The airship's altitude fluctuated.
Sometimes lower, sometimes higher. When it descended slightly, the ground looked closer maybe forty meters.
Next was speed.
If he jumped while the airship was moving too fast, the horizontal force could break bones or worse.
He needed a moment where it slowed during a course correction, turbulence adjustment, or descent.
He noted everything.
Then he thought about landing.
"I need open ground," he decided.
He moved closer to an emergency exit area, pretending to read safety instructions posted on the wall.
He memorized the layout quickly.
The doors were sealed, but not impossible to open if forced.
Still, breaking a door would trigger alarms immediately.
Not ideal.
He needed subtlety.
Conrad returned to his seat and sat down again, activating Zetsu to stay unnoticed.
His thoughts sharpened.
Timing mattered most.
Security teams would first secure the crime scene, then isolate the area, then control passengers.
That gave him a window. Maybe not long but enough.
"I'll wait until they start descending," he thought.
"That's when altitude drops and attention shifts."
He checked his belongings under the seat.
The Red Diamond was wrapped carefully, concealed inside layers of fabric.
Conrad leaned back, closed his eyes, and waited.
He kept Ten active at a low level, strengthening his body quietly.
When the time came, he would move.
Outside, the land slowly grew larger as the airship adjusted its course.
Conrad opened his eyes.
"This is the right choice," he thought.
And now, he only needed the right moment.
A sharp tone echoed through the airship, followed by a calm voice coming from the speakers.
"Attention all passengers. Due to an unexpected situation, the airship will be making an emergency landing at the nearest city. Please return to your seats immediately and remain seated until further notice."
The message repeated once more.
"Landing location: Blueberry City."
"So they had noticed. Not just the gunfire, but the seriousness of it."
"Blueberry City..."
He searched his memory.
Nothing.
It wasn't mentioned in the original series, but that didn't matter.
The Hunter × Hunter world was massive.
Most places were never shown or named.
This was normal.
What mattered was intent.
"They're not going to Yorknew," Conrad thought. "They're stopping as fast as they can."
That confirmed everything.
Once they landed, the ship would be locked down.
Security would surround it.
Passengers would be questioned one by one.
Conrad exhaled slowly and kept his face neutral as people around him began to murmur.
Some looked confused.
Others nervous.
A few glanced around, clearly remembering the earlier gunshots.
He stayed seated for now.
"I can't wait for landing," he thought.
He didn't rush to stand up.
That would draw attention.
Instead, he waited for the initial wave of movement to settle.
Flight attendants were already walking the aisles, guiding people back to their seats, trying to maintain order.
This was the last calm moment he would get.
"I leave now," Conrad decided.
He checked the timing in his head.
Conrad activated Zetsu again, suppressing his presence completely.
Then he stood up naturally, as if heading to the restroom before being forced to stay seated for landing.
No one stopped him.
He moved calmly toward the rear section of the airship, blending in with a few late-moving passengers being ushered back by the crew.
He followed instructions just enough to avoid suspicion, then slipped into a quieter corridor when no one was looking.
His heart rate remained steady.
"I only need one chance," he thought.
The ship began to change angle slightly.
He could feel it in his balance. The engines adjusted, their tone lowering.
Outside the windows, the ground slowly grew closer.
Good.
Conrad paused near a side section, placing a hand lightly against the wall.
He focused on his body, reinforcing himself with Ten again. Not too much. Just enough.
"Now I wait," he thought.
The chance came sooner than Conrad expected.
The airship tilted again as it descended toward a small, modern-looking city.
Through the side windows, he could see orderly buildings, clean roads, and the wide open space surrounding the airport.
Security vehicles were already visible near the landing area.
This was it.
Conrad stood at the emergency exit, his posture calm but his mind sharp.
No one was nearby.
He activated Gyo and focused his Nen into his right leg and foot.
"Thirty meters," he thought. "I can do that."
Without hesitation, he kicked.
The emergency door burst outward with a sharp metallic crack, torn open by Nen-enhanced force. Cold air rushed in immediately, whipping against his clothes.
Alarms began to sound but they were already too late.
Conrad jumped.
The ground rushed up faster than expected.
For a brief moment, gravity took full control, his body dropping freely through the air.
His coat flared behind him as the wind roared past his ears.
He didn't panic.
Mid-fall, Conrad redirected his Nen.
He focused most of it into his legs calves, knees, thighs while spreading a thinner layer across the rest of his body.
His muscles tightened, reinforced by Ten, absorbing the force before it could fully form.
He adjusted his posture in the air, angling his body slightly forward.
Seconds later, he hit the ground.
His feet touched first, knees bending deeply as he let the impact flow through his body instead of resisting it.
He rolled instinctively, shoulder to back to side, dispersing the remaining force across the grass.
The landing was clean.
Conrad came to a stop on one knee, one hand pressed to the ground.
He stayed still for a moment, waiting for pain that never came.
He blinked.
"…I didn't feel anything."