Joey and Pokkle

Joey had no objection to sharing some information. Although he knew a great deal, there was little he could actually tell them.

What mattered more was figuring out how to slip his own agenda into that information, so Pokkle and the others would consider taking him with them-or simply getting their whole group out of NGL as soon as possible.

After all, unless something unexpected happened, these people would most likely die tomorrow.

If Joey wanted to live, he had to find a way to steer them off course or find an opportunity to part ways with them.

Still, they had already seen the Chimera Ants, so they had probably started forming ideas of their own.

Joey felt rather helpless about that. Clearly, the moment Pokkle and the others were unexpectedly drawn over by his fight with the Chimera Ants, events had already diverged from the original story.

In the original, they were supposed to encounter the Chimera Ants tomorrow, then be wiped out while preparing to flee.

Joey had already mentally prepared himself for something like this, but he had never expected it to happen so quickly.

As he understood it, as long as he did not die before meeting a character from the manga, the moment he encountered someone involved in the plot, future events would begin to diverge from the original story!

If the plot continued to unfold exactly as it had in the manga despite his presence, Joey would have to wonder whether some cosmic will or deus ex machina would erase him in NGL without him even realizing it.

The appearance of Pokkle and the others also served as a reminder: the place Joey had been heading toward was probably the main base where Zaiyilo was located in the manga.

Based on what Joey knew, and the slightly more precise timeline he had established after meeting Pokkle and the others, that base should have been occupied by the centaur-like Chimera Ant.

A battle might very well have already broken out at the base!

If Joey kept rushing toward it as he had before, his chances of encountering Chimera Ants would only keep rising.

If he were alone, his best option would be to head over, hide some distance away from the base, and monitor the Chimera Ants while waiting for Kite and the others to arrive.

With Kite around, Joey felt he would at least be safe until Neferpitou came looking for them.

But how was he supposed to explain any of that to Pokkle now?

"We should get out of here as soon as possible. That explosion made quite a commotion. There might still be monsters nearby."

The man with thick, gray-white eyebrows, one of the two hangers-on, spoke up.

No one objected. After working out roughly what was happening at the base, Joey was all the more inclined to abandon the idea of going there. After all, Pokkle and the others knew the location of the checkpoint that would let them leave NGL.

Pokkle was young, but he had the makings of a leader. Yet he chose to lead everyone back to the earlier battle site, where he collected a few pieces of the Chimera Ant remains and put them in a cloth bag.

Joey was speechless at this. "If all you want is information or proof that there are unknown insects here, you can take photos of these bodies. There's no need to carry them with you. The smell of blood will draw enemies, and there are a lot of insects around here."

As he spoke, Joey took out his phone and handed it to Pokkle, then pointed in the direction he had come from.

"There are more bodies over there. Humans, insects, you name it. You can find weapons and equipment too, but I'd advise you not to waste time on things like that. What matters most right now is getting out of this area."

Pokkle's eyes lit up, and he reached out to take the phone. Who would collect pieces of corpses if they had another option?

They had undergone a strict body search before entering NGL. Never mind technological devices like phones-even silicone products or dentures could not be brought into NGL.

"Are there a lot of these insects?" Pokkle looked through the phone, then handed it to Ponzu beside him. Apparently, the virtually empty phone had disappointed him a little.

Ponzu nodded and quickly left with the other two, while Pokkle turned a serious gaze on Joey.

"A lot. It wasn't just one village that was attacked. When I left, I also saw swarms of flying insects carrying off a lot of people.

"And haven't you noticed that these insects look a little human? They have intelligence, and there are stronger individuals among them too."

Joey held little back, telling Pokkle everything he had seen and heard.

"Sounds like things are pretty serious." Pokkle frowned deeply, but he seemed hesitant.

Clearly, encountering a Chimera Ant just once-one that had been easily killed, at that-had not made him afraid of them.

"But if we could gather more information, or even find their nest, that should be quite an achievement.

"Besides, we aren't the only team that came to NGL this time. If we could join forces..."

As Joey listened to Pokkle seemingly mutter to himself, though his words were clearly meant for him, he sighed inwardly. In Pokkle's eyes, he saw a gleam he had once known well: desire!

Perhaps only despair would make Pokkle understand how terrifying the Chimera Ants were and choose to withdraw.

From Pokkle's perspective, though, this was not an unwise choice. The two simply had unequal access to information, and Pokkle would not take Joey's words as absolute truth. He would only use them as a reference.

This was proof not only of his distrust of Joey, but also of his greater faith in his own strength and judgment.

It also reflected Pokkle's desires and ambitions, as well as his resolve and confidence as a Hunter.

"Go to the base. It's probably under attack right now." Joey stopped trying to persuade him and took the map from inside his clothes, handing it to Pokkle. If he wanted to experience despair, Joey would give him despair.

As for getting a map from Pokkle and setting off alone, Joey had considered it, but he knew it was unrealistic.

Pokkle would not give him a map, because he was still useful to their team. Besides, Joey's condition would not allow him to travel alone under the current circumstances.

Pokkle first nodded, then shook his head.

He explained that they needed to return to the camp they had hurriedly left earlier, since there were still belongings there they needed to take with them.

Before long, Ponzu and the others returned. They gave Joey his phone back, as they had picked up some other phones.

Judging by the weapons they were carrying, they had not forgotten to loot the battlefield while gathering information.

Their expressions were grim, however. Clearly, the gruesome scene of the battle between humans and Chimera Ants had stirred some fear in them.

Pokkle then went to take a look himself, which delayed them a little longer.

But once they returned, they did not choose to leave and head back to the checkpoint as Joey had hoped. Instead, they planned to contact the other teams and explore farther in together.

No amount of good advice could dissuade someone bent on dying. Joey understood that, so he quietly followed the group, his mind filling with thoughts.