The Severely Stricken Squad Leader

"Yo, he lost, so I'm giving him back." Unlike the Troupe members' tense reactions, Cheetu casually tossed the half-dead Bonolenov he'd beaten toward Phinks. Bonolenov wasn't actually much weaker than Cheetu, but unfortunately his abilities relied on sound, and Cheetu's speed could surpass that limit. Add in Bonolenov's carelessness, and that's how he lost. If the opponent had been Machi or Franklin, Cheetu wouldn't have won so easily. At that moment, Cheetu was using one of his Nen abilities, which he called—Cheetu's Speed Mode. His appearance hadn't changed much, except for a pair of wings beneath his feet and his thighs bulging, looking noticeably more powerful.

"What?" "Why give him back? Aren't you going to kill him?"

"Huh? I never planned to be your enemy from the start." Facing the Troupe's questions, Cheetu answered honestly. "I'm just here to rescue this traitor and take him back to the King."

"Tch, a traitor, huh? I see." Phinks rubbed his chin, thinking. "I've got a question." He said to Cheetu.

"Are you all, or rather, that one, coming back?" Phinks pointed at Zazan, who was clamped between Crab's pincers.

"Her? Probably not coming back. The King has other things for them to do." Cheetu clapped his hands.

Them? So monsters as strong as this one aren't the only ones? And there's a guy called the King—just how strong are these freaks? Whatever, none of our business.

"Then get lost." Phinks decided.

"Huh? Phinks, are you sure?" Shalnark asked, confused.

"Well, our mission is just to eliminate the Queen here. As long as that one's gone, our job's done." Seeming to notice Shalnark wasn't the only one confused, Phinks explained. Then, in a voice only those nearby could hear, he added, "You saw that guy's speed, right? Who here thinks they can handle that? I don't want to admit it, but taking those guys down without injury or at minimal cost is impossible. And who knows how strong this 'King' they mentioned is? Even if we kill these ones, who's to say stronger monsters won't show up? Didn't you hear what that leopard guy said? There's clearly more than one with strength like his. Our job now is to wait for the boss to return. Since there's no conflict of interest, let them leave."

"Hey, not bad, gorilla Phinks—actually using your brain."

"You wanna die?"

"Ah~ It's rare to find such a good opponent; I wanted to play a bit more." Cheetu seemed reluctant about not getting a satisfying fight.

"Idiot! We're on the King's mission right now! I don't want to fail on my first one! Hurry up and get Lady Zazan back." Kangaroo Woman smacked Cheetu on the head, snarling.

"Yeah, yeah, tomboy! No one'll ever like you." Cheetu muttered under his breath.

"Chee! Tu! Sir! What did you just say? I didn't catch that." Kangaroo Woman's face darkened, clearly on the verge of snapping.

"Ahahaha, I said let's hurry and take Zazan to the King to finish the mission."

At the same time, the Squad Leaders Meruem had sent to retrieve those who left the Ant Nest that day were all on their way back. Unfortunately, including Zazan, only three Squad Leaders were brought back. Panda had refused Meruem, and Wolf Welfin was nowhere to be found. However, there were rumors that someone had spotted Welfin near Meteor City.

"Meteor City? Gyro? Interesting." Hearing the report, Meruem dismissed it with a smile. Three Squad Leaders plus that person would be enough to draw the outside world's attention, buying time for Meruem's plan to succeed.

"Yo, if it isn't Queen Zazan, almost killed by a human! So you're still alive—I thought you'd be hiding in some corner." In the East Gorteau Republic's palace meeting hall, a massive Crocodile faced Zazan, who had returned to her scorpion form. The Squad Leaders weren't exactly friendly with each other; they all rubbed each other the wrong way. Of course, those following Meruem were an exception, because Meruem hated infighting, and with the Ant King's pressure, no Squad Leader dared to openly mock or scheme. At least not on the surface. Incidentally, Zazan's injuries had been healed by Octopus Blair and other Chimera Ant doctors. Over time, the Chimera Ants following Meruem had made tremendous progress.

"Hmph, you want to die, Gudo? Or do you want to taste what it's like to be on the brink of death?" Zazan said with disgust. She'd never gotten along with this Crocodile, and his taunting only made her dislike him more. But she didn't dare start a fight here—not because she was afraid of him, but because this palace was Meruem's territory.

"Gudo, Zazan, both of you, say less." The speaker was a massive Lion, Squad Leader Leol (formerly Hagga). Unlike Gudo, who wasn't elaborated on in the original, or Zazan, who was killed by Feitan, Leol had performed quite well in the original. At least he could flexibly use his "Hatsu" and had developed a borrowed Nen ability similar to Phantom Troupe leader Chrollo's "Bandit's Secret." But he fell short due to insufficient lung capacity, suffocating to death (or dying from carbon dioxide poisoning). Otherwise, his fight with Morel might have gone either way, and his strength ranked among the top Squad Leaders. Of course, that was the original data. After Meruem's Nen training, even Soldier Ants couldn't be underestimated.

"Who do you think you are, ordering me around?" Zazan was already furious from nearly being killed by Feitan and mocked by the Squad Captain, so she was like a powder keg ready to blow. Anyone who touched her would be in for it!

"Hmph." A glint of murder flashed in Leol's eyes, but he held back. This guy had big ambitions and deep schemes. In the original, he'd realized early on that humans weren't simple and returned to the Ant King in time, unlike the other Squad Leaders who left and got killed. He'd also screwed over other Chimera Ants by appearing on TV. "Do you know why the King called us here?"

"No, but maybe he's not strong enough and needs our power, us Squad Leaders. Ahahaha." Gudo said carelessly, his personality unlike the other two.

"Maybe the King isn't the strongest in this world, but he definitely doesn't need weak power like yours." A mocking voice rang out in the three Squad Leaders' ears. Then a small figure appeared before them.

"Who are you?" Gudo the Crocodile was angry at the taunt, but he wasn't stupid enough to lash out blindly.

"Me? Former Squad Captain—Gaster. Current Anbu Twelve Stars, Rooster. I'm here on the King's orders to deliver something to you traitors." A small, cockscomb-headed boy carrying a box said to Gudo, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"A mere Squad Captain dares to act cocky in front of me? Hmph, watch me eat you. Even if the King finds out, he won't punish me over some lowly Squad Captain." Hearing he was just a Squad Captain, Gudo charged at Gaster. Generally speaking, Squad Captains weren't as strong as Squad Leaders. But there were exceptions, like Meleoron the Chameleon—his Nen ability was powerful, but his combat skills might not even match a Soldier Ant. That was just an exception, though. Under equal conditions, a Squad Captain couldn't beat a Squad Leader, just like a Squad Leader couldn't beat a Royal Guard. But that was under equal conditions—under equal conditions, humans could barely beat Chimera Ants, and in the original, the Chimera Ants were nearly wiped out. After Meruem's training, Squad Captains were no joke, especially the Anbu Twelve Stars, the twelve strongest Squad Captains besides the few Squad Leaders following Meruem. Even someone as strong as Cheetu, who ranked high in the Troupe, could be killed by them if he let his guard down. After all, unless you're overwhelmingly powerful, anything can happen in a fight.

"Idiot." Watching Gudo's move, Zazan's expression turned gleeful. She'd already suffered at these Squad Captains' hands. As soon as she was healed, she'd tried to get back at that Kangaroo Woman, but got beaten instead. She'd heard that one was also a candidate for the Anbu Twelve Stars. How could someone who hadn't fully mastered Nen beat someone who'd developed it in all aspects? She had no idea how the King trained these guys, making even mere Squad Captains so strong, and in just over a month. If I hadn't left, I'd have gotten that training too. If I could get it now, I'd be stronger than all of them. Zazan's heart burned with desire. She'd already made up her mind—this time, she had to get the King's training.

Unlike Zazan's schadenfreude, Leol was thinking more. He planned to save the little guy just as Gudo was about to kill him, earning a favor and getting into the King's good graces faster. In his mind, like Gudo, he believed a Squad Captain couldn't beat a Squad Leader.

"Overconfident." Another taunt. Watching Gudo's destructive attack coming at him, the small Gaster slowly spat out four words. Activating his Nen, the opponent's speed was nothing to him.

"Rooster crows, hen lays eggs!—Hen Crowing at Dawn!" Gaster's eyes turned blue, and a strange light enveloped Gudo's entire body.

"What? My power?!"