NGL border.
"Huff, huff..."
Killua carried Gon on his back as he fled to the border checkpoint.
The nonstop, desperate sprint over such a long distance had placed an unprecedented burden on both Killua's body and mind.
Yet even after successfully reaching the border, Killua's nerves remained stretched taut.
Neferpitou's sinister aura, far stronger than Illumi's or Hisoka's, lingered in Killua's heart like an inky shadow that refused to dissipate.
He trudged forward on exhausted legs and, as gently as possible, set Gon down beneath a large tree before collapsing onto the ground as if all his strength had left him.
"Huff..."
Killua panted, his body trembling faintly.
At this point, even he could not tell whether he was shaking from overworked muscles or from the terrifying aura that still haunted his mind.
"My phone..."
Before he had even caught his breath, Killua thought of contacting Spina and the others as quickly as possible.
He dragged his exhausted body to his feet and looked toward two large trees suspended over the river channel some distance away.
NGL's immigration checkpoint and embassy had been built inside those two trees.
Since NGL strictly prohibited anyone entering the country from carrying phones or similar items, Killua and the others had stored their phones and belongings in designated lockers at the immigration office before entering.
Killua ran to the lockers, retrieved his phone, and immediately dialed Spina's number.
The call connected quickly.
Killua got straight to the point and briefly explained what had happened.
But after hearing him out, Spina shouted in agitation, "What did you say? Kite stayed behind? Hey, explain yourself! What exactly happened?!"
Listening to Spina's shout through the phone, Killua lowered his head and pressed his lips tightly together.
Then another member of the investigation team on Spina's side took