Chapter 59: What Is a Human Bomb?

In a secluded valley, Killian sat on a rock, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. Across from him stood two figures:

One was a tall, bald man—Keke, a powerful Enhancer. Beside him, a much smaller, thinner figure exuded a cold, menacing aura. It was Zhengmei, her sharp gaze scanning the surroundings like a hawk.

"Cole and Fransky are gone," Killian said flatly, as if stating the weather.

"It's highly likely they ran into trouble. I didn't expect that among the prisoners, there'd be a few capable enough to take both of them out."

Zhengmei shook her head, frowning. "No... This doesn't feel like the work of someone inside the prison."

Killian raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"

"Before I got here, I saw our faces posted on the Hunter Association's black market bounty board."

Keke's eyes narrowed, the faintest trace of tension forming in his normally calm expression.

"So, you're saying Cole and Fransky weren't taken down by prisoners... but by a hired assassin?"

Killian let out a dry chuckle. "Looks like we've got ourselves some colleagues."

Zhengmei eyed the two of them coolly. "This isn't some amateur killer. Whoever did this is no slouch."

"Taking out Cole and Fransky in such a short time suggests a skilled team—one that operates with high-level precision," he continued. "That's exactly why we should head up the mountain."

He glanced towards the rising peaks. "We'll have the advantage there."

"Even if the enemy is stronger than us, the terrain will level the playing field."

Zhengmei's voice lowered into a deadly calm. "I've already set up traps. Whether or not they work doesn't matter—it'll slow them down just enough."

"It all comes down to us three." He shifted her gaze to Keke. "You'll engage them directly."

Keke gave a short nod. "No problem. If the enemy is a Nen user, I'll handle it. Enhancer abilities strengthen the body. Even if they're stronger overall, I can hold them off long enough."

"Killian," Zhengmei continued, "you'll provide backup. Stay on the sidelines and strike when you see an opening."

"Got it," Killian replied with a lazy smirk.

"As for me..." Zhengmei's eyes gleamed with a dangerous edge. "I'll wait for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal blow."

Killian suddenly raised a concern. "But our whole strategy assumes there are only a few of them. What if they've got more people?"

Zhengmei shook his head confidently. "Impossible. If they had numbers, they wouldn't have been able to eliminate Cole and Fransky so fast. Only a small, elite team could've pulled that off."

The moment the words left his mouth, his expression changed—his eyes widening in shock.

"Something's coming!"

Zhengmei looked up and saw a massive aura projectile hurtling toward her.

"Get down!" he yelled, her pupils dilating as the blast raced toward them.

Keke and Killian turned sharply, but they couldn't see the incoming threat.

Meanwhile, Kaizen—who was hidden among the trees—watched intently, taking note of their reactions.

"They talk like they trust each other," Kaizen thought, a small smirk forming. "But deep down, they're all suspicious of one another."

"Zhengmei can sense my Nen attacks, but it looks like she didn't share that ability with Keke or Killian. She's keeping them on a short leash."

Still, Zhengmei's warning gave Keck and Killian just enough time to dodge the blast—barely escaping the deadly strike.

Kaizen, however, hadn't pinned his hopes on that one Nen attack. His true strength lay elsewhere.

Kaizen specialized in transforming aura into different properties. But that was only the surface of his ability—he also possessed a unique Nen ability. His specialty was Nen-Beasts, deadly constructs of aura with devastating abilities.

Suddenly, a figure materialized behind Killian—a lithe, pink form.

"Killian, watch out!" Zhengmei shouted.

Killian whirled around, but saw nothing there—only empty air.

That was when the Killer Queen struck. A pair of sharp scissors glinted in the moonlight as the Nen Beast aimed a deadly thrust at Killian's neck.

Shwick!

Killian reacted just in time, yanking on a thin thread of aura that wrapped around his body, forming a shield. The scissors screeched against the barrier but failed to pierce through.

Zhengmei let out a soft sigh of relief, but his expression quickly hardened.

The Killer Queen wasted no time. It shifted its attention to Keke, launching itself toward him with terrifying speed.

Keke, unable to see the invisible beast, braced himself for impact.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The sound of fists smashing into flesh echoed through the valley as Keke absorbed blow after blow. If not for his Enhancer abilities, the relentless assault would've broken him.

Zhengmei clenched his fists. "That Nen Beast is a Transmuter's creation. And from the looks of it, it's locked onto Keke."

She turned toward Killian. "If we want to win, we need to find the Nen user controlling that beast. That's our only chance."

Regret flickered across Zhengmei's face. She cursed himself for not teaching Keke and Killian how to use advanced Nen techniques. If only they knew In—the art of concealing and detecting aura—they wouldn't be so vulnerable right now. But it was too late for regrets.

And that wasn't the only thing he regretted.

The traps he'd set earlier were far too simple. They hadn't slowed Kaizen down in the slightest.

"There!" Killian shouted, spotting Kaizen's figure moving through the trees.

"Go!" Zhengmei barked, and both he and Killian charged toward him, determination burning in their eyes.

But Kaizen had planned for this moment. He wanted them to get closer.

As they closed in, Kaizen whispered, "Killer Queen."

The Nen Beast, still locked in combat with Keck, pressed a hidden mechanism embedded in its Nen.

Boom!

There was no fiery explosion—just a violent shockwave that blasted through the forest.

Zhengmei was flung into the air, slamming into a tree trunk with a sickening crack! The force carried him into another tree, breaking it in half.

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