By the time Joey reached the highway bend, three sleek black sedans were barreling down the road straight toward him.
Through the windshield, he saw a familiar face behind the wheel.
"That's the guy who tried to kill me at the Association gates."
Meaning—the passengers in these cars were likely puppets.
"Confirmed! Fire!"
Gun barrels lifted. Bullets flew.
"Huh?"
That one came from Joey.
He'd expected corpses—automatons, like the last attack.
But these… were alive?
It made no difference.
Living or dead—they were enemies. His only job was to end them.
Joey launched forward, Nen bullet charged and flying—
but before it hit, a blaring truck horn sliced through the chaos.
A massive logging truck came roaring down the slope, slamming into one of the sedans and driving it forward—straight at Joey.
"What the hell…?"
The plan was different than expected.
Were these three sedans just fodder for a bigger play?
Too many thoughts, not enough time.
Joey didn't stop moving.
He flared his aura, tenketsu wide open—
then blasted a burst of aura downward, launching himself into the air.
One of the most basic techniques in a Emitter's arsenal:
Short-term aura propulsion—a micro-leap into the air using raw force.
He couldn't fly, but he could vault.
As he soared above the wreckage, his eyes scanned the sedans.
Thirteen people.
Four were clearly under control—three drivers and one gunner in the back.
That gunner adjusted his aim mid-flight, tracking Joey's airborne arc.
But Joey's attention was already shifting.
In the backseat of the second sedan, he spotted a woman in a suit—cool, collected, aura-active.
"A Nen user!"
Was she the Puppeteer? The one controlling corpses?
Then his eyes flicked toward the logging truck's cab—
That's when danger slammed into him.
Killer Queen materialized mid-air—
left arm raised.
BOOM.
The blow knocked Joey sideways like a crash dummy—
sent flying off the road, over the cliff's edge.
The Queen's left arm broke. So did Joey's.
He spiraled downward, bullets chasing him.
But the gunfire stopped abruptly.
A split second later—
BOOM.
The truck and sedans exploded behind him.
Joey's eyes caught a blur darting past.
A paper talisman stuck to his broken arm.
"A sealing tag?"
"No—an Operator's charm. They can control the living!"
He couldn't move. His limbs locked up.
But then—Killer Queen reached over and casually peeled off the tag.
Joey was free.
The Queen vanished back into his body.
Joey's aura surged—cushioning his fall at the last second.
He landed hard. But safe.
Above him, the sedans and truck launched off the cliff—coming right for him.
Killer Queen re-emerged, grabbed him, and hurled him aside like a ragdoll.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Explosions rippled in sequence as the wreckage slammed into the forest below.
Joey didn't look at the flames.
He was watching the figures that had jumped out moments before the crash.
One was the suited woman—sharp, focused, deadly.
One was Ed—the Hunter who'd interrogated Joey back at HQ.
The others were the four gunmen—clearly under someone's control.
The woman reminded Joey of a Zoldyck butler in demeanor.
But more than that, Joey's mind was spinning.
"Ed. Police Division. Association ties. This isn't just a hit job."
If he could capture Ed or the woman—
there was a chance he could extract real intel.
Nearby, Knuckle and Meleoron were lying in wait.
If they struck first, they could turn the tide instantly.
Right then—Ed stumbled.
Got him.
Some kind of invisible strike hit him.
He didn't fall—but his aura surged. Unstable.
He glanced at Sandra, confused.
That's when he saw it—
A bee, flitting toward her through the air.
"No way a bug gets this close to a Nen user mid-fight."
He panicked.
Fired a Nen shot—shredded the bee.
It turned into a coin as it died.
"Too late."
Sandra blinked, confused. But then she noticed Ed staggering like he was being pummeled by invisible fists.
Her eyes widened.
"An ambush!"
"Someone's cloaked!"
But their scouts had said the mountain was clear…
She lashed out, firing into thin air.
Her controlled soldiers opened fire—spraying the treeline.
Still no sign of the attacker.
"Back-to-back," Ed muttered.
He and Sandra pivoted, shoulder to shoulder.
Their four puppets trained guns directly on Joey.
Joey stood calmly. He hadn't moved.
But inside his chest, Killer Queen pulsed.
The presence of Knuckle and Meleoron was enough to paralyze the enemy with uncertainty.
"How many are out there…?"
The Chariot Bomber rolled out of the smoke, squealing its tires.
"Fried chicken coming through!" it shrieked.
Sandra reacted instantly.
One puppet aimed a rifle at it.
Another dove to intercept.
"They know how it works."
Sandra couldn't let the Chariot reach them.
It exploded.
One puppet flew.
The Chariot kept rolling.
"Not enough."
Ed slammed his palms together—
his compressed Nen shockwave rippled outward, targeted and tight.
It hit the Chariot—
slowed it, but didn't stop it.
Then—
Pink aura surged.
Killer Queen's activation.
The Chariot howled toward them, relentless.
Sandra cursed and sent her last two puppets forward—
Then—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Joey unleashed a barrage of Nen bullets, raining down like a storm.
Ed slapped his palms again, trying to unleash another wave.
But—
"Interest time," said a quiet voice behind him.
Leol's counter started ticking.
3120 → 3432
Ed didn't know what it meant. He didn't care.
His wave met Joey's attack—
But some of the Nen bullets were explosive types.
They broke through, screaming toward Ed and Sandra.
"Tch—!"
Ed grabbed Sandra by the arm—
and threw her into the blast.
Killer Queen's thumb dropped.
BOOM.
The first bomb detonated on Sandra.
Joey had dialed the power down—he didn't want her dead.
Still, it shredded her aura and knocked her out cold.
Her remaining puppets collapsed.
They were too close to the Chariot.
Double boom.
Their bodies were obliterated.
Joey reabsorbed the Chariot before it could hit Ed.
He still had control.
But Ed—
snapped Sandra's neck.
"What the hell—?"
He tossed her corpse aside, eyes locked on Joey.
"A gamble," Joey realized.
"He knows I want info. If she's gone, I have to keep him alive."
That was his play.
Joey didn't attack.
Ed relaxed slightly, still tense.
"You don't have to be so hostile," he said, voice calm.
"The Fourth Prince… just wants to talk."
Joey's eyes narrowed.
"Fourth Prince?"
"You're wondering why you're worth all this trouble," Ed said smoothly.
"But he knows far more than you think. For instance…"
He leaned forward.
"He knows about Naru."