PS: First, thanks to readers Secondhand House in the Insects and Little Sour Yogurt Who Sells Girls for the rewards. Second, you guys are seriously amazing—the votes exploded in an instant. Wouldn't I be letting you down if I didn't post two chapters tomorrow? So I've decided to add another chapter tomorrow too!
"Now that the script has been written and the actors are in position, all that's left is for the show to begin." Meruem stood atop a towering building, looking into the distance with an evil smile.
"King, we have successfully bribed the higher-ups of every country. Once the plan is carried out, we can immediately contact the leaders of those nations." The one reporting to Meruem was still Already Snake, dressed entirely in black. Money? As long as there were people, there would inevitably be people greedy for wealth. Meruem had liked money back when he was human in his previous life. But after becoming a Chimera Ant, such things had become completely meaningless to him. Besides, after occupying an entire country, Meruem had plenty of money. At the very least, it was enough to bribe some officials. Wasn't there a saying? Money could make the devil turn the millstone. That was the power of money, though it only worked among humans.
"Well done." The left corner of Meruem's mouth curled into a wonderful arc, revealing his sharp canine teeth.
"Well then, Netero is yours, Jed. Don't disappoint me. Otherwise, I'll tear you to pieces—though no matter the outcome, you must die." Feeling the gentle breeze blowing in from the heights, Meruem muttered to himself.
"Then let it begin. This time's script—Hunter x Hunter: The Final Mission. Heh heh, hahahaha." Madness flashed in Meruem's eyes. This time, he would definitely catch them all in one net.
Heaven's Arena
Although there were quite a few experts here, most were fighters from all over the world. Most of the Nen Users among them were Enhancement Types, Transformation Types, and Emission Types, and their Nen was generally straightforward. So, facing opponents like Evil Spirit—who attacked without a word and possessed an incredibly powerful body—was an absolute headache. After being strengthened by Jed's Resentment Ability, Evil Spirit's body and combat talent might not have measured up to a Chimera Ant's, but they still far surpassed the bodies of these ordinary humans.
Especially those who had yet to develop their own unique Nen. The moment they resisted, they were completely suppressed. They were also injected with Jed's blood. This stuff was like a biochemical virus—once injected, they were controlled. Although it wasn't contagious, it was already extremely powerful. As time passed bit by bit, the areas around floors 200 through 230 were basically filled with these Resentment People controlled by Jed.
However, these people could only scare ordinary folks. Aside from becoming more resistant to beatings, those under control couldn't even display fifty percent of their original strength. Everything had its pros and cons.
The ordinary spectators had all been gathered and imprisoned near the main hall. Members of the Dark Shadow Tribe guarded the area, and with Asura controlling the entire building's weapons systems, defense systems, and surveillance systems, no one could escape. The iron doors around them were sealed shut, and there were no powerful Nen Users among the spectators, so they had firmly become hostages. Even more regrettably, unlike the Movie Version, which at least had two powerful Nen Users, Guyun and Biscuit, to keep things under control, the real version had nothing. Hostages were truly hostages here. They definitely wouldn't turn into beasts.
Because the protagonist, Gang Ge, was still training in a place very, very far away, completely unaware of this incident.
Of course, unlike the Movie Version, the Hunter Association, as the world's most powerful organization, had sent quite a few members to infiltrate Heaven's Arena. Naturally, there were still only a limited number of experts. After all, not every One-Star Hunter possessed Morel's strength. And Two-Star Hunters were not necessarily stronger than One-Star Hunters. Among the infiltrators were members of the Zodiac Twelve, such as Yin Hu, who had criticized Morel's strength in the original work.
Although the Zodiac Twelve consisted of members whose strength had been acknowledged by Netero, it was truly unknown how Yin Hu had reached the conclusion that Morel's strength was barely satisfactory and not even half of his own.
Perhaps Yin Hu truly was the strongest being in the Hunter World! He could punch Netero and kick Meruem! With one breath, he could instantly kill something black and hard! His true identity was—the ruler of the Dark Continent!
Everything above was complete nonsense.
"The Chairman's instructions were for us to infiltrate quietly and then rescue the trapped hostages. I think we should—" The speaker was Morel. As someone with extremely high combat intelligence and considerable strength, he indeed had the qualifications to take the lead.
But then—
"Don't even think about ordering me around." Yin Hu interrupted Morel unhappily. What right did a mere One-Star Hunter have to point fingers in front of a member of the Zodiac Twelve like him? Besides, Yin Hu had disliked Morel for a long time. As one of Netero's two great generals who followed him year-round, Morel was bound to attract some inexplicable hatred—or perhaps jealousy.
"I have my own plan. You can stay here and keep planning." Yin Hu Kanzai, the hot-tempered Treasure Hunter, left Morel and the others behind as soon as he said that. He completely ignored everyone else's feelings.
"This guy..." A bespectacled Two-Star Bounty Hunter was extremely displeased by Yin Hu's attitude. This Two-Star Hunter had once worked with Morel for a time and deeply admired Morel's strength and intellect. Coupled with Yin Hu's arrogant and disdainful attitude, if not for the mission, he would have rushed up and taught him a lesson already. So what if you were one of the Zodiac Twelve? A mule or a horse, bring it out for a run! If you've got the guts, face me head-on! And the bespectacled Hunter wasn't the only one present who thought that way. Even those who didn't know Morel were furious at Yin Hu's actions.
Before the operation, Netero had personally named Morel as the one everyone was to follow. What the hell was this supposed to be? Netero's prestige within the Hunter Association had reached the level of worship. Aside from Pariston, who in the entire Hunter Association did not hold Netero in reverence? Even Pariston had said in the original work that he was saddened by Netero's death. Whether that was true or not, Netero had undeniably been very successful as Chairman.
"Forget it. Let's rescue the hostages first." Morel calmed the Hunters' emotions. The Hunter Association had dispatched five Hunters for this mission, six including Netero. Although the Hunter Association was enormous, there weren't that many idle Hunters available. Aside from Yin Hu and Morel, the other three Hunters were the Two-Star Bounty Hunter Eyeglasses Man from earlier; a One-Star Gourmet Hunter with headphones and multicolored hair styled like it had been cut by the barber from the neighboring village; and finally, a muscular One-Star Crime Hunter.
Two Two-Star Hunters, three One-Star Hunters, and Chairman Netero. This lineup was already extremely powerful.
Unfortunately, their opponents were not weak either.
What the hell is that old man Netero thinking? Instead of making a dignified member of the Zodiac Twelve like me the leader, he actually let that One-Star Hunter give orders. What use is someone whose strength isn't even half of mine? Yin Hu grumbled inwardly as he climbed the stairs toward the highest floor of Heaven's Arena. The elevators were now completely under Asura's surveillance because of his invasion. Yin Hu was merely hot-tempered and arrogant; his strength and intelligence were both quite good. Otherwise, Netero would never have acknowledged him. Yin Hu felt that rather than rescuing those burdensome hostages, it was safer to deal with the Nen Users other than the biggest boss, Jed. As long as he dealt with the enemy's strong ones, the rest would just be small fry. He also held intelligence on several so-called experts under Jed's command. Honestly, Yin Hu did not consider Asura, Evil Spirit, and Purgatory to be worthy of his attention. As someone who ranked above average among the Zodiac Twelve, how could he still call himself one of the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve if he couldn't even deal with such small fry?
Unfortunately, the information in Yin Hu's hands did not include any details on the three Chimera Ant Squad Leaders.
Since Heaven's Arena had been occupied, all the lighting systems had begun flickering for some unknown reason, creating the feeling of a haunted house.
Such powerful Nen! Does Jed have a subordinate of this level? But is it really okay to expose yourself like this? Or are you provoking me? Don't look down on me. Yin Hu sensed an extremely powerful opponent at the far end of the corridor, one who also made him feel a trace of danger. This opponent was no simple matter. By then, Yin Hu had already left Morel and the others dozens of floors behind and reached a position above the 220th floor.
"Tch, I thought someone impressive had arrived. Turns out it's just a Shorty." The person at the end of the corridor who made Yin Hu feel danger was Scorpion Girl Zazan. However, Yin Hu was about the same height as Feitan, and Zazan had suffered badly at Feitan's hands, so her tone was extremely hostile.
"What the hell are you, you neither-human-nor-ghost freak? You dare speak to me like that? Want to die?" Yin Hu was equally short-tempered.
Honestly, neither side looked like a normal human. Leaving aside Zazan's pale purple skin and scorpion tail, there were also the inexplicable tiger markings on Yin Hu's face and the tiger tail behind him, whether it was an ornament or the real thing. Unless he was suffering from an extreme case of eighth-grader syndrome, he probably wasn't an ordinary human either. And if that tail wasn't real, could it be like those fox tails sold online, plugged into his ass? What a heavy taste.
"You actually dare call me neither human nor ghost? Fine. Shorty, I'll torture you to death slowly!" Zazan released her sharp killing intent without restraint, clearly targeting Yin Hu of the Zodiac Twelve.
"What terrifying killing intent. What powerful Nen. Though I don't want to admit it, this looks like it will be a hard fight. But there's no way I'll lose here." A trace of cold sweat appeared at Yin Hu's temples, but he had experienced many battles. Although Zazan might have been the strongest opponent he had encountered so far, assessing the situation and judging an opponent's strength were abilities every qualified Hunter had to possess. Though Yin Hu was essentially a brute, that didn't mean he was stupid.
The strengthened Zazan was very powerful. Squad Leaders all had excellent potential, so after her potential had been developed, Zazan's true strength was absolutely above Yin Hu's.
Meanwhile, led by Dark Shadow Tribe guards, Netero also arrived at the rooftop of Heaven's Arena, where Jed was waiting for him.
Before you continue