NGL border.
"Huff, huff…"
Killua carries Gon on his back and flees to the border checkpoint.
The long, non-stop sprint had placed an unprecedented burden on Killua's body and mind.
But even though they had safely reached the border, Killua's nerves were still highly tense.
Pitou's overwhelmingly evil Aura, which is far stronger than Illumi or Hisoka's, lingered in Killua's heart like an inky shadow, impossible to dispel.
With exhausted steps, he gently placed Gon under a large tree and then collapsed to the ground, utterly drained.
"Huff…"
Killua panted, his body trembling slightly.
At this point, even he himself couldn't tell if the trembling was due to muscle fatigue or the lingering terror of that malevolent Aura.
"Phone…"
Before he could even catch his breath, Killua was already thinking about contacting Spinner and the others.
Dragging his weary body up, he looked toward two large trees suspended above a river not far away.
The NGL border checkpoint and embassy were located inside these two trees.
Since NGL strictly prohibited anyone from bringing in items such as phones when entering the country, Killua and the others had to store their phones in designated lockers at the immigration office before entering.
Killua rushed to the lockers, retrieved his phone, and immediately dialed Spinner's number.
The call was connected quickly.
Killua got straight to the point and briefly explained what had happened.
To his surprise, after hearing this, Spiner reacted with intense agitation and shouted, "What did you say? Kite stayed behind? Hey, explain clearly! What exactly happened?!"
Listening to Spinner's loud voice through the phone, Killua lowered his head, his lips pressed tightly together.
Another member of the investigation team grabbed the phone and said calmly: "We understand, Killua."
"…"
Killua remained silent for a moment.
The team member holding the phone continued, "In any case, stay there and wait. We're on our way with reinforcements."
"Okay."
Killua responded briefly.
The call was then hung up.
Killua crouched under the tree, clutching the phone tightly in his right hand, with his head lowered in a daze, as if he had lost all sense of time.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
The sound of a vehicle approaching from the distant road snapped Killua out of his daze.
He looked up toward the end of the road, where dust was swirling as a truck drove toward the border checkpoint.
Under his gaze, the van stopped about ten meters away.
Then. three figures got out of the car first, and the lingering dust floated past them.
Killua then saw the three figures' appearance clearly.
On the left was a burly man wearing a white shirt, black pants, sunglasses, and a broad chin.
On the right was a handsome man in a black suit, with short black hair and black-framed glasses.
The two people are Morel and Knov.
Killua didn't pay much attention to them, as his focus was on the figure in the middle.
The person who came was none other than Netero, the legendary Hunter who was also the Chairman of the Hunter Association.
"Chairman Netero!"
Killua looked at Netero, who was walking slowly towards him flanked by Morel and Knov, with a look of surprise on his face. He obviously didn't expect that the Chairman of the Hunter Association would personally take action in this matter.
The three of them then stood in front of Killua.
Morel looked down at Killua, raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked in surprise: "What's with the kid?"
After a pause, he glanced at the sweat on Killua's face and seemed to understand something. He suddenly said: "You got involved in danger during your travels, and then you got scared stiff after suffering a loss? Hah, kids like you should just go home quickly."
Upon hearing this, Killua tilted his head and glanced at Morel. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were filled with shadows.
"Morel, cut it out. He looks pitiful."
Knov said, pushing up his glasses with a finger and speaking in a detached, indifferent tone, "After all, they're just... ordinary kids."
"…"
Killua lowered his head slightly and remained silent.
If this had been the old Killua, he would have retaliated with sharp words instead of staying quiet like this.
But in truth, he had no rebuttal to Morel and Knov's comments.
"Hoho, looks serious. Is the opponent really that terrifying?"
Netero put his hands behind his back and carefully looked at Killua's current condition.
He was not like Morel and Knov, who knew nothing about Killua, so after seeing Killua's current mental state, Netero was quite surprised, though he didn't show it on his face.
"…"
After hearing Netero's question, Killua was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "The opponent can also use Nen... It's terrifying. Far more terrifying than any enemy I've faced before."
At this point, Killua finally looked up, glancing briefly at Morel and Knov before turning his gaze back to Netero.
"I can use Nen too, so I can tell that you're all very strong. But even so, I still don't think... you can defeat her."
As soon as Killua finished speaking, Netero remained silent, but Knov let out a mocking laugh.
"People always tend to overestimate their opponents when they encounter something unknown."
Knov raised his finger and pushed the frame again, looking down at Killua, and said:
"Kid, you're trapped in panic right now and can't break free. Whatever, you're still young. You'll understand eventually. Leave the rest to us. You and your friend should just go home and sleep."
"Hahaha, Knov, I feel the same way as you."
Morel chimed in, laughing as he shifted the cloth-wrapped pipe on his shoulder to the other side. He looked directly at Killua, who remained silent with his head down.
"Kid, in Nen Battles, it's normal not to know the full extent of your opponent's strength. Moreover, there are many factors that determine victory."
While preaching, Morel saw that Killua had no reaction at all, but it did not affect his subsequent speech.
"If you only consider the difference in Aura Quantity when calculating your chances of winning, then the moment you're intimidated by your opponent's Aura, you've already lost the right to fight. You're not even a loser at that point. Only by fighting with the mindset of absolute victory can a Nen User truly demonstrate their spirit."
"That's enough, Morel."
Knov cut in, stopping Morel's preaching.
In Knov's opinion, Killua is just an ordinary child, and it is normal for him to experience failure, so even if they were going to lecture him, they should keep it appropriate for his age.
Morel glanced at Knov but didn't continue. After all, he had already made his point.
Meanwhile, Netero turned his attention to Gon, who was lying under the tree, and asked with concern: "Gon... did he pass out?"
"He tried to attack the enemy, but I stopped him. The situation was urgent, and I didn't control my strength well. I don't know when he'll wake up."
Killua never responded to what Morel and Knov said from beginning to end, but as long as it was Netero's question, he would give an answer immediately.
Morel noticed this during their brief interaction but didn't pay it much mind. He simply laughed and interjected, "That kid actually has some potential."
"Morel!"
Knov looked at Morel and frowned, "I've already said that he's just an ordinary child. Even if he's scared out of his wits by the enemy, we can't judge his performance by our standards. That would be too harsh."
"…"
Morel opened his mouth, but ultimately closed it and gave Knov a look that said, "I get it".
Knov shook his head slightly, feeling that Morel was being a bit too harsh.
However, he knew that Morel wasn't usually like this. It was likely that the act of 'abandoning a comrade and fleeing' had left a bad taste in Morel's mouth.