Patta City — the closest urban center to the NGL Exclusion Zone.
It was also the only city Joey had visited since leaving NGL, and more importantly, it was where Gon and Killua were waiting.
When Joey, Kite, and André returned, they were greeted by a familiar trio —
Gon looked battered and bruised, Killua noticeably calmer and more composed,
while Palm was a walking storm cloud — brooding, unstable, one twitch away from losing it completely.
Joey didn't spare her a glance.
His eyes were on Killua — and what he saw gave him pause.
There was a flicker of menace in Killua's gaze — a lethal glint like a snake coiled and ready to strike.
Brief, but unmistakable. It sent a chill down Joey's spine.
That could only mean one thing:
The needle Illumi had implanted was gone.
So whatever Kite and Biscuit had planned… it worked.
What Joey couldn't figure out was how they'd managed to push Killua far enough to do it.
He doubted Biscuit would do it for him. She was nurturing, sure, but she wasn't soft.
Even working with Kite was a stretch, let alone intervening directly.
Come to think of it… where was Biscuit?
She was nowhere in sight.
Guess she dipped after wrapping up her training duties — just like in the manga.
No interest in the Chimera Ant incident. No heroic send-off. No goodbyes.
Lucky. Joey couldn't help but envy her.
If he had the chance, he'd vanish too — preferably to a coastline full of cocktails and zero danger.
Then there was Gon.
Joey glanced over.
His instincts told him Gon wasn't ready for what came next.
Without the emotional catalyst of Kite's presumed death, Gon's mindset hadn't hardened.
In the coming mission, that softness could become a liability.
But… that wasn't Joey's concern.
Whether Gon joined the extermination team or not — that was up to Kite, Morel, or Netero himself.
Joey simply nodded at the group and followed them inside the villa.
The next few days passed in relative calm.
The television continued its relentless coverage of Chimera Ant sightings.
Camera footage, blurry recordings, panicked interviews — the media was in a frenzy.
One broadcast in particular stood out.
A giant Chimera Ant with lion features gave a live interview…
then casually bit a reporter in half on camera.
The network didn't censor a thing.
The woman's torso crumpled mid-sentence, and the feed kept rolling.
Joey nearly choked on his tea.
"The victim was torn apart on-air. This was not a staged performance —
This was real.
These creatures are not people in costume. They are monsters.
Currently, all known incidents are limited to the Eurasia-like continent,
but the threat of spreading remains.
If you spot one of these unidentified creatures — DO NOT APPROACH.
Evacuate immediately."
Outside, André's voice called out.
Joey turned off the TV.
"Time to go!"
Right.
It was departure day.
The Ant threat had begun to spread even further — perhaps even reaching Meteor City.
After all, Meteor City was no different from some of the backwater nations in the Barucha Archipelago:
isolated, lawless, ignored.
But Meteor City had the Phantom Troupe.
Joey figured any Ants wandering into their turf wouldn't last long.
Still… he couldn't help but wonder if the Chimera Ant that retained Zaiyol's memories —
the one that had devoured him — had also ended up there.
A version of Zaiyol, reborn with a Chimera Ant's power?
That'd be terrifying.
If he stayed hidden in Meteor City — a place with no oversight —
even professional Hunters might never root him out.
Just in case, Joey anonymously sent a letter.
Encrypted and routed through multiple channels, it eventually found its way to Mizai Storm, the Pro Hunter and Twelve Zodiacs member.
The letter was simple.
A suspicion.
Nothing more.
If Mizai chose to investigate, great.
If not, no harm done.
"If you drag your feet any longer, we'll miss our train!" André shouted from outside.
Today, they would infiltrate East Gorteau.
Following a series of reconnaissance missions by Morel and Knov, the royal guards and the king had been located —
in the capital: Peijing.
Chairman Netero had already slipped inside the nation.
Once the rest of the team arrived, they'd receive further instructions.
As the train pulled out, the seven original members boarded —
but this time, they were joined by Gon, Killua, and Palm.
Inside the carriage, Morel frowned.
"You sure it's a good idea bringing them along?
Doesn't this violate Netero's conditions?"
"Not technically," Knov replied calmly.
"The agreement only applied to the NGL mission.
This is East Gorteau. Different battlefield."
"That sounds like loophole logic to me." Morel chuckled, arms crossed.
"Would you rather leave them behind?"
"Hard to say." Morel leaned back.
"Their aura shows promise — but I'm not sure they've got the resolve."
"Gon, in particular, feels unstable," Shoot added.
"He's here more for self-discovery than combat."
"He reminds me a bit of Knuckle," Knov murmured.
"But even more soft-hearted."
All eyes turned to Kite.
"His aura is steady," Kite said flatly, staring out the window.
"But he still needs polish."
"Palm worries me more," Knov admitted.
"Without seeing the king beforehand, her utility is limited.
We were hoping to send her in through a connection in the military —
have her pose as a servant and gather intel.
But Joey vetoed that plan."
And with good reason.
Anyone who'd felt Neferpitou's En knew better.
Palm had no chance of withstanding that crushing aura.
Even Knov — with all his experience — had nearly collapsed under Pitou's malicious pressure, despite using Ken to defend himself.
Sending Palm in alone would be like tossing a rabbit into a den of lions.
So the plan was shelved.
But without a new role, Palm's presence became a liability.
Joey had ideas…
but none he could say aloud — not without revealing information he shouldn't have known.
So instead, he stayed quiet and let the others debate.
After all, the game had already begun.
And Joey knew the pieces far better than they realized.