The huge, charred crater in the ground still trailed wisps of smoke. At its edges, the melted asphalt had hardened like black syrup.
Yet the entire city had fallen eerily silent.
The chewing and screams that had echoed from every direction vanished, as if an invisible hand had hit mute.
"Hmm~" Hisoka stretched lazily, drawing his pink Nen back into his body. The wound in his side had healed completely. "The flavor's gone."
He sniffed the air, looking like a child whose toy had been taken away.
"Nothing but the stink of burning everywhere. All those adorable, hungry little fruits have gone into hiding."
Bai Zhu ignored his muttering and looked at Milluki.
The glow of the terminal screen left Milluki's round face deathly pale. Sweat kept beading on his forehead.
"Quite the opposite." Milluki's voice sounded dry. "The ants are reporting at least three times as many anomalous heat signatures and sources of vibration as before."
He projected the map into the air.
Red dots covered the entire city, thick as some horrifying skin disease on the dark map.
"They've just... stopped making noise." Milluki swallowed. "They've all suppressed their presence and hidden."
Camilla held the box and stared at the sea of red dots.
"Then what the hell did we go to all that trouble to burn?" Milluki felt like his brain couldn't keep up.
"A spectacular firework," Bai Zhu answered for him. "Bait to draw our attention."
"So what now?" Milluki tossed Hisoka a communications earpiece. "We can't hunt them down one by one, can we?"
Hisoka put on the earpiece and tested it with interest. "Splitting up would be much more efficient~"
"Can you handle being alone?" Bai Zhu eyed Hisoka's tattered clothes. "You spent that whole fight with the Long-Legged Monster dodging. Don't get surrounded