The sun had just peeked over the mountains, its faint yellow light slowly replacing the pale blue of dawn, taking control of the entire sky.
Ging, wearing a felt hat, was directing the fortress's temporary guard squad. They were setting fire to the huge pile of monster corpses stacked before them.
Soon, fierce flames roared up, crackling as they reached high into the air. The choking stench made the temporary guards cover their noses and run away, carrying their torches.
This was a warning from Cheadle.
The diseases brought by the corpses could be even more dangerous than the monsters themselves—especially inside the fortress, where the pressure felt like a boiling pot ready to explode.
Ging had heeded this advice. Since there were no monster attack alerts during the sunrise hours—a rare break—he took a team down to burn the bodies.
Cluck's little birds and List's mechanical flying spheres circled nearby. If any enemies appeared, they would send a warning from the control center.
For now, the area around the fortress was temporarily safe. It was inside where unrest stirred.
Luckily, the chaos had been suppressed. Ging also received good news from the control center.
Soon, the center of that good news—Germain—came walking from a distance. Behind him was a new group of survivors he had rescued.
A red-eyed mechanical flying sphere danced up ahead, guiding their way.
Behind Germain were Illumi, Kastro, and Meleoron, along with more than thirty survivors.
Each looked tired and frightened but didn't dare lose sight of the group.
They had witnessed the immense strength Germain and Illumi showed along the way.
Without these two, most of them probably wouldn't be alive now.
If they lost track of these two, they would fall back into despair once more.
Kastro didn't get a chance to fight; he spent the entire journey carrying the injured Meleoron on his back.
Meleoron wrapped his entire body in a gray cloak, hiding his Chimera Ant face, skin, and limbs to avoid unnecessary confusion.
In such tense moments, no one could tell if you were a good Chimera Ant or a bad one.
Neither Germain nor Meleoron wanted to waste energy explaining or comforting the other survivors.
Germain's task from the start was to bring the survivors back to the fortress; beyond that, he didn't want to get involved.
Comforting the survivors was a job left to Bisky and Melody.
It was a bit funny that the injuries on Kastro and Meleoron were treated by Illumi.
Illumi was a professional assassin who often worked alone and frequently got hurt. So, he had learned to handle his own wounds and became an expert in basic first aid.
Of course, his treatment was simple.
Kastro and Meleoron still needed to receive proper medical care from Cheadle, Gel, and the others once inside the fortress.
When the survivors saw the towering and mighty fortress by the coast, they all gasped in awe and felt relief deep in their hearts.
They knew Germain was taking them into the fortress, meaning they were safe — at least for now.
Soon, Germain and his group joined Ging and the temporary guard team near the burning pile of corpses.
Ging didn't recognize Illumi, Kastro, or Meleoron. He might have seen a picture of Illumi in some intel, but didn't pay much attention.
However, Illumi, Kastro, and Meleoron quickly recognized "Boar" Ging — the young monster famous in the world of Nen users.
Of course, Ging's spotlight was now overshadowed by Germain.
It seemed "Rat" and "Boar" were both on BW Number 1. Illumi realized his information had been wrong.
"I brought back thirty-eight people," Germain said without introducing the group.
"Do you need help with your defense?"
"Not for now." Ging glanced at the tired group behind Germain and replied, "Let them rest properly first."
"Oh, right." Ging added, "Remember to have each of them undergo a lie detector test with your disciples. There can't be another riot inside the fortress."
Germain nodded.
List had already informed Germain through the mechanical flying sphere that a riot had broken out inside the fortress.
Fortunately, they had suppressed it together before it could spread.
Given the current situation, caution was definitely necessary.
Although Germain could hear the "voices of the heart" from those around him, confirming whether they were lying or not, running them through another check was beneficial.
It would clear these survivors of suspicion in front of the fortress personnel, and also give the survivors peace of mind.
In times like these, authority felt more reassuring than freedom—because at least you could see the bottom line: keeping your life safe.
Ging continued with the defense work after a brief conversation with Germain, then parted ways with them.
Germain led the survivors through a small mechanical side door of the fortress and reached the corridor.
Here, the armed guards had increased in number, and on one side of the corridor was a table with several chairs.
Kurapika, who had been sitting with his eyes closed resting, opened them when he heard the noise. Seeing the teacher return, he quickly stood up.
His injuries had been treated without issue by "Menchi's Nitro Rice Balls" and Cheadle's simple care, so he willingly took on the responsibility.
He would use his "Chain of the Judgment Finger" here to test the survivors entering the fortress, determining whether they were soldiers under King Kakin or members of Mafia.
The recent riot inside the fortress had been caused by several soldiers and Mafia members who had transformed into monsters.
Cheadle quickly realized the common link among those who had turned into monsters — they had all served under King Kakin, the prince, or the "Second Line" agent.
The King and the prince were obvious, but the "Second Line" agent was also a private royal bloodline child of the Kakin family, just without any inheritance rights.
Everyone under this group had the potential to mutate into monsters.
Cheadle immediately asked Cluck, Pyon, and List to count how many potential mutant members were still inside the fortress, but they couldn't reach an exact conclusion.
So, Kurapika volunteered to help.
He planned to use his Nen ability to identify each one individually, isolating the potential members in a separate area, under the watch of Bisky, Izunavi, and Melody.
Bisky and Izunavi were responsible for suppressing any mutated monsters that might appear, while Melody used her flute music to soothe and calm minds, preventing mutations as much as possible.
However, Kurapika wasn't the only one tasked with distinguishing and investigating the members coming in and out of the fortress.
"Uma" Saccho, a Zodiac member with a horse-like face and two prominent buck teeth, was also helping.
He was a Problem Hunter and a private detective — this was exactly his specialty.
Germain was surprised to see Saccho here because he hadn't noticed this member of the Twelve Zodiacs inside the fortress before.
After greeting him, Kurapika explained:
"About half an hour ago, our mechanical flying ball made contact with Saccho, and he protected a group of survivors as they arrived at the fortress and immediately began working."
Saccho nodded to Germain in acknowledgment and said:
"Cheadle and the others have already briefed me on the situation. Fortunately, you all are here to keep things under control — otherwise, things could have gotten a lot worse."
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