Chapter 401 - 401
The faint cries of the Chimera Ants outside made Morel realize that something significant had just occurred here.
"Earlier, a group of Chimera Ants decided that the Queen wouldn't survive and that the King didn't want them, so they planned to break away and establish their own territories."
"To prevent them from causing harm to humans, Jin and I shattered their dreams first."
Sensing the confusion from Knov and the others, Morin explained succinctly.
"Shattered their dreams."
Knov and Morel fell silent, listening to the wails. They understood what Morin meant.
However, nipping these potential threats in the bud was a good thing.
"Jin? Morin, where is Jin?!"
At this moment, Gon and Killua appeared before Morin. Gon, with his bright eyes wide open, eagerly asked Morin.
His gaze was filled with anticipation and longing.
"If there's no sign of Jin outside dealing with the Chimera Ants, then he's probably already left," Morin hadn't finished his sentence when Gon dashed out.
Killua followed closely behind Gon, chasing after him.
Netero was the last to leisurely exit Knov's dimensional apartment.
He merely glanced at the Ant Queen and sensed the multitude of ants within the nest before walking over to Colt.
"The Chairman truly has a youthful spirit despite his age."
Having observed Netero's actions and inquiry, Morin couldn't help but shake his head. He didn't step forward to say or stop anything.
He knew that with Netero's mindset, nothing could deter him from his resolve to challenge the Ant King.
Chairman Netero longed for a worthy opponent, and it had been far too long.
"This number is quite overwhelming, isn't it?"
After Netero left, Morel looked toward the other tunnels. The aura of the soldier ants inside made him furrow his brows.
"You should be grateful that these ants didn't follow their leaders to run amok; otherwise, the Six Continents would be in chaos," Knov paused, furrowing his brows as he spoke.
He then looked at Morel, who also glanced back. They exchanged a look, each seeing the same question in the other's eyes:
"So how do we handle this group of ants?"
These peculiar creatures were indeed perplexing.
In the past, there were newly discovered species, like rare beasts or magical creatures. Even with magical beasts, the Hunter Association had protocols for handling them.
But Chimera Ants? A unique species indeed.
Although there were creatures in the past that committed grave errors by consuming humans, none like the Chimera Ants, who could open their aura nodes and use Nen.
Previously, only humans could use Nen.
Now, there's the Chimera Ants, and in terms of physical abilities, talents, and other aspects, except for intelligence, they surpass humans in many ways. Thus, the issue of handling Chimera Ants was quite tricky for Morel and Knov.
As they furrowed their brows, Morel's specially designed phone suddenly rang.
A special message had arrived.
"Do we really have to do this?"
Morel's brows tightened instantly as he read the message on his phone, puffing on his pipe.
The message from the official Hunter Association number conveyed the will of the V5.
It didn't mention Meleoron, Peggy, or Colt. The summary was just one sentence:
"Eliminate all ants, leave none behind!"
The official Hunter Association number represented the will of the V5.
This meant that the Chimera Ants, along with the revived memories of Meleoron and the others, were known to the V5.
Yet, they still issued this order.
The word "all" naturally included Colt, Brovuta, and the others.
This left Morel feeling stifled.
This frustration was both emotional and work-related.
In Morel's view, Meleoron and Peggy, having awakened memories and personalities from their previous lives, could be treated as normal humans.
On a personal level, Meleoron and the others were victims. How could they be killed and consumed by Chimera Ants, only to face malice from humans again?!
From a professional standpoint, there were magical creatures like Beans and the Foxbear family serving the Hunter Association. Why couldn't Meleoron and Peggy do the same?!
The V5's decision left Morel dissatisfied.
Especially since he had reported even Hina, a Chimera Ant with the ability to exorcise Nen.
Exorcists are extremely rare and scarce worldwide.
The Hunter Association had only one exorcist, an elderly woman nearing the end of her life, who could barely exorcise any Nen.
And the Pudding Dog Ant looked so young. If she could truly become an exorcist...
---
Considering the Chimera Ants' insane growth potential, it's possible that once she matures, there won't be a Nen ability she can't exorcise. At that point, the Hunter Association might not need to worry about exorcists for decades!
For Morel, who is eager to see the association grow and thrive, this is a scenario he desperately wishes to see.
And now...
"I must meet Jin! The Ant King's ability! The more he consumes, the stronger he becomes!"
Not to mention that later, Zzudore, also known as Reina, recognized Colt as her human brother, Tarte, leading to a deeply moving reunion. The backstory was revealed to Knuckle and others, who were moved to tears once again, and Colt earnestly pleaded with Morel to allow him to take his sister to see their mother.
Morel, profoundly touched, readily agreed to Colt's request. However, due to their responsibilities, they would accompany Colt to the village. Naturally, they wouldn't interfere in the mother-son reunion.
As they all set off for the small village, leaving Shoot to contact the displacement-type ability user sent by the V5, Gon and Killua were hanging their heads, gathered with Morin at the nest's entrance.
"What's the matter? From the looks of it, you didn't find Jin?" Morin asked, noticing Gon's dejected demeanor.
"Yeah, we have no idea where he's gone," replied Killua instead of Gon. He placed his hands behind his head. "Not only Jin, but we also couldn't find Kite."
"But I guess Jin must have taken him for treatment," Killua speculated, confident that with Jin around, Kite would be fine.
Gon, however, was simply despondent from not finding the two, retreating into a shell. Morin didn't have much to say about it. This was a family matter for the Freecss family, and he wouldn't interfere much. He offered Gon a few words of comfort and left it at that.
Whether Jin wanted to see Gon or when they would meet was entirely up to Jin.
"I heard the Ant King left the nest with his three Royal Guards, looking for new territory," Morin said to Gon. "The Chimera Ant Extermination Squad will likely follow them."
"Morin, do you mean...?!"
Gon looked up, staring directly at Morin.
"Yeah, that guy Jin will probably go along too. If you continue with the operation, you might meet Jin."
Morin paused. "Of course, I'm only saying it's possible. I can't guarantee anything."
"Moreover, you've felt the strength of the Royal Guards up close. I can only say that wasn't their full power. And the Ant King is even stronger than all three combined."
"If you come along, with your current abilities, there's a high chance you might die."
Morin calmly laid out the danger.
"No problem!!" Gon immediately blurted out after hearing it.
"I don't care!!"
His eyes once again burned with determination and hope. "I must meet Jin! I must!!"
Killua, standing beside him, shook his head with a hint of resignation. Yet, as he shook his head, a small smile appeared on his lips.
Once Gon made up his mind, not even ten oxen could pull him back. Though it was dangerous, a little adventure wouldn't hurt. After all, this guy was so troublesome that he needed someone to watch over him.
Colt's Nen ability, [Z] Guardian! There's something in my head, right?
After the displacement-type ability user completed his task, he nodded to Shoot before heading back to submit the mission, taking advantage of the time before NGL reacted to the explosion. Shoot also finished his duties and went to reunite with Morel and the others.
Given the current situation, unless something unexpected happened, the Ant King's extermination army would likely be this Chimera Ant Extermination Squad. It's best to prepare early.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, a month had passed, bringing them to mid-July. The events during this period were significant yet subtle.
After Colt and his sister Zzudore visited their mother, Morel, to be safe and prevent the V5 from eliminating them, relocated them to a secure place.
Even after Colt regained his memories and reunited with his family, he trained to awaken his own Nen ability to protect his mother and sister and prevent his past experiences from recurring.
In truth, it took Colt less than two days to master his ability, even though it was said to be a month. This speed and efficiency were astounding.
But considering that in the original timeline, the lion Leol took only three days to master his complex Specialist Nen ability, [Interest-Free Loan], it's not too surprising.