Joey hadn't attended the Chairman Election assembly for fun.
Once he confirmed there was a bounty on his head and assassins on his trail,
he'd already begun laying the groundwork.
Going to the Hunter Association HQ was just one step—
an opportunity to gather intel firsthand.
And with Gold Experience at his disposal, surveillance got an upgrade.
Using conjuration, he combined a bug-shaped listening device with Gold Experience—
the result was a strange hybrid of insect and machine,
its abdomen still visibly mechanical.
A half-living, half-object creature.
This was a technique Joey had refined through experience.
Inspired by Giorno Giovanna's "brick snake"—
a creature with a brick for a body and snake for a head and tail—
Joey created a beetle-bug surveillance drone that could think, move, and record.
Even though he hadn't deliberately tried to evolve Gold Experience,
constant use had led to organic improvements.
Whether that was good or bad… remained to be seen.
Joey had always been cautious with his Memory Capacity—
if Gold Experience started eating into it,
it could delay the creation of his original Emission-type Hatsu.
But so far, he hadn't noticed any drawbacks.
According to Kite, it wasn't a problem.
"Everyone has a different kind of talent," Kite had said.
"And most Hunters end up developing skills that mix several Nen categories."
Like Joey's Gold Experience, which showed traces of
Conjuration, Emission, Manipulation, even Enhancement.
The same was true for Gon's Janken—
a move fusing Enhancement, Emission, and Transformation.
As long as your Hatsu suits your base category, there's no waste.
Still, Joey wasn't entirely convinced.
But he didn't argue—after all, Kite had been right about a lot so far.
Joey also realized something else—
he wasn't talentless. He had instincts, ideas, and control over his Nen.
Sure, he was borrowing someone else's ability blueprint.
But Gold Experience had become his tool now.
Even if his attitude was "lazy when it comes to Hatsu development,"
he'd still managed to evolve it naturally. That had to count for something.
These half-object creatures weren't hard to make.
And when necessary, he layered in basic Manipulation traits to give them simple commands.
The Gold Experience beetle had perched quietly beside Hisoka's seat,
recording his conversation with Illumi Zoldyck.
Joey had reviewed the tape.
Hisoka didn't even bother hiding anything.
The moment Illumi appeared, Hisoka called him out by name.
Their discussion began with the Chimera Ants…
Then quickly shifted to Killua's return to Kukuroo Mountain to negotiate with their father Silva.
Illumi's conclusion?
"If things keep going this way… Killua and Gon will both die."
"Both of them?"
"That outcome must be avoided at all costs."
"Illumi, explain," Hisoka said, suddenly serious.
"We have another little brother. I intend to eliminate him."
That was where the conversation ended.
After that, they'd left HQ, and the beetle hadn't followed—
but Joey had already heard enough.
Kite replayed the audio over and over, taking notes, analyzing.
"So… you're planning to assist Killua?
And that location Hisoka's heading for… it matches Killua's route."
Kite muttered his deductions aloud.
"But that's not all.
Once you leave Association HQ to 'offer assistance,'
the people who are after you will probably strike."
"You're hoping to use this mission to flush them out, aren't you?"
Joey nodded.
"Exactly. Once Andrei recovers, there's nothing keeping me here."
"I had three options:
One, fake my death and assume a new identity—
but I plan to travel with you, and they'd just trace your movements and find me again.
Two, disappear and live quietly—
but if I take the Hunter Exam, they'll figure me out fast.
And honestly, I'm not ashamed of who I am anymore."
"So I chose option three: fight back.
According to everything we know, the Kakin princes are normal people.
The wildcard is this new faction."
"We don't know their goals. Or how serious they are.
So this mission will help flush them into the open."
Kite frowned.
"That last step might not work.
Most mercenary brokers don't know who hired them.
There's a system—clients deposit into anonymous escrow accounts.
You could kill every merc in your path and still have no idea who paid them."
That was a detail Joey hadn't accounted for.
He thought interrogating the mercs would be the hard part.
Turns out… they might not even know who hired them.
"So even if I assassinated the fourth and eighth princes,
nothing would change. I'd still be a target."
"Exactly," Kite said. "But your plan still has merit."
"We assist Killua.
Illumi and Hisoka are both dangerous.
Killua and the Zoldyck butlers won't be enough.
And if we're lucky, whoever's after you will make a move."
"Even if we don't get answers now, they'll slip up eventually.
No one stays hidden forever."
Kite handed Joey a business card.
"If you want to chase down online leads, this guy's your man.
If anyone can trace those anonymous transactions, it's him."
The name read:
Ikshan Pegatokka — Hacker Hunter.
"He's one of the best in the cyberworld," Kite added.
"But money won't move him."
Joey squinted at the garbled contact info and carefully tucked the card away.
"So basically, I'm broke and my odds are terrible.
I'll stick with the fieldwork for now. Maybe I'll get lucky later."
"So it's settled?" Kite asked.
Joey nodded.
"Yeah. If you're in, we move now.
The longer we wait, the more room they have to adapt."
"Oh, one more thing—
mind looking after my orange tabby?
The one infected by Sanbica's virus?"
"I'm curious about it myself. Leave it with me."
August 8th – Nightfall.
The Chimera Ant Extermination Team—minus Knov—assembled at the airship pad.
"We depart now.
By morning, we'll reach Parasta.
From there, it's an hour's drive to Mount Kans."
"Palm," Joey said, turning to her,
"you're our key player. Whether it's tracking Killua or the enemy, you'll be vital."
Gon and Ikalgo were assigned to protect her.
As for Joey and Kite—
Kite's mission: delay either Hisoka or Illumi—not defeat, just stall.
Joey's mission: draw out whoever's targeting him and take them out.
Knuckle, Shoot, and Meleoron would trail Joey from a distance—
watching his back and jumping in when needed.
The plan was solid—
but everyone knew how easily plans fell apart.
Knov and Morel stayed behind to manage operations and provide backup if needed.
Everything was in place.
The team boarded their airship and left HQ behind.
At the same time—
two other airships lifted off from different pads across the city.
On one of them, two people sat across from each other.
The man hung up a call.
"Sandra. Teradin just passed along the intel.
The target's heading toward Rock City.
Might be connected to Andrei's condition."
Sandra—
a tall, rugged mercenary woman with a killer's gleam in her eye—
nodded once.
"What's the boss's order?"
The portly man across from her—Ed Amanda, the HQ security officer who'd interviewed Joey—
gave the answer calmly:
"Capture."
Sandra cracked her knuckles.
"Ed, I heard one of the Beastmen from the Kakin princes is also after him.
Want me to take them out too? Their fangs go for a nice price on the black market."
"They're from the Ai-Yi-Yi Family.
Don't touch them. They're rabid."