Joey narrowed his eyes.
The mention of "Chirp"—[鸣]—was unexpected, but not alarming.
While the phenomenon was classified, Kite had submitted a report on it during Joey's background clearance.
Meaning: it wasn't a secret impossible to find—it was just... inconvenient to know.
The Hunter Association's info-security wasn't airtight.
Leaks happened.
And from what Kite told him, a few Association Hunters had looked into "Chirp" cases in the past. Joey wasn't the first anomaly.
It was rare.
It was weird.
But not unique.
What was odd was how Ed talked—like he knew more about Chirp than even the Association did.
Like he had outside intel.
But Joey wasn't biting.
He didn't believe for a second Ed was really working for the Fourth Prince.
If the prince wanted leverage, he'd use the Ai Ai Mafia—not mercs. Not washed-up Hunters.
According to Mizaistom's intel, there was no clear link between the mercs and Fourth Prince Tserriednich.
If Ed had gotten that kind of sensitive intel, it wasn't by being told—it was by digging.
Ed's real backers were likely outside the royal factions.
Whoever they were, they had enough reach to bribe Iron-Ladyn and embed spies like Ed.
And now that he'd identified Ed's allegiance, Joey knew exactly what to do—
hand him over to Mizaistom and bleed him dry of everything he knew.
Ed, meanwhile, looked increasingly panicked.
The little floating debt baby, Potclean, had now announced its third or fourth round of "interest updates," and the numbers were climbing fast.
Joey just kept staring, unmoved.
Ed swallowed hard, trying to sweeten the deal—when suddenly:
[10762]
The number froze.
"You're broke, bastard!" Potclean bellowed, shifting into its pink devil form with a puff of smoke.
"Thirty days of bankruptcy! You belong to me now, you greedy piece of shit!"
Then—
Ed's aura vanished. His entire body dropped into Zetsu.
Before he could even process it—
Thwack.
A hand chopped down on the back of his neck.
Knuckle stepped into view, frowning.
"Trash like you—using your allies like meat shields. Hope you enjoy prison, asshole."
Joey almost thought Ed's head would roll off.
Knuckle didn't mess around when it came to betrayers.
"We've still got two unknowns up on the hill," Knuckle said, hauling Ed over his shoulder. "They might just be hikers. Shooto's back, so I'm guessing surveillance is cleaned up."
Joey nodded, falling in line with Knuckle and Meleoron.
Still...
Something felt off.
The assault had felt incomplete.
According to Mizaistom's reports, Tserriednich and Sale-Sale's people had both dispatched killers from Kakin.
Where were they?
Had they never arrived?
Were they holding back?
Joey couldn't say.
Still, if Knuckle and Shooto both believed the threat was neutralized for now, he'd trust their judgment.
They weren't just allies—they were pro-level Hunters.
In the van, Joey reviewed the encounter mentally.
Neither Sandra nor Ed had been top-tier ability users.
Sandra was likely Manipulation-Type.
Her adhesive tags—if stuck to skin—let her control her targets completely. Powerful, but extremely conditional.
If Ed hadn't spotted Joey's Nen insect, she would've gone down without ever realizing she was under attack.
Ed, meanwhile, was a classic Enhancement-Type—relying on sheer force and shockwaves from his palms.
But because he was forced to use a ranged technique that mimicked Emission-Type Nen, his attacks were both inefficient and weak.
And worse—he'd drawn the worst possible match-up.
Knuckle and Meleoron.
In just 2 minutes and 17 seconds, Potclean had stacked up thirteen interest ticks, combined with Ed's aura usage.
Like Youpi, he was strong—
But unlike Youpi, he wasn't ready for bankruptcy.
Joey's thoughts were interrupted by Shooto's ringtone.
He answered.
"Palm here. Killua made it to the airship port. He's safely onboard. You guys done?"
"All wrapped up," Knuckle replied.
Things had gone well.
Illumi hadn't interfered.
That gave them just enough breathing room to work.
But...
Nothing was over yet.
Not Killua's situation.
Not Joey's.
They'd only cleared one half of the board.
As they pulled into the airship terminal, Joey sighed inwardly.
Originally, his plan had been to split off alone and handle his problems under the radar.
That plan was now... scrapped.
And strangely—he felt relieved.
Going into Kakin alone had been a long shot.
Taking down Sale-Sale was possible. But assassinating Tserriednich, a latent Nen monster surrounded by Mafia contacts and unknown ability users? That was suicide.
Despite V5's attempts to suppress Nen proliferation, there were way more users than just the Association's licensed few.
Every major country—Kakin, V5, even their mercenary networks—had trained combat specialists in secret.
Assuming you could assassinate a prince without knowing the full battlefield was wishful thinking.
As Joey and the others boarded their return airship,
another car screeched to a halt just outside the facility.
Illumi and Hisoka stepped out.
The airship was already a dot in the sky.
"We're late~" Hisoka said cheerfully, no hint of disappointment in his voice.
Hands on his hips, he smirked.
"Wanna just camp outside the hospital and wait?"
Illumi said nothing.
He stared at the sky, calculating.
"Unexpected. I didn't think Killua's allies would show up. That means they had intelligence we didn't."
"Eh? Oh. That was from the Association. Someone recorded our little chat," Hisoka said, feigning innocence. "I think someone turned a listening device into a living thing."
Illumi turned to him.
"I remember. There was a beetle on your seat."
"Was there? I didn't notice~ What a neat ability!"
Hisoka licked his lips, remembering how the gold coin vanished.
But then—images of Kite's weapons and rapid shifts returned to him.
That guy...
"Kite's much more my type."
A proper brawler.
"Killua's friends showed up. But Palm and Knov didn't," Illumi muttered. "Which means they're at the hospital."
"That makes assassination a lot harder," he said flatly. "We'll need support."
"You're gonna ask someone for help?" Hisoka blinked, mock-offended. "You know I'm shy."
Illumi didn't laugh.
He reached into his coat, fingers brushing over rows of long black needles.
"I don't have friends," he said flatly. "But I have tools."
He pulled one of the long pins free. Its surface pulsed with blackened aura.
"These... make them obey. Completely. Until death."
"Aww," Hisoka cooed. "So cute."