The Zoldyck Family's dragon was kept near the volcano's crater.
Maha personally led the two to the crater. The number of people in the world who could receive such treatment from him could be counted on one hand.
Upon reaching the edge of the crater, they looked down to see a creature resembling an Eastern dragon lying below, though it also bore some characteristics of a Western dragon. Overall, it leaned more toward the Eastern dragon in appearance.
The dragon had four limbs, short but with sharp claws. Its body was slightly bulky, with three pairs of wings on its back. One pair, even when folded, appeared quite large, while the other two pairs near the tail were more petite.
This was the dragon the Zoldyck Family had tamed. It has excellent stamina, is suitable for long-distance flights, and is capable of flying at considerable speed.
Maha asked the two to wait aside, then jumped down and landed on the haystack, waking up the sleeping dragon directly.
All magical beasts possessed mature intelligence and could understand human speech, and the Zoldyck Family's dragon was no exception.
After waking up the dragon, Maha explained the situation.
The dragon quietly stood up, lifted Maha onto its back, and spread its wings, effortlessly flying out of its resting spot. A strong gust of wind followed as it landed beside Law and Netero.
Maha jumped off the dragon and said, "Go ahead."
Though he said this, he was looking at Law, not Netero.
Even without Netero explicitly stating it, Maha could tell that Law was the one who wanted to borrow the dragon. Otherwise, there would have been no need for Law to come along.
"Thank you."
Law expressed his gratitude and jumped onto the dragon's back. The trip from the Hunter Association had already taken over a day, but with the dragon, the journey to Alcatraz Island could be shortened by more than half.
The dragon flapped its wings, soaring into the sky like a serpent swimming through the air.
Maha and Netero watched as the dragon ascended, both remaining silent.
In no time, the dragon soared into the clouds and disappeared from their sight.
Above the clouds, the sky stretched endlessly, with no landmarks to determine direction. However, Law had a map and a navigator, and the dragon beneath him was an intelligent magical beast capable of communication, so there was no worry about getting lost.
Before heading to Alcatraz Island, Law had told Machi to return to Heavens Arena on her own and had also informed Buhara and the others about the situation.
The island was dangerous, not just because of Nen Battles but also due to the need to guard against various poisonous creatures. Without proper experience, it was easy to fall victim to them.
Law left the choice to Buhara and the others. If they wanted to come, they could take a ship.
After helping Law borrow the dragon, Netero also needed to handle the matter in his own way, so he didn't stay in Zoldyck Family's estate any longer. After bidding farewell to Maha, he returned to the Hunter Association's Headquarters by airship.
After Netero and Law left, Maha also returned to the estate, where Illumi was waiting for him at the entrance.
"Great-grandfather."
Seeing Maha return, Illumi greeted him.
"Are you waiting here for me?" Maha asked.
"Yes." Illumi nodded.
Whether it was Maha, Zeno, or Silva, before taking over the family business, they had all developed a habit of not expending too much energy on matters outside of their commissions. As a result, they rarely showed interest in external people or events.
But Illumi is not very old now, so it wasn't strange for him to be curious about things outside of commissions.
He was waiting here for Maha just to find out the relationship between Law and Maha.
Without small talk, Illumi directly posed the question.
"It's thanks to him that you can taste such delicious Buddha Jumps Over the Wall." This is Maha's answer to this question.
After saying that, he headed back to his room, wondering if the cartoon he had been watching had ended yet.
…
Alcatraz Island.
Of the five hundred people who had landed on the island some time ago, all had been cleared out by today. Most had become food for the magical beasts, as their physical condition made them above-average rations.
None of the ordinary people had survived, but the Nen Users had been granted the privilege of living a little longer.
After accepting the mission, including Sanbica, the Hunter Association had dispatched ten Hunters.
Now, aside from Sanbica, who had used self-preservation measures to delay her capture, six of the other nine Hunters had died, and the remaining three had become experimental subjects for the bespectacled man.
Clort Prison was a facility under the jurisdiction of the state, designed to house the most heinous and dangerous criminals. However, the bespectacled man's actions obviously put himself in opposition to the state, but his behavior has not been discovered yet.
In this world, there were countless irredeemable criminals. Under the guise of hypocritical humanitarianism, these criminals were given sentences far exceeding their natural lifespans and locked away in dark, sunless prisons as a form of judgment.
That was the public narrative, but behind the scenes, things were different.
There are many prisons in various places that use these prisoners as experimental subjects, and Clort Prison was one of them. After all, the prisoners held here are all guilty of heinous crimes.
One hundred… this number represented the count of artificial creatures, each a fusion of a human Nen User's head and the powerful body of a magical beast.
The bespectacled man had used unknown methods to combine human Nen Users' heads with the bodies of magical beasts, ensuring their vital signs remained stable.
These one hundred artificial creatures were the result of five years of his work, and to reach this point, he had spent a full decade.
All of it... was for revenge!
The cell where Sambika was located had turned into a dark green world, emitting a dangerous atmosphere.
In this dark green environment, Sanbica lay curled up in the center, her eyes tightly shut, maintaining a faint breathing rhythm.
The wall that Bear had smashed had been repaired, and Sanbica's cell was now enclosed by incredibly hard transparent glass, containing the dark green zone within its boundaries.
The bespectacled man stood outside the glass, gazing at Sanbica as if she were a precious treasure.
Next to him stood two people, one was Hawk, who carried his fan-blade, and the other is a middle-aged woman with long black hair and black-framed glasses, dressed in a light green office uniform.
"I threw ten prisoners in there, and they stayed there for a period of time ranging from one minute to ten minutes." The bespectacled man said, pinching the corner of his mouth with his thumb and forefinger, and said in an excited tone: "Guess what I discovered?"
The middle-aged woman replied sternly: "Just get to the point."
"You're as direct as ever." The bespectacled man said, adjusting his grease-stained lab coat and slightly calming his excitement.
The middle-aged woman frowned, seeming a little impatient.
Seeing this, the bespectacled man chuckled and said, "This woman is a rare weapon. However, we can't reach her for now. I estimate her current state will last about five more days."
The middle-aged woman looked at Sanbica through the glass and nodded slightly, , "You don't have much time left. It's best not to waste your energy on meaningless things. Start preparing as soon as possible."
"If circumstances allow... I don't want to wait a single moment."
Suddenly, a deep hatred appeared on the bespectacled man's face, and his face twisted slightly.
Hawk, who is standing beside him, seemed affected by the man's words and emotions, and unconsciously clenched his fist.
They are... survivors of a hypocritical judgment. Now, they sought to return the blade that had once been swung at them to their enemies.
"The Hunter Association has started investigating. Be careful of Netero. I've done my best to delay him, but that old man is far from ordinary. Don't let anything slip before we're fully prepared." The middle-aged woman reminded.
"I know."
.....
Hunter Association, Chairman's Office.
Netero listened to Beans's work report of with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
There was an outsider present, which is Linne.
Although she is a member of the Hunter Association, she rarely involved herself in worldly affairs and had no interest in handling missions. Yet, this time, she had taken the initiative to step in.
"Burdened by mundane matters, even your steps have become unsteady." Linne said expressionlessly.
Netero scratched his cheek and smiled nonchalantly: "When it comes to work and status, that's indeed the case."
"If the permits aren't approved, I'll act outside the rules. I wonder if these old bones of mine are still nimble enough." Lin Nie said calmly.
'To find a long-term personal chef, you're really going all out, old friend...'
Netero thought silently in his heart.