"How about a VIP package?"
At the bottom of the cave.
Leorio was on the verge of passing out.
Luo Ye's outrageous pitch came out of nowhere, jolting him so hard he nearly sat straight up.
Bro, I've been stung so badly my head looks like a pig's.
And you're pitching me a deal?
At a time like this?
"That's right. VIP."
Luo Ye crouched at the cave entrance, wearing the professional fake smile of an insurance salesman with dismal sales figures.
"Since we're buddies, I'll give you the insider rate. Your number badge serves as the down payment. Our studio will handle that girl, take her badge, and carry you out safely. Full service. How about it? Fair prices for all ages."
"Are you insane?"
Killua yanked Luo Ye back, snarling under his breath.
"Is this really the time for that? It's swarming with bees down there! How are you planning to get down?"
"Didn't I just explain?"
Luo Ye pointed at himself with an innocent expression.
"I go down, take a few stings, and wait for my body to adapt to the venom. Problem solved, right?"
"What do you think this is? Eating and drinking?"
Kurapika was dumbfounded. The plan was absurd.
"Bee venom isn't an ordinary toxin. In large quantities, it can directly cause nerve paralysis and cardiac arrest! Just look at Leorio!"
"That's because his body isn't professional enough."
Luo Ye said it with complete conviction.
"But I'm a professional."
He looked down at the petite figure surrounded by bees.
"Look, Ponzu's only trump card is her bees."
"If we try smoking them out or something, she'll definitely notice. If she gets desperate and lashes out, Leorio will be in danger."
"So the most direct, effective approach is to make the weapon she's proudest of completely useless, right before her eyes."
Luo Ye wore the smile of someone who lived for a good spectacle, equal parts madness and confidence.
"I'll make her see for herself that her precious bees can't hurt me. Once someone's trump card gets exposed, their psychological defenses crumble."
"Then whether we fight or make peace, negotiate or pass judgment, we'll be the ones calling the shots."
Killua and Kurapika fell silent.
The plan was insane.
But logically speaking, it really was their best way out of the current predicament.
"But..."
Gon's face was full of worry.
"Are you really going to be okay?"
"Relax."
The look in Luo Ye's eyes reassured him.
"Don't forget. I'm a monster."
With that, before the three could object again, he leaped.
His body shot straight into the depths of the cave like a cannonball.
"Hey!"
"Luo Ye!"
Their cries were instantly swallowed by a tremendous buzzing.
Inside the cave, Ponzu jumped at the unexpected intruder.
Then she got a clear look at him.
It was the black-haired boy who had stood out during the Hunter Exam.
She had only one thought: attack.
"Killer bees! Attack!"
In an instant, the dark swarm found an outlet.
They surged toward Luo Ye, blotting out everything.
"Luo Ye! Dodge!"
Leorio shouted with the last of his strength.
Luo Ye didn't dodge.
Instead, he spread his arms as though embracing the sky.
A smile of enjoyment rested on his face.
Here it comes. The luxury spa treatment starts now.
The next second, the black swarm engulfed him completely.
"It's over..."
Leorio closed his eyes in despair.
At the cave entrance, Gon's heart leaped into his throat as he stared fixedly below.
Killua and Kurapika were nervous, but forced themselves to stay calm.
They needed to see for themselves exactly what Luo Ye meant by "professional."
Within the swarm, countless stingers carrying potent paralytic venom mercilessly pierced Luo Ye's skin.
[Stinging pain accompanied by numbness] [Neurotoxin invasion] [Analyzing toxin composition] [Structural analysis complete] [Body cells beginning to produce corresponding antibodies] [Adaptive Evolution System activated]
A stream of information flashed through his mind.
At first, there was piercing pain and dizziness.
Soon, the pain became an itch.
Then even the itch disappeared.
In its place came a warm, soothing sensation.
His body was frantically absorbing the toxins and converting them into fuel for its own evolution.
Bzzzz!
The swarm grew restless.
Why was this human still fine after so many stings?
Ponzu's icy expression shifted to bewilderment.
She decided to intensify the assault, driving even more bees to attack.
But it was all in vain.
About a minute later.
The swarm enveloping Luo Ye began to stir.
Then it fell into chaos.
Finally, with a rush, it scattered in every direction.
The bees no longer dared approach.
Something about this human's presence filled them with instinctive terror.
The dust cleared.
Luo Ye's figure appeared before them again.
He still stood in the same spot, his posture unchanged.
Only now, stingers covered his body in a dense mass.
He rolled his neck, producing a sharp crack.
Then he casually plucked a stinger from his face and stuck it in his mouth to pick his teeth.
"Tastes pretty good. Sweet."
He looked at the deathly pale Ponzu and grinned.
"Got any more? Keep them coming."
Ponzu was stunned.
Leorio was stunned.
At the cave entrance, Killua, Kurapika, and Gon were all stunned.
The entire cave was deathly silent.
Only one thought remained in everyone's mind.
This guy was a complete and utter lunatic.
A freak.
A monster.
"Y-you... what exactly are you?"
Ponzu's voice trembled.
Her trump card, her greatest source of confidence, had become a joke before him.
"Me?"
Luo Ye walked toward Ponzu, one step at a time.
The terrified bees scattered, clearing a path for him.
"I'm just a concerned citizen passing through."
He stopped in front of Ponzu.
He pointed at Leorio, who lay a short distance away.
"My friend has his eye on your number badge."
Then he pointed at himself.
"And I've got my eye on your friend's number badge."
"No, wait. I've got enough points."
He scratched his head, looking like a man with so much business on his plate that he couldn't keep track.
"Come on. Let's make a deal."
The smile of a crooked merchant returned to Luo Ye's face.
"You give your number 246 badge to my dying friend over there."
"Then give my blond friend any one-point badge you picked up while hunting."
He pointed at Kurapika at the cave entrance.
"In exchange, we guarantee your safety for the rest of your time on this island."
"No one will bother you again."
"What do you say? Two badges you can't hold on to in exchange for absolute safety. That's one hell of a bargain."
Before you continue