Ging stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Larry gave a faint smile. "Kite is here right now. And you'll never guess where he is."
Ging's gaze sharpened. He studied Larry from head to toe before asking, "How do you so sure?"
Kite was still inside the ant queen's belly, and Larry didn't believe Ging could have discovered even that much. There was no way he could guess where he was.
Ging's voice dropped as he said, "Wait… after being swallowed by the ant queen, did he reincarnate as a chimera ant?" He looked carefully at all the chimera ants present.
'Could Kite really be here?' Ging thought about Kite's personality, honest, and a bit naive. But none of the chimera ants seemed to fit that image. Most, like the Chameleon ant, had a strange fixation on the ant king, which didn't match Kite's character at all.
After scanning the group, Ging's gaze settled on Xina, whom he had already been watching closely. Despite being a chimera ant transformed from a female, Xina looked the most human-like.
Given what Larry said, Ging was sure he wouldn't be able to recognize Kite easily. But then he asked himself, "Kite, I am your master, how could I not recognize you?"
With sudden certainty, Ging pointed at Xina, who looked confused, and declared, "Yes, you're Kite!"
Xina blinked in surprise.
Larry chuckle, it's unfortunate he couldn't see Kite reaction, since he was still inside the ant queen's belly. He likely had no idea what was happening in the outside world.
Larry never expected Ging to actually believe that Xina was Kite, it was impossible to tell just by looking. Still, among all the chimera ants, Xina was the one Ging had chosen who looked most like Chimera Kite.
They all appeared very human, with a noticeable tilt toward feminine features. Was this the bond between master and disciple?
Ging scratched his head and laughed it off, saying, "Just kidding."
What he said was more of a half-guess than a certainty. Judging by Larry's expression afterward, he knew he'd guessed wrong.
"Did you really think she was Kite just now?" Larry asked quietly, eyeing Ging's embarrassment.
It was understandable, no one truly knew what Kite looked like anymore. Xina was simply the closest match among the chimera ants. Next to her, Xina, who had been relaxed before, suddenly tensed up again after Ging's comment.
"Alright, enough guessing. Kite's really unlucky to have a master like you," Larry said, waving his hand to stop Ging from wasting more breath.
If Ging kept going, Ging might start claiming that the ant queen lying there was Kite. "You'll find out who Kite really is later."
Ging paused, deep in thought. If Kite was really here on the court right now, why wait to introduce her later? Wouldn't it make more sense to just point her out?
And knowing Kite's fiery personality, if she were truly among these chimera ants, she would have spoken up by now. Ging had picked Xina not just on a hunch but to provoke Kite, using Xina's childlike traits to draw him out. His earlier words weren't empty; he wanted the real Kite to reveal herself.
But something felt off. Even after his guess, Kite stayed silent. Maybe Larry was right, something was wrong.
Was Kite actually the reincarnated chimera ant queen, but with a changed personality? Or had he lost his memories? Or maybe... speaking out wasn't convenient for him right now?
Ging glanced at the ant queen lying nearby but said nothing. He knew Larry had a way to treat her, but he chose not to save the ant queen.
Larry clearly didn't like this ant queen, so naturally, he wasn't going to do anything more. He just had a vague feeling that something was off.
Seeing the thoughtful look on Ging's face, Larry decided to let him mull it over. If Ging could guess correctly, that would be impressive. When Morel and the others arrived with the medical team, everything started to become clear.
Suddenly, in the quiet room, a sharp "click, click" echoed, sounding like glass breaking. "Is they finally here?" Larry and the others immediately focused on the source of the noise.
They saw cracks forming in what had been an empty space, and as the fragments fell away, a passage fully opened. Colt was the first to step through, followed by Morel, Knov, and then the medical professionals carrying their equipment.
"Why is everyone still here?" Colt asked, a bit surprised to see several other chimera ants still gathered in the same spot, and even more than before. It made sense that he hadn't left them behind; after all, the ants who had survived earlier were all queens with gentle personalities. But he hadn't expected their numbers to grow.
"Mr. Larry, this ability of yours is really convenient," Morel said as he approached with Knov, who was carrying a large pipe. He couldn't help but sigh at how handy Larry's power was. "Now that you're here, what about the other chimera ants?"
Knov glanced around at the chimera ants nearby and said seriously, "The ones who've stayed here are all worthy of surviving. Don't make me 'send' the others away."
Larry nodded, deliberately stressing the word "send" so everyone understood the implication. Their response matched what the two had been thinking, and everyone let out a relieved breath. It would have been a real headache if the chimera ants had escaped, but thankfully, with Larry here, the situation was under control.
"Hey, who's this?" Morel and the others only just noticed Ging standing behind Larry and looked surprised. Why was there an extra person?
"Yo," Ging stepped forward, revealing his full face to Morel and the others.
"This… this is really unexpected!" Morel exclaimed.
"Are you even supposed to be here?!" someone asked, astonished.
Morel's pupils shrank in surprise, and he spoke with a slight stutter, his usually firm jaw almost dropping in disbelief. "One of the world's top five nen users!, the Pig of the Zodiac?!"
Knov, standing beside him, was equally shocked. Adjusting his glasses with trembling hands, he added in astonishment, "So that makes three of the top five nen users gathered here!"
It was unexpected that for this chimera ant incident, three of the best hunter from the six continents had come together. But considering the overwhelming aura radiating from the Ant King and his three guards, it made sense to have such a powerful trio assembled.
"But how did you get here? Before, it seemed only Mr. Larry had arrived…" Morel's words suddenly cut off as he turned his head toward the direction they had come from.
The space portal had vanished, but now he understood how Ging had made the trip. "Just as you suspected," Ging said with arms crossed, "I used Larry's method to bring you here. I came this time to take the remaining chimera ants to Greed Island."