Through a friend, Morrow quickly learned of the mass death incident.
"The V5 acted fast. They've already used interrogation-type Nen to determine the source is Meteor City, but they haven't disclosed any more intelligence to the Association." Gel's cool voice came from the other end of the phone.
"This incident is extremely serious. The death toll is difficult to estimate in such a short time. Although the V5 took containment measures immediately, Meteor City had equipped their operatives with escort teams, all of whom are Nen users and quite strong."
"Is that so..."
Morrow was inwardly surprised. He had never expected this terrifying calamity to be related to Meteor City.
He had just returned to the six continents a while ago and was attacked by Meteor City cyborgs...
He had already planned to deal with this matter, but he still had other things on his plate.
He had also considered letting Kalluto and Kurapika use the Meteor City cyborgs to level up quickly, but judging by the current situation, Meteor City would probably soon be history.
After causing such a massive incident, the V5 was bound to eradicate it with an iron fist.
The V5 really does have an ability similar to Pakunoda's...
Morrow mused to himself, then asked into the phone, "Gel, since the V5 has confirmed that Meteor City orchestrated this, they must have taken immediate action, right?"
"Yes, the V5 has jointly launched a military operation against Meteor City. It seems they don't intend to negotiate at all, but rather to wipe it out completely." Gel could foresee Meteor City's fate, but her tone held not a shred of pity.
Morrow didn't care about Meteor City's survival. He just continued to ask, "Then your voyage plan... it's most likely been shelved, hasn't it?" "That's Cheadle's plan, don't count me in."
Gel corrected him, her tone still flat.
"Now that the calamity has had such a severe impact, the V5 will inevitably strictly prohibit all actions related to the Dark Continent for a long time to come. I'm afraid even they themselves won't take such risks lightly anymore, let alone the Association's future action plans."
"It can't be helped."
Morrow sighed softly.
This sigh was, to some extent, out of sympathy for Ging's bad luck.
He had made thorough preparations, only to be met with such a sudden turn of events.
Originally, the V5 might have intended to use the Association's power, as well as Ging's ability, in the hopes of achieving something on the Dark Continent. However, the sudden arrival of several calamities had shown the world their most terrifying side with undeniable cruelty.
After witnessing firsthand the impact of the calamities on the human world, the V5 would never again launch the voyage plan so easily.
As for the International Permit Agencies, they would also most likely raise their risk assessment standards significantly.
As a result, even if official organizations had the idea to restart the voyage, they would face numerous obstacles due to the risk assessment.
"Has the V5 issued any requests to the Association?"
Morrow asked.
"They have."
Gel's tone suddenly turned serious. "The Association needs to participate in operations to eliminate or control the 'various calamities,' and is also responsible for hunting down Meteor City's Nen users. This is no easy task, but the V5 has offered an extremely generous reward."
"Then you be careful. Don't try to be a hero if you run into a tricky situation. Let me know if you need help," Morrow urged.
On the other end of the line, a faint smile appeared on Gel's cool face, but it vanished just as quickly. She said softly into the phone, "I know. Besides... don't I have a Guardian Spirit Beast? It will protect me at critical moments, right?"
"The Guardian Spirit Beast does have such a protective mechanism, but I can't guarantee it can completely withstand a calamity's attack," Morrow said seriously. "You and I both know how terrifying the calamities are."
"Mm, I'll be careful anyway," Gel replied in a low voice.
"Okay, contact me anytime if you need help. I'm hanging up now."
Morrow finished speaking and ended the call.
Putting down his phone, he looked up at the three figures walking toward him from a short distance away.
It was Kastro, Calista, and Hisoka, who had rushed over from Heavens Arena.
Morrow had already learned what happened at Heavens Arena from Kastro.
Meteor City's deadly assault had likely designated Heavens Arena as a key target.
That was why they had invested considerable forces in the attack.
This, in turn, led to the near-total annihilation of the fighters at Heavens Arena.
And since that place had always attracted a large number of tourists year-round, countless people died in a short period of time because of this incident.
One could say that the city where Heavens Arena was located was now basically a dead city.
"Hisoka, thanks."
Morrow looked at Hisoka, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and thanked him solemnly.
If Hisoka hadn't intervened in time, Kastro and Calista would likely have become sacrificial pawns in this incident.
Hisoka clearly hadn't expected Morrow to thank him and was momentarily stunned.
After his surprise, he wanted to say something, but then he thought about how with his current strength, he didn't even have the right to fight Morrow, let alone give him a good time. In that instant, he lost all interest.
Morrow saw that Hisoka seemed a little down, finding it hard to imagine such an emotion on him.
But he was in no mood to delve deeper. He turned to Kastro and Calista and asked, "I didn't have time to ask for details on the phone. Tell me exactly what happened then."
Kastro and Calista glanced at each other, then recounted the situation in detail.
They mentioned the power similar to En and the cyborgs' superhuman physical strength.
Furthermore, judging from their combat methods and ability constructs, they had clearly received systematic training and could strategically leverage the advantages of various Nen types. Therefore, behind this team filled with bloodlust, there must be someone with a deep understanding of the Nen System in command.
After hearing their description, Morrow naturally realized this as well.
However, when he was attacked by the cyborgs, he had killed them in a blink, so he wasn't aware of the extent of their ability usage. But now, with the additional information from Kastro and Calista, he was even more certain that the recent changes in Meteor City were likely the result of some outsiders' influence.
Morrow didn't need to be overly concerned for now.
If he wanted to know the inside story, he could ask Eve at any time.
Eve would tell him everything without reservation, even the progress of the V5's subsequent actions.
With this assurance, Morrow temporarily set the matter aside and turned to Kastro and Calista.
"I can grant you an ability to grow stronger quickly through a special method. After meeting certain conditions, you can even awaken a Nen Beast on your own. I think you need this ability right now."
"Huh?"
Kastro and Calista were stunned.
The ability Morrow described was completely beyond their comprehension.
Beside them, Hisoka, who had been listless, immediately shifted his gaze over upon hearing these words.
Morrow naturally noticed Hisoka's astonished stare, but he didn't mind. He calmly explained the oath-swearing steps to meet the ability's conditions to Kastro and Calista.
Kastro and Calista quickly completed the oath conditions.
Soon, they too became Morrow's infected, possessing the ability to level up.
"This seems... very interesting."
Hisoka sidled over at this moment, a vibrant glint in his eyes.
He certainly didn't think Morrow was bluffing.
Morrow raised an eyebrow slightly. "You don't seem like the type to be interested in this kind of ability."
"Things change with time, and so do people, of course."
Hisoka placed a hand on his hip, making no effort to hide his curiosity.
Morrow glanced at the hand-on-hip gesture.
If not for this signature pose, he would have almost suspected the Hisoka before him was an imposter.
"Unfortunately, I can't grant you the 'leveling ability'."
"You can't, or you won't?"
"I can't."
"Is that so..."
Hisoka stared intently into Morrow's eyes and asked again, "Then at least let me try the oath?"
"Suit yourself."
Morrow's expression was calm.
The sole condition for him to infect someone was that the other person must have absolute trust in him.
Kastro and Calista were no problem, of course; a simple oath was enough to meet the condition.
But Hisoka...
How could that be possible?
Hisoka, however, didn't care what Morrow thought. After getting permission, he immediately began reciting the oath, mimicking Kastro and Calista. Morrow watched Hisoka recite the oath with a serious expression, feeling a sense of unease all over.
And the next second, when Hisoka finished the last line of the oath, the condition for the Tree Rings leveling ability was actually met.
Morrow couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, completely taken aback that Hisoka could actually meet the condition.
His gaze toward Hisoka instantly became a little strange.
Hisoka, you...
Hisoka immediately sensed it when the condition was met, feeling the presence of that power in his consciousness.
The clear information of Lv. 1 surfaced in his mind.
"Looks like it was a success."
Hisoka "sized up" the level symbol in his consciousness with great interest.
So this is the secret to getting stronger quickly...
No, true strength isn't achieved by 'Nen output intensity' alone.
Hisoka knew very well that this ability only made it easier for others to raise their Nen output to their personal peak.
What ultimately determined one's strength was still the understanding and application of Nen.
As long as I raise the intensity of my Nen to its limit, perhaps I can...
Hisoka thought to himself.
As someone who lived for the thrill of battle, he could never entertain the thought of admitting defeat before a fight.
But if the opponent was Morrow...
He would deliberately ignore the issue of victory or defeat and instead guarantee one thing.
That was, at the very least, to give Morrow a good time.
Now, he might just have that possibility.
Morrow watched Hisoka's reaction, thought for a moment, and then proposed, "Hisoka, the Association has currently accepted a commission from the V5 to participate in the hunt for the team of Nen users from Meteor City. If you're interested in leveling up, you'd better get moving soon."
Since what was done was done, he might as well guide Hisoka to participate in this operation against the Meteor City Nen users.
Hearing Morrow's suggestion, Hisoka's response was quite direct.
"See you around."
He threw out this sentence and turned to leave.
His slightly eager demeanor was like someone who had found an interesting toy after a long time.
Morrow watched Hisoka leave.
Regarding the matter of using the Meteor City cyborgs to level up, he also wanted Kalluto, Kurapika, Kastro, and Calista to participate. Because in the current situation, the experience provided by the cyborgs was the highest.
Moreover, as long as they could eliminate more Meteor City cyborgs, it would somewhat alleviate the pressure on the V5 in dealing with the other calamities. Not long after Hisoka left, Morrow also prepared to set out with Kurapika and the others to hunt the Meteor City cyborgs.
From the existing intelligence, the number of Meteor City cyborgs was quite large.
If they acted fast enough, they could completely max out Kurapika and the others' levels before the V5 and the Association did.
Just as Morrow was about to set off, he happened to receive a message from Eve.
The mastermind behind the Eye of Truth had finally shown their face.
Morrow simply took his team directly to the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
In any case, traces of Meteor City cyborgs were all over the six continents. Starting from within Kukan'yu's territory would also grant them the support of the local intelligence system. Chimera took only one day to bring Morrow's group to the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
Upon arrival, Morrow arranged for Kurapika and the others to coordinate with the Kukan'yu military, then went to the palace alone to meet with Eve.
"The true face of the Eye of Truth seems to be just a cult," Eve said faintly in the palace bedchambers. "They most likely wanted to take advantage of this chaos to recruit a large number of followers, which is why they slipped up."
"As long as their location and target are confirmed, I can take care of it anytime."
Morrow nodded.
He had no interest in the true identity of the Eye of Truth; he was just using a little effort to help Eve solve this problem.
"What's the situation with Meteor City?"
He then asked about Meteor City.
At the mention of Meteor City, Eve's eyes suddenly turned cold, her tone laced with bloodlust.
"This was all caused by a woman named Morena. She sent people to smuggle themselves to the Dark Continent and brought back a calamity. But it's still unclear what method she used to create such a large-scale death phenomenon."
"Morena?"
Morrow's eyes narrowed slightly.
Eve immediately noticed the subtle change in Morrow's expression and asked, "You know her?"
"I only know the name," Morrow said, raising a hand to his chin. "As far as I know, she's already dead."
"Then it might be someone with the same name."
Seeing Morrow say this, Eve didn't pay it much mind and continued, "Morena seems to have mastered some method that allows her troops to rapidly increase their power. Some of the foolish higher-ups in other countries are very interested in this."
"Oh?"
Morrow frowned.
A method to rapidly increase power?
Was it a coincidence?
But it was far too much of a coincidence.
He then thought about how the V5 had concealed key intelligence from the Association.
"So the foolish higher-ups you mentioned have developed the idea of seizing this ability of Morena's, which is why they didn't share all the intelligence with the Association?"
Eve was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes."
"Tsk."
Morrow shook his head. "I really don't know if their brains are flooded, or if they think everything is under control."
The inherent flaws of these people in power...
(Translated by yourtl.app)