The morning light dispersed the thin fog.
After last night's downpour, the forest was still filled with moisture.
The ground was covered with fallen branches and leaves, which had become damp and sticky after being soaked by the heavy rain.
Several people with tired faces trudged across the wet ground, soon spotting a small mountain surrounded by forest, with a rather conspicuous cave opening on the mountainside.
Upon seeing the cliff cave, the group's spirits lifted.
In humid forests, it was often difficult to find suitable camping spots.
After enduring last night's storm, this team just wanted to find a safe place to rest properly.
The cave high up on the cliff face was a rare and valuable resting spot.
A hint of color returned to the pale face of the team leader. Just as he was about to step towards the cave, he heard the sound of flapping wings from above.
The team members looked up to see a giant bird with a wingspan of seven or eight meters descending from the sky, slowly landing on the platform in front of the cliff cave.
The next moment:
Under the astonished gaze of the group, the giant bird suddenly seemed to be extremely frightened. As soon as it landed, it flapped its wings in panic, fleeing from the cave entrance in a rather awkward manner.
Seeing this scene, the group members looked at each other in bewilderment.
The team leader hesitated for a moment, then took two steps forward.
As his feet stepped on several damp grass leaves, he suddenly understood why the giant bird had fled in panic.
That is…
He looked up with wide eyes at the silent cliff cave, and for a moment saw black mist surging out like waves.
The aura of death was overwhelmingly heavy…
The color that had just returned to the team leader's face instantly vanished. His mind inexplicably flashed back to a canyon bottom he had once visited, where he had seen the ground littered with animal skeletons in that desolate place of death.
He still clearly remembered the genuine feeling of being surrounded by the aura of death amidst those countless skeletons.
Just like now, it was exactly the same.
Turn back!
The team leader shuddered, his face tense and pale as he turned around first.
He didn't know what was in that cliff cave, nor did he want to know.
Getting away from the source of danger became his only thought.
—--
Inside the cave.
Morrow looked towards the entrance, faintly able to see the silhouette of the departing giant bird. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He had noticed when the giant bird landed on the platform at the cave entrance and was about to use his aura to intimidate and scare away the bird. But before he could act, the bird suddenly got frightened and ran away.
Is it because I've used "Death Replay" too many times, causing me to unconsciously infuse some negative emotions into my aura…
Looking at the small black dot in the distant sky, Morrow shook his head slightly, not dwelling on it further. He closed his eyes, preparing to get some good rest.
To develop and perfect his ability, he hadn't slept at all last night.
Now he just wanted to seize the opportunity to recover, then quickly continue his journey to leave this forest.
Time flew by rapidly.
On the third day.
The sky was a gloomy gray.
Morrow had successively contacted Kanzai and Argo.
Kanzai hadn't fallen into a swamp, but he wasn't much better off.
He had landed in a rapid mountain river, and after several ordeals, his phone was completely ruined, which was why he only managed to contact Morrow today.
After Morrow and Kanzai confirmed each other's situations, they agreed to meet again when they had the chance, then ended the call.
Afterwards, with Argo's information assistance, Morrow spent another day getting out of the forest.
And, relying on Argo's help to reapply for an online entry permit, he smoothly passed through the border of the Minbo Republic, arriving at the nearest city in the neighboring country, then transferred to take an airship from the airport.
All the procedures and permits during this process were handled by Argo.
Morrow also got to experience another kind of value brought by intelligence personnel.
On the airship heading to the Kukan'yu Kingdom, Morrow put down his phone.
Just now, he had sent intelligence about the Phantom Troupe's movements to Silva's contact number.
However, assassins seemed to always use a new number specifically for communicating with clients when executing contracts.
So Morrow wasn't sure if Silva would block numbers other than the client's, and even if Silva received this intelligence, whether he would believe it was another matter.
For Morrow, this was just a small favor done in passing.
Several days later.
The airship landed at an airport within the borders of the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
Complete documentation and credentials allowed Morrow to pass through smoothly after landing.
Leaving the airport, Morrow took a taxi to a city called Kanda.
According to the intelligence provided by Argo, after entering the Kukan'yu Kingdom, the Phantom Troupe initially still moved together, seemingly unconcerned about the pursuit and arrest from the Navis country, roaming freely within the Kukan'yu Kingdom's borders.
It wasn't until five days ago that the Phantom Troupe began to disperse, subsequently showing different styles of action.
Some members still acted arrogantly, mainly Uvogin and Nobunaga, who, after separating from the main group, didn't take any disguise measures.
In stark contrast were Chrollo and the few members traveling with him. They had finally disguised themselves in dress and appearance, likely under Chrollo's instructions and requirements, and began to act more discreetly.
The city of Kanda that Morrow was now heading to was the nearest city to him at present, and also a city where Chrollo and his group had exposed their whereabouts.
About an hour later, Morrow arrived in Kanda City.
This was a fairly standard modern metropolis, with towering skyscrapers and well-developed supporting facilities everywhere.
Compared to the dazzling lights and hedonistic atmosphere that could be felt everywhere in Yorknew, this city called Kanda had a bright and lively feel, making one feel as if they had returned to one of the provincial cities of the previous life.
Morrow sent a short message to Argo. While waiting for a reply, he casually pushed open the glass door of a roadside café, walking in amidst the jingling of bells, and sat down on the sofa nearest to the door.
A café waiter came over.
Morrow casually pointed to one of the items on the menu, then lowered his head to fiddle with his phone.
By the time a cup of coffee was placed on the table, it was already more than ten minutes later, and Argo had not yet replied.
Morrow wasn't in a hurry. He picked up the coffee and took a sip.
Ding-ding…
The sound of bells jingling came from the door.
Someone pushed open the café's glass door and walked in, followed by the clear sound of heavy heels tapping on the floor.
This was usually the sound of something like high heels.
However, the person who walked into the café was a tall man with a slender waist and long legs.
The nearby customers instinctively looked over, seeing the man's red hair standing up wildly and the teardrop and star-shaped makeup adorning his cheeks. They couldn't help but show a hint of strange expression.
Such attire was completely out of place with the surrounding environment.
Morrow also looked at the man who had just entered.
After clearly seeing the other's appearance, Morrow's eyes changed slightly, then quickly withdrew his gaze.
Hisoka?
How could he be here?
He is… here for the Phantom Troupe?