Aura...
In the hands of Nen users with strong desires, it always feels uncomfortable.
The most typical and abstract example is none other than Hisoka.
At this moment, Morrow could sense the unbearable desire within Hisoka's aura, as well as the struggle to suppress it.
This guy... has terrifying self-control over his desires.
But all of it is just to achieve an even more intense thrill.
It's the perfect embodiment of "Bungee Gum"; like rubber, the harder you press it, the higher it bounces.
The more Morrow understood Hisoka, the more he wanted to shake off this clingy nuisance.
Moreover, after their assault here, it was inevitable that Hisoka would become a target of Nolan's organization's retaliation.
And the mafia's methods were always ruthless and brutal; once they set their sights on you, it was like being infested with maggots.
Morrow had to distance himself from Hisoka to avoid getting dragged into it.
That's right. Nolan would be coming after Hisoka in the future. What did that have to do with him, Morrow?
Ignoring Hisoka, who was still wrestling with his desires, Morrow walked over to the pile of corpses and picked up two submachine guns.
Against ordinary people, firearms were highly practical, saving unnecessary aura expenditure.
Sanbica glanced at Retona's corpse on the ground, her eyes trembling slightly, then moved behind Morrow and asked, "What... exactly is going on here?"
"Sanbica, you're a Pro Hunter, right?"
Morrow turned to look at her, countering with a question.
Sanbica paused, then nodded. "Yes."
"Did you take a virus investigation request?"
Morrow pressed further.
Sanbica shook her head. "Not investigation, treatment."
"Who was the client?"
"The village chief of Shanni Village, that is..."
As she spoke, Sanbica fell silent, her gaze shifting to the mansion before them.
The corpses and firearms scattered on the ground made the truth painfully clear.
Seeing Sanbica suddenly go quiet, Morrow casually fired a few shots into Retona's corpse. "I think this guy was the real client."
"..."
Sanbica remained silent.
Morrow observed her lowered eyes and calmly said, "Sorry for killing your client and making this trip a waste of time. But if my intel is correct, this mansion... is actually a lab that uses live humans for virus research."
"!!!"
Sanbica's head snapped up, her dark eyes widening in shock.
A lab that experimented on live humans with viruses...?
To a legitimate Virus Hunter, this was an absolute red line.
Ignoring Sanbica's reaction, Morrow continued, "Next, I'll clean out this lab without leaving a single trace. Of course, if you need virus intel, Sanbica, I can spare one or two for questioning. It might help the villagers here. As for the commission fee... don't come to me for that."
"..."
Sanbica, still reeling from the revelation, stared blankly at Morrow before shaking her head lightly. "I don't care about the commission fee. Curing the villagers is the best reward for me."
"Is that so?"
Morrow gave her a deep look. "Then, want to come along?"
"Mm."
Sanbica nodded firmly.
By then, Hisoka seemed to have finished wrestling with his desires, his aura gradually returning to normal. He silently shifted his position to a spot where Morrow and Sanbica would immediately notice him.
The gesture seemed to say: What about me? What about me?
Morrow glanced at Hisoka, who was trying hard to make his presence known, but ignored him. Instead, he said to Sanbica, "You're the professional here. You take the lead."
"Alright."
Sanbica didn't question it and walked ahead toward the open mansion gate.
Morrow followed behind her without a second thought.
The armed squad had been dealt with, and even that imposing Nen user from earlier had been taken down in an instant. It was safe to assume the research facility's defenses had been cleared.
Hisoka was ignored, but he didn't mind. He merely looked at Sanbica's retreating figure with a hint of surprise.
With his usual thick skin, Hisoka chuckled lightly and naturally fell into step behind them.
—--
Once inside the mansion, they effortlessly discovered the underground passage leading to the tomb.
This was because, upon entering, they immediately ran into three people in hazmat suits emerging from the tomb, clearly trying to escape in the chaos.
Morrow promptly raised his gun and shot two of them, leaving only one alive for interrogation.
"You turned a tomb into a research facility?"
After hearing the hostage's confession, Morrow was genuinely surprised.
He had assumed the so-called research facility was just built inside the mansion; at worst, maybe an underground space beneath it.
He never expected they had repurposed an actual tomb.
As they walked through the tomb passage, Hisoka idly scanned the numerous pipes and cables lining the walls and casually remarked, "Morrow, he answered all your questions honestly, but he deliberately hid things beyond what you asked."
Upon hearing this, the hazmat-suited hostage's eyes flickered with panic. "I—I didn't hide... I didn't..."
Under Morrow's cold gaze, the hostage's mind shuddered, overwhelmed by a terrifying, almost tangible sense of impending death. He could no longer lie.
Lowering his head to avoid Morrow's stare, he stammered, "We... the OG Virus... we actually extracted it from a corpse inside a coffin in this tomb."
At this revelation, Morrow instinctively glanced at Sanbica beside him and saw a grave expression in her eyes.
"Take us to the protective gear storage area first," Sanbica said, her voice laced with unmistakable anger.
The hostage nodded frantically. "Y-yes, I'll take you right away..."
Guided by the hostage, they traversed the long tomb passage. Along the way, Morrow entered two side rooms and casually shot a few people hiding inside.
Soon, they arrived at a room stocked with various protective gear.
After changing into hazmat suits, they prepared to head straight for the virus containment zone the hostage had mentioned.
As they moved toward that area, Morrow continued searching the rooms they passed. The tomb had only one exit, so going deeper ensured no one could slip away.
"Wait here a moment."
Passing another room, Morrow pushed the door open.
What greeted him was... an uncountable number of human organs, all preserved in glass jars filled with liquid.
Hisoka, intrigued by the contents of the room, immediately stepped inside as well. Morrow directly released his En, extending it forward to cover the entire room.
No one.
Once the search was complete, Morrow retracted his En. His gaze swept over the numerous glass bottles on the surrounding shelves before suddenly being drawn to one in particular.
Inside a slightly elongated glass vessel, a pair of eyeballs floated silently in liquid, their pupils radiating a dazzling crimson glow, as if countless luminous crystals were embedded within.
That was...
Scarlet Eyes!