The reason Joey thought this situation had gotten troublesome—
Was simple:
The three Hunters dispatched from the Association Headquarters had moved with surgical precision.
Their intent was obvious, like they'd been briefed ahead of time.
One of them was charging straight toward Joey, aura flaring—
Ready to subdue him if he showed even the slightest resistance.
Another ran toward the scene of the explosion.
The third bolted toward a security camera that had captured the incident clearly.
Both of them kept glancing back at their teammate,
Clearly prepared to back him up the moment Joey resisted.
Meanwhile, Kite and Gon, who'd stepped out just moments after Joey,
had been stopped at the Association's entrance by a suited man.
Joey recognized him.
Teradin Neutral, a Recruitment Hunter, accompanied by
Bushidora Ambitious and Lupé Highland.
All three had backed Teradin as a candidate in the Chairman Election—
Proponents of reinstating the Purification Squad, reforming the Hunter Exam,
and amending the Ten Hunter Commandments.
They'd had a fair amount of support…
But Pariston Hill's overwhelming popularity had crushed any chance they had.
Now, the fact that these three were blocking Kite and Gon raised red flags.
Still—
Joey's immediate concern was the Hunter running straight for him.
Should I resist? Or go quietly?
What's the success rate if I fight?
What happens if I surrender?
In an instant, Joey weighed the pros and cons.
His Specialization-type aura surged subtly—
The intel and money in his coat transformed into a serpent of conjured aura,
which slipped from his coat and vanished into the flowerbed nearby.
Then, hands raised, Joey surrendered.
He gave a small nod toward Kite in the distance.
If they're bold enough to strike at HQ… their goal must be serious.
And Kite had given him a signal. Joey wouldn't ignore that.
Whoever was behind this was far more influential than just the Kakin princes.
Neither Prince Tserriednich nor Prince Luzurus had the pull to mobilize this many assets—
and Joey wasn't valuable enough to warrant this kind of effort...
Unless—
"Kira Yoshikage" left behind something even more important than Joey had realized.
But if that were the case, Kite would've mentioned it.
And nothing Joey inherited—documents, possessions, or intel—suggested such a secret.
So that left only one possibility:
A third-party faction was involved.
But who? And why?
The Hunter who approached didn't get rough.
After checking Joey's temporary Association badge, he nodded politely:
"Apologies, sir. The incident happened on Association property.
As a member of the HQ Security Division, I'd like to ask you to accompany us for questioning."
"Of course," Joey replied calmly, now more intrigued than alarmed.
What was the purpose of keeping him inside Headquarters?
Gon jogged up beside him, whispering:
"What happened?"
"Assault attempt, I think. Just cooperating with the investigation."
The Security officer clarified:
"We'll need to review the footage and take statements before drawing conclusions.
But there's no doubt they fired live rounds—
so Mr. Joey's just giving a voluntary testimony. No need to worry. He's part of the Association, after all."
Gon glanced at their formation, frowning.
Something wasn't right.
Kite stepped forward and read the badge on the lead officer's chest:
Ed Amanda.
"Go on and cooperate," Kite said. "I'll wait for you here."
"It won't take long," Ed said with a smile, as he and the other two officers led Joey inside.
The Security Division was housed on the third floor of HQ—
a low elevation, but perfect for rapid response.
Joey was taken to what looked like an ordinary office.
He and Ed sat across from one another.
No tricks.
Ed played the security footage on the monitor and began the interview.
Basic stuff: name, age, hometown.
Joey, now using his new identity, answered everything straightforwardly.
He walked Ed through the event as it had unfolded.
After about 30 minutes, the questioning was over.
Joey left the office full of questions—
and was greeted at the entrance by Kite, who'd recovered Joey's wallet and snake-concealed data.
The three quickly returned to the hotel.
Once in Kite's room, after confirming they weren't being spied on, Kite finally spoke:
"The Security Division's actions were normal. Their response time was fast,
but within expectations. Teradin is the real issue."
"Wait, that's the standard response protocol?" Joey asked.
"Correct. In fact, if Bushidora hadn't interfered with the Division's coordination,
they might've acted even sooner—
likely at the first sign of erratic driving."
"That's impressive," Joey admitted.
He had to respect their efficiency.
"They're well-trained," Kite said.
"With attacks on HQ being fairly common, Hunters in Security are constantly rated.
Promotions to Single-Star often go through this Division.
Even Ed was once a personal bodyguard. He's here now to build more experience."
"But the First Commandment says Hunters must always have a target.
How does that apply here?"
"This job doesn't count as a target.
But if your goal is growth and practical training,
then HQ's Security Division is a goldmine.
New and battle-hardened Hunters alike often spend 6 to 12 months here post-licensing."
Kite clearly held the Security role in high regard.
Joey, however, had no interest in bureaucracy.
"No thanks. I prefer my freedom. The world's too big to stay put."
He pulled out his data and shifted the topic.
"Far as I know, I've got no beef with Teradin.
Unless being aligned with Chairman Netero makes me a threat."
"Could be," Kite said.
"But Teradin's camp already lost. Pariston's going to win.
There's no point targeting you now—
unless they're doing it for someone else.
Which means someone paid them."
Joey frowned.
"You'd need more than money to move someone like Teradin."
"According to Mizaistom's intel," Kite continued,
"you've drawn interest from Kakin, mercenary networks, and now possibly others."
Joey narrowed his eyes at the name in the file.
"...'Nosla'... Why does that sound familiar?"
A fallen mafia family. Ties to both mercs and Kakin.
Their name triggered something in Joey's memory.
"This has to be a smokescreen," Gon said.
"Real elite mercs don't miss. If they're serious about killing Joey,
they'll go for a decisive blow."
Then Gon's phone rang.
Morel was calling.
The news was in: Killua had made his move.
"Go ahead. I'll stay," Joey said.
He knew this wasn't ending anytime soon.
He'd already hired guards—Mizaistom's security company, in fact.
He wasn't expecting miracles—just time.
Once Killua arrived, they'd heal Andrei.
Then it would be open season on whatever faction was targeting him.
Initially, Joey had planned to handle it alone.
Kite refused.
"From the moment you healed me, we weren't just teacher and student anymore.
We're comrades. Ride or die."
Joey couldn't refute that.
He barely knew this world.
Fighting it alone was suicide.
Gon left for the hospital.
Kite stayed behind.
They reviewed all available data.
The only confirmed enemy ability?
Corpse manipulation.
The rest would have to wait—either for Mizaistom, or for the enemy to slip.
That afternoon, Gon called again:
Killua had left home.
With him: a Zoldyck butler—Gotoh's successor, Tsubone.
All communications were being handled by her.
Knov, under her supervision, began building a mobile isolation ward in the hospital parking lot.
Now all they could do was wait.
Kite had arranged all the details on a whiteboard, pacing before it.
"Joey," he said finally,
"You already had a plan, didn't you?"
Joey tapped the table.
"I had a few guesses.
You figured that out from the Hisoka intel, didn't you?"
He looked down at the mess of files on the table.
That intel hadn't been meant for anyone else—
but after the attack at HQ, he'd passed it to Kite via Gold Experience.
Including Hisoka's flight path…
And that path?
Intersected with Killua's travel route.
"So what did you find?" Kite asked.
Joey exhaled.
"Illumi.
Illumi Zoldyck. Killua's brother."
"At HQ, I used a beetle-conjured listening device to spy on Hisoka.
And I caught him… talking to someone."
He handed Kite a recording device.
"Listen."