After a grueling forty-minute trek, the team finally completed their long and tense descent, arriving at the pitch-black depths of the subterranean world.
For some reason, the waste disposal site, usually piled high with indigestible "vomit", was completely empty today. Both the worms and the massive chunks of organic refuse had vanished without a trace. The surroundings were gripped by a deathly silence, an unsettling stillness that weighed heavily on everyone.
This eerie situation didn't just baffle those who had only seen photos; even Allen's expression clouded with suspicion.
Without a second's delay…
He activated Track Beasts to scan the area. Only after repeatedly confirming that there were no other living entities nearby besides his own team did he raise his arm in a "clear" signal.
Instantly, every person present exhaled a long-held breath.
The fifty-year-old biologist was the first to speak, his voice thick with impatient curiosity. "Where are the remains that were supposed to be here? How could they have just... disappeared?"
"Don't ask me; I don't know either. Perhaps... all these changes are linked to the fact that the behemoth beneath us has started moving. Come on, let's move to the next cavern. The answers we need are likely hidden there."
With that, Allen untied the safety rope from his waist. Following the markers he had deliberately left on the walls during his previous exploration to prevent getting lost, he quickly located the chamber containing the massive, gut-like organ.
However, unlike his last visit, the area was no longer swarming with red larvae. Instead, there was only a colossal muscle structure, over fifty meters in diameter, rhythmically opening and closing.
"This... this is?!"
The biologist was stunned by the sight.
Not just him, everyone in the team instinctively widened their eyes, training their helmet lamps on that abyss-like maw. One team member, having stepped too close, nearly fell in as the muscle expanded. Fortunately, he was tethered to a safety rope and was hauled back by the others, escaping with nothing more than some disgusting, unidentified slime on his clothes.
"Professor, it's over to you now," Allen said directly to the lead biologist.
"Of course! Leave it to us. But this will take time. We need to use instruments to measure the depth and length of this organ. Furthermore, we need samples and cell analysis to reach a relatively accurate conclusion."
As the elderly man spoke, he directed his assistants to set up high-powered lighting, turning the vicinity of the giant maw as bright as day. They even set up a makeshift laboratory on a patch of relatively flat ground. Fortunately, Allen had used his Funky Cloth to bring extra equipment, or they would have had to make several trips back to the airship.
While some assisted the biologists in measuring the strange organ using their Nen abilities, others tried to determine where the far end of this thick, intestinal structure led.
Amidst the frantic activity, the ground suddenly vibrated slightly.
The change caused everyone to freeze and turn their gaze toward the network of tunnels surrounding them.
"Keep working! No matter what happens, do not stop! I will ensure your safety," Allen promised, his expression grave.
Through Track Beasts, he had already detected a dense swarm of red dots, representing the worms, surging toward their location.
"Are... are those worms coming?" the old professor asked, his voice trembling.
"Yes. They're coming, and in massive numbers. I have reason to believe the entity controlling this island possesses intelligence, and it has just laid a trap for us," Allen answered without hesitation.
As he spoke, he drew his bow and expanded his En to its maximum range. He prepared to face the impending tide of worms in his strongest combat state.
"Incredible! An unknown lifeform with intelligence?"
Recovering from the shock, the professor suppressed his fear and returned to his lab table to continue his research. Meanwhile, Bodoro, Baise, and the Association Hunters prepared for battle. The mercenary team members, in particular, brandished strange-looking firearms that lacked magazines or bullets; they were clearly Emitters.
Roughly three to five minutes later, the first worm burst from a tunnel at the seven o'clock position.
It wasn't particularly large, barely six meters long and three meters high, paling in comparison to the specimens encountered previously. Its skin hadn't even formed a hard cuticle yet; it was a translucent pinkish-white, like the skin of a newborn.
"Fire!" the mercenary captain ordered.
Instantly, five soldiers released their aura, channeling it into their specialized firearms.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
In less than a second, the muzzles spat out a dense hail of Nen bullets, creating a localized wall of fire. The worm was shredded into a bloody mess before it could even enter the cavern.
But before they could catch their breath, more worms flooded in from the nine, twelve, two, and four o'clock positions. Similar to the first, they were relatively small, as if they had been force-bred recently, but their numbers were staggering.
Seeing this, Allen drew his bowstring. He infused the arrow with four distinct properties: penetration, high-speed rotation, Aura Burst, and Big Bang Arrow [1]. He aimed at one of the tunnels and unleashed a lethal bolt of death.
BOOM!
With a thunderous roar, every worm in that tunnel was instantly vaporized into a mist of blood and shredded flesh. Allen then pivoted, "calling out" the other tunnels one by one. Every arrow he loosed completely purged a tunnel.
This staggering display of power left the biologists, the battle-hardened mercenaries, and the Association Hunters rooted to the spot.
"Cap... Captain! Am I seeing things? Was that really caused by an arrow, and not some experimental superweapon?" one mercenary stammered.
"Your eyes are fine; we all saw it. What terrifying Nen... if that were used on a battlefield, a single shot could tear through the toughest main battle tank," the captain marveled.
As a mercenary who fought using Nen, he had seen many users tremble before heavy sniper rifles, artillery, or landmines. But this was the first time he had seen a cold weapon exert power far exceeding that of modern firearms. The sheer "violence" of the arrows, the horrific tearing of the worms and the spray of gore, was the epitome of "violence as an art form."
Baise, accustomed to such displays, remained calm. She whispered to the martial artist beside her, "Looks like we won't even need to lift a finger."
Bodoro nodded with a bitter smile. "Indeed. With the defensive capabilities of these worms, they can't possibly withstand Allen's arrows. And I can sense it... the power of those shots has reached a whole new level."
"But the real test is just beginning," Hisoka remarked, his eyes fixed on the remaining tunnels. "If the entity controlling this island truly possesses high intelligence, it will change its strategy very soon."
After all, the ability to learn from failure and adapt quickly is the hallmark of advanced intelligent life.