Early the next morning, Kite arrived at the rendezvous with Palm in tow.
"Andre and I will head to Peijing," he stated without preamble.
"The rest of you—wait for Gon and Killua to arrive before moving out."
As the veteran, Kite naturally took command.
"Support them if necessary. There's still time until the operation.
Morel sent word: unless we can get Neferpitou to retract her En, splitting up the Royal Guards at the scheduled hour will be impossible.
That means Andre's ability may become crucial."
"All prepped and ready!" Andre flashed a grin.
"Been itching to meet the one who backed you into a corner."
"Don't overdo it," Joey warned, frowning.
Of everyone, Kite and Andre were the closest to him. He couldn't stand the thought of losing either.
If it weren't for the risk of slowing them down, Joey would've gone with them—even if he couldn't help directly, his Golden Experience could serve as an emergency life-saving trump card.
Kite nodded.
Andre patted Joey's shoulder.
"You know my ability," he grinned.
"Save your worry. Let's give those Royal Guard bastards a fatal one-two when the time comes."
Joey hesitated.
That sounded way too much like raising a death flag…
Still, he said nothing.
Instead, he silently wished them both safe return.
Three days later, Gon arrived with a chameleon-like Chimera Ant: Meleoron.
Shortly after, Killua showed up too—with an octopus-like Ant named Ikalgo.
Meleoron's ability was… broken.
A stealth skill of immense value in what was coming.
Knuckle took to Meleoron immediately—after one shared meal, they were laughing like old friends.
Joey didn't object.
Meleoron wasn't like other ants—he wanted revenge.
His foster father, who'd become a Chimera Ant, had been obliterated by the King's casual blow during the birth.
Ikalgo, meanwhile, had fought and saved Killua—
With Killua's vouching and everyone else's quick acceptance, he too was brought into the fold.
Joey?
At this point, he was numb.
He could understand Meleoron's presence.
But Ikalgo… It surprised him that even without Flutter reporting their positions, events had still unfolded just like the manga.
Regardless—once the group was assembled, they set off for Peijing.
But they didn't get far.
Joey's phone rang.
Kite.
The message was short and sharp:
"Nob's coming to pick you up.
Andre's injured—badly."
Joey froze.
The flag had landed.
Nob arrived far faster than Joey expected.
He didn't run—he flew in by helicopter.
The group boarded without hesitation, and Joey focused on absorbing a charge from his Wallet.
He'd been keeping the Wallet's aura at a high-absorption state—ready for emergencies or high-speed cultivation.
Now, it paid off.
Thirty minutes later, they reached Peijing.
En route, Nob briefed him:
On Day Four of the infiltration, Kite and Andre reached the capital.
As expected, the Chimera Ants who had been watching Nob and Morel returned to the palace.
With them gone, the four—Kite, Andre, Morel, Nob—met and began formulating a strategy.
The result: A frontal infiltration.
Andre would hold Neferpitou.
Kite and Morel would provide diversion.
Nob would enter the palace and plant "portals."
It had to look real.
No feints.
If Pitou suspected a bluff, they'd lose their only chance.
Just as they were about to begin, something unexpected happened—
The puppet soldiers across Peijing vanished.
And Pitou's En—was gone.
They didn't hesitate.
Nob and Andre made a break for the palace.
Morel sent in 50 Purple Smoke Soldiers as backup.
Morel's ability: [Deep Purple]
Using his special pipe, he could manipulate smoke into various forms—especially humanoid warriors.
He could create up to 216, but complex commands only worked on 50.
So the elite 50 stormed the palace behind Nob and Andre.
Nob's ability: [4-Dimensional Apartment]
This was the key to the Royal Palace assault.
A four-story apartment with 21 separate rooms.
Each room was isolated.
Once you entered, the entrance closed—only an exit door could take you back.
He could open multiple exits in the real world—maximum 32—each linked to one internal room.
Theoretically, you could only enter and leave a room through the same portal.
It was powerful—so powerful that, in theory, even the King could be trapped and left to rot.
But there was a problem:
One of the rooms was a junk room.
The only known key was the one Nob kept on his wrist.
If other keys existed…
…no one knew.
This time, Nob's mission was simple:
Create exits inside the palace.
He'd plant twenty—though fewer were needed.
They already had a blueprint.
He'd place them near, mid-range, and far from the King's chambers.
Then, on the outside, they'd position entry portals in matching ranges to serve as staging points.
Andre came for one reason:
His ability was perfect for escape and disruption.
If something went wrong, the two could flee via the Single Room, or Andre could drag enemies in and buy time.
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For this week I will do more release depending on the power stones !
100 Power Stones = 1 chapter (in addition to the daily update)
So give stones if you want mooooar !