The V5 leaders soon learned that the investigation team they had sent had been wiped out, with only one survivor remaining.
As if having witnessed something terrifying, he had gone mad.
He kept muttering incoherently.
Outsiders could only hear one word: "ghost."
This state of mental incapacitation was untreatable. Fortunately, a special Nen user managed to extract some blurry images and footage from his memories, pointing directly at one person.
Oboro.
From the fragmented information presented in the memories, the V5 heard Oboro's warning and about a very sinister 'thing.'
It was so terrifying that the person using Nen nearly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and mental breakdown.
Even a glimpse of that 'thing' would make an ordinary person feel extreme horror and easily lose their mental balance.
Although the 'thing' had a human form, it looked more like a 'monster' that didn't belong to the human world, its entire body shrouded in ethereal mist. The clothes or robes on its body were not fabric but entirely condensed from a wisp of smoke.
As for its face... it looked more like a floating 'mask.'
Meeting those glowing eyes would naturally make one's soul tremble.
That thing was undoubtedly 'Oboro,' but not in his human form... It was also what this mad assistant saw and presented as a 'scene' when the incident occurred.
Inside the V5 headquarters building.
Several leaders gathered to discuss matters concerning Oboro and the Philous family.
"Since the last exchange of interests with the Philous family, we have made some progress in the political arenas of various countries using their channels. From the current perspective, Oboro is becoming increasingly uncontrollable. I suggest we reel in the net early and eliminate the Philous family to prevent future troubles."
"Also... considering the Philous family's grand plans and methods, before reeling in the net, I suggest we thoroughly investigate our internal ranks... I suspect our people may have been infiltrated."
"A significant point is that we originally planned to take over NGL and East Gorteau, but the Philous family seemed to have known the news in advance. Before us, they contacted politicians from various countries, even getting some national leaders to express their support for providing humanitarian aid and rebuilding homes in the two defunct regions. And after all, we are a joint organization. Even if we wanted to establish strongholds and bases in NGL or East Gorteau first, we would have to inform the other small countries within the Mitene Federation, but without exception, all attempts failed... This indicates that the Philous family acted earlier than us and knew where our weaknesses lie..."
"Such confidential matters must have been leaked by someone."
Amidst the oppressive atmosphere in the room, discussions arose.
In normal times, these leaders could communicate remotely via equipment.
But the nature of this incident was different; they had come in person, indicating the seriousness of the matter.
"Let's first eliminate the internal spies... This is a very draining matter, wasting a lot of time, and it must be done with utmost secrecy to prevent the outside world from knowing about our internal chaos." Another person seconded.
This was not the first time they had dealt with the Philous family, or rather, Oboro.
"Let's put the Philous family's matters aside for now... You've all seen the information regarding Oboro's abilities, haven't you?" A brown-skinned woman with glasses among the leaders interjected, changing the topic. "Compared to the Philous family, he himself is more troublesome."
"His sudden change of heart now must mean he's more confident in dealing with us... If before he used international politics as leverage, then now... it's likely due to his personal capabilities."
Upon hearing this, a silence fell upon them.
"In the report provided by the current Hunter Association Chairman, Ging Freecss, although it's not guaranteed to be 100% accurate, when compared with the information we originally collected about Oboro. We can almost believe... he has the ability to manipulate souls. Whether it's the news sent by Beyond's people earlier, or Ging Freecss's deduction, Oboro's personal danger level is now immeasurable... Ging Freecss speculated that Oboro can enhance himself by absorbing souls. Hunters who participated in the Chimera Ant incident have witnessed and corroborated this. From Ging Freecss's report, it can be seen that individually, Oboro's current threat has surpassed that of the Ant King... In fact, looking at the entire Hunter world, there is no one who can suppress him one-on-one."
"When he said he would kill us... he wasn't joking; he could really do it."
"…"
The Ant King's terror stemmed solely from its strength and innate racial advantages.
But ants did not understand the human world.
Oboro was different.
He was human... he knew the human world inside out. If he were pushed to the opposite side of all humanity, this alone would make him ten, even a hundred times more dangerous than the Ant King.
Because the Philous family could accomplish too many things.
"What did that guy named Ging... say?"
An elder with a solemn expression at the table asked.
They were well aware that Oboro coveted the position of Hunter Association Chairman... Let alone Netero not choosing Oboro, they would never let Oboro succeed.
The Philous family's current influence already made the V5 extremely wary. If Oboro were to gain control of the Association, wouldn't he become even more arrogant?
"He advised us not to act rashly... not to engage in direct conflict with the Philous family, as we would lose. His suggestion was to let Oboro go to the Dark Continent, to remove him from the human world." The woman said calmly.
"Ridiculous!"
The old man scoffed.
Would their five major powers lose to a mere mafia?
"However, after so long... Oboro has been missing. After leaving East Gorteau, he didn't return to the Hunter Association. We initially thought he might cause trouble with Ging Freecss over the Chairman position, but now he's so quiet..."
"That Ging Freecss is quite capable. I don't know what he did, but he managed to pacify the internal turmoil within the Association in just a few days."
The other leaders remarked.
"In any case, my suggestion is to first eliminate the internal informants... continue investigating intelligence related to Oboro, and when the time is right, proceed with the operation to eliminate the Philous family. At that time, the primary target will be to first purge the leaders and their factions in the Bartochia Republic, leaving no time for the Philous family to react... For subsequent plans, except for the few of us, no one will be formally notified through any documents or procedures; all will be temporary, on-the-spot deployments and responses."
"Seconded."
"Agreed!"
The individuals expressed their agreement one by one.
The plan targeting the Philous family was thus finalized.
Within the human camp, any existence that defied the V5's will was not allowed, as it would disrupt the balance they had painstakingly created.
Zzzzt...
Immediately after, as the leaders were about to disperse.
The intercom on the table crackled to life.
"Apologies, esteemed leaders... something has happened!"
A voice came from the device.
This caused the leaders' expressions to change slightly.
Under normal circumstances, their meetings could not be interrupted... The fact that it was suddenly interrupted indicated that what had happened was extraordinary!
It must have been extremely serious.
Then, the television in the room automatically turned on, displaying images and sound.
It was a live broadcast!
Seeing the scene on the screen, with a sea of people, immense noise, and a magnified individual, the faces of the leaders turned green!
They saw Nasubi Gray Pear!
And... Beyond!
At this moment, Beyond was on a high platform, passionately delivering a speech to inspire the hearts of thousands of citizens of the Kakin Empire.
As for the content of his speech, to the V5 leaders, it was deafening and made their heads buzz.
The Dark Continent!
This was a global live broadcast!
The Kakin Empire was in upheaval.
They had just finished researching how to deal with the Philous family, and then, out of nowhere, someone even more troublesome appeared!
"This is difficult... Should we concede?"
Just as the leaders' minds went blank, a very discordant voice suddenly sounded in the room.
The few people startled, turned their heads sharply, and found that a person had appeared on the table at some unknown time.
Wearing a black suit and sunglasses.
It was... Oboro himself.
"What are you spacing out for? Didn't expect me to show up, did you? Or perhaps you don't recognize me?" Oboro smiled slightly. "That shouldn't be the case. You must have seen this face often in your dreams... you're all too familiar with it."
Saying this, Oboro casually picked up a few pieces of white paper from the table and looked at them. "As expected of the V5. Not only have you figured out the internal structure of the Philous family, but you've also investigated my teammates so thoroughly..."
"…"
Silence.
All the leaders were dumbfounded.
This was the V5 headquarters.
How did Oboro get in?
"Sit down, let's have a good talk." After speaking, Oboro threw away the papers in his hand, took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of chilling eyes, and said.
Clap, clap, clap, clap...
Among the leaders, an elderly man immediately reacted and frantically pressed a red button on the table.
However, no alarm sounded.
The old man was stunned.
"Has it gotten this serious?" The blonde woman beside him took a deep breath, her heart pounding.
She was referring to the extent of the Philous family's infiltration within the V5.
Oboro's presence here must have been with the collusion of insiders who knew the time of their meeting and helped him 'pass through' to get here. This indicated that the Philous family's informants were not only at the grassroots level of the V5 but also among high-ranking officials... and held significant positions.
"What do you want?!"
Someone questioned.
Others quickly regained their composure, showing no fear of Oboro. "Even if you kill us, it's useless... We are merely representatives of five countries. Within the V5 organization, even if we die, countries will still send representatives. It will just be a bit troublesome to reorganize the V5's current structure and expel all your people. The V5's strength comes from the five countries, not from five individuals... or a certain group. Unless the countries are destroyed... you still won't have the capital to contend."
Clearly, these people had no interest in talking to Oboro.
"Mhm... you're right."
Oboro nodded, then a strange light flickered in his eyes, emitting a chilling, faint glow as he stared directly at the speaker.
As Oboro stared, the person's face suddenly aged, his skin began to wither... as if he had lost decades of his life in an instant.
His hair turned white and gradually fell out.
Even his teeth began to loosen...
"Do you know? The soul is the symbol of an individual's spirit, and the spirit and flesh are closely connected... The quality of the spirit will trigger a series of reactions in the flesh, just like you. Your body has undergone corresponding changes due to the decay of your soul..."
Oboro said casually.
The other leaders beside him were all terrified to the point of losing their souls.
"When the soul perishes, your flesh and blood will wither along with it."
As the words fell.
One of the leaders, who had been sitting calmly just moments ago, slumped to the ground like an elderly person who had been bedridden for years, lifeless.
Then, Oboro looked at the other leaders.
"Your confidence stems from the belief that even if the Philous family might trigger a world war or rebellion, it cannot threaten the foundation of your respective countries, right?" Oboro tapped the table with his finger. "Yes, the Philous family still cannot do many things currently."
"However... what the Philous family cannot do, does not mean I cannot."
"You control all of humanity... while I control... souls!"
With that, several wisps of black smoke-like soul bodies surged from Oboro's body, directly entering the leaders' bodies.
The few people convulsed for a moment, and then their auras changed.
A few seconds later, everything returned to calm.
Everyone had a blank expression on their faces.
"Can we sit down and talk properly now?" Oboro smiled.
"Of course, our supreme Lord."
The leaders moved their somewhat stiff limbs, exchanged glances, and then bowed to Oboro.
...
Half an hour later, Oboro walked out of the conference room with a relaxed stride.
As he passed through the spaces, the lights flickered incessantly, and rolling black mist rose, filling every corner of the building... All personnel within the V5 headquarters, from high-ranking officials to grassroots staff, could not hide, as this black mist would seek them out through their auras, infiltrating their bodies through their mouths and noses, and then other souls would occupy their physical shells.
Possession.
From the outside, the V5 headquarters stood majestically, its towering building still standing in the center of the city. But inside, it was already plunged into darkness.
When the black mist dissipated, the auras of the V5 internal workers had all changed, carrying a hint of coldness.
Their movements and expressions were unnatural... filled with strangeness everywhere.
But no one cared anymore...
They knelt and respectfully saw Oboro off.
When an external soul occupies a physical body, there will be rejection phenomena, in other words... it's temporary.
With Oboro's abilities, it could only last for about a week... and then these souls would die along with the bodies.
But it was enough.
"Patriarch."
When Oboro reached the lobby on the first floor, a group of insiders who had been waiting there for a long time immediately flocked around him.
They were 'insiders' cultivated by the Philous family.
From a few dozen at the beginning, they had increased to nearly two hundred now. Although still a minority in the overall V5 organization, they could play a crucial role at this time.
"It's only for a week... After a week, the five major powers will react and launch corresponding investigations. However, to avoid external detection, they will likely suppress the news. Whether you can seize this opportunity to rise to power depends on yourselves... Also, they need to arrange for new personnel to fill the vacancies within the V5, and our people will also infiltrate through this... perform well. But first, you must be able to evade the V5's investigation and clear your names... Later, the family will also make arrangements to help you."
Oboro said to the leading official.
"Yes."
The latter responded.
Then, a sealed door opened.
Oboro walked out alone. Not long after, he disappeared using teleportation.
This building was only temporarily sealed, and it was only one of the main structures of the V5 headquarters. However, Oboro didn't need to control so many people; a few leaders were enough.
A week was enough time to accomplish many things...
As for the Kakin Empire... a good show was about to unfold there.
After returning from East Gorteau, he had already made a trip in advance and set up marker points.
He was waiting... for this day.
Some old debts needed to be settled.
____________________
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