All along, Knov and Morel's role in the extermination team had been to lure Chimera Ants out of their nest and deliver them to the chairman for him to eliminate.
From beginning to end, the two had barely encountered the Chimera Ants up close.
The only time they had observed one at close range was when they saw Neferpitou.
But then, both had been enveloped in Neferpitou's undisguised malice, leaving them unable to sense whether there was any humanity in Neferpitou at all.
Besides, that Nen, so terrifying it made them sick, hardly invited any association with humanity.
Discovering now that Chimera Ants actually retained human memories inevitably came as a shock.
The fluffy Chimera Ant, staring with round eyes, continued explaining to Morel, "Although we have memories, it varies from person to person. The personalities from our previous lives have a major influence on us.
"Some even remember their names from their previous lives, while others remember nothing at all, yet their bodies react in particular situations.
"In short, it's because of this that we can use language fluently to communicate with you."
None of this concerned Kite or Joey, because they had long since guessed that Chimera Ants might retain fragments of human memories.
Or rather, Joey had helped Kite fill in the gaps in his theory.
After all, they had encountered more than their share of Chimera Ants in NGL.
But most-indeed, arguably all-of the Chimera Ants they had encountered treated humans as food or toys.
Undeniably, some would gradually awaken memories of kindhearted humans, but their Chimera Ant nature still dominated their thinking.
Aggression and greed were the traits of Chimera Ants. Even with human memories and personalities mixed in, their biological instincts could not be erased.
Still, Kite was not the one in charge here, so he and Joey could only wait on the sidelines for Morel and Knov to decide.
Would they fight and wipe out all the remaining Chimera Ants, or do something else?
Morel drew the enormous pipe he carried on his back, swinging it until it came to rest beside Colt.
"Well, Colt, it's time to choose. Will you swear never to eat humans and wait for us to make arrangements for you, or fight me here and leave freely if you win?"
Colt's expression was full of bewilderment.
He existed for the Queen, but now that the Queen was dead, where was he supposed to go?
Before Colt could make his choice, some of the Chimera Ants waiting in the nest made theirs.
They quietly backed away. Clearly, even these Queen loyalists had begun yearning for freedom after losing their pillar of support.
But Kite had remained calm and present the entire time.
Crazy Slots appeared with a noisy clamor, displaying the number 4 in its mouth.
Bang! A smoking bullet hole appeared in the wall in the direction of the retreating Chimera Ants.
The gunshot startled everyone and drew every gaze to Kite, who had fired it.
"Give us your answer, Colt." Kite's voice was ice-cold, his eyes fixed firmly on Colt's.
In fact, looking at the situation as a whole, only a minority of the Chimera Ants had stayed.
Among them were just four Squadron Leaders: Colt, the Ox-Type Chimera Ant, the fluffy Chimera Ant, and a Koala Chimera Ant standing far away with a flask of liquor.
The rest were merely Chimera Ant soldiers. Although quite a few were Senior Soldier Ants, they still posed no threat to the group.
Most of the Chimera Ants had left, alone or in groups, after confirming that the Queen could no longer reproduce and that Meruem did not care about them at all.
The Squadron Leaders sought to establish themselves as kings, while the ordinary Soldier Ants mostly followed their instincts and scattered into NGL's jungles.
What would happen next in the Mitene Union of the Balsa Islands was plain to see.
The Hunters who had come for either the Chimera Ants or Joey would likely have their hands full in the days ahead.
As for the Hunter Association's earlier strength requirements for the extermination team, those had now become entirely meaningless.
The Chimera Ants would no longer confine themselves to NGL. The chairman and his two companions alone, even with Kite's team and Knuckle's pair added in, could not possibly handle so many scattered Chimera Ants.
So, in Joey's view, the best option now was to eliminate Colt and the others as quickly as possible, then join the extermination effort.
That was the only way to minimize casualties among the people of the neighboring countries during the Chimera Ant crisis.
"W-wait! There seems to be something else inside the Queen's abdomen."
One of the people conducting the examination suddenly cried out.
Colt spun around and followed the doctor's pointing finger. Inside the Queen's abdomen, he saw a thumb-sized life struggling desperately.
"Don't touch her! I'll do it. I'll take her out!" Colt raised a hand to stop everyone, stepped forward, and dug out the wriggling little life, cradling her in his palm.
She looked somewhat like a human infant, but with tiny furry ears and a long, hairless tail.
With her eyes tightly shut, she looked just like a hungry baby crying to be fed.
At that moment, everyone in the nest except Kite and Joey looked at the tearful Colt and the tiny life in his hands, feeling an indescribable shock mixed with a faint sense of relief.
"I'll protect this child. This time, I'll keep her safe, no matter what!" Colt knelt before the Queen's corpse, cradling the crying infant in both hands, tears already streaming down his face.
He had found another reason to live!
Morel moved his pipe. "Colt, can you guarantee that neither you nor this child will eat humans?
"If you can't, take that child and get out of my sight!
"If you're willing to swear it, then as long as I'm alive, no one will hurt either of you!"
Morel withdrew his pipe with a flourish, but tears were already pouring down his face.
Even though Joey had already watched this scene in the anime, seeing it happen now still left him baffled.
Couldn't Morel see that Colt and the child in his hands were both nonhuman?
Or had being moved by the scene made the Hunter's sympathy overflow?
Joey glanced at Kite and gave a slight nod.
"I can guarantee it," Colt answered.
Upon hearing that answer, Knuckle was already crying his eyes out, just like his master.
At that instant, especially here in this cave-a cave that still contained meatballs made from human beings!-two lines suddenly came to Joey's mind:
What an ironic, wondrous twist of fate!
Even villains need a savior for villains!
With Colt's promise and a new source of spiritual support, the remaining Chimera Ants abandoned any other thoughts and obediently followed the medical team toward the quarters that had already been prepared for them.
Kite, Joey, and Andrei did not follow.
"How long can you keep it going?" Kite suddenly asked after the main group had withdrawn.
"As long as I don't deliberately undo it. But you know the shortcomings of my ability, so I don't know what will happen in the future either." Joey did not spell it out, but Kite understood.
"That's enough. Let's leave the rest to the professionals!" The corners of Kite's mouth lifted slightly. His gaze swept over the nearby meatballs, taking on a hint of mockery.
"Professionals like Morel?" Andrei lit himself a cigarette. "He's a good Hunter, but I really can't commend such an impulsive way of doing things."
"But that decision was very much like Morel. Didn't you notice that Knov didn't object either? Perhaps the chairman has a plan too!" Kite looked into the distance.
Indeed, even the destination for the surrendered Chimera Ants had been arranged. Claiming the chairman had made no preparations would hardly hold water.
Besides, the handful of Squadron Leaders led by Colt truly did not pose much of a threat to humanity.
In any case, once they accepted the humans' arrangements, their lives would no longer be in their own hands.
But had the chairman anticipated the appearance of a "Chimera Ant infant" born through Gold Experience?
I felt these two chapters would be better read together, so I'm posting them together!
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