Chapter 128: Netero's Choice
If that mysterious man was Mord...
That meant the aura I sensed from him felt even more terrifying than Chairman Netero's. Could I really surpass him in this lifetime?
For the first time, these two previously unyielding troublemakers found such thoughts arising in their hearts.
...
Within NGL territory.
Chairman Netero stood atop a high mountain, squinting as he gazed into the distance at the towering Chimera Ant Nest.
"Hmm..."
"The situation doesn't look too good."
"That guy... seems stronger than me?"
Knuckle, standing nearby, knew his chairman well. He adjusted his glasses and said, "Stronger than you? That's quite the exaggeration. If that were truly the case, no Hunter would be able to subdue him."
"Hohoho..." Netero chuckled twice, then spoke with complete seriousness. "Half a century ago, I might have been the strongest Nen user, but time waits for no one. Now I'm probably about equal to you two."
"That's still incredibly powerful. Please have some confidence in yourself," Knuckle responded.
"Ah, my current strength isn't even half of what it was in my prime. I really don't want to grow old," Netero sighed dramatically.
Watching the old man's expressive display, Knuckle felt speechless internally.
This part of him remained unchanged—never one to mince words.
As Netero's most trusted subordinates, the three shared a deep bond and understood each other well.
Morel laughed, "But we still have to fight, don't we?"
"I'd prefer to avoid it if possible. The simplest solution would be best, since our target is only the Queen," Netero said, looking at the irregular circle emitting evil energy in the distance. "But getting through that circle's surveillance will be difficult."
"I'm afraid combat is unavoidable."
"What's your take, Kite?" Netero suddenly turned to look behind them.
It took Morel and Knuckle a moment to react before they turned around to see a figure rapidly approaching their location.
With a few swift movements, the figure reached the hillside where Netero and the others stood.
"Chairman," Kite greeted with a bow.
"Tell us—you're the only one here who's actually fought the Chimera Ants. Share your perspective," Netero said.
Kite recalled that night's battle and Shaiapouf's terrifying half-human, half-ant face, his expression turning grave.
"Currently, we have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news."
Kite didn't beat around the bush, continuing directly: "The good news is that all Chimera Ants below the Royal Guards—including Squadron Leaders and team captains—have been completely eliminated."
"Was it done by that mysterious man Gon mentioned?" Netero asked.
Kite nodded. "It's someone you know, Chairman. His name is Mord—a One-Star Hunter in the Association."
Hearing Kite's words, a flicker of surprise flashed in Netero's eyes, but he quickly returned to normal. Stroking his goatee, he chuckled and said, "So it's that kid? Why didn't he come with you? Didn't I hear from Gon and the others that you went looking for him?"
"Mord likely has his own considerations, but he did say he would intervene when the time is right," Kite shook his head as he spoke.
"I see."
Netero looked at Kite and said, "As Ging's disciple, I trust your judgment. Based on your close observation from fighting the Royal Guards, speak freely without holding back..."
"How do I compare to the three Royal Guards you encountered?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an incredibly terrifying aura erupted from Netero's body.
Facing Netero's palpable aura, sweat beaded on Kite's forehead as he thought:
"As expected of the one called the strongest. How formidable—the Chairman's meticulously honed aura is as sharp as needles."
After a moment of silence, Kite spoke: "If facing just one Royal Guard, the Chairman would likely prevail. But two had already emerged days ago, and we don't know if the third has appeared yet."
Kite's meaning was clear—while victory was possible one-on-one, the enemy had three fighters of similar strength to Chairman Netero.
"Heh heh heh, excellent!"
Unlike Knuckle and Morel's grim expressions, Netero actually laughed joyfully upon hearing Kite's words.
Had Kite's assessment been that the Royal Guards were unimpressive, Netero would have lost interest in the King's emergence and would have immediately gone to exterminate the ants.
But now the situation was completely different. With the Royal Guards possessing such strength, what level must the King who surpassed them achieve?
Netero's anticipation grew stronger.
"To still be a challenger at my age—this truly sets my blood boiling."
"Morel, Knuckle, your disciples should be arriving in NGL soon. Go meet up with them first."
"What about you, Chairman? Are you planning to charge into the Chimera Ant Nest alone..." Morel spoke up.
Netero waved his hand and turned to leave.
"No, I'm just going to visit an old friend."
Besides visiting the Zoldyck Family to find Maha Zoldyck, he had another equally important task—to adjust himself to peak condition.
In this regard, Netero and Tsezguerra were similar.
The only difference was their reasons for doing so.
Netero's reason was sheer loneliness.
"Chairman, what should we do then?" Morel called out loudly.
Netero didn't answer. After a few flickering movements, he had already disappeared from their sight.
Originally, even with all three Royal Guards present, the four of them could have had three members engage the guards while the free member went to eliminate the Chimera Ant Queen.
Though risky, this plan was entirely feasible.
But now with Chairman Netero abruptly leaving, charging into the Chimera Ant Nest with just their remaining strength would be suicidal.
"Enemies!"
Just then, Kite suddenly called out.
Morel and Knuckle detected them simultaneously.
Knuckle frowned and spoke, "Didn't you say all the soldier ants were eliminated?"
"Could there be some that slipped through the net?" Kite said uncertainly. After all, that day he had only seen the ground littered with ant corpses in the Chimera Ant Nest, without verifying the matter thoroughly.
It was possible that some soldier ants happened to be away from the nest that day.
Although there was indeed one soldier ant that defied its biological instincts and didn't obey the Chimera Ant Queen's command to return to the nest, that particular ant had already quietly left the NGL territory by now.
What Kite and the others had discovered were the ant warriors created by Shaiapouf and the others.