"Crack!" The sound of impact and shattering rang out, like a sharp hammer cracking open a shell. They saw the giant dragon using an attack method none of them had anticipated to open the bug's shell and devour the body inside.
This giant dragon was indeed different from the common image of evil dragons in fantasy works. When it began to attack and feed, it displayed a performance with a strong sense of dissociation, instantly pulling everyone back to reality.
It opened its mouth, and everyone could see that its teeth were tightly arranged, like a crocodile's. However, this mouth structure was completely incapable of opening the bug's hard shell. Immediately after, a pink-black object, like a long spear, shot out from its mouth. It was its tongue. Nobody expected that the most offensive part it displayed at this moment was this tongue.
As everyone watched from afar, the tongue easily broke through the hard bug shell, cracking open a hole. It used the same trick again, cracking open two more holes. After connecting the three holes in a row, it bit lightly with its teeth and lifted off the hard shell, which was like a seashell. It was like lifting the lid off a pot—the shell below almost became its bowl.
"It's a Tongue-Spear Lizard! So it incorporated such genes. No wonder it treats the bug as food." Begetto immediately recognized which creature this hunting method originated from.
Hearing Begetto's words, Kevin frowned slightly and tried hard to recall. Since he arrived, he would look at various interesting biological illustrations in his free time. He seemed to have indeed read relevant literature.
The Tongue-Spear Lizard was a coastal creature that hunted using its tongue. Phylum Chordata - Class Reptilia - Order Squamata - Family Linguaballisticidae. As its name suggested, its main means of attack was the tongue shot out of its mouth like a bullet. The tongue could generally reach 0.8 to 1 times body length, and the tip was usually rich in calcified spear-like bone spurs. The initial shooting speed could reach 120 m/s, and its power was roughly comparable to some small handguns.
As a type of lizard, this creature's mouth was very long and slender, looking like a gun barrel. The tongue it shot out could easily penetrate hard objects, so its food was mostly various crustaceans. The bug was naturally also on its menu. Most were gray and lived on beaches with a certain degree of mimicry. Though their functions were limited, deceiving some animals wasn't a problem.
With this impression in mind, looking at the giant dragon again, everyone could indeed find many places on its body extremely similar to the Tongue-Spear Lizard. Begetto and Kevin were almost certain this giant dragon had reached adulthood. Because judging from previous traces, it had never used the ballistic tongue as an attack method. That meant when it was less than ten meters, or even just over ten meters, it was in its juvenile stage, just like the Tongue-Spear Lizard. To be able to use such an attack, if it truly used the Tongue-Spear Lizard's genes as the main component, perhaps only then could it be considered an adult.
At this moment, the giant dragon had successfully opened its prey and was lying on the ground, slowly enjoying its meal.
"It's enjoying this, isn't it?" Sant couldn't help saying.
Begetto nodded. "If this continues, this guy is almost becoming a magical beast with high intelligence." And it was a magical beast with a huge appetite and extremely high danger. Because it was cunning and highly aggressive. And it had tasted human blood and killed people. It could understand the vulnerability of most human beings.
"It's time to act." Saying this, Begetto pulled out his revolver from his waist. Seeing this, the rest also prepared to launch a surprise attack and began quietly approaching again.
Just then, a rumbling sound came from a distant place. Perhaps because of the excessive distance, the sound was not very obvious in this slightly noisy forest. But the giant dragon had obviously noticed something unusual. It stopped eating, tilted its head and looked behind, and its entire body quickly changed from a relaxed state of lying and enjoying to a vigilant attacking posture.
This change forced Begetto and the others to stop and find a place to hide again.
"What's going on?" Sant asked softly.
Just then, Locke's voice came through everyone's earphones. "There's something happening—it's not right. Another bug is coming toward your direction."
Coming straight toward their direction? Wasn't this like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth? Were they afraid this monster wouldn't be full, so they were sending another one over? Could it be someone was controlling it to send food?
Before they could fully consider the meaning of this information, Locke's voice came through again. "There's someone—there's someone on the back shell of this bug. Be careful."
Hearing this, Begetto and the others immediately became tense. They exchanged glances, each understanding the other's thoughts.
Everyone retreated several steps in unison, then completely hid themselves.
"Looking at this... a big fish might have taken the bait," White Tree couldn't help murmuring.
In this situation, the person standing on the bug's back shell was very likely someone sent by the mastermind behind these artificial creatures. And it happened just as they were preparing to hunt the giant dragon. What a coincidence.
Just as they thought the giant dragon would either fight back or quickly escape, it suddenly froze in place and then remained motionless.
"Is it being controlled?" Kevin couldn't help guessing. In this situation, this speculation was easy to understand. After all, this was an artificial creature. If it was truly to be used as a biological weapon, absolute control was essential. Otherwise, it wouldn't meet weapon standards and would only become a created hazard. And the giant dragon's current performance matched what they had previously envisioned for a biological weapon.
That bug rumbled closer toward the giant dragon. Everyone was also able to see the person on the giant dragon's back from a distance. That person was clearly severely injured—anyone with normal eyesight could tell. He was wrapped in bandages, missing a hand, and covered in bloodstains.
And the giant dragon showed no reaction to his arrival. The entire dragon was stiff, like a statue, standing there.
Locke's voice came through the earphones again. "He's talking. You probably can't hear him. I'll read his lips and translate for you."
This was a pleasant surprise. But thinking about it, it made sense—after all, his high-altitude reconnaissance couldn't pick up audio, so lip-reading was a good option.
Immediately after, the simultaneous translation of the person's words came through.
"Number Nine, huh? I didn't expect you to have grown so big here. It seems your brain is quite sharp too. Compared to your predecessors, your genetic performance is even better. You're about to become a perfect work." After muttering for a while, he jumped directly from the bug's back onto the giant dragon's head.
"It's a pity—there's no time for you to grow slowly now. I will record your genes and help you pass them on. There should be a base around here. Damn Hunters, I'll make you busybodies pay the price. Truly a bunch of obedient dogs."
The injured man sat on the giant dragon's head, seemingly discerning direction. He took out something resembling a pocket watch from his pocket, turned it left and right for a while, and seemed to have determined the target.
"Phew, thankfully it's not far. Lady Luck is on my side today." He patted the giant dragon's head.
The giant dragon immediately flapped its massive wings, creating strong wind pressure. Its body slowly lifted off and then flew in one direction. That direction was deeper into the forest, and this area was already considered an uninhabited zone.
Locke's voice came through the earphones. "So what are you planning to do now? This matter doesn't seem as simple as it looks on the surface."
Begetto said, "That guy just now was clearly severely injured. From the wounds on his body, we can basically conclude it was done by others. Listening to his words, we can also tell other Hunters did it. According to current information, it should be a Hunter team led by the Zodiac who found their base or nest and launched a surprise attack. This guy should have escaped here through some method. At least in the surrounding area, I haven't found any trace of an investigation team. If there were such an operation, I should have known.
"From his words, we can determine they have a secret base deep in the forest. There are definitely risks involved, but the rewards are probably not small either. So what do you think?" He directly threw out the question, mainly asking Kevin and Locke. White Tree and Sant would naturally abide by Begetto's decision.
Kevin pondered slightly. The man just now was definitely an important figure in the organization behind them, but he was clearly not in charge of affairs here and was even unfamiliar with the base—yet he knew a lot about the Number Nine giant dragon.
Combining this information, it could be inferred that the base located here primarily served as a hiding place and for observing and feeding the Number Nine giant dragon. The bodies left at the massacre scene they witnessed half a year ago might have been personnel dispatched from this base. This giant dragon grew extremely wildly, clearly having received almost no effective guidance or control. This meant this base may not have anyone capable of controlling it well, which further indicated it was not a large-scale base—just a small hidden base.
But deploying bugs might be this base's mission, meaning it was very likely to have bug seedlings. This was exactly what Kevin needed.
The Nen user just now, though his strength was unclear, given his current physical condition, could barely pose much threat to them. Such injuries were definitely not something that could heal in a short time. Nen user battles weren't simple number comparisons—state was very important. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn't exert much strength in his current state.
Moreover, looking at his Nen ability, it was very likely the manipulation of these creatures. Of course, it was also possible he simply had the means of manipulation, but due to internal issues, he was unwilling to arbitrarily distribute these manipulation methods. That was why this base couldn't control the giant dragon. But from Kevin's perspective, the possibility that this guy was a Manipulation System Nen user was greatest.
If he hadn't heard those words, Kevin might have been reluctant to continue the investigation out of caution. But after hearing what that man said and being able to deduce this information, the danger level was not as high as imagined.
"Go. This is an opportunity." Kevin said without hesitation. He had marked his prey—he must obtain the bug seedlings or the possibility of raising them. And this was indeed an opportunity.
Hearing this, Begetto smiled. Now only Locke on the other end of the headset remained.
"Damn it, fine, I'm in. But you have to pay more."
"Are you sure? If we take down the opponent's base, the Hunter Association will definitely give a reward." Begetto reminded him specifically, fearing he might not understand. If he paid, it would be equivalent to him hiring them, and the other party's merit would be counted as his own.
"...I'm not a professional Hunter yet."
It instantly became quiet.
"Ah? Oh, then I'll add another 1 billion." Begetto never expected that Locke was not a professional Hunter; he originally thought the two knew each other because the other party was Kevin's contemporary.
They could all see that the injured man was at the end of his rope; the main danger of this operation lay in the giant dragon and security personnel who might be present at the base.
Since they had decided to act, the few immediately met up. They continued tracking in the direction the giant dragon had flown.
It must be said that the giant dragon's flying speed was not as fast as they had expected. With such a massive body, even if its wing structure was peculiar, it would be difficult to increase its speed to a high degree. Flying speed was clearly not this artificial monster's strong suit; the flying function merely provided it with more means of action. The flying function was perhaps just a selling point for this monster as a biological weapon. After all, being able to fly and not being able to fly were completely different matters, and the price could be vastly different.
Nostra Estate. The estate looked no different from usual. But if an experienced person observed carefully, they would find that security patrols had increased by an immeasurable amount compared to before. Hidden sentinels and special alarm devices were set up everywhere, and special cameras hidden in various corners constantly monitored the surrounding environment.
However, at this moment, Pairo and the others inside the estate knew in their hearts that such arrangements actually had limited effect and were only used to guard against some unnecessary dangers. After all, for Nen users, these obstacles could be easily overcome. But if the opponent wanted to act silently, they would inevitably spend more time; if this could be achieved, their arrangements were considered successful.
At this moment, in the small living room outside Neon's bedroom, Pairo, Kurapika, Neon, and Rosana gathered here. The initiator of this small meeting was Rosana.
"Mom." Kurapika looked at Rosana, his eyes full of inquiry. Since she had called everyone here, there must be something she wanted to say.
Pairo looked at Rosana, seeming to guess a few things. At this time, it might be about Nen ability.
Rosana smiled at everyone and said, "Originally, I planned to wait until Kevin came back before attempting to complete the final step. It seems there's no need to wait now. I want to tell you that my Nen ability has been completed."
"Really? Mom." Kurapika asked with a surprised smile.
"Hehe, of course."
"What kind of superpower is it?" Neon asked impatiently. She was very interested in Nen ability; in her opinion, it was no different from superpowers. Though essentially, they seemed quite similar—just like the works on TV, it was very interesting.
Rosana gave a mysterious smile, didn't explain directly, but reached out and placed her hand on the carpet they were standing on.
Under the gaze of the few, aura gushed out like a fountain.
Then it covered the floor like a thin film, spreading continuously until it completely enveloped the entire room before stopping. After this step was completed, the aura disappeared.
Pairo and Kurapika reached out to feel but did not find any difference between this room and before. Looking at their confused expressions, Rosana smiled playfully and waved her hand.
In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from where she stood.
"Gone?" Kurapika exclaimed in surprise, then activated "Gyo" to check, but still couldn't see his mother's figure. This indicated it was not the ability of "In"—she had truly disappeared.
"Mom's here." The voice suddenly came from behind Kurapika, and Rosana even gently patted him. This sudden movement startled Kurapika; he jumped away abruptly like a frightened cat. Then he saw his mother's playful smile.
"Mom!" Kurapika shouted with slight dissatisfaction.
"But you liked playing hide-and-seek the most when you were little." Rosana said, feigning a sigh. As she spoke, three keys appeared in her hand. These keys looked very ancient, and each had unique features. She handed the three keys to the three people before her.
Pairo and the others took the keys. From the features, it was clear each key corresponded to a person—the elements were very distinct.
"This is Mom's Nen ability—[Home]. After you get the keys, you will be able to go home." Saying that, she directly led the three outside.
Then she took out a key herself and inserted it directly into the center of the door, turning it. But in reality, there was no lock there at all. However, as she turned it, the door seemed to open; with a gentle push, the door opened, and inside was still Neon's small living room, looking unchanged.
"I have set this room as [Home]. As long as you open the door with the key and enter, you will have returned to [Home]. And without a key, or without a family member's invitation, outsiders cannot enter." Rosana explained. However, everyone before her at this moment was family, so she couldn't demonstrate the situation where outsiders couldn't enter for now.
"Though you cannot enter without a key, if you force your way in violently, you can still enter the room. But in this case, the intruder will enter the real [Home], and [Home] is absolutely safe." Saying this, Rosana hung her key on her body. She lightly flicked the key. Just like before, she disappeared from where she stood again.
Kurapika immediately understood the usage, quickly hung the key on himself, and lightly flicked it. Sure enough, he also disappeared from where he stood. The other two also followed suit.
Then, though they seemed to disappear, they were actually still in the same place. Looking around, they found this space was almost identical to Neon's room. But they could still see obvious differences—two decorations not originally in the room appeared, very conspicuously hung on the wall.
One was a photograph. It was a family photo—yet it only had Rosana, Pairo, Kurapika, Neon, and Kevin, five people. And they couldn't remember ever taking this photo.
On the opposite wall was a painting. This painting was divided into three panels. The first depicted a bright grassland, the fresh green style making one feel refreshed and happy. The middle depicted a battlefield engulfed in flames of war, with ruins everywhere—a scene of desolation. The last presented an abyss like purgatory, with fire burning endlessly and lava flowing everywhere.
And at this moment, there were three small figures on the grassland in the first panel. Carefully identifying their features, they were Neon, Kurapika, and Pairo.