Oboro and his three companions stayed in this town for a few days, outfitting themselves with basic equipment, and then left for East Gorteau.
During this time, Oboro contacted Biscuit.
He learned that Chairman Netero's condition had almost improved.
Gon already knew about Kite. The boy didn't say it outright, but Biscuit could tell from his expression that he knew Kite was dead.
The news of Kite's death had not been made public yet, maybe because Netero was protecting Gon.
But Gon was no fool; he spent his days with Killua and could piece things together from his friend's reactions and words.
Killua couldn't hide things from Gon.
However, Biscuit mentioned that Gon seemed to be in a good mood. Maybe he didn't want the others to worry, or maybe he felt that the fight against the Ant King was getting closer and he didn't want all the attention on him.
After hearing this, Oboro smiled knowingly.
That was really typical of Gon.
Of course, Biscuit also inquired about the Oboro team, asking if he had been in NGL about the Chimera Ants and if he had anything to do with it. Oboro didn't hide anything and openly stated that he was indeed in the area, and that the Chairman was aware of this. He would not be participating in the expedition team's missions and operations.
This made Biscuit very unhappy, because she felt that Oboro was shirking his responsibilities.
If Oboro had been there, it would have been easier to deal with the Ant King, and the number of casualties would have been greatly reduced.
Oboro simply told her to consult the chairman. If Netero asked him to participate in the operation, he would of course accept.
After hearing what Oboro said, Biscuit was speechless, although her tone remained annoyed.
After all, at the extermination meeting, Netero had personally stated that since he was taking action, there was no need for more people to risk their lives and join in.
If it hadn't been for the previous relationship between Gon, Killua and Kite, the Chairman wouldn't have allowed the two boys to join in the first place.
"The chairman knows everything about me. Besides, what he cares about most is the Association, not individuals." Walking down the road away from the city entrance, Oboro said to Biscuit on the other end of the phone with a smile on his face.
"Oboro, what have you done?"
The old woman sensed the hidden meaning in his words and her voice grew deeper.
"I think he will die at the hands of the Ant King, but the old man doesn't think so. Maybe my affairs can be hidden from some people in the Association, but you can more or less guess some of it." Oboro walked alone, with Anthony and Fant to his left and right. "Aside from Pariston and the Twelve Zodiacs, what do you think will happen if I leave the Association, become a crime hunter, or break ties with others without the Chairman?"
Biscuit fell silent.
The Association would be in chaos!
Even if calm were to be restored, it would take a long time.
"Oboro, I'm warning you."
Biscuit took a deep breath. The current Oboro was no longer the little brat she had seen in the Heaven Arena. "Don't attack the chairman. If you do, I will kill you! I swear it"
"What are you thinking? Don't misunderstand me. I said the chairman will die because he has too much on his shoulders. I have no intention of doing anything underhanded when he faces the Ant King. As I said, the chairman can't defeat that monster in terms of pure strength."
Oboro smiled ruefully and explained, "I'm only telling you this because I think you have a good relationship with Morel and Knov. If something happens to the chairman, I hope that you can convince these two, as well as some of the older veterans in the Association, to support my promotion, from the perspective of the entire Association.
"If something goes wrong with the succession, it will be bad for everyone. Besides, the chairman wouldn't want to see that either, you know?"
Seeing that Biscuit didn't answer, Oboro raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why? You don't think the old man will fail?"
"You know me, I never lie."
"The Chairman will not fail." Biscuit said firmly.
"Yes. He will also complete this mission 'successfully.'"
Oboro emphasized the word "successfully" and said, "But you will support me in the future, right?"
"I won't."
Biscuit's voice was a bit cold, as if the two of them were just colleagues at this moment, with no emotional connection between them.
"Management issues are between the Twelve Zodiacs and the top leadership of the Association. They have nothing to do with me."
"Well."
Oboro sighed, as if he had expected Biscuit to answer like that.
"I just need you to keep an eye on Knov and Morel."
Beep beep beep.
After Oboro had finished speaking, the line went dead as Biscuit hung up.
"She didn't agree?" Anthony looked over and asked.
"There was no direct answer and her attitude was rather vague, but I think she'll understand." Oboro smiled.
He put the phone down.
"It doesn't matter, I just want to take over the position of chairman relatively smoothly and peacefully, that way it will be better for everyone. But if people want to make a fuss, then each of us will use our own means."
Oboro said easily.
He wasn't worried about Biscuit, even if she wouldn't help him, she wouldn't turn against him. At most, she would just watch from the sidelines.
However, if an older generation hunter like Biscuit could stand up for him, it would undoubtedly be more beneficial for Oboro.
"I'm leaving."
After a moment's thought, Oboro greeted his companions.
The three of them immediately quickened their pace and sped away from the ground.
Oboro had actually met Gon, but the boy had not noticed him.
At that time, Gon was with Palm, so it was inconvenient for Oboro to disturb them.
During his conversation with Biscuit, she revealed that Gon had insisted that even if Kite died, his body had to be found, but that was no longer possible. In the original timeline, Kite had died at the hands of Neferpitou and been kept as a "collection," so his body had been preserved, but now it had most likely been consumed by the queen ant.
Gon insisted on joining the mission to see it through to the end and fulfill his promise.
But now there was no Neferpitou.
Oboro wondered if Gon would still lose himself to his anger.
If he didn't succumb to his rage, he wouldn't lose his Nen and become a normal person, and there wouldn't be a plot where Killua risked everything to get Alluka out, or maybe several protagonists would have boarded the Black Whale and reunited with Kurapika.
As for Zeno, Oboro wasn't worried about him either.
He suspected that the assassin had already left for Meteor City.
Oboro had been to East Gorteau before, so he was very familiar with this closed little country.
The situation here was much better than in NGL. When he came to complete the mission regarding the Bozwa clan, he'd felt that this country was very barren. Now he realized that at least this country had a complete system and military structure, even though it was a dictatorship.
But it was still a complete country.
Unlike the NGL, which had only gathered a large number of armed forces.
NGL had only been founded a few decades ago and was still too young as a country.
But East Gorteau had seen many kings.
Entering this land again wasn't as tedious as it had been before, as the checkpoints and borders had long since been abandoned. On the way to the royal city, there were many deserted villages and towns - the inhabitants had long since fled.
The land had changed hands, the entire royal city had fallen, and what the Bozwa people couldn't do with their ritual power, only three Chimera ants could do.
In other words, it was all the work of Shaiapouf, one of the royal guards.
There were still many Chimera Ants from the NGL in East Gorteau, and all of them, without exception, had had their souls harvested by Oboro.
The terrain of East Gorteau was also mountainous, but the royal city was built on a vast plain.
It was built in a grand and majestic manner. The entire city formed a square layout. The buildings inside were arranged in neat rows and exuded an exotic architectural style.
Due to East Gorteau's dictatorial political system and the king's extravagant lifestyle, he had been willing to spend enormous sums to decorate his small domain.
The country's limited resources had been almost completely exploited and sold off.
"The combined territories of NGL and East Gorteau would be enough for the Fells family, but it's not wise to call it a country. V5 will not make blind concessions. Let's use NGL as a precedent to test their stance. If it works, it would be great, even if it's just an empty title, it's still a country.
"If it doesn't work, we'll designate a special zone and turn these two regions into the 'factory of the world.'"
The next day, under the cover of night.
With thoughts swirling in his head, Oboro led his two teammates to a place several dozen miles from the royal city.
Standing there, they could already see the distant silhouette of the royal capital's walls.
But there were no busy lights or city sounds like in the outside world.
"It's so quiet, it's almost eerie."
Anthony pursed his lips and said, "We haven't seen any living people since we approached the Royal City, have we?"
Although Chimera Ants had sporadically appeared throughout the land, not all of the people of East Gorteau had died or fled. There were still many survivors. Over the past two days, the three had met with several locals. They'd learned that the new king was looking for top talents in various fields throughout East Gorteau to bring to the palace.
"Ants will be ants."
Oboro gathered his thoughts, looked at the capital under the night sky, and said quietly: "He has occupied the magpie's nest. Although he has become the ruler of a country by brute force, he doesn't know how to manage or run it." Simply put, he had merely occupied a palace and proclaimed himself king.
Consider the unguarded borders, the loss of citizens, and so on.
Of course, from an ant's or cattle's point of view, conquering human territory makes you king, no problem.
But by human standards, it was definitely the worst form of government.
"But he has the potential to become a qualified ruler."
Then Oboro changed the subject.
"Captain, are you praising or criticizing?" Anthony looked confused.
"It is trying to understand the humans, or you might say, learn from them. It doesn't blindly wage war or directly expand its territory, which means it is still preparing." Oboro said quietly.
He knew that Meruem was challenging the "top talents" from all walks of life in East Gorteau inside the palace. These top talents were, in fact, chess players. Chess was a strategic game - through observation, the Ant King could assess the limits of human ability in "war strategy". He also used chess to learn and understand human thinking.
Although East Gorteau was a small and isolated country, it wasn't completely cut off. Some citizens still participated in international competitions and won places. Komugi was one of them. It was also one of the few opportunities for this country to gain some prestige and honor.
Anyone who could excel in such contests could rightfully be called exceptional in the eyes of the entire human population.
If even these individuals failed to impress him, Meruem could confidently proceed with his plan for world domination.
At the same time, he would be able to determine what status and regulations the "new humans" would be given in the world he envisioned.
"Don't you want to go in and take a look? Neferpitou's already dead, so the range of the other two royal guards shouldn't be that far, should it?" Fant extinguished his cigarette, crushed it with his toe, and asked.
"Better not. Let's wait here."
Oboro shook his head.
Neferpitou was not the issue.
The key was Meruem.
Entering the royal city would be easy, but infiltrating the palace was another matter entirely.
As long as the Ant King was alive, the "radar" signal would remain.
"Komugi"
Oboro sat on the ground and murmured.
He was quite fascinated by this girl.
When it came to Nen, most people passively awakened it, including himself.
Without the guidance of predecessors, it would be extremely difficult to break through this "invisible barrier.
But Komugi was an exception. When she deeply concentrated while playing Gungi with Meruem, a colorful bubble-like aura appeared around her.
The ultimate manifestation of vital energy!
There are two aspects to the awakening of Nen. One is opportunity, like the eldest daughter of the Nostrade family, Neon.
Her ability Nen, Lovely Ghostwriter
This character epitomized this phenomenon.
The chance of such an opportunity was extremely rare.
To put it bluntly, it felt like a spiritual transformation by sheer luck.
Oboro, now a soul-based Nen user, understood this well. The soul was inseparable from the mind.
Beyond possibility, there was another factor: the "soul itself.
A person's soul is pure and unblemished, without "impurities.
In a certain sense, dedicating one's entire soul, including one's life, to something.
This was also a form of enlightenment.
Netero's pursuit of the martial arts, Komugi's condition when playing Gungi, both exemplified this.
Although the Chairman's soul possessed certain innate qualities, it was also inseparable from acquired discipline and dedicated effort. The practice of meditation was itself a process of tempering one's will.
As for Komugi, the innate quality of her soul outweighed the acquired aspects.
For her, playing Gungi was a form of spiritual practice, similar to studying martial arts.
Each game she played could be compared to the growth a Nen user experienced after a fight, but judging by her age and the purity of her Nen, even the Ant King Meruem would be amazed.
The girl's talent was truly remarkable.
However, that didn't mean that Komugi had the basis for formal training - talent merely provided a higher starting point, but couldn't determine one's ultimate potential.
Moreover, her talent could only be manifested through Gungi; if she began systematic practice, it would be like scattering dust on a pristine gem-potentially counterproductive.
"She dedicated her life to Gungi. Unfortunately, if she had met a proper teacher who understood her personal inclinations and soul characteristics, she might have become the strongest Nen user. Using battle as her board and people or lives as her pieces, she would challenge all living things, face opponents and powers. She wouldn't kill anyone or see blood. She would simply make her moves without regret, determined to capture pieces. The very thought of it is frightening. Oboro narrowed his eyes. He lacked such talent and did not understand Gungi.
But Komugi's control and insight into the game were absolutely unprecedented.
Even the Ant King, whose superhuman intellect surpassed all living things, couldn't defeat her.
Manipulation, specialization, emission, transmutation?
Oboros old question resurfaced.
He realized that if he were Komugi's teacher, regardless of her Nen type, he could confidently help her develop the most extraordinary ability.
Perhaps even more terrifying than his own.
Because everything would revolve around one core element.
The game of Gungi!
As long as the game was successful, Komugi would never lose.
The only drawback was Komugi's personality.
Even though Nen could make you invincible, it meant nothing if you couldn't defend yourself. Komugi was simple-minded and timid, unaware of human complexity.
Even with the powerful Nen abilities, she would remain vulnerable.
Still, her talent really excited Oboro.
Come to think of it, since he had established himself in the hunter world and gained great power, he had never taken on any disciples.
Only the bald Charles was nominally listed as someone Oboro didn't really want to take on. It was just fate.
As for Gon and Kurapika, who came later, they had only received basic training, not his true teachings.
Komugi was incredibly tempting!
"Save her or not?"
A gleam flashed in his thoughtful eyes.
The problem was that saving Komugi meant dealing with the Ant King.
In addition, there was another crucial factor: the poison.
"Even though I'm a time traveler and I got everything I wanted, I can't guarantee that I'll return from the Dark Continent alive. It wasn't easy to come to this world, so I have to leave something behind. That way, even if I die, I'll accept it."
He looked at the starry sky and spoke softly.
He had his pride.
He had once told Kurapika that the boy was not worthy to be his pupil, and Oboro had meant it.
As for potential, only Gon and Killua interested him.
What could he do? As a time traveler, he needed a broader perspective.
But these two were protagonists with their own backgrounds and bloodlines - they didn't really need him.
For Oboro, mentoring them brought no sense of accomplishment or meaning.
He knew that even without his influence, these children's futures would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
But Komugi was different.
"The only cure for this poison is to reshape flesh and blood."
"Flesh and blood are inseparable from the soul. Most importantly, the soul is a personal matter. If I accept it as a disciple, I cannot control it by force. Once controlled by my ability and will, it's almost the same as the soul dying, because what remains is my consciousness, not hers. If she refuses, her soul will still dissipate, along with the Ant-King's."
"My rescue would lose its original purpose."
"Besides, given her bond with the Ant King, she sighs."
For Komugi to agree, the Ant King must remain alive.
Otherwise, she would gladly die with Meruem.
"When rebuilding flesh and blood, the soul remains, even partially, but the body changes - it is only a shell, heh."
This was no problem for the time traveler Oboro, as the solution had already presented itself.
Rebirth through a surrogate mother!
Of course, the womb would be that of a chimera ant.
Moreover, as far as souls were concerned, no one in the world could save Komugi and the Ant King at this time except him.
Without his intervention, both the human and the ant would surely perish.
The question was, should they be saved?
Meruem's soul was the feast Oboro had always coveted!
The two goals conflicted.
A difficult choice
There are always one or two days every month when fate hangs in the balance.