"How did it leak?"
Luke casually asked.
"I don't know. We haven't yet determined who leaked it to the organization called Sengi Guild."
"But the association has already gone to negotiate with them."
"We can't let those leeches suck blood from the Hunter Association!!"
"Taking advantage of our Hunter Association won't be easy!!"
"This time, we must break a few of their teeth and show them how powerful the Hunter Association is!"
Sengi Guild?
Hearing this familiar name, Luke's heart skipped a beat.
"What kind of organization is this?"
"It's unclear at this point, but we do know that they sell intelligence..."
Ginta calmed down. "Being able to obtain relevant information from the Hunter Association shows that their intelligence channels are extremely extensive, and they even reach very high levels."
In fact, even if they didn't obtain this information from the Hunter Association but relied on acquiring intel like this through Nen-based methods, they had already proved they weren't ordinary.
There must be some background or hidden force behind them.
Otherwise, they wouldn't attempt to get their hands on the Two-headed Wolf, a rare creature that the Hunter Association values so highly.
Luke was familiar with the name of this organization because Kurapika's bodyguard job back then had come through them.
At the start, Kurapika had gone there to look for work right after obtaining his hunter's license.
But under the probing of a tattoo-covered woman with lip piercings who worked as an employment agent, it was revealed that Kurapika hadn't even mastered the basics of Nen.
That clearly didn't meet the recruitment standards of the bosses there.
Later, after Kurapika had trained under his teacher, Izunavi, and developed his Nen ability, he returned.
That was when he saw the same woman blow smoke rings that turned into a skull-like face.
This time, he successfully secured an offer from the Nostrade family.
The Sengi Guild only made a brief appearance in the plot, with only two appearances.
But even so, their strength was already hinted at.
The fact that even a receptionist could skillfully wield aura, forming a skull out of smoke rings, showed how rich their manpower reserves were.
Such finesse and control of aura already surpassed the average Nen user by far.
They can also help connect with numerous underworld organizations and recruit personnel for them.
This meant their intelligence network and channels were truly vast.
Without a strong background and foundation, they wouldn't dare to handle such business.
Luke guessed that even if the Hunter Association approached the Sengi Guild, it would probably lead nowhere.
After all, if even a professional hunter like Kurapika could receive job referrals through them, then their ties were not easily cut.
The best outcome between the two sides would only be to shake hands and make peace.
"Then how did you know someone was going to attack the Two-headed Wolf?"
Luke asked curiously.
"It's because we have a Blacklist Hunter who specializes in tailing criminals."
Ginta explained. "He was tracking a certain group of thieves that happened to buy the information on the Two-headed Wolf."
"And that group is a repeat offender when it comes to poaching!!"
Ginta spoke with a touch of indignation. "The Kute Gang of Thieves... Honestly, it wouldn't be too much to chop them into pieces!"
"What they've done is truly outrageous and heartbreaking!"
"It's simply inhumane!"
Ginta then began listing their crimes: "Destroying ancient ruins, smashing cultural relics, hunting rare creatures, wrecking irreplaceable collectibles..."
"It's as if they deliberately target the world's rare and irreplaceable treasures just to destroy them!!"
"Every target they've gone after, once lost, has left people grieving deeply!!"
"That's why they're so notorious among hunters!!"
The more Ginta spoke, the more agitated he became.
"Many Ruins Hunters, Beast Hunters, and other Hunters want to capture them."
"Some even want to chop them into pieces!"
"That includes a Poacher Hunter like me!"
Ginta openly expressed his desire to kill the Kute Gang of Thieves.
Kute... Gang of Thieves?
Luke heard that familiar name again.
This, along with the issue of the Two-headed Wolf's reproduction, also served as a backdrop for Ging Freecss's glorious achievements.
And anyone worthy of being Ging Freecss's backdrop couldn't have been just a single person.
It had to be an entire group, just like the brigade Luke was currently in.
And from what Ginta had described, the crimes committed by this band of thieves, destroying historical relics, wrecking ancient ruins, hunting rare creatures… these all seemed completely incompatible with Ging Freecss's work.
No wonder, then, that even a headstrong person like Ging Freecss couldn't stand it enough and took action to eliminate this group.
After all, Ging's character wasn't one for punishing evil, upholding justice, or doing good deeds. It was likely that this band of thieves had simply provoked him, and then he conveniently eliminated them.
Luke also speculated that the poaching of the Two-headed Wolf was one of the triggers.
The Kute Gang of Thieves, who had come to poach the Two-headed Wolf, happened to encounter Ging Freecss, who was studying the Two-headed Wolf.
And then, unaware of who he was, they rudely interrupted his train of thought, and then… the Kute Gang of Thieves ceased to exist.
Of course, all this was just Luke's speculation.
But to him, it seemed very close to the truth.
And now, that ball of earth was steadily approaching.
"Right..."
Ginta finally realized it belatedly. "Luke, how did you know such a group was coming?"
"I left some monitoring measures along the path here, but I didn't detect anyone following us."
As a Poacher Hunter, Ginta naturally had some means to prevent tracking, monitor whether he was being followed, and detect any followers. He had also deployed these measures since entering the forest.
But none of his methods had triggered any warnings, suggesting the other party might have used Nen's ability to sneak in.
Still, even if his methods failed, Ginta never once doubted Luke.
That was how much he trusted him!!
"Because they didn't come through the entrance, nor did they use normal infiltration methods."
Luke smiled and pulled out something about the size of a TV remote control, resembling a radio transmitter.
"And I didn't use normal surveillance methods either."
"I just borrowed a little from the local underground natives of this forest."
He shook the TV remote like an object in his hand.
The small, red, round antennae, resembling cockroach antennae, twitched and bounced.
Invention: Cockroach Speaker
Origin: Doraemon World — Future Tech Company
Function: This tool can summon nearby cockroaches. It comes with simultaneous translation, allowing communication and even cooperation contracts with them.
Red shell, green control button, yellow speaker.
From the speaker came occasional squeaks of cockroaches.
With its built-in translator, one could communicate with them and ask for help.
When Luke followed Ginta into this unknown forest environment, he was already prepared.
Well, in this dangerous world, even with someone like Ginta, a future member of the Zodiacs, and somewhat a good guy.
On their first meeting, Luke wasn't about to place blind trust in him.
Especially since they were headed into such a perilous forest.
So, unwilling to put his life entirely in others' hands, Luke quietly took out the Cockroach Speaker.
Thankfully, cockroaches were also present in the Daragas Forest Wildlife Park.
Luke struck a deal with them, promising to provide them with food in exchange for surveillance and alerts of any approaching creatures with clear movement patterns.
So, when the two men, enveloped in a ball of earth, approached Luke, they were already spotted by the swarm of cockroaches, who immediately relayed the information to Luke.
"Another one of your inventions?!"
Ginta gazed at the Cockroach Speaker in Luke's hand with a mixture of curiosity and admiration.
"A tool that can even detect approaching strangers and warn us..."
Ginta was genuinely impressed: "Luke, your Nen ability is truly so powerful and useful!!"
"It's like a wishing well, whatever we need or want, you can bring out the perfect tool to solve the problem!!"
Ginta said sincerely.
He felt more and more that as long as Luke was around, he didn't have to worry about anything.
Whether it was life in the wild or the danger of an incoming enemy, it seemed as if, for Luke, everything was trivial.
He could easily solve any difficult situation and overcome any adversity with his inventions.
Just like now, Luke used his props to easily detect the enemy's movements.
Then… Luke pointed out a direction behind them, drawing Ginta's gaze.
"Hmm?!"
Ginta's gaze instantly locked onto a ball of earth not far away, hidden in a secluded corner of the forest.
Although they were well concealed, the protruding part still gave them away.
And…
"The soil composition doesn't match the fresh soil of this forest at all!!"
Ginta's extensive experience in surviving in the wild also allowed him to immediately spot something amiss: "The climate around the Two-headed Wolf is relatively humid, the soil is generally moist, and there's often greenery and moss."
"But that soil only exists in the drier outskirts of the forest!!"
"And the small green plants on it are drought-resistant species, the kind that grow short and hardy in poor conditions."
"Such plants could never suddenly appear in this area!! Even if creatures carried them in from outside, they wouldn't grow like this!!"
Ginta quickly averted his gaze so as not to alert the enemy.
"That place is definitely not natural. Clearly, a Nen user specializing in soil-based abilities wrapped themselves underground and moved here from the outskirts!!"
"And judging by how poorly it's concealed, it's obvious they couldn't achieve perfect stealth and the most likely reason..."
Ginta whispered: "It's probably not just one person sneaking in. That Nen user must have carried another with them, so they couldn't hide perfectly underground..."
He trailed off, then noticed Luke studying him from head to toe.
"... Did I say something wrong, Luke?"
"No..."
There was a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"
Luke was still looking at him with a slightly strange expression.
"Really...?"
Ginta still felt a little nervous.
He was afraid that his own misjudgment would have a negative impact on Luke.
"Really."
Luke nodded, feeling some deep admiration in his heart.
'No wonder he could be recognized by Chairman Netero in the future and become one of the Zodiac Twelve in the Hunter Association.'
'Just by glancing at that ball of earth, and with such limited information, he deduced a conclusion so accurate and so close to the truth.'
'As expected, hunters who can carve out a name for themselves on the six continents are never ordinary people.'
'Even now, more than ten years earlier, Ginta's professional qualities as a hunter are probably no lower than Kite's.'
Whether it's Ging Freecss or Ginta, Luke is still a bit immature compared to them.
It's precisely because of his inventions that he can seize the initiative and play a significant role.
That's why Ginta has such high trust in him. Moreover, Luke suspected that Ginta's trust was more out of a desire to repay a favor.
It didn't mean Ginta had let down his guard.
If he truly intended to harm him, he would probably notice it immediately.
Unless Ginta himself wasn't a qualified professional hunter.
But the way he had drawn so much useful information from nearly nonexistent clues, and immediately withdrew his gaze from the ball of earth to avoid alerting the enemy, it was clear that Ginta was a very experienced professional hunter.
It's just that when it was with Luke, he acted very friendly and kept himself hidden.
Yes, this was clearly pretending to be a pig... to eat the tiger.
"He appears so harmless, but in reality, if he really got serious, this guy is probably much more ferocious than anyone else."
"Especially with the way he was handling those poachers sneaking in…"
This was clearly Ginta lowering his opponent's vigilance, pretending he wasn't aware of their arrival.
And then waiting for an opportunity to take them down!
This fellow with thick eyebrows and big eyes is quite evil at heart!!
"But I quite like that about him."
Luke laughed.
"With allies, he hides his true edge, protecting himself and maintaining bonds. But with enemies, he's decisive and ruthless."
"You're truly a pretty good hunter, Ginta."
Luke chuckled inwardly.