Division × Infiltration × Association Politics

"According to Colt, the Chimera Ants are planning to conduct a selection during the Founding Festival."

Morel rubbed his chin, his expression grim.

"Neferpitou has apparently figured out a way to forcibly awaken people's aura nodes using Nen," Knov added with a frown.

"The process has a high mortality rate, but… we all know the ants don't care."

He adjusted his glasses, the lenses catching the light.

"As far as we can tell, the one controlling Diego is an Operator-type Nen user.

What they plan to do with those who survive the selection is still unclear —

but 99% of the participants are expected to die.

And unless we intervene before the Festival, we'll be too late."

"What about the Chairman?"

Killua's voice cut in sharply.

"He sent one final message confirming he's inside East Gorteau," Knov said, his tone dry.

"Since then, nothing. Total radio silence."

"Think he's already dead?" Killua asked bluntly.

Knov didn't even blink.

"As per our contingency: if he doesn't make contact today, we assume he's dead and move accordingly."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Then — ring-ring!

Knov's phone lit up and buzzed on the table.

"Speak of the devil," Knov muttered, flipping it open.

"That old man probably has Clairvoyance," Morel chuckled.

Knov glanced at the message, eyes narrowing, then tossed the phone toward the group.

"He knew you three would come. He even knew what Morel would say."

"He gets more terrifying by the day," Morel muttered.

On the screen, a short message:

"Split into five teams of two.

Lure the Royal Guards away from the King.

Operation begins at 00:00, the night before the Festival.

—The Eavesdropping Old Man."

"Five routes, huh?" Joey mused.

He looked toward Kite and André — the two he'd worked with most closely.

They had chemistry. Trust.

Everyone else was already in established pairs.

Five teams meant the entire capital perimeter would be covered — no blind spots.

"You're with André," Kite said flatly.

Knov nodded, clearly pre-coordinated.

It made sense.

Palm would play a key role in the upcoming infiltration.

If her ability could be activated properly, she could provide critical intel.

But Palm was fragile.

Sending her with someone like Joey — untested and volatile — would be too risky.

Kite or André needed to escort her themselves.

Joey had no complaints.

He and André had worked together before — a natural pairing.

Old dog, new gun.

But he didn't kid himself.

André might look like a brutish outdoorsman, but as a Conjuration-type, his mind was as meticulous as Kite's.

Joey pulling any secret maneuvers under André's nose would not be easy.

Once teams were assigned, they didn't waste time.

The group stood, paid their tab, and headed out.

Morel lingered, casting a long glance at Gon, clearly wrestling with something unsaid.

Knov gently pulled him away.

Kite, however, called Gon aside — whispered something in his ear.

When Gon returned, his face was more solemn.

But his eyes… burned with a flicker of resolve.

Then Kite gave André a few final words, turned, and left with Palm.

Joey took it all in quietly.

When André beckoned, he followed.

Their first task:

Infiltrate the capital of East Gorteau — Peijing.

The biggest threats?

Not just the Chimera Ants.

The real problem was the country itself.

East Gorteau was crawling with spies — a surveillance state where every citizen was tied to a network of neighbors and relatives.

No loners. No outcasts.

Faking an identity here wasn't just hard — it was nearly impossible.

If their cover was blown, it wouldn't just be the secret police coming after them —

it'd be Royal Guard-aligned Chimera Ants.

Running into one of them without preparation?

Death would be a mercy.

True, the ants were unlikely to leave the palace without reason — especially not the Royal Guards.

But assumptions got people killed.

And the latest intel from Association field hunters suggested the threat was real.

In the last few days, agents near East Gorteau had captured 412 Chimera Ants.

Among them were four of the eight rogue Squad Leaders that Colt had previously flagged.

Which meant the other four had almost certainly slipped through —

and were now under the King's command.

If Joey and André ran into one of those monsters mid-infiltration…

It would be war.

So how did the Squad Leader ant infiltration go so badly?

Joey didn't know.

But André did.

"The teams Morel and I recommended were replaced," he said grimly.

"Internal politics."

And not just any politics.

Hunter Association politics.

André explained the "Contractual Hunters" — the 協専, or Kyousen.

Freelancers.

The Association outsourced many jobs to governments and private clients —

and then passed those jobs to licensed Hunters.

Regardless of whether the job was completed, the Association paid based on risk and difficulty.

The Kyousen exploited this.

They bid for jobs, undercut rivals, and sometimes didn't even do the work.

Just enough to collect the minimum payout.

Their skills weren't always strong — but they were weird.

Unpredictable. Versatile.

That got them jobs.

"Some missions, they actually do better than recommended Hunters," André admitted.

"But a lot of the time, they leave behind a mess."

The worst part?

The Vice Chairman, Pariston, loved them.

Any time someone tried to bring down the Kyousen, it turned into a bureaucratic deadlock.

Joey listened in silence.

The headache already pounding behind his eyes.

So this is what Hunter politics look like…

He had no illusions.

Pariston Hill was not someone he could afford to cross — not now.

The man was a master manipulator.

If Joey stepped out of line, he'd find himself silenced or imprisoned before he ever saw a courtroom.

This wasn't his fight.

So Joey nodded, said nothing, and followed André toward their next rendezvous.

He had bigger things to worry about.

Namely:

Staying alive.