Gon's sincere question left Joey feeling like a leaf blown into a whirlwind—speechless and disoriented. All he could do was clamp his mouth shut and focus harder on controlling his Nen output.
But he quickly recalled—Gon had trained in the Zoldyck estate.
Don't be fooled by his small build. Even back then, Gon's physical strength was already measured in tons. Since then, with all the time that had passed, his endurance had only grown even more absurd.
The original Kira Yoshikage had never gone through any physical training, so now Joey could only grit his teeth and fumble his way through, slowly learning to maintain a consistent Nen flow in his legs.
Even so, after another hour or so, Joey hit his limit. His speed began to plummet, and his body was drenched in sweat.
Thankfully, Kite seemed to anticipate this and began intentionally slowing down, bringing the group's pace to something Joey could keep up with even at a normal running speed.
Though it was still more or less a sprint by normal standards, Joey could manage it.
"Try closing your aura nodes," Kite advised coolly. "Run using just your remaining stamina—it'll help your recovery go faster."
Joey obeyed without question, and sure enough, the moment he shut off his aura flow, his stamina gradually began to creep back up.
The recovery was slow—he was still burning energy as he moved—but it was real.
The benefits of Zetsu in restoring stamina were on full display.
"Nen, or 'aura,' is accumulated life energy. Its total capacity can increase through training and varies from person to person," Kite continued, speaking aloud in a way that felt aimed both at Joey and at Killua and Gon.
"However, how much aura you can actually emit at a time—the expressed aura—has to be trained separately."
"Let's quantify this. If a person's total aura reserve is a number, then running using Nen burns between 3 to 5 points per second."
"Given how long you were using it and how your body began regulating your output near the end to avoid collapse, I estimate your total aura reserve is around 4500 units."
"For someone who's just awakened to Nen, that's quite impressive. You just need to work on your physical stamina."
Kite's breakdown helped Joey understand himself better than ever before.
But then his mind leapt to a very unwelcome comparison:
Youpi.
One of the Royal Guards.
He had something like 740,000 units of aura.
The difference was crushingly clear.
At best, Joey could compare to one of Youpi's leg hairs.
"While using Zetsu, your recovery rate depends on your physical body. Given your condition, I'd say you can restore around 70–80% of your stamina and aura after two hours of running in Zetsu."
"If you had time to stop, eat, and rest? That recovery would take just forty minutes."
"But keep in mind: repeated depletion and rapid restoration will gradually lower your upper limit. The exhaustion, the aching muscles—it all builds up."
Kite had clearly spent the last few hours quietly monitoring Joey's condition, his analysis precise and cutting.
About half an hour later, the group arrived back at the outskirts of the village.
To their surprise, no enemies appeared.
"Huh. No ambush? I thought we'd come back to find Chimera Ants waiting for us," Killua said, sounding disappointed.
"Keep moving," Kite replied, glancing up at the moon overhead.
Joey checked his phone for the time. If he remembered right, Neferpitou would be born soon—maybe even just after nightfall.
From the moment they began their return trip, Joey had felt a cold, creeping dread.
A sixth sense told him: Don't go any farther.
But judging by the looks on the others' faces, they weren't about to stop now.
Not until the base.
Past that… I'll die.
The warning screamed in Joey's mind. Fear rooted in instinct curled like smoke through his chest.
It wasn't some ordinary fear.
It was the deep, human terror of something inhuman.
"You okay? You look really pale," Gon asked, concern on his face.
All three of them had noticed.
"It's nothing. Just a gut feeling—like we're walking into something really bad," Joey replied, shaking his head.
Being a reincarnator was his deepest secret—he had no intention of blurting it out unless absolutely necessary.
"I feel it too," Kite said suddenly.
His ever-calm face was uncharacteristically tense now. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So once we reach the base and retrieve the documents, the three of you will pull out of NGL."
"What about you?" Gon asked, visibly rattled.
"You're not ready. When the Association dispatches experts, you can return with the new extermination squad. For now, I'll press ahead to locate the nest and… make first contact."
Kite's words were sharp and heavy with finality.
Joey silently applauded his bravery.
But the moment he remembered he'd have to return alone to the border, that applause died in his chest.
"Pick up the pace."
Fifteen minutes later, the group came to a sudden stop.
A stench hung in the air.
The rot of human corpses and Chimera Ants baking under the summer heat.
Guns lay scattered across the dirt. Killua scooped a few up and tossed one to Joey.
"You seemed comfortable with these. Still intact, I think."
"Thanks," Joey replied, slinging a rifle over his shoulder and tucking a pistol into his waistband. He instantly felt safer.
"Kite, over here," Gon called out.
He'd sprinted a few paces ahead and pointed into the trees.
A towering cliffside rose in the distance, with a dense forest nestled below.
But a closer look revealed something odd:
These weren't normal trees.
They were Bira trees—the plant used to create narcotics.
On the cliff walls to either side, dozens of dark, gaping holes dotted the rock face like wounds.
"This is the drug cartel's base," Joey said grimly.
"The seat of NGL's shadow power: the underground empire of Gyro."
The air here was thick with blood.
"Let's go. You lead," Kite ordered.
Joey gave a silent nod. He'd prepared for this moment.
Reaching into his pack, he pulled out both his map and ID card.
"Sorry, I never memorized the way. I always just followed this map."
He waved the bloodstained paper in the air—it was so soaked through you couldn't make out anything on it.
"And here's my ID card. Consider it a token of goodwill."
Kite took both items with a frown.
He tucked the ID away, but held up the map and examined it carefully.
Then, to Joey's shock, Kite calmly tore the corner of the map apart.
"Wait, wha—!?"
But Kite ignored him.
From the split edge, he pulled out a hidden sheet of paper—thin as skin, previously embedded in the folds.
And Joey—standing close enough to see every detail—got a perfect look at what lay inside:
A map of the base.
Every hallway.
Every room.
Every secret passage.
Everything.
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