There was no life-flashing montage.
On the brink of death, the last shred of Xiang Nan's consciousness felt only nothingness.
No anger, no resentment, no regret… He knew clearly that he was going to die.
Even Altana's energy couldn't change that ending.
But if he could choose again, he'd still go after the virus—because he had no choice.
"No matter who becomes the representative player of the Hunter x Hunter world down the line… I just hope you do better than I did…"
That was likely the only thought in Xiang Nan's mind before he died.
He calmly accepted his "disconnect"…
Did he really… accept it?!
Impossible!
Because "death" in reality was only a beginning.
In the original, Hisoka came back even after Chrollo killed him in Heaven's Arena… In Hunter x Hunter's power system, post-mortem Nen exists. Ever since Xiang Nan arrived in this world, he'd grown and grown—now it was time to test his true level.
If he couldn't awaken post-mortem Nen, he could always surrender to the System later.
But right now… it wasn't time to give up.
The vitality Altana flooded into him couldn't overcome the virus, but the "gap" wasn't as big as he'd thought.
Post-mortem Nen could bridge it… Xiang Nan didn't believe he'd lose to Hisoka.
Will, soul… and hope.
But… only a few minutes.
Just like Uvogin—whom he'd once saved with Nen exorcism—as long as his will was strong enough to break the "shackles" within the brief window after physical death, he could claw his way back.
Otherwise… if too much time passed, there'd be no chance at all.
Silence…
In the sealed room, Xiang Nan's body lay on its side, motionless.
His black trench coat was soaked through; as the blood congealed, the fabric stiffened.
His eyes were open… a black bowler hat had rolled off to the side, leaving him in a death stare.
Blood had leaked from all seven orifices—proof that the virus had wrecked his organs beyond recognition.
One minute… two minutes…
By the third minute—maybe it was just a trick of the shadows—the fingers of the hand lying on the floor twitched.
Just once…
Three minutes… and into the fourth.
Suddenly, without warning, Xiang Nan's arm snapped up like a wound spring on an alarm clock; a familiar red glove flashed onto his hand, and his knifehand stabbed straight into his chest.
Filaments of Nen burst forth, flooding his body.
The half of his forearm still outside his chest shook violently, as if his fingers inside were performing some precise, high-speed operation.
That sudden surge of Nen, that frantic motion—it was like a last flare before the end.
In under ten seconds, it was gone again.
There was still no light in Xiang Nan's eyes—only dullness.
No sign of life.
Five minutes later… as the sixth minute was about to tick past,
A thin breath puffed from his nose and mouth,
Kicking up a little dust.
But his mind still didn't wake.
An hour later… the faint beat of his heart began to grow louder, oddly "clear" in the silent room.
Three hours later… his rigid pupils contracted.
He… woke up!
Like a disconnected game account logging back in, a torrent of "game data" surged into his head as memories.
Everything came back at once.
Only… he still couldn't move—
His body was still unbearably weak.
Blood began to trickle again from his mouth, his nostrils, the corners of his eyes…
Five hours later, the bleeding stopped.
Ten hours later, his body slowly regained "vitality," and the Nen he gave off thickened from hair-fine strands into a "flowing liquid" sheathing his skin.
At twelve hours, Xiang Nan strained up off the crimson-stained floor and slumped back against the wall.
At twenty-four hours… in the darkness, his blurred face curled into a smile.
His lips lifted, showing a row of teeth.
A faint laugh echoed in the room.
"My Nen… judging by the energy signature, it seems… a little different now… So this is… the secret of death, huh…"
The man stifled his excitement, his tone edged with something eerie.
…
Elsewhere, Owl returned to the garrison camp with two soldiers from the Pandora's Box.
He was on the phone.
"Yeah, he's dead… He gave me this number and told me to call you the moment anything happened."
Owl glanced at Omokage, standing off at a distance and watching the three of them expectantly, then spoke into the receiver.
"…"
Silence on the other end, as if the caller refused to believe it.
"Believe it or not, that's on you… He must've mentioned the Pandora's Box unit, yeah? He said with your brains and muscle, you might have a way to help me get rid of this Omokage guy…" As he drew closer to Omokage, Owl forced himself to sound calm.
Yes—the person he was calling was Beishi.
Owl knew that on his own—and even with the Agency's Nen users who used to be mafia—he couldn't handle Omokage.
But Beishi, like Xiang Nan, was one of the Nameless.
He had to be capable.
And the fact that Xiang Nan had given him the number—well, that meant the man could be trusted.
"I don't always know what that guy is thinking—his mind and his depth aren't easy to read. But I can tell you this much with confidence… he isn't dead. In fact, he's doing just fine. If Xiang Nan gave you my number, he's accepted you. So I'll be blunt: given my relationship with him, I'd be the first to know if he died… You've been fooled."
Beishi's voice was wry.
In truth, a few minutes earlier Beishi had already gotten a System prompt.
As a player, thanks to the First-Kill Armband, he and Xiang Nan were still temporary squadmates.
If any of the five died, the System pinged him.
Exceptions applied—like Pigeon, who died in another world and was currently in a Reincarnation Match.
So when the "Xiang Nan is dead" ping hit, Beishi panicked too, tried to call him, and when the line wouldn't connect,
He called Manman.
To his surprise, the little tag-along wasn't with Xiang Nan and didn't know what had happened.
Just as Beishi was at a loss, watching the squad UI, he suddenly saw… "Xiang Nan is alive again."
The System prompt chimed in at the same time.
Now, with Owl's explanation, Beishi finally understood.
"Huh?"
Owl blinked at that.
"He did it… that lunatic…"
Beishi swore lightly and hung up.
Owl's eyelid twitched.
At that moment, Omokage—who'd been waiting for him—walked over.
"Why are you alone? Where's Xiang Nan?" Omokage asked, voice edged with danger.
"Need something?" Owl steadied himself, pocketed the phone, and smiled. "Then go look for him… He's the boss. Whatever he wants to do, wherever he goes—who dares to question it?"
With that, Owl strolled past Omokage, whistling.