Ging actually didn't want to show himself now.
His plan was to wait until Moses dealt with the other Zodiacs before making his appearance.
However, when he noticed that after Ginta's chances of winning dropped to zero, he still clung to the idea of risking severe injury to drain as much of Moses's Potential Aura as possible, Ging decided to step in early.
As he had just said, trading severe injuries for a negligible amount of Moses's Potential Aura simply wasn't worth it.
"So, what do you say?"
Ging looked at Moses with a smile.
Moses let out a long sigh, and asked with drooping eyelids: "Hey, you… before jumping into the fray, could you at least get a grasp of the situation first?"
"If by 'situation' you mean Chairman Netero's duel with Beyond, then yes, I've already got a rough idea before accepting this directive."
Ging restrained his smile slightly and looked serious.
Moses frowned when he heard this.
Seeing Moses's reaction, Ging slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets and said earnestly: "Moses, aren't you underestimating that stinky old man..."
Suddenly switching his reference to Netero as 'stinky old man' was because Ging, like Beyond, had been placed under a limitation by Netero forbidding him from going to the Dark Continent.
The only difference is that Beyond had been forcibly restricted by Netero, while Ging had been tricked into it.
So, calling Netero 'stinky old man' at this moment was Ging's way of venting just a tiny bit of resentment.
Moses didn't pick up on Ging's change in how he referred to Netero. In response to Ging's earlier words, he shook his head and said, "How could I possibly underestimate the old man? In terms of skill, I don't think there's anyone in this world who surpasses him."
"I'm not talking about strength."
Ging also shook his head, hinting at something deeper.
Moses stared intently at Ging's face, saying nothing, waiting for an explanation.
Ging turned his head toward the direction of the Hunter Association's exclusive airport, and said in a calm tone:
"In fact, it's not so much that you're underestimating that stinky old man, but rather that you've never looked at this matter from the perspective of a 'Pro Hunter'."
"Hmm?"
Moses's expression changed slightly, and he grasped the meaning behind Ging's words. He frowned and said, "I just think… when there's room for choice, there's no need to go that far."
"That's exactly why I said you've never looked at it from the perspective of a 'Pro Hunter'. For a Pro Hunter, pursuit and resolve go hand in hand."
Ging retracted his gaze from the airport, and turned back to Moses again, saying calmly:
"That stinky old man... since he didn't choose the foolproof method, it means he's been waiting for this moment all along. This is the hunt he's been anticipating for years."
Having said that, more Aura emanated from Ging's body.
At this time, he had opened up all the Aura Nodes in his body, switching from Zetsu to Ken.
This move signaled that Ging was ready for battle.
"And compared to the resolve I just mentioned..."
Ging took a few steps forward and said with a smile, "The joy of being a Hunter lies in the prey following the path the Hunter has set. Do you really want to ruin that stinky old man's fun?"
"…"
Moses fell silent for a moment, then slowly relaxed his furrowed brow and sighed: "I understand, but I still don't plan on being absent, even if only as an outsider..."
When facing any situation, he always sought to leave room for maneuver, which was how he had made it this far.
As a result, his focus when analyzing problems always revolved around 'having options', which is why he couldn't comprehend Netero's approach.
But he had never intended to ruin Netero's enjoyment of the hunt. He simply believed that since the circumstances allowed for it, why not leave a way out?
These two ideas weren't mutually exclusive.
But what Ging said made him understand that what Netero truly wanted was to savor the thrill of the hunt with no way out.
'This almost fanatical pursuit… was this what it meant to be a true professional Hunter?'
Even after understanding this, Moses still wanted to witness the outcome firsthand.
Hearing Moses's words, Ging nodded to show his understanding, but that didn't mean he was willing to end Netero's special directive by simply 'giving up'.
"If you don't want to miss it, you'll have to get past me first. After all, I did formally accept the special directive. I can't just sit back and do nothing, right? So, to avoid this guy reporting me later, I figure I should at least put in a little effort."
Having said that, Ging raised his finger and pointed at Ginta, the third person in the scene, without any hesitation.
Seeing Ging's gesture, Ginta froze for a moment before shaking his head back and forth like a rattle and shouted, "Don't throw baseless accusations! I'd never do something like that!"
Ging ignored Ginta's protest, looked at Moses seriously, and asked again: "So, what do you say?"
"Why did I never realize you were this playful before?"
Moses couldn't help but complained, then said seriously: "Alright, come on then."
"Good."
Ging smiled, then turned to Ginta nearby and asked, "Ginta, you heard that, right?"
"Yes."
Ginta nodded, but seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Ging raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then why are you still standing here?"
"Uh… what else am I supposed to do?"
Ginta was confused again.
Ging rolled his eyes when he heard this and sighed, "Send the injured to the hospital for treatment. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"
"Oh, I'll take them right away!"
Ginta suddenly understood and subconsciously turned around and strode towards Botobai, who was the most seriously injured.
But after just a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around to look at Ging, who has a matter-of-fact expression on his face, and said hesitantly: "But I..."
"Eliminated participants don't get a say."
Without even glancing at Ginta, Ging casually threw a shut-up gesture his way.
"…"
Ginta opened his mouth, but finally obediently took on the task of transporting the injured.
Even though he himself was injured and needed treatment as soon as possible.
Moses watched from the side, not interfering with Ging's arrangements.
In fact, the moment he realized Ging was about to stir up trouble, he had already considered Ginta, who was under Kyoka Suigetsu's influence, as potential backup.
But he quickly dismissed that thought.
Because Ging wasn't an Enhancer like Botobai, who is easier to deal with...
If a real fight broke out, Moses had no confidence in ending it quickly.
So, considering that a battle with Ging could drag on for a long time, he simply accepted Ging's arrangement and let Ginta take the injured for treatment first.
After all, today's confrontation didn't have to be a life-or-death struggle.
Ging glanced at Ginta, who had single-handedly carried all the wounded in one go, then turned to Moses and said meaningfully: "You don't mind taking a slight disadvantage, do you?"
The 'disadvantage' he referred to was naturally Ginta's withdrawal.
After all, from the perspective of their opposing sides, if this battle had proceeded normally, Ginta would most likely have become Moses's puppet, and thus play some value in the battle.
But Ging's active instructions to Ginda to carry the injured for treatment were equivalent to removing some of Moses's advantages.
"It's fine. I was thinking the same thing anyway."
Of course Moses wouldn't care about such things.
Seeing this, Ging grinned.
Meanwhile, Ginta had already carried the wounded some distance away when he suddenly realized something.
Because of Gel's previous experience, he obviously couldn't ignore the possibility that he might have been manipulated.
So it occurred to him that Ging's sudden order for him to leave with the injured was, in a way, dismantling Moses's advantage.
Yet Moses hadn't raised any objections...
Thinking of this, Ginta's mood became complicated again.
Today's operation against Moses had profoundly deepened his understanding of him.