With the entire border checkpoint slaughtered, there was naturally no longer any need for inspections, let alone surrendering their high-tech devices.
The group directly boarded a monster-wheeled off-road vehicle, specifically designed for complex wilderness terrain, and drove deep into the heart of the NGL Autonomous Region in grand fashion.
Those drug-trafficking personnel at the border station likely never imagined that Hisoka's perception of malice far exceeded that of ordinary people. A few wary and hostile glances were enough to invite a fatal calamity upon them.
After all, in the eyes of a Nen user, villains with the blood of innocents on their hands and civilians who have never killed are two entirely different creatures in terms of their "aura."
Following the bumpy dirt road forward, Allen soon arrived at the first village to rendezvous with the eldest and youngest sons of the Zoldyck family, who had been waiting there for some time.
When he saw the massive off-road vehicle used for transport, Illumi's deadpan face betrayed a rare expression of surprise. "Oh? How did you get this thing across the border? Those guys confiscated my cell phone, you know."
"Hehe~ We just killed them all. Besides, our leader has quite the distaste for the NGL higher-ups who secretly manufacture and sell drugs," Hisoka replied with a beaming smile.
"Ah, I see. Had I known, I should have taken them out too. Then I wouldn't have lost a phone for nothing," Illumi muttered, rubbing his chin with a look of sudden realization.
"Don't worry. I got it back for you. Here!"
With that, Hisoka tossed over the phone he had coincidentally found at the checkpoint.
One had to admit, there was definitely something going on between these two! How else could they recognize each other's specific cell phones? It was more ridiculous than couples in the throes of a passionate romance.
In the later Chairman Election arc, Illumi would even reveal the full secret of Alluka, the Zoldyck family's most sensitive secret, to Hisoka. Given his cautious nature, this wasn't something that could be explained as mere "friendship"; it was 100% unconditional trust.
Add to that the later so-called "pre-nuptial agreement"...
No wonder so many fujoshi had wild fantasies about these two, to the point of producing countless adult fan-comics.
"Thanks. This phone has a lot of high-quality clients' numbers stored in it. It would have been a hassle to lose," Illumi said, checking the device. After confirming it was fine, he immediately expressed his gratitude to his... well, let's call him either "fiancé" or "fiancée."
"Don't mention it," Hisoka waved it off indifferently.
Meanwhile, Kalluto, the young "cross-dressing legend", was sizing Allen up with curious eyes.
At home, he had heard his brother, father, and grandfather mention many times how powerful Allen's Nen was and how terrifying his aura capacity could be. They had even gone so far as to stop taking any contracts directly related to him.
In the entire Nen-user circle, those who received such treatment could be counted on two hands; the most famous among them was Chairman Netero of the Hunter Association. Yet even Netero only earned that special status after fighting Maha Zoldyck.
But what about Allen? Silva and Zeno, the two strongest active assassins, had simply given up without even trying. In Kalluto's eyes, this didn't seem like a decision his formidable father and grandfather would ever make.
Allen noticed the gaze of the Zoldyck youngest and asked with a smile, "Something on your mind?"
"No, nothing. I was just a bit curious."
Kalluto quickly bowed politely. He was as elegant as a daughter of a noble house; no matter how you looked at him, he appeared to be a girl.
It was just as they say: cross-dressing is something that only happens zero times or infinite times. Once you put it on, an indescribable psychological shift occurs, from initial rejection to gradual adaptation, and finally, to enjoying the sensation.
Furthermore, his mother, Kikyo, played a major role in this, essentially raising her son as a daughter. Allen had always suspected that the second brother, Milluki, only stayed obese because he didn't want to cross-dress. With the Zoldyck family's excellent genes, if he just lost the weight, he would undoubtedly be a handsome man.
After all, not everyone can pull off a dress! It requires a face pretty and cute enough, and a good figure; otherwise, it's just an eyesore.
As Allen's mind began to wander into these random thoughts, Illumi, having finished his "intimate exchange" with Hisoka, suddenly spoke up: "So... my commission this time is to wage war against the Chimera Ant army, correct?"
Allen nodded slightly. "Yes. However, your mission isn't just to kill them, but to capture and control them so we can bring them back. Bodoro will be responsible for forcibly awakening their Nen, Baise will manipulate them to quickly develop various Hatsu abilities, and finally, I will perform the final theft. As for payment, for every fifty Soldiers, five Officers, or one Squadron Leader you bring back, I will pay you one bottle of healing potion. What do you think? Are those terms acceptable?"
"Mhm. Quite generous terms. This commission should be very profitable," Illumi agreed without a second thought.
As for poor Kalluto, he had long been stripped of his right to an opinion by his older brother, serving as a complete tool for the mission.
"In that case, let's get moving."
With those words, Allen activated his Nen ability, Hunting Map, directly marking the locations of Ponzu and Pokkle.
Just as he expected, the young couple, completely oblivious to the danger, were heading into the interior of NGL under Pariston's subtle guidance and manipulation. They hadn't encountered the Chimera Ants yet.
This meant the ant army was still in its "low-profile growth" phase and hadn't yet begun expanding into neighboring countries.
In fact, according to the final statistics of the Hunter Association in the original story, the Chimera Ant Queen gave birth to one King, three Royal Guards, and about forty Squadron Leaders before she died.
Calculating based on four to six Officers per Squadron Leader, and fifteen to thirty lowest-level Soldiers per Officer, the number of Officers should be between 200 and 300, and the Soldiers slightly more, but not exceeding 9,000.
In other words, the entire army produced directly by the Queen was less than 10,000 strong. Forget threatening humanity, they weren't even close to threatening a major nation. Modern warfare, with its powerful thermal weapons and dense fields of fire, could easily wipe out 99% of them.
No wonder the V5's attitude was so ambiguous, never intending to step onto the battlefield themselves.
However, considering these 10,000 ants were born after consuming nearly all the citizens of NGL and vast amounts of wildlife and fish, their life energy was certainly much stronger than humans. One could say even the lowest soldier, once they developed Nen, would far surpass most Hunters in the Association.
And for a Red Dragon, they were the most delicious food and potent supplements.
At the thought that she would soon be eating a massive amount of incredibly tasty cocoons, Vaelstrasz, currently in a state of In, became extremely excited, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.
Meanwhile, Allen and his group drove the off-road vehicle straight toward the location of Pokkle's team.