoke with confidence, slightly mixed the liquid, and injected it into the wound through Syringe. After a short while, the wound began to move.

The toxins are starting to take effect.

At this moment, Qiduo took the Syringe and began to draw back the liquid.

A murky, dark, reddish, viscous substance was extracted.

As the extraction proceeded, the wriggling scars on the Xiahara began to fade at a visible rate.

It disappeared completely in a short while, and a full tube of dark red, viscous liquid was stored in the Syringe.

The smell it emitted wasn't foul, but rather a sweet, cloying odor, like something stuck in your throat, causing a slight discomfort.

"That's not bad. This toxin is worth studying; Illumi would probably be very interested."

As soon as she finished speaking, Illumi knocked on the door and came in.

Their gazes immediately fell on Qiduo's Syringe.

Seeing this, Kevin patted Buhaci on the shoulder, telling him to rest well, and then walked out.

We arrived at the Meeting Room.

At this moment Biscuit and the others were talking with Ce and the others, describing their exploration.

Kevin walked over and sat down beside him, listening.

After listening, he rubbed his chin with his fingers and fell into deep thought.

Does this mean the ecological environment has changed?

"There must be something within the Gale Grassland that attracts those creatures, causing them to instinctively restrain themselves, avoid conflict with other creatures, and begin to wait."

What things in the Gale Grassland would attract them?

Of course, it should be Thick White Milk.

Long-haired Creature are, after all, Occupier species, and the Gale Grassland are clearly not a new territory that has only appeared in recent years.

This place has been their territory for hundreds of years, and the strength of these Long-haired Creature in the surrounding area is beyond doubt.

So why does this situation occur?

But considering that these creatures remain on the outskirts, perhaps it's out of fear.

But amidst their fear, they were also drawn to the grasslands.

Could this be some form of hunting in the Gale Grassland?

But that's not right either.

The Gale Grassland are nourished by Thick White Milk, and at their very center lies White Pool.

Long-haired Creature also draw energy from nature.

Those pillar-shaped bolts of lightning were clearly made from purer nutrients than those found in ordinary organisms.

In other words, there is actually no need for hunting.

"Do you think something might happen on the grasslands that would force those highly nutritious cattle, sheep, and horses to migrate out of the grasslands?"

"These cattle, sheep, and horses aren't particularly strong, but they are all extremely nutritious. In this situation, they might become a nutritional buffet for the surrounding creatures, so they've gathered here to wait."

After listening to the conversation, Morel pondered for a moment and then shared his guess.

"Possibly."

This idea is quite plausible.

"It seems I need to change my exploration focus and continue exploring the situation in the Gale Grassland."

Kevin said.

At this point, the exploration team split into two groups.

Kevin's main goal was to explore further afield, naturally heading towards the home of those Machine Lifeform.

They returned two days earlier Biscuit.

Just as they were discussing it...

Pairo strode in.

Upon hearing those footsteps, everyone turned to look at him.

After all, Pairo wasn't an impatient person, so his pace clearly indicated that something had happened.

And Pairo itself is now a mobile monitoring center.

Seeing everyone's gaze, Pairo stood still and spoke.

"Traces of Jin's team have been discovered in the northeast direction, and their current situation is—very bad."

As he spoke, Pairo glanced at Gon beside him.

"Specific?"

"The surveillance footage showed that only Jin was able to move. He was dragging a raft behind him, on which lay his four teammates, their surfaces covered in gold."

"Moreover, he was carrying something covered by a black cloth, and he looked somewhat disheveled."

Kevin frowned at these words.

In other words, was Jin's entire team wiped out?

However, in this situation, it shouldn't be a simple death, but rather a severe injury.

Otherwise, if a teammate were to die, Kim wouldn't take the great risk of bringing their body back under those circumstances.

This shows that Kim believed his teammates could still be saved.

However, Kim's team consisted of six people in total, and now only five remain. Did one person Sacrifice?

"Biscuit, I'd like to trouble you to lead a team."

Biscuit nodded.

A temporary support team was quickly formed.

Biscuit brought along Gon, Killua, Rukira, and Bianluoke.

There are five people in total.

Kevin fell silent as he watched the team leave.

"The Dark Continent has suffered a devastating blow."

Morel muttered to himself from the side.

It wasn't hard to see that everyone became noticeably more tense after the news of the gold was released.

That makes sense.

Although they had been in the Dark Continent for almost half a year, they had become increasingly accustomed to the atmosphere here.

However, since there is a core exploration base, the level of risk is kept very low.

Furthermore, Kevin serves as the strongest fighter to withstand crises exceeding a certain level.

In some ways, their risks are actually not high.

It has complete logistics, high combat capability, smooth communication, and rapid resource allocation.

Moreover, the exploration was very methodical.

Kevin leads the team to explore unknown areas, and once certain risks are identified, other teams will lead more detailed, incremental explorations.

This resulted in them only experiencing injuries and no staff reductions over the past six months.

There wasn't even a fatal injury.

Suddenly, they heard that Jin's team had suffered heavy losses.

It's inevitable to feel nervous for a moment.

I wonder if they had become more lax.