Kite's sudden decision left Joey completely dumbfounded.
He couldn't tell what Kite's true motive was—did he genuinely believe he could deal with the Chimera Ants in the cave alone, or was he planning to discard him now that he had what he wanted?
Regardless of the reason, as Kite and the others began exterminating the Chimera Ants, Joey had no choice but to deploy Killer Queen's Sheer Heart Attack.
As for revealing the Withered Heart Piercing Attack, Joey didn't care in the slightest.
Ever since Sheer Heart Attack became visible to those who could use Nen, its main drawback—its sluggish movement—had become a fatal flaw.
If even someone like Joey could dodge its attack, then with someone like Kite around, there was no way the ability could pose a threat to them.
But right now, the tank was a huge asset. In a confined space like a cave, the Withered Heart Piercing Attack was at its most effective.
Not to mention, the enemies here were ordinary Chimera Ants who hadn't awakened Nen.
So as Joey fired his gun, he simultaneously backed away, ensuring he wouldn't get caught in the ensuing explosion.
Boom!
The Heart Piercing Attack didn't try to be subtle—its thunderous blast echoed through the cave instantly.
But at that moment, a Chimera Ant with a chitinous shell like that of a giant cockroach suddenly lunged down from the cave ceiling, aiming straight at Joey.
It turned out that while Joey had calculated for the four visible Chimera Ants within the cave, one had been lurking above all along, plotting to ambush him.
Yet before the cockroach-like ant could close the distance, Killer Queen's fist shot up to meet it.
This close-range auto-defense Stand wouldn't let any enemy approach Joey that easily.
Killer Queen unleashed a flurry of punches, too fast for the cockroach Ant to even perceive its attacker.
It was a completely one-sided beatdown—utterly unfair.
Joey even noticed a grotesque, human-like expression of triumph flash across the Chimera Ant's face, as if it thought it had already succeeded.
By the time Killer Queen landed the final punch, the ant's body was a mangled mess.
But Joey recalled Kite's earlier warning. Without hesitation, he reloaded his gun, aimed at the twitching insect, and pulled the trigger.
Killer Queen pressed its thumb down.
A silent explosion tore the Chimera Ant apart, leaving nothing but flames and ash.
Yet this time was different. When Joey focused on completely vaporizing the enemy, he noticed that some of the Ten he was maintaining had been drained the moment the explosion occurred.
Not by much—but the loss was tangible.
A thought surfaced in his mind. Testing it, he dismissed Killer Queen, then consciously tried channeling a portion of his aura into the Stand.
When Killer Queen manifested again, Joey distinctly felt some of his Nen being consumed, and the Stand now visibly radiated a stable flow of Ten.
"Could Killer Queen have actually become a nen beast after entering this world?" Joey wondered aloud, staring at the change.
He retracted Killer Queen again—and just like that, all the aura he had shared returned smoothly to his body.
No noticeable loss.
He didn't pursue the line of inquiry further. After five successive explosions, Sheer Heart Attack had returned.
Killer Queen reabsorbed the skeletal tank into the back of its left hand. At the same time, Gon and Killua returned to the central chamber.
Seeing that Joey hadn't moved much, they both looked surprised—especially given the lingering stench of blood wafting from the cave, evidence that all the Chimera Ants inside had been dealt with.
Neither had waited for Sheer Heart Attack before striking, and now both of them glanced curiously at Killer Queen, still visible beside Joey.
"Are nen beasts really that strong?" Gon asked, eyes gleaming.
"Not really. It's just that the Chimera Ants in that cave happened to be weak to my ability," Joey answered modestly.
"If they're all like this, cleaning up the Ants should be no big deal," Killua said with a yawn, sounding disappointed. "These guys aren't even as interesting as that rabbit-eared one from before."
"They were probably just low-ranking soldier Ants. No Nen, only biological talent at best," Joey explained. "If these things do awaken Nen, though, it'll be a whole different story."
He could still faintly hear something stirring in the tunnel Gon had cleared.
But since Killua didn't react, Joey kept silent too.
Compared to regular Chimera Ants, Joey knew just how terrifying the higher-ranking ones could be.
These fodder types might not even belong to the same species as the Royal Guards—the difference between them was so vast it felt cosmic.
And above even the Royal Guards stood the King.
Joey suddenly felt an urgent need to leave NGL altogether.
"Joey's right," Kite said, his weapon now stowed as he glanced toward the cave Gon had cleared, a hint of concern in his eyes. "Chimera Ants are naturally combative, and now they've fused with violent humans. Their personalities have become more extreme—and much more savage."
"From what we've seen, it seems like stronger individuals inevitably awaken Nen. That makes it all the more crucial that we eliminate the Ants here in NGL before the situation spreads. If this drags on, neighboring countries could get dragged in."
"In the Mitene Union, there's no shortage of nations with poor communication networks. Whether it's NGL, the Republic of East Gorteau, or even the Republic of Rokario, only the major cities are remotely developed."
With Kite's warning, the group resumed heading deeper into the Ants' base.
This time, no Chimera Ants blocked their path. Most likely, any remaining threats had already emerged at the previous junction in the central chamber.
"Looks like our presence has been detected," Kite said grimly from the front.
"More Ants showing up? How are they tracking us?" Killua asked.
"That's the problem. Plenty of creatures in nature have long-range sensory abilities. We can't possibly track them all down one by one," Kite replied. "But if we do nothing, things will only spiral further out of control."
"First we need to know how accurate their sensing is," Gon suggested. "If it's vague and area-based, we can just relocate. But if it's pinpoint accurate, we'll have to eliminate the source—otherwise everything we do from here on will be compromised."
That was how their team approached problem-solving—cohesive, analytical.
But a certain image flashed through Joey's mind: a Chimera Ant that looked like a dragonfly.
If he remembered right, this was the one causing their current predicament.
Its ability was to act as a relay between Chimera Ant squadrons—yet it didn't seem to be Nen-based.
Joey recalled that this insectoid worked under the lion-like Chimera Ant, and was eventually killed, its corpse used as a disguise by Ikalgo the octopus.
But how could he explain all this to Kite and the others?
And if they didn't take it out now, wouldn't the rest of their mission be completely visible to the enemy?
Joey's thick brows furrowed hard, but before he could speak, Kite activated a hidden panel in the wall, revealing a concealed door that blended seamlessly with the stone. Behind it lay the intel he had been searching for.
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