Inside the control center, Pyon and List were indeed overwhelmed with work.
They moved between the buzzing electronic devices, answering calls and typing rapidly on keyboards.
When they noticed Germain and Shizuku entering, they nodded in greeting, then immediately returned to their tasks.
Germain and Shizuku weren't in a rush.
Germain stood in front of the monitoring screens, checking the status of different areas within the fortress.
Shizuku, on the other hand, casually started eating the chips and cookies Pyon had left on the table.
Germain scanned through the surveillance footage.
He saw Ging in the "Defense Zone," Sacho in the "Inspection Zone," Cheadle in the "Medical Ward," Gel in the "Morgue," and Cluck in the "Storage Zone."
There would later be footage of Menchi from the "Dining Area" and Knuckle from the "Patrol Squad," though they were still undergoing treatment for now.
Overall, the fortress was still maintaining a certain level of order.
Germain's gaze shifted to the final area—the "Containment Zone."
This zone held all the survivors identified by Sacho, Kurapika, and the others as potentially mutated.
Every one of them had close ties to the Kakin royal bloodline.
However, perhaps thanks to Melody's calming flute, there hadn't been any new mutation incidents so far.
On the screen, Germain not only saw Bisky, Izunavi, and Melody guarding the Containment Zone...
He also spotted two unexpected, yet understandable figures.
Queen Oito and Steiner were there too.
After surviving the ordeal, they didn't act high and mighty.
When they saw how chaotic and busy things were inside the fortress—like a boiling pot—they didn't just stand around and watch.
They wanted to help however they could.
Once they heard about the situation in the "Containment Zone," they got approval from the Hunter Association and came over together.
These two weren't just anyone—one was the Eighth Queen of the Kakin Empire, and the other was an official from the International Permit Agency.
Their words held real weight.
Especially Queen Oito.
Her presence alone greatly eased the resentment brewing in the hearts of the people inside the "Containment Zone," most of whom were under Kakin's jurisdiction.
They shared their frustrations with her.
And Queen Oito, quietly and patiently, listened to each of them.
One by one, she calmed their emotions.
Meanwhile, Shizuku crunched through a bag of potato chips.
Just as she was about to open another bag, Pyon finally finished her task and stopped Shizuku's eager hands.
She took the chips away and neatly set them aside before turning around to ask,
"You're here because you need something from us, right?"
Usually, Germain and Shizuku weren't the type to show up unless something serious was going on—let alone for something like socializing.
They had already seen the entire battle near the wreckage of BW1 through the mechanical surveillance drone's camera feed—the fight against "Guardian Beast."
Since Germain and Shizuku were preparing to teleport back to Greed Island, the drone was temporarily left in Knuckle's care.
When the intense fight with "Guardian Beast" broke out, Knuckle had to multitask—clumsily rebooting the dormant drone, calling for reinforcements from the fortress, and holding off "Guardian Beast" as best he could—all while waiting for Germain to return.
Inside the fortress, Pyon and List at the control center quickly organized a support team.
Members included Ging, Bisky, Tokarine, and Meleoron.
But just as this team left the fortress, the control room saw something shocking through the drone's live feed.
Germain had already descended like a divine warrior.
"Guardian Beast," who had pushed Kite, Knuckle, and the others to the edge of defeat, was so easily brought down— by the tip of Germain's spear.
So, the reinforcements—
Their mission ended before it even began.
Pyon's tone remained calm and flat, almost emotionless.
Of course, that didn't mean she or the others who knew the truth were indifferent to Guardian Beast's deadly aura, or to the terrifying new form of Germain.
They understood exactly how dangerous the situation had been.
They also understood the overwhelming power Germain had displayed.
During the two-month voyage, Chairman Netero had constantly said one thing:
He was old now, and the strongest Nen user in the Six Continents was no longer him.
He was talking about Germain.
But even then, many still had doubts.
After all, during the Chimera Ant war, only a few—like Morel and Knov—had been part of the extermination team.
The rest hadn't witnessed the battle between Germain and Meruem.
And Chairman Netero had always been one to exaggerate.
Back during the assault on the Chimera Ant nest in NGL, he had claimed his strength was on par with Morel and Knov.
That was clearly a lie.
Because of Netero's usual style and the lack of firsthand experience,
It had been hard for everyone to fully believe his words.
But after seeing it with their own eyes—
There was no longer any doubt.
This time, not only had Netero not exaggerated,
He had actually understated how terrifying Germain truly was.
Even if there were still hidden Nen masters across the Six Continents,
None could possibly match Germain—whose strength had long since left logic behind.
Germain calmly nodded at Pyon's question.
"We need a large, sealed room," he said.
"Its existence can only be known to us core members, and you must constantly monitor this room," he said clearly and simply, making his request to Pyon.
Pyon understood. She turned her head and looked at List.
"Do we still have any rooms that meet these requirements?" she asked.
"Yes," List thought for a moment before replying,
"There is a room where we store the victims of the Dark Continent disasters and monster corpses. That room fits the criteria."
"Germain, what do you think?" Pyon turned her face back to him.
"Let's use that one," he said.
"Hmm. Can I ask what you plan to do with this room? I'm one of the core members, so I should have the right to know," Pyon pressed.
Germain didn't answer directly.
"Just come with us, and you'll understand," he said.
Pyon thought for a moment, then nodded.
*******
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