Kite's moves were swift and decisive. He led Gon and Killua to the NGL because he realized that the Chimera Ants could become a threat that could not be ignored. If they didn't stop them in time, or if they didn't provide the Hunters Association with complete information, the consequences would be catastrophic. In short, they couldn't afford to waste any time.
"Since Menchi told you, that means Oboro must be in the NGL. Pariston's assessment of him is correct," Kite said. "Oboro wants to use the Chimera Ants for something. As for going to the Dark Continent, that's just a cover. Although Oboro is extremely ambitious and acts on his own, he made a promise to the President and won't go back on his word. He's very trustworthy in that respect."
Sitting in the car on the way to NGL, Kite replayed the scene of his conversation with his master in his mind. That is, Ging Freecss.
"The Chimera Ant incident is strange, I can now vaguely guess why he repeatedly refused to join the Twelve Zodiacs," Ging said in a deep voice. "If the ant issue is not handled properly, the president may be in danger."
"How about I contact Menchi again?"
"No need. She won't tell you any more," Ging continued. "The Chimera Ants were not created by Oboro. He doesn't have that kind of ability. This matter required very long-term planning. In his early years, Oboro was busy with the power struggles of the Fells family and the Island of Heroes, including training the strength of his team members".
"But he must know the truth!" Dragon insisted.
Ging warned, "Be careful. The danger of this mission could kill you!"
Dragon nodded.
"But don't worry too much. I have helped you to develop your ability, it suits your personality very well and can be crucial in critical moments. If a deadly threat really arises," Ging patted Kite's shoulder. "You won't die in the absolute sense anyway, be careful."
"I understand."
Kite changed his tone, "You're not going?"
What he meant was that since it concerned the president and involved Oboro, the future of the association was uncertain. And if Ging had always wanted to stop Oboro, this trip to the NGL was the perfect opportunity.
"This matter is predetermined and cannot be changed. Compared to confronting Oboro directly, what I have to do now is to find the president," Ging said while scratching his head. "Besides, it's not appropriate for me to meet with Gon now."
"Will you persuade the President not to interfere in this matter?"
Dragon guessed.
"No."
Ging shook his head. "At the moment, the general trend is set. This situation cannot be reversed by me alone V5 will definitely have follow-up orders, unfortunately"
"The old man must act, the more effective means to deal with Oboro is always in the next step, not in the present."
After giving some more instructions, Kite watched his master leave.
The memory faded and Kite regained him concentration in the car. He glanced at Gon and Killua sitting next to him, but him attention was mainly on Gon.
During this time, the two young hunters had followed him on missions, which had allowed Kite to see their unique talents. Since Gon was his master's son, he didn't mind helping him grow. Besides, when he met Ging, he didn't express many concerns about Gon, which meant that Ging had tacitly agreed to let Gon come to NGL for training, and still allowed him to go forward.
Even he might die, not to mention the two boys.
But if one wanted to become a truly outstanding hunter, this step was necessary.
Kite had not told Killua and Gon that Oboro might be in the NGL, and their meetings with Menchi were quite secret and unknown to outsiders.
The atmosphere in the car was somewhat solemn. Even the mischievous Killua looked more serious, and Gon clenched his fists as if he didn't want to be held back by Kite.
By now, both of them fully understood the horror of the Chimera Ants.
It was a bit strange, though: Where did Kite suddenly get this information from?
After a long time, the car stopped outside the border. Kite and the others went through a series of procedures and finally entered the NGL.
Soon after, without staying too long and after settling some team matters, Kite took Killua and Gon and set off. After all, the three of them were Hunters, and they needed to conduct this frontline investigation themselves.
A few days later, the three of them entered the territory of the Chimera Ants. They were certain that it was the territory of the ants because a large number of nearby villages had been attacked, left in ruins, and deserted for a long time.
The three of them moved cautiously, maintaining their formation.
"Hm?"
Dragon, who was walking ahead of them, suddenly frowned. A rotting corpse appeared in the forest in front of them, and it was not a human corpse.
It was a soldier ant of the Chimera Ant species, and it seemed to have been dead for some time.
"Careful," Kite warned in a low voice. He approached slowly, crouched down and examined the ant's remains. "There are no wounds on the surface of the body. It doesn't seem to have been killed by an external attack."
"There are more over here!" Killua looked around, his expression changing slightly as he pointed to the bushes not far away. Sure enough, in a corner of the bushes, another ant lay dead in the same way.
Unlike the human's body structure and flesh, the ant's body had begun to decompose, though some signs of its former life could still be observed relatively slowly.
"Oh my God!" Gon, who had followed, didn't have time to take a closer look at the ant's corpse when Killua, who had already raised his head, spotted something and couldn't help but exclaim.
Kite followed behind them. The three of them looked towards a clearing in the forest a few dozen meters away.
Then they looked across the grass and saw corpses scattered across the ground, all of them the rotting remains of Chimera ants.
What happened here? Who did this?
"They've been dead for a while," Kite, with his waist-length white hair, narrowed his eyes and had an idea in mind.
Ging had told him that Oboro's ability was connected to the soul!
Kite couldn't think of anyone else but Oboro who had such strength and could kill so many ants.
"That's a lot, how many are there?" Gon wondered.
Gon and Killua came to their senses and hurried to catch up with Kite, who had run ahead of them. The deeper they went into the jungle, the more dead ants appeared before them, shocking the two youngsters.
It felt like there had been a war of extermination against the Chimera ants here.
Killua pinched his nose, not wanting to smell the stench, and looked at Kite. "This was done by the NGL army?"
"No, it was one person," Kite said calmly.
A person?
Killua suddenly had a realization and felt goose bumps all over his body. The first person he thought of was Oboro.
He also knew something about Oboro's abilities.
Moreover, after this period of growth, his experience in carrying out missions had increased rapidly.
The deaths of the Chimera Ants were strange, as if their souls had been ripped from their bodies.
"Oboro, is he here too?" Killua asked immediately.
However, Kite did not give a direct answer, but answered obliquely: "From the current situation, some unpredictable factors have appeared in the Chimera Ants' territory, making everything uncertain. We don't even know what situation the Chimera Ants are in now, so our investigations and plans must be more cautious, and you two must stay close to me at all times!"
"Yes," Killua and Gon replied in unison.
"Hey Killua, do you think Mr. Oboro is really here?" After saying that, Gon looked at Kite's back and whispered to Killua.
"It looks a lot like his ability, and if it's one person, I can't think of anyone else but him," Killua replied with a voice as quiet as a mosquito's, his mouth half covered.
This made Gon's eyes suddenly brighten with understanding.