Something Fishy X Treasure X Card

The splattered blood gradually cooled, and the black-clad man's corpse lay scattered on the gravel ground, the air thick with the stench of blood.

Il slumped down in a pool of blood, half his cheek soaked with warm, dripping blood, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Although the lightning-infused attack from the Nue hadn't killed him, the shockwave still shattered several of his ribs, and excruciating pain continued to radiate from his chest throughout his body.

"Go back and tell Grey Elder that I will personally visit him in three days."

Jiang Ye's voice fell coldly, like a block of ice crashing heavily into Il's heart.

Il dared not utter another word. At this moment, his life was completely in the other party's hands, and any further argument would only lead him to suffer the same fate as his subordinates.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing the churning pain in his chest, and, bracing himself against the cold ground, scrambled away from the corpse-strewn clearing, not even daring to look back.

Only when Il's figure completely disappeared around the corner of the scrap heap, and the sound of fleeing footsteps could no longer be heard, did Gray Beak frown and step forward.

He looked in the direction Il had fled, his tone hesitant.

"Alliance Leader, are we just going to let him go like this?"

"Once they return, they will surely report everything that happened here to Grey Elder, which is tantamount to revealing all our trump cards."

Jiang Ye's gaze fell on the reinforced cargo container that had been occupied by Grey Elder's men.

The Nue suppressed the crackling purple lightning around its body, its enormous wings drooping gently. Beneath its grayish-white skeletal mask, its yellow vertical pupils stared indifferently at the corpse on the ground.

"The Grey Elder had always harbored a desire to test him."

Jiang Ye spoke calmly and slowly.

"Since he wants to test me, then I'll let him test me to the very end."

"If we kill Il today, it will only tear off the mask of civility and force him to act prematurely, regardless of the consequences."

"Letting him go now will give Grey Elder a proper reply, allowing him to carefully consider his options. I will personally visit him in three days."

After saying that, Jiang Ye strode forward and walked straight toward the enclosed cargo container.

Upon seeing this, Gray Beak immediately waved to his men to properly dispose of the bodies at the scene. At the same time, he re-established sentry posts and sealed off the entire area to prevent unauthorized personnel from approaching.

The heavy steel hatch was pushed open again, revealing traces of the battle that had taken place during the taming of the Nue. The floor was covered with shallow scratches and marks from the impact.

Jiang Ye stepped into the cabin, looked around, and the doubts in his heart lingered.

He simply couldn't understand why the Grey Elder would go to such lengths, even sending his elite men to forcibly seize such an abandoned cargo container.

Within the waste zone of District 13, there are countless similar abandoned enclosed compartments. With Grey Elder's current power as the acting elder, he could easily mobilize any of them, so there was no need for him to specifically come and fight for the one he had chosen.

There must be something fishy going on beneath this place for Grey Elder to risk escalating the conflict by sending people to seize it.

"I need to investigate what's going on."

Jiang Ye closed his eyes, releasing the senses that extended from the shadow.

Countless fine shadow threads, like a spider web, spread and seeped into the depths of the soil along the cracks in the cabin floor.

The shadow senses penetrate the steel plate and probes downwards into the thick layer of soil.

A moment later, Jiang Ye's eyelids suddenly lifted.

Underground!

Something strange is buried beneath the soil!

"Nue."

Jiang Ye turned to the side and gave the order in a deep voice.

With a low cry, the geese took to the air, changed direction, and crashed through the damaged access hatch on the top of the container, spiraling upwards to the open ground outside the container.

The strong, sharp claws gleamed with a cold, chilling light as they swung downwards with a sudden, powerful strike.

Sizzle!

The sharp claws forcefully ripped through the hard gravel and soil, sending large chunks of soil and gravel flying in all directions.

The soil was constantly being turned over, and a shallow pit was quickly dug bigger and bigger.

Not long after, a corpse, half-buried in the soil, was slowly revealed to the light of day.

The body had been buried for quite some time; the flesh had begun to decay, and the clothing was rotten and torn.

His body was covered with wounds of varying sizes and depths, crisscrossing each other, indicating that he had survived a brutal chase before his death. It was as if he had exhausted all his strength to escape to this place, but ultimately he still could not survive.

What concerned Jiang Ye the most was that a faint trace of spiritual energy still lingered on this decaying body, almost as if it would dissipate at any moment.

That aura was extremely faint; if it had been a few days later, it would have completely dissipated into the world.

Without a doubt, the deceased was a Nen user!

It remains unknown what enemies he had offended, that he was relentlessly pursued, and that he ultimately perished and was buried here.

Jiang Ye walked slowly to the edge of the pit, squatted down, and carefully examined the remains.

He reached out, brushed aside the decaying, tattered cloth covering the corpse, and began rummaging through the surrounding soil for belongings.

Fingertips groped in the soil and soon touched a pile of hard, smooth objects.

One by one, polished gemstones, gold nuggets, and sealed Jenny coins were pulled from the soil.

The gemstones refracted a dazzling luster under the hazy skylight, and the heavy precious metal felt substantial in the hand.

After a quick glance, Jiang Ye made a rapid mental estimate.

The initial estimate of the value of this treasure is that it has reached tens of millions of Jenny!

Ten million Jenny is an enormous sum of money for the Rust Remains Alliance, whose foundation is not yet fully consolidated. It is enough to purchase a large number of weapons and supplies and support a large number of its men.

Jiang Ye's first thought was that this person must be a thief.

He used his Nen Ability to commit thefts and crimes, but his identity was eventually exposed and he was hunted down by his enemies. With nowhere to go, he died in this wasteland, and his treasure was buried underground with him.

Thinking of this, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on Jiang Ye's lips.

This unexpected windfall came at just the right time.

He raised his hand and waved it, causing shadows to surge beneath his feet, which then stored the pile of gems and gold nuggets in his Shadow Space.

Jiang Ye didn't stop there; he continued to reach out and search the soil beside the remains.

Soon, his fingertips touched a hard, flat object, resembling the outline of a card.

He held his breath and pulled the thing out of the damp soil.

The soil crumbled away, revealing the card's original appearance.

When Jiang Ye saw the object's shape, surface texture, and the number engraved in the corner, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The card's design, the engraved markings, and the unique numbering format perfectly matched the objects described in the original work in his memory.

Hunter License!

Hunters are a special profession that runs throughout the entire Hunter x Hunter world; only by passing the brutal Hunter Exam can one obtain a license.

Holding Hunter License grants access to numerous privileges that place them above ordinary citizens.

Even without exercising official authority, simply auctioning the license on the black market could fetch an astonishingly high price.

The previous guess was instantly and completely overturned.

The owner of the body was not a thief.

In his lifetime, he was a bounty hunter!

These treasures, worth tens of millions of Jenny, are very likely spoils of war that he seized from wanted criminals after completing bounty missions and killing their targets.

Jiang Ye Hunter License covered in mud in his hand, his smile growing wider.

Even if you can't use the official hunter privileges corresponding to this license, it's still extremely useful.

You can choose to put it on the black market for auction, where it can fetch a price even higher than the pile of treasure you just dug up.

In special circumstances, it can also be used to disguise one's identity and create a deterrent effect by using the hunter's name.

Jiang Ye wiped the dirt off the Hunter License and carefully stored it in his Shadow Space.

At this moment, Jiang Ye understood everything that had happened.

Why would Grey Elder risk provoking conflict to forcibly seize this container space?

He must have discovered the secrets buried beneath this land through some intelligence channels.

This enclosed, reinforced container is not an ordinary, abandoned shipping container at all.

It is highly likely that this was the burial place that the bounty hunter himself constructed using his Nen Ability before his death.

He used all his strength to create this enclosed space, hoping that his body would not be wantonly trampled and desecrated by the scavengers of Meteor City after his death.

Despite all the planning, in the end, they still couldn't escape being discovered.

Jiang Ye gently exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly stood up.

The treasure and Hunter License have all been properly stored away.

The deceased is gone, and their belongings should belong to them, but their body should not be left exposed in an open pit to be defiled by dust and wild animals.

He planned to move the remains to a quiet and secluded place for reburial, and then simply erect a stone tablet to give the bounty hunter who died here a final moment of dignity.

Jiang Ye reached out and gently supported the body's shoulders and back, preparing to move the remains out of the pit.

But at the very moment his body was slightly lifted up...

Bite!

A soft, crisp metallic clang rang out.

An antique-style ring slipped from the deceased's finger, rolled down into the mud and gravel, and lay quietly at the bottom of the pit.