Without Fugetsu's ability to assist, it was no longer easy for Joey to find a base of operations on the upper levels.
Staying in Zone 12 long-term wasn't an option either—it was already under heavy surveillance. A short stay might go unnoticed if he was careful, but if any Nen user used En to scan the area, he'd be instantly exposed.
Where else on the upper decks could he safely hole up and even open a passage to the lower levels?
Joey's mind flashed through the remaining areas linked to dead or missing princes on Tier 1.
But the options were few. The Thirteenth Prince's room was still sealed off after the "disappearance" incident.
The Eighth and Tenth Princes' rooms were guarded day and night after corpses had been found there.
The Fourth Prince's room—still undergoing repairs after the battle—was constantly occupied by workers and guards.
The Eleventh Prince's quarters were off-limits too, since the Sixth Queen was residing there.
In fact, with so many incidents involving dead princes, the King's Guard was unlikely to relax vigilance even if another prince suddenly died.
Looking over it all, Joey realized none of the prince zones were truly viable.
That left the VVIP area.
There were still several unused rooms in the VVIP sector. Even if he was discovered, Joey could escape easily with his abilities—without dragging others into it.
Near the First Prince's quarters, the royal family had set aside a few rooms.
The only drawback: Nen users were stationed nearby. Staying there would require constant caution.
But for Joey, that was a small price to pay for the advantages of hiding in the VVIP zone.
He pulled out the construction blueprint of the Black Whale, which he had bought before boarding.
After scanning the layout, Joey quickly identified his target:
A room directly adjacent to the Third Prince's former quarters.
If he drilled through the ceiling there, he'd reach the Tier 2 VIP area for wealthy merchants.
He didn't know exactly who lived there—but with his abilities, Joey could easily replace them for a while.
With that plan in mind, he quickly made his way to the chosen location.
But just as he was about to break in, his phone buzzed.
He pulled it out and read the message. Unexpected sender. Even more unexpected content:
"Joey, it's Biscuit. I'm in Tier 5, warehouse B64. I need backup. And be careful of Belilent—he's connected to the Kakin mafia's Gyasha family."
Joey's brow furrowed.
This message raised too many red flags.
Why would Biscuit be on Tier 5?
Where did she get a phone from?
How could Belilent be involved with the Gyasha family?
If that was true, did it mean someone in Gyasha possessed spatial abilities?
Also—could anyone from that mafia seriously stop Biscuit?
Unless she was held back by someone—a burden?
But if it was just the Seventh Queen, Joey didn't think even that would slow Biscuit down.
Then again, if the message was fake—what was the purpose?
Joey thought for a moment, then replied:
"What's the name of the ability you taught me?"
No point dancing around it—best to test directly.
If the reply was correct, then it really was Biscuit.
If not, someone had compromised his private number.
The answer came quickly:
"Gold Experience."
Joey's brow furrowed even deeper.
That was the correct answer—and only someone who had known him since his weak days would know that.
Plenty knew the effects of his ability.
Very few knew the name.
"Got it. Is the Queen with you?"
He followed up. Even if the sender was real, the situation still had holes.
He'd encountered lower-tier mafia Nen users before.
They were trash.
Even if some had quirky abilities, Joey doubted any of them could genuinely threaten Biscuit.
"Yes. Get here fast. She needs urgent treatment."
That reply made Joey's face stiffen.
"Okay. Hang in there. I'm on Tier 1. I'll need at least 30 minutes to reach you."
He scratched his head. Turned out his suspicions were unfounded.
But better safe than sorry.
Now the problem: getting down to Tier 5.
He slipped into the target room, checked the blueprint, and moved the bed aside.
He activated En, letting it extend downward.
Once he confirmed the coast was clear, Killer Queen destroyed the floor beneath his feet, carving out a hole over a meter wide.
Joey dropped down. Behind him, Weather Report nudged the bed back over the hole to conceal it.
It was around 11 PM.
In the room below, a middle-aged couple was fast asleep.
Joey hovered silently in midair. He glanced at the ceiling hole, then at the couple, and sighed.
A quick pulse of his ability put them to sleep.
Then he made a second hole, further downward.
A few minutes later, Joey arrived safely on Tier 5.
Looking up, he could see the string of holes above him.
This room was empty—not because it was unassigned, but because it had been massacred.
The bloodstains and torn bedding told the story.
The original residents had been victims of the Tier 5 slaughter.
The corpses had already been cleared, and a King's Guard seal was still visible.
Joey didn't linger. He slipped out of the room.
Honestly, he hadn't expected to be back on Tier 5 so soon. He thought he'd check out the coffin area first.
Even now, Tier 5 echoed with the occasional scream.
Bloodstains still smeared the hallways.
Gun-toting King's Guard soldiers and suited mafia thugs with pistols moved throughout the floor.
Gunfire rang out now and then. People were herded back into rooms.
But as soon as the guards left, the doors opened again.
In passing, Joey overheard the real reason:
Apparently, the rooms had become slaughterhouses.
Civilians were dying in droves—whole rooms at a time.
Meanwhile, those who stayed in the corridors only died in random chaos.
With that kind of rumor, no one wanted to stay in their room.
Masses of people took their bedding and camped in the hallways, terrified eyes fixed on the dim corridor's end.
The soldiers and gangsters seemed to tolerate this.
As long as people didn't riot, they weren't forced back inside.
But the corridors weren't wide. If anything happened now, there'd be no way to contain it.
Still, compared to the total anarchy Joey had seen earlier—this was already an improvement.
Blood, stench, moaning, and terror were now the default soundtrack of Tier 5.
Joey saw plenty of civil guards and Association members as well.
Most were doing aftermath work.
Some wore white medic uniforms.
But they were clearly running out of bandages.
Many wounded were simply disinfected and patched up with ripped shirt fabric.
And the medics themselves?
So exhausted, their hands trembled while tying knots.
Joey felt little emotion.
He had expected this.
Even if these 200,000 passengers didn't die en route, they'd be culled after landing.
He doubted even a tenth would survive.
Even the Dark Continent's outskirts—the "Hypothetical Continent"—was a deathtrap.
The swamps used for Hunter exams were a playground compared to what lay ahead.
Those swamps had already devoured hundreds of candidates.
These civilians were nowhere near that level.
And still, this was just the prelude.
Everyone on this ship dreamed of reaching the real Dark Continent, seeking fortune.
But in the world of Hunters, the balance between risk and reward never lies.
Joey believed that to the core.
After moving through the commoner zones, the crowds began to thin as he neared the warehouse sector.
Once he reached the warehouse entrances, no civilians remained.
Only armed thugs in suits stood watch.
The King's Guard, civil police, and even Hunters—gone.
The entire warehouse area had been handed over to the mafia.
That fact made Joey extra cautious.
The absence of soldiers here was something he hadn't expected.
Still, it said plenty about the shortage of troops.
From what he'd seen on the way down, there couldn't be more than a thousand King's Guard soldiers on Tier 5.
That many soldiers to manage tens of thousands? Insane.
The King's Army was clearly hiding something if they weren't reinforcing the floor.
B64 warehouse wasn't hard to find. Joey had visited this area before.
Gold Experience's constructs shot through the halls at speed.
Their job? Detect any trace of the Phantom Troupe.
Even if Joey knew they had moved up after Feitan's death—it paid to be sure.
His bees reached the warehouse quickly. They reported: four guards stationed outside.
Seeing them draw figure-eights in the air, Joey quickened his pace.
He didn't use Weather Report. Instead, he let his En spread out, forming Nen bullets that struck the four guards from afar.
His En also detected four life signatures inside.
One was large, powerful—clearly Biscuit in her true form.
Nearby was a faint, fading aura—likely the injured Seventh Queen.
The other two were back-to-back, their auras dim—probably unconscious.
The Nen bullets were extremely effective: the guards were ordinary people.
No need to look for keys. Killer Queen blasted open the door.
The moment he stepped inside, a sharp gaze fell on him.
"It's me," Joey said, stepping into view.
He saw Biscuit—transformed into her hulking muscular form.
Around her, broken, twisted corpses were scattered.
Apparently, she hadn't held back.
Monster, Joey thought privately.
He rushed to the Seventh Queen, lying unconscious on a mat.
Her abdomen was soaked in blood—she'd completely blacked out.
"You're slow. Don't you dig holes?" Biscuit complained.
"I did dig holes the whole way down," Joey replied, pulling open the Queen's clothes. He produced a scalpel and coins. "How'd you end up on Tier 5?"
"Spatial ability. And I got sealed inside the space afterward," Biscuit gestured toward two bound figures nearby. "Their abilities. One handed a special item to Belilent beforehand, so he could set things up in Zone 13. The other's ability sealed the transferred space afterward."
"Wait, that kind of ability exists?" Joey looked at the two, eyes gleaming. "Are they Hunters?"
"Yeah. Association Hunters. But before boarding, they were bought by Gyasha's heir," Biscuit said while continuing treatment. "Belilent included."
"You really hold a grudge." Joey muttered, then shifted topics. "Do you know their abilities in detail? They might be useful."
He'd expected a spatial ability trap.
But seeing two prisoners—and hearing a rough breakdown of their powers—sparked new ideas.
These two were unexpected spoils.
He hadn't planned to save Biscuit and run immediately.
He also intended to check the coffin zone again—especially now that he could recreate clones freely.
After all, that area, too, was linked to a spatial anomaly.
(End of Chapter)