A threat from Kite

Ponzu sighed beside them.

But no one noticed that, just as the bullet grazed Bugs Bunny, Killer Queen abruptly pressed his thumb down.

King!

A strange, faintly ethereal sound rang out as the button was pressed.

At that sound, cracks suddenly appeared at Bugs Bunny's toes and spread all over his body.

The countless cracks widened as the flying figure grabbed his shoulders, and fire shone through them when Bugs Bunny raised his head to glare at Killua and Gon with a savage, hateful expression.

The flames tore through Bugs Bunny's body, making the expression on his face change rapidly.

Hatred, fury, and contorted features all vanished in an instant, leaving only fear and disbelief.

The silent explosion gave him no chance to make another face. Like a bright firework blooming in midair, it tore Bugs Bunny's body to pieces.

The Chimera Ant who had come to retrieve him felt the weight vanish from his feet. All that remained of Bugs Bunny was blood and a few scraps of flesh that had survived the explosion, scattering amid the flames.

Those scraps of flesh and blood all shared one trait: they still contained a considerable amount of life energy.

As they fell, that life energy gradually dissipated without its host.

The hard-shelled Chimera Ant, with his garlic-shaped head and enormous snowy wings, furrowed his brow.

He glanced at his unharmed feet, then at the six people on the ground, before ascending and flying away without lingering.

On the ground, the others wore a variety of expressions as they watched the Chimera Ant beat his wings rapidly and leave.

"Our opponent was very clever. He sent a subordinate to fight us first and test our strength. If not for Joey's final attack, the Chimera Ant we hit might have escaped.

"When did you notice him?"

Kite's gaze swept over Killer Queen and the pistol in Joey's hand before settling on Joey's eyes.

"I didn't notice him, but none of the Chimera Ants I've encountered were alone."

Joey gave the answer he had prepared long ago, though it was also genuinely based on the experience he had accumulated along the way.

There were Chimera Ants who broke that pattern. The gun-wielding Chimera Ant who enjoyed torturing his victims to death and Gido, who came and went like the wind, were both loners.

But aside from those two, most of the Chimera Ants Joey had seen appeared in groups.

So from the outset, he had assumed the worst: that an unknown Chimera Ant was hiding nearby.

Whether his guess was right or not, leaving himself enough means to counter that possibility could hardly be a mistake.

Especially since Joey could think of no way Bugs Bunny could escape being surrounded by Kite and the others unless he had backup.

In contrast to Joey's serious expression, Gon and Killua looked somewhat dejected.

"Are you coming?" Kite suddenly asked, turning his gaze back to the two of them.

"What?" Gon and Killua clearly hadn't caught on.

"Your attacks and decisions earlier weren't bad enough to warrant getting discouraged. From here, it's a matter of how much experience you can accumulate.

"If you want to learn to stand on your own, this is the ideal training ground. But with ordinary nerves, you probably won't make it even one step. Win or lose, our destination will be hell."

Kite's face was utterly serious. His gaze then shifted to Joey. "What about you, Joey?"

"Huh?"

Joey had been wondering whether he should find an excuse to stop Kite from taking Gon and Killua along. He hadn't expected Kite to drag him into it too.

"I can't do it."

Joey instantly chickened out without the slightest hesitation.

Everything he had done from the beginning until now had been for the sake of leaving NGL as soon as possible. Knowing full well that a massive pitfall lay ahead, he wouldn't dare jump into it with them even if they beat him to death.

After all, being beaten to death would at least leave his corpse intact. If he died inside NGL, that pig-headed creature might well roll him into meatballs.

Besides, Joey knew his own limits. Forget fighting-even when it came to running, his speed wasn't fit to lick the boots of Kite and the other two.

He couldn't exactly expect Kite and the others to stop and wait for him!

"I know you can't, but you won't make it to the border."

Kite didn't seem to know the meaning of tact, and the second half of his statement struck Joey right where it hurt.

"Why? I'm a citizen of NGL! With such a horrific massacre happening in this country, am I supposed to stay here and wait to die?"

Joey grew agitated, and this time he wasn't acting.

But Kite remained as expressionless as ever. "It's precisely because you're a citizen of this country that you can't leave. Of course, if you intend to remain in the Narcotics Organization, that's another matter."

Looking at Kite, Joey wanted to ask, Is that 'another matter' of yours really legitimate?

If I so much as say I still want to be a 'salaryman,' won't you put me down the very next second?

"So the checkpoint will detain me!"

Joey caught on, and the identification belonging to Yoshikage Kira in his wallet flashed through his mind.

In truth, he already knew the answer when he asked.

The oral narcotic D2 was sold worldwide. NGL's extensive cultivation of Bira Trees would have been impossible without the major nations backing it.

The checkpoint restricted not only those entering NGL, but also those already inside it.

Joey had considered this before, but his thinking had been that, at worst, he would be arrested and thrown into prison.

He had Killer Queen. As far as he was concerned, breaking out wouldn't be difficult.

And even if someone tried to harm him during that time, he would have a chance to respond. That was still better than staying in the forest and risking his life against ants.

But now that he had encountered Kite, things had suddenly become much more complicated.

Even getting into prison safely seemed to have become a luxury he couldn't afford.

Joey was beginning to understand why. There seemed to be some secret about him that even he didn't know.

And Kite had discovered that secret-and intended to make use of it.

"That's right."

Kite's icy words shattered Joey's last hope, but also confirmed his suspicions.

"What am I supposed to do? At my current level, I can't help you at all. I'll only be a burden."

Joey knew his own limits very well, but he truly couldn't see what Kite might need him for.

"I need you to take us to the Narcotics Organization's base. There are records there of V5 funding the organization and concealing its existence in NGL."

Kite stated his terms.

Joey wanted to say he knew nothing about any records, but seeing how certain Kite was that he would know, he began to doubt himself.

"Why do you think I know about the records of the organization's communications with the higher-ups?"

Without concealing anything, Joey openly voiced his question.

"Because you're one of the liaisons."

Kite gave his answer as well.

Although that answer still left Joey utterly confused, he couldn't keep asking questions. Doing so would only reveal that something was wrong with him.

And right now, he absolutely couldn't afford to have anything wrong with him!

His identity as a member of the Narcotics Organization was his greatest vulnerability at present. Once he lost that identity as cover, an organization member like him, capable of controlling Killer Queen, would become nothing more than utter scum who needed to be exterminated in Kite's eyes.

Even though Kite hadn't released the slightest trace of killing intent, Joey could sense that clearly.

So there was only one thing he could do now: agree, then use the opportunity to secure some benefits for himself. Even a slight increase in his chances of surviving in NGL would be welcome.

But inwardly, he had already cursed the "salaryman" Yoshikage Kira more than once.

That damn bastard. Had he been deliberately keeping a low profile in the Narcotics Organization too?

But if he'd kept himself at the level of an organization liaison and still knew what was going on at the top, his position couldn't have been low. Had he kept himself in third place in the organization?

That would be fucking fantastic!