Predatory Flower Thicket and the Shadow in Pursuit

The road north grew more desolate with every step.

A withered, cracked wasteland stretched to the ends of heaven and earth. Cracks crisscrossed the ground like countless dried scars. Gale-force winds swept fine sand across the bare soil, leaving only the monotonous, dreary sound of wind throughout the wilderness, heavy enough to weigh on the heart after listening for too long.

The six of them had pressed deep northward and had already entered a hundred miles into the heart of the wasteland.

The farther they went, the quieter the world became.

There were no beastly roars, no insect calls, not even the shadow of a bird.

The edge of the Dark Continent, which should have been teeming with danger, was now unnaturally silent.

"Something's wrong."

Kurapika abruptly stopped.

Pale-red Nen ripples spread out in an instant, sweeping across the surrounding land for several thousand meters like waves over water. Yet layer after layer of perception found nothing. Within sight, there was still nothing but emptiness, without the faintest trace of life.

Even an ordinary wasteland or dry desert would conceal burrowing beasts and carrion insects.

But here—nothing grew, and all was silent.

"Something has been watching us since Gang's appearance." Kurapika's brows were tightly drawn as his gaze swept over the heavy clouds behind them. "Its concealment is extremely strong. Every time I lock onto its aura and trace it back, it immediately cuts off all traces, as if it vanished into thin air."

Tiny arcs of electricity flickered at Killua's fingertips, and his expression remained wary.

"After Gang arrived, I used Godspeed to circle around and investigate. There were no signs of an enemy."

He raised his hand and spread several fragments of dark brown scale dust across his palm. Their surfaces gleamed with a cold metallic sheen, and