The rain was indeed decreasing at a visible rate, but the dark clouds in the sky remained heavy, showing no signs of dispersing.
Amidst the rumbling thunder, flashes of lightning occasionally lit up the dense cloud layers.
Within those clustered black clouds, a light darted about.
It wasn't lightning, but an eastern dragon composed of Nen, weaving through the clouds, its form half-hidden.
Looking closely, two elderly men could be seen standing on the dragon's back: Zeno and Netero.
The dragon was Zeno's Nen Ability.
The Nen Dragon carried the two men, concealed within the clouds, heading directly above the palace.
On the ground, raindrops splashed, creating countless ripples.
Led by Law, the group charged forward, shattering curtains of mist as they ran, the palace drawing closer in their eyes.
When they reached the outer wall of the palace, the Chimera Ants inside remained unaware.
If Pitou's En were still active, the Extermination Team's movements would have been detected long ago.
"Tonpa."
Law called out.
Hearing his name, Tonpa rushed to the front.
[Foresee the Future]
A radar-like Nen Circle burst from his body like a shockwave, sweeping towards the palace, directly penetrating numerous buildings.
In that instant, all information about the palace's interior automatically surfaced in Tonpa's mind.
In the courtyard nearest to them stood a Chimera Ant. Further ahead, on a vast open space, five large trees grew, each bearing five hundred eggs, with a curled-up human inside each egg.
These eggs were the forerunner of the Meat Orchard Plan. The selected sources were primarily people from Peijing and the existing national army.
Once the eggs hatched, the creatures inside would become the King's food and soldiers.
Tonpa's thoughts flickered with slight shock. Understanding priorities, he didn't waste mental energy focusing on these trees. He directly pinpointed the exact locations of the King and the Royal Guards.
"Humans? And three of them..."
Tonpa frowned slightly. His task wasn't to think, but to quickly and accurately report the intel he gathered to the rest of the team.
So, after the scouting ended, he swiftly withdrew his Nen Circle and reported the gathered information in the most concise way possible to the others.
"Two hundred meters straight ahead, one Chimera Ant."
"Third floor of the throne room, the King with two Royal Guards, and one human."
"On the tower of the side palace, one Royal Guard."
Tonpa verbally relayed this information to Law and the others.
He intentionally streamlined the intel, prioritizing speed and efficiency in transmission.
The information he omitted included: the trees in the courtyard, a human in the palace basement, and the corpse of Diego turned into a puppet.
He believed this information wouldn't affect the swift assault plan and trusted his own judgment.
After delivering the intel immediately, he turned and left without hesitation, simultaneously pulling out his phone to text the same information to Netero in the clouds.
From this moment, his task was complete. Not responsible for combat, he naturally needed to distance himself from this dangerous place.
Before launching the assault, every member of the Extermination Team had memorized the palace layout thoroughly. So upon hearing Tonpa's intel, they instantly parsed the precise locations, scattered, and advanced into the palace.
Although Tonpa's radar Nen Circle could pinpoint target locations in a short time, the process would also be detected by the targets immediately.
The Chimera Ants inside the palace felt as if pricked by needles.
This was the second time.
Pouf, atop the tower, changed expression, as if driven by instinct, and sharply looked towards the main entrance ahead.
Then, he saw several humans, splitting into groups approaching from left and right.
In that instant, only three words remained in his mind: 'Protect the King.'
Simultaneously, Youpi, guarding the corridor outside, vaulted out of the building, heading for higher ground. He didn't understand En, so he could only confirm the enemy's position with his eyes.
Inside the palace, Komugi seemed unaware of anything, focused entirely on the game board.
The King and Pitou also sensed the radar Nen Circle, but their reactions differed.
Like the other two Royal Guards, Pitou's first thought was to protect the King, and her second was to eliminate the intruders.
However, while using Doctor Blythe to treat the King, her combat power was essentially at its lowest, causing a moment of panic.
Not panic due to the impending crisis, but because she couldn't fight while fulfilling her guard duty.
Compared to the intense reactions of the three Royal Guards, the King was too calm. Or rather, his eyes were only on the Gungi game and Komugi sitting across the board.
Pitou looked at the King, who was so calm, even utterly focused, and for some reason, a sense of foreboding flashed through her heart.
She vividly remembered that the King had been stimulated by this Nen Circle before, breaking out of the Queen's abdomen. Afterwards, as if his royal dignity had been violated, he harbored a killing intent towards the human who released the Nen Circle.
But now, the Nen Circle struck a second time, passing through the King's body, yet the King showed no reaction, all his attention fixed on the game board.
The focus was completely on a different level.
'Had the outcome of the Gungi game become so important in the King's heart?'
"Your Majesty..."
Pitou opened her mouth, but ultimately fell silent, turning her head to watch the dozens of surgical instruments extending from the doll's chest.
'Faster, even faster.'
She needed to heal the King's arm at the fastest speed, then go outside and slaughter the incoming enemies one by one.
...
At the entrance to the palace courtyard.
Selina hadn't disobeyed Pitou's order, obediently standing in place, continuously drenched by the rain.
Suddenly, it felt as if tens of thousands of needles simultaneously stabbed her back. A massive shadow seemed to surge from behind, instantly enveloping her heart.
The golden stripes on Selina's face abruptly swelled and bulged. She sensed an intensely powerful threat. Then, following the guidance of her threat awareness, she turned sharply and released Aura to cover her body, preparing to attack.
However, the moment she turned, two human figures had already brushed past the edge of her vision, one from the left, one from the right.
A glance, an instant. Selina's heart skipped a beat.
By the time her retinas sent the human images to her brain, the two humans were already far away.
One human was missing a left arm, while the other had a white cloth wrapped around his head.
'When did they get so close...'
'Why didn't they kill me?'
'Do they consider me completely non-threatening?'
Selina stood there dumbfounded, the undispersed fear continuously pounding her heart.
Recalling the scene just now, during that extremely brief pause, she was absolutely certain of one thing: their eyes had never reflected her image.
Her proud body and strength were utterly insignificant in the eyes of those two humans.
Therefore, before more important matters, those two humans weren't even willing to waste a second to crush an ant like her.
With difficulty, she turned around, staring blankly at the retreating figures of Law and Ging.
The rain still fell, but it had become a drizzle.