The person who emerged from the dense foliage was a woman clad in a black, tight-fitting dress.
The woman had dark skin and a slender, delicate figure, yet her upper body was voluptuous and alluring, exuding a hint of seductive charm.
Walking through rarely visited mountain forests in such attire was inherently abnormal.
But then, the woman was also a Nen user, which made it less strange.
Moro looked at the suddenly appearing woman, his body tensed, Nen surging within him.
However, upon seeing the woman's attire, and her face with a broad forehead and a pair of large vertical pupils, Moro's body tension eased somewhat.
He recognized her identity—
Geru, the Snake of the Hunter Association's Twelve Zodiacs.
Moro guessed she must have been attracted by the gunshots.
Geru stood on the hillside, arms folded, her expression calm as she scrutinized Moro.
Their gazes met in mid-air, one scrutinizing, the other a mix of surprise and vigilance.
It seemed…
Moro's naked body, in this situation, was instead a normal phenomenon not worth paying attention to.
Geru's gaze lightly swept over the Nen swirling around Moro.
Compared to earlier, the state of his Nen was noticeably more relaxed.
However, the transition from tension to relaxation was too quick, somewhat abnormal.
Geru's gaze shifted, looking at the open cargo door of the truck and the two corpses on the ground.
Then she looked back at Moro and said indifferently,
"Do you think my threat level is lower than the one on the ground?"
As she spoke, she extended her index finger, pointing meaningfully at the deceased Zazan on the ground.
"Quite the opposite."
Although Moro remained alert, his sense of crisis had diminished considerably.
He had initially thought Geru was drawn by the gunshots, but now it seemed she had arrived even before that.
The sound she made when appearing was likely intentional.
"If you intended to harm me, you wouldn't have deliberately made a sound to alert me just now."
Moro looked up, his gaze calm as he watched Geru on the hillside.
Despite his words, he was insincerely prepared for offense and defense at any moment.
Although he knew he couldn't cause any trouble in front of a Zodiac, he wouldn't surrender without a fight.
Even if he were to become a corpse, he would at least make some impact.
Hearing Moro's reply, Geru subtly glanced at Moro's Nen-shrouded right hand, her expression still calm.
She said nothing further but lightly leaped down the hillside, landing on the mountain path.
She walked towards the truck without a word.
Such an action naturally and inevitably shortened the distance between her and Moro.
Moro had positioned himself in an absolutely disadvantaged position from the start, so seeing Geru approach inevitably created a sense of pressure.
As a transmigrator, his perception of the Hunter Association, while not elevated to the level of so-called righteous individuals responsible for solving all kinds of problems…
He didn't think the Hunter Association's Twelve Zodiacs, with the exception of certain individuals, would be the type to disregard human life.
However—
Not everyone could be as consistent in words and deeds as Gon.
It was therefore not surprising that Moro felt pressure.
Geru seemed to sense the change in Moro's emotions, slowly stopping her steps, no longer trying to pressure Moro psychologically.
She had initially noticed Moro's insincerity, which prompted her to exert a little pressure.
But treating a rookie, who was most likely not a criminal, in such a way, she thought, was a bit excessive after all.
Geru shook her head slightly and turned to look at the truck.
From her direction, she could already clearly see the rows of cages inside the cargo compartment, and the naked children confined within them.
Naked, that characteristic…
Upon considering this point, Geru unconsciously glanced at Moro's body, essentially confirming Moro's identity in this matter.
Moro showed no reaction to Geru's glance.
It wasn't that he had any exhibitionist tendencies; he simply felt that such a minor detail wasn't worth emotional fluctuation.
However, Geru's earlier glance and her calm expression made Moro involuntarily recall some things.
When Morena bought him and he woke up on the airship, Morena had also scanned his body in a similar manner.
"You're very lucky to have survived that chaos, without losing any limbs, so I bought you."
Morena's expression at the time was identical to Geru's present one.
However, Morena made a gesture that made Moro very uncomfortable at the time: she casually picked up his private parts and then, in a tone completely devoid of emotion, said:
"If you were a girl, I would probably be more satisfied."
That tone and gesture made it seem like she could twist off his private parts at any moment.
That was Moro's first encounter with Morena.
In Moro's view, that woman never hid the scar that stretched across half her face.
Perhaps because of this, sometimes, in front of him and Doggo, she seemed to never hide some peculiar thoughts.
But after nearly a year of living together, Moro still hadn't really understood what kind of person Morena was.
Perhaps it was also because…
From the very beginning, he had unilaterally affixed the label of "antisocial personality" onto Morena.
"You really trust me, don't you?"
Geru's flat voice reached his ears, Moro's heart tensed, and as his expression subtly changed, he couldn't help but reflect on his rookie mistake just now.
Seeing a hint of annoyance flash in Moro's eyes, Geru suddenly developed a little interest.
From their brief interaction, she could tell Moro was someone who had very high standards for himself.
And such a person, once they managed to cross the threshold of Nen ability, their future abilities would certainly not be bad.
If it weren't for her low desire for a "Two-star Hunter title," she might have been willing to invest some time and effort into Moro.
"Geru, Professional Hunter."
Geru looked directly at Moro, introducing herself first.
"Nice to meet you, just call me Moro."
Moro also reported his name accordingly.
Geru nodded lightly and asked,
"Tell me the whole story, I might be able to help a little."
"..."
Moro fell silent for a moment, but quickly began to narrate the entire situation.
However, he did not mention the mental hospital this truck was heading to.
In this matter, his identity was merely that of a "piglet" who hadn't yet been sent to the "slaughterhouse," and saying and doing less was the most sensible approach.
After listening to Moro's narration, Geru roughly understood the situation and immediately characterized it as human trafficking.
She also did not show curiosity or question Moro about his knowledge of Nen, nor did she care about Moro's act of finishing off the middle-aged man.
She came to this area only to collect venom from a newly cataloged poisonous snake species.
Running into this matter now was merely an insignificant accident.
If she could do a good deed along the way, she would certainly be willing.
But to get deeply involved, she would respectfully decline.
Geru's indifferent attitude was what Moro wanted to see.
"Sister Geru, they… I'll leave them to you."
Seeing Geru willing to help arrange the "piglets" in the compartment, Moro felt much relieved.
Now, with the changes he had initiated, this group of "piglets"…
Perhaps they could live good lives in the future.
Geru nodded.
For her, this was just a phone call, nothing significant.
Moro showed a faint smile, then, under Geru's gaze, he stripped off some barely suitable clothes from the two corpses.
Afterward, he searched Zazan and the others' wallets, took out the money inside, and didn't forget to take the handgun.
Throughout the entire process, Geru watched without asking anything.
Moro put away the handgun, ready to leave.
"Thank you."
He formally thanked Geru.
Without Geru, he would now be racking his brains on how to settle the group of "piglets" in the compartment.
Geru raised her chin in response.
Seeing this, Moro turned and left.
However, as he departed, he couldn't help but glance in the direction the truck was originally heading.
At this time, were Morena and Doggo already at the mental hospital?
Moro didn't know.
Now, with future memories, standing at the crossroads of fate, he didn't intend to re-tread the old path.
Though we haven't intersected yet, we part ways here…
Morena.
Moro thought to himself, then unhesitatingly stepped in the opposite direction.
Behind him.
Geru watched Moro leave until he was no longer visible, then took out her phone and made a call to arrange the settlement of the "piglets" in the compartment.
She quickly finished the call.
Geru stood beside the truck and suddenly noticed that a monitor was installed in the open driver's cabin.
Thinking that waiting idly was boring, she entered the cabin and, after a few operations, replayed the previously recorded footage.
A moment later.
Watching the playback of the footage from inside the compartment, Geru's snake-like vertical pupils slowly constricted, revealing an incredulous glint.
(End of Chapter)
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