After a brief night's rest, the team set out again early the next morning, continuing deeper inland along the uneven dirt roads.
Looking at the mess of empty, ransacked villages along the way, Baise finally couldn't help but ask, "What is the total population of the NGL Autonomous Region?"
Allen sighed slightly before answering, "Roughly two million. Looking at the current situation, at least a third, if not more, have already become food in the ants' bellies. They truly are terrifying creatures. If they aren't stopped, I estimate it would take a year at most for them to devour all tens of millions of humans on this island, converting them into a massive army of soldier ants, Officers, and Squadron Leaders. If they are smart enough, they could even learn human scientific knowledge and manufacture advanced weapons to launch an invasion of the main continents."
"Then which do you think is more dangerous: the Chimera Ants or that thing on Neldrant Island?" Bodoro suddenly chimed in, leaning forward.
"Hmm... it's hard to compare. While the creature on Neldrant Island was horrifying, its target profile was too large. Even without us, if the V5 were willing to pay the price and conduct relentless saturation bombing, they could have sunk the entire island. The threat of the Chimera Ants, however, lies in their near-infinite potential for growth. As long as they obtain sufficient nutrition and ingest the genetic material of stronger organisms, they can iterate and evolve indefinitely. Although this extreme method of evolution would likely lead to their eventual self-destruction, they would wipe out every other species first," Allen analyzed, rubbing his chin.
"It's a miracle the human world has managed to survive this long without perishing," Baise remarked with a bitter smile.
She used to feel the world was safe, but since joining this small group and following Allen, she had realized that security was nothing more than an illusion. The human world had never been safe; it had always been under threat from the Dark Continent. A single slip-up could lead to a horrific catastrophe, even the total extinction of mankind.
"That is exactly why we must explore the Dark Continent, to uncover all the secrets of this world, rather than remaining forever confined within a petri dish in the center of Lake Mobius. No matter how dangerous or cruel the process, or how desperate the outcome."
With that, Allen pulled out his Hunting Map again, calculating the distance to the Chimera Ant nest and how many days of travel remained.
Before he could finish his calculations, Ponzu, who had been sitting silently in the back seat, suddenly widened her eyes. Pointing toward the sky outside the right window, she shouted frantically, "It's... it's those monsters! They're on the move again!"
"Kalluto, follow me. It's time to clock in."
Illumi didn't hesitate. He pushed open the car door and leaped out, treading across tree branches as he pursued a group of flying Chimera Ants.
Kalluto, the cross-dressing youth, followed silently behind his older brother. In moments, the Zoldyck brothers had vanished from sight.
On the other side, Hisoka could no longer restrain his inner excitement and bloodlust. He locked onto a target that looked like an Officer and asked in a playful tone, "This one is mine. No objections, I assume?"
"None. But be careful not to kill it. It's best if you can bring it back alive," Allen reminded him without looking back.
"OK!"
With permission granted, Hisoka leaped from the vehicle to chase his chosen prey. It was obvious that this madman would first initiate his opponent into Nen before slowly savoring the battle. Seeing the Aura of a low-level soldier ant right after awakening, combined with their incredible learning speed, Hisoka felt this place was the "orchard" of his dreams, filled with delicious fruit ready to be harvested at any moment.
Bodoro and Baise, not wanting to be left behind, chased another group of ants heading west.
Once everyone had left, Ponzu's emotions finally began to settle, though she continued to stare with eyes full of hatred and resentment at the retreating figures of the ants.
After about seven or eight minutes, she turned around, biting her lower lip hard, and asked, "Can you teach me how to obtain a powerful Nen ability in a short amount of time? I need power! Power enough to kill every last one of those monsters!"
"For revenge?" Allen frowned instinctively.
He sensed an aura emanating from her similar to Kurapika's.
"Yes! I'm ready! No matter what the cost!" Ponzu replied with a firm voice.
But Allen shook his head gently. "No, you aren't ready. Right now, you are merely making an impulsive choice driven by extreme anger, hatred, and fear. I don't mind teaching you Nen, but the prerequisite is that you step out from those extreme emotions. Otherwise, even if you learn it, you will eventually be consumed by it."
"I... I can't do it! Every time I close my eyes, I see those monsters... and the images of my companions dying," Ponzu's voice trembled slightly.
"Nen is the manifestation of the mind and will. If your heart is truly this fragile, then even if you learn Nen, you will only be a weakling. You wouldn't be qualified to join this war. So, quiet your mind and think it through. We'll be here for quite a while anyway."
Having said his piece, Allen opened the car door and stepped out, shouting toward the nearby woods, "Come out! I've already spotted you!"
Instantly, nearly thirty Chimera Ants of various shapes and sizes emerged from behind the trees.
The leader of the pack clearly utilized a mix of bear and human genes. He was incredibly tall, strong, and burly, with thick, dense brown fur covering his body. He was evidently a high-ranking Squadron Leader. He bared a mouthful of sharp fangs and spoke in human tongue: "Interesting! Look what I've found, a premium ingredient radiating incredible life force. I'm sure Her Majesty the Queen will be very satisfied with your flavor."
"What a coincidence! I was just about to say the same to you," Allen said, his lips curling into a satisfied smile.
The life force this fellow was unintentionally radiating was already impressive. If initiated into Nen, he would undoubtedly hit over 100,000 Aura instantly. Plus, he had five Officers and over twenty soldiers behind him, it was like a KFC "Mega Family Bucket" delivering itself to his door.
Vaelstrasz, the Red Dragon, was already licking her metaphorical chops, impatiently urging her master to strike.
"Hmph! Foolish human!"
The unnamed Squadron Leader lunged forward, claws swinging. As he ran, ten bone spikes sharper than daggers suddenly shot out from the pads of his paws, whistling toward Allen's position.
Because of the extreme speed, an ordinary person would only see ten flashes of cold light.
But in the next second...
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Allen stood perfectly still, letting the projectile-like spikes strike his body, only for them all to be deflected by his Ten.
"That life energy... it strengthened?" The Squadron Leader's eyes widened in shock.
"No, not strengthened. I simply adjusted it slightly according to my needs. Also, could you please keep quiet for a moment? I plan to deal with all your subordinates behind you first. As for you... I'll save you for the very end to enjoy slowly."
As the final syllable left his lips, Allen shot forward like an arrow from a bow.
Before these Chimera Ants could even react, they were subjected to the "Initiate, Kill, Devour" routine. Even in the final moment before death, they couldn't comprehend what that powerful burst of life energy suddenly erupting within them actually was.