Chapter 112: A Storm in the Intelligence World is Coming!

Carlisle's unexpected visit left us with only two possibilities.

Either he's feeling remorseful, guilty, and wants to make it up to Nina—

Or he wants to continue using her.

But if it was remorse, why insist on taking Nina with him? If Carlisle truly wanted to make amends, he could have simply offered compensation directly.

So, if we discard the first possibility, we're left with the second: Carlisle wants to keep using Nina.

"But how should we handle Carlisle?" Kaizen wondered aloud. "Should we drive him off? Or take him out?"

Yet something else gnawed at Kaizen. "What does Carlisle actually want with Nina?"

Various ideas ran through his mind. Perhaps Carlisle plans to manipulate Nina, using family ties to coerce her into working for him.

If it was money he wanted, he would've just asked. But he hasn't. So that rules out financial gain.

"Could it be his ability?"

Carlisle's Nen is notorious—a twisted ability that combines humans and beasts into "synthetic beasts," creating creatures that are part human, part animal. These beasts are formidable, though they don't match Kaizen's level. Compared to most novices in Heavens Arena, however, Carlisle's creations are leagues ahead.

The last synthetic beast Carlisle created used his wife as the "material." The second one was made from his own daughter. However, Kaizen had already destroyed the Nen on that second beast, freeing Nina from its bond with Polar Bear. But Carlisle's powers remained intact.

If Carlisle wants to regain his strength, he just needs another human and beast to fuse.

"Could it be that Carlisle's ability has specific constraints?" Kaizen mused. "Maybe he needs someone close to him for the fusion?"

As night fell, everyone settled in for rest. Kaizen's luxurious suite had two rooms: one for him and one for Shizuku and Nina. Polar Bear curled up in a corner, content in a spacious, comfortable kennel Nina had bought for him.

Kaizen, with a thought, summoned Altan.

"Altan!" he commanded.

The next moment, Altan materialized.

"Find all information available on Carlisle," Kaizen instructed.

Altan, who required no computer, simply connected to the network port. Altan functioned as a living computer, capable of bypassing software restrictions with ease. Only hardware-level security could block Altan's access.

After a short while, Altan finished the search and transferred the data into Kaizen's mind, a unique ability of Altan as Kaizen's Nen Beast.

Kaizen reviewed the compiled information.

"Carlisle was a dentist in his early years. He had a beautiful wife, and they shared a happy life. But their clinic was attacked, forcing them to leave under violent threats from competitors. This event appears to have awakened something dark in Carlisle.

"Eventually, they moved to Heavens Arena. There, Carlisle began training as a fighter. With his medical knowledge and determination, his skills improved rapidly, and he made it to the 200th floor.

"At that level, he underwent the brutal initiation for new arrivals, which dealt a heavy blow to his psyche. Carlisle vanished for six months, leaving only traces of his wife's concern for him online. But when he returned, it wasn't long before his wife disappeared.

"There's little doubt—he used her to create his first synthetic beast.

"The following years were spent in Heavens Arena, but the real key lies in what happened during that missing half-year."

With a satisfied nod, Kaizen let Altan disappear. Reflecting on Altan's abilities, he realized, "Altan's combat strength may not be impressive, but for gathering intelligence, it's unrivaled. In a world where most people leave digital traces, Altan can uncover nearly anything."

Kaizen's mind began to consider the possibilities.

"Perhaps I could profit from selling information. Might be more reliable than missions as a Hunter," he mused.

His thoughts communicated this new ambition to Altan, who connected once more to the network, ready to dive into the intelligence market.

As Kaizen meditated, Altan's activity on a particular intelligence site stirred quite a commotion. Numerous informants watched as an incredible surge of completed intelligence requests flooded the site.

"Who is this 'computer girl'?"

"Just how did she complete so many requests in such a short time?"

"What's going on? Has she been hoarding data and only now releasing it?"

Their bafflement was palpable as Altan, Kaizen's silent partner, continued to shake up the intelligence world, her skills now recognized by others in the trade.

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