Just as Allen held the card, before he could finalize his choice, he heard a massive rumble and vibration from the direction of the tavern.
A moment later, Gon and Killua burst out of the underground gymnasium, shouting with unbridled excitement: "We won! Allen! We won! Plot of Beach is ours!"
"Nice work! I've just finished off the Bomber as well. Now, it's time to end this game."
Allen summoned his Binder, displaying the ninety-seven designated slot cards inside.
He was now only three cards away from clearing the game: Angel's Breath, Plot of Beach, and The Ruler's Blessing. Since they already had Plot of Beach, and The Ruler's Blessing would only be announced via broadcast once all ninety-nine other cards were collected, he effectively only needed Angel's Breath to win.
"Whoa! You've already collected that many?" Gon's eyes widened in shock.
"Yeah. So, let's make a deal. I actually reached an agreement with Battera before entering the game, and I secured the rights to take three cards back to the real world upon clearing it. Now, if you promise to reserve one of those three slots for me, I'll hand over all my cards so you can finish the final collection."
Allen calmly laid out his proposal.
He had ultimately decided to take the height pills back to the real world to have Cheadle study them first. Growing taller out of thin air sounded inherently suspicious; it would almost certainly impact the balance of bone density, muscle mass, and essential elements like calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It was better to be cautious.
"What about the other two cards? Do we have to give those to you as well once we're back?"
Killua, ever sharp, immediately pinpointed the crux of the deal.
Allen shook his head with a smile. "No need. You two can keep the other two for yourselves. Honestly, I only entered Greed Island for the Doyen's Growth Pills (B-30). So, what's your answer?"
"Bisky, is this okay?" Gon turned to the final member of their team for advice.
"I don't think we could possibly get a better deal than this. According to the original contract, everything we bring back from the game world is supposed to be surrendered to Battera," Bisky noted, resting her chin on her hand and speaking in her signature "cute" voice.
"True! We agree!" Gon officially decided on behalf of his team.
"Deal. These cards are yours now."
Allen didn't hesitate. He pulled all the specified cards from his book and dumped them into the hands of the two boys. He knew Gon's greatest virtue: once he made a promise, he would never break it, even at the cost of his life.
As the protagonists excitedly checked the descriptions of the cards and slotted them into their binders, Razor walked out of the gymnasium. He stared at the pathetic state of the Bomber trio and said pityingly, "How miserable. Even their spirits and wills have shattered."
"Miserable? I bet you wouldn't feel a shred of pity if you'd seen the bloody scenes of them hunting other players," Allen replied.
He snapped his fingers, using his Nen to ignite the fuses on the bombs strapped to Genthru. Seconds later, a massive fireball soared into the sky, followed by a deafening roar.
BOOM!
Without fail, the three were blasted into a near-death state. The Red Dragon materialized, swooping down to entomb them in cocoons and swallow them whole.
"You really are as the rumors say, merciless toward malicious killers, offering them no chance at redemption. Your style is the polar opposite of Ging's," Razor remarked meaningfully.
"Hahaha! Redemption? Are you trying to make me laugh?" A look of naked, undisguised mockery appeared on Allen's face. "Tell me, when these guys were murdering people, did they give their victims a chance? As for serving time in prison, I find that to be a desecration of the innocent dead and a massive waste of social resources. Besides, the law never represents justice; it's merely a tool used to maintain basic social order."
"Well, it seems we have fundamentally different perspectives on this," Razor said, shrugging as he dropped the argument. He knew that debating core principles rarely led to a consensus.
"Understandable. Based on experience, environment, education, and family, everyone's worldview differs. I simply do what I believe is right; what others think doesn't matter. Farewell, Razor. I hope to see you in the outside world someday."
With those parting words, Allen used a spell card to exit Greed Island. His goal was achieved; there was no need to waste more time. He would wait in the real world for Gon and Killua to finish the game and deliver his pills.
However, the moment the group arrived back at the castle villa housing the game consoles, Allen's phone rang without warning. He checked the caller ID, it was Chairman Netero.
"Where are you right now?" the Chairman asked, his tone unusually grave.
"At one of Battera's villas. Is there something important?" Allen asked directly.
"Yes. Remember Neldrant Island, which you investigated a few months ago? For some reason, it is now moving toward the human world at extreme speeds. If nothing changes, it will collide with the nearest coastline in a month and a half. The V5 has issued an emergency order: they want you to personally handle the situation."
Netero didn't hold back, explaining the crisis in one breath.
Allen fell into a brief silence, a terrifying murderous intent erupting from his eyes. Others might not know the cause, but he knew exactly what was happening. That living, giant island moving so suddenly had to be the work of Beyond Netero, the Kakin Royal Family, and Pariston Hill.
The objective was simple: lure him away from Chairman Netero's side while ensuring the Chimera Ants had a safe environment during their initial deployment phase.
It was a brilliantly played move. Even though Allen knew it was a trap, he had to follow through. This threatened the safety of the entire human world, and it was a direct mandate from the V5. Whether to protect civilians or to maintain his standing with the world's superpowers, he had to accept.
"Understood," Allen responded, his voice dark. "I'll leave immediately. Give me a rendezvous point."
"I'll send it now. Hurry,we don't have much time," Netero urged.
"Don't worry. I'll be there within thirty hours," Allen promised.
Hanging up, he turned to his teammates. "Sorry, it looks like our vacation is canceled. We need to head to the Hunter Association immediately to talk to the V5 politicians and bureaucrats about how to save the world."
"Save... the world? You're not joking, are you?" Baise asked, arching an eyebrow.
Allen shook his head. "No. I mean it literally. Remember that island we visited? It's currently swimming straight for the human world."
"Oh... my god," even the usually stoic Bodoro couldn't help but gasp.
Only Hisoka stood there with a look of utter confusion, having no idea what the rest of the team was talking about.