And amidst the macaw's curses and the howling of the drum howler monkey, countless insects in the forest continued to chirp incessantly, creating a never-ending white noise.
Beneath this lies the silence of predators. The silvery pads of a silver leopard tread silently on the soft mud, and the ripples as the man-eating sea anaconda slides into the water, but then are quickly smoothed out by the current.
Ginta and Luke witnessed the most primitive and wild side of this forest.
Hunting and being hunted, reproduction and inheritance, together they composed the symphony of life in this forest.
Life here is also played out in the most extravagant and cruel way.
"I'm a Poacher Hunter, not a Beast Hunter."
Ginta explained as they walked: "So no matter what happens here, no matter how cruel it is, I will not interfere."
"This is the law of nature: survival of the fittest. This is their own way of life."
"But if poachers come here and disturb these lives..."
Ginta's massive figure paused.
"I will absolutely not let them go!"
He slightly bared his wide mouth, and a flash of bloodlust glinted in his enormous eyes.
As a Poacher Hunter, what he hated most was naturally poachers.
"Just now, when we were outside, you mentioned Two-headed Wolf, right?"
Luke mentioned something he had been particularly concerned about.
"That's right."
Ginta nodded with some distress.
"Two-headed wolves are an endangered species in the world. According to current records, there are only a handful left, and they only live in this area."
"Even though their numbers have dwindled to the point of near extinction, they don't seem to have a strong desire to reproduce."
"Sometimes, even their two heads often fight with each other, let alone mate with other Two-headed wolves."
"Their reproduction problem has become one of the great unsolved issues for biologists, naturalists, and zoologists worldwide."
"And it's remained unsolved for over two hundred years, almost becoming one of the world's top ten problems."
A Two-headed Wolf, as the name suggests, is a wolf with two heads.
And it's not just that simple. Their complex traits and unpredictable habits make them difficult to study.
The biggest headache and annoyance for scholars studying them is their reproduction.
For two hundred years, countless scientists, biologists, and even reproduction specialists have come forward to help the Two-headed Wolf solve this problem.
But unfortunately, their numbers have only decreased over the years, and their numbers are even getting smaller and smaller.
This shows that their reproduction problem persists and has even become an incurable problem.
Many experts are at a complete loss, leaving them sighing in despair.
Except… for that man.
"If I remember correctly, the Two-headed Wolf first appeared in..."
Ahead, Ginta's figure paused.
Luke also stopped, his thoughts pausing for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
Luke's vision was blocked by Ginta's massive figure, and he could not see the scene ahead. He sped up his pace slightly, passing Ginta.
The view opened up, and naturally, the scene ahead came into sight.
"Woo!"
Four or five bizarre, wolf-dog-like creatures with two heads were frolicking in a field ahead.
Seeing these distinct features and the two heads above their necks, it was clear they were Ginta's primary target.
The extremely endangered, precious species: Two-headed Wolf.
Of course, Luke admitted that Two-headed Wolf was indeed quite eye-catching.
But, unfortunately, they weren't the focus.
Luke's gaze lingered on them for a fraction of a second.
Then, he turned to the figure standing among the Two-headed Wolf.
The man who, in the original timeline, had solved the problem of the Two-headed Wolf's reproduction.
"Huh?!"
The man, seemingly noticing the approaching figures, breaks from his train of thought and raises his head.
At first glance, he looked more like an ordinary homeless man or adventurer.
He wore a dark, somewhat dirty hooded jacket, topped with a slightly worn cap and loose trousers, as if designed for easy movement in any terrain.
His clothes gave off a dusty, travel-worn look, as if freshly unearthed from some ruins, stained with dirt and vegetation.
He was short and lean, though not frail.
Rather, like a seasoned mountaineer or explorer, his muscles were firm, practical, filled with beastlike explosive power.
His stance and movements were casual, even a bit relaxed, with none of the airs of a powerful warrior roaming the Daragas Forest Wildlife Park.
Yet beneath this looseness seemed to lie sharp alertness and hidden strength.
On his head was a wild mess of thick, coarse, jet-black hair. It looked like it had never been properly groomed, sticking out in all directions like it had just been through a typhoon.
Up close, it resembled a spiky hedgehog cut.
This hairstyle was very familiar.
And his identity was almost unmistakable.
"Ging... Freecss?"
Luke stared at the man who, simply by appearing in their field of vision, had become the focus of everyone's attention.
The legendary Ruins Hunters, who could solve the problem of the Two-headed Wolf's reproduction, and one of the world's five strongest Nen users.
The man who would one day become one of the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve, and the man whose abandonment of his son sparked this world's storyline.
Ging Freecss.
Luke still remembered when Kite first met Gon; he had once explained his father's feats, how Ging, while adventuring outside, accomplished great deeds.
At 12, he took the hunter exam and became the only one of the 267th batch to successfully pass.
After becoming a professional hunter, Ging participated in the restoration of the ancient ruins, using his own funds to renovate the ruins and build facilities in and around them to facilitate public access.
He later developed a method for breeding the Two-headed Wolf, a feat that later became a benchmark.
At 15, he founded a nonprofit organization to investigate and restore the king's tomb. Through the internet, he connected with like-minded individuals and secured funding to uncover the truth behind the tomb.
He even personally eradicated the notorious Kute Gang of Thieves and other criminal organizations.
He left a legacy of historic achievement in numerous fields, and later, Kite and Satotz considered him the greatest hunter.