Accompanied by the loud roar of the airship landing, Cheadle finally returned to the Hunter Association headquarters with a large quantity of the recovered, unidentified toxic solution.
The moment she stepped out of the cabin door, she immediately saw the Vice Chairman, Pariston Hill, impeccably dressed in a suit, walking toward her. He wore a bright, sunny smile and asked with feigned concern: "How was it? Was the journey smooth? I heard that little guy named Allen caused quite a bit of trouble and disorder, nearly exposing millions of city residents to the threat of a terrifying toxic substance."
"Extremely smooth! The few victims who were poisoned have been properly treated, with no fatalities or irreversible disabilities. Most importantly, the Mad Chemist Perro is dead, and the world has one less destabilizing factor," Cheadle replied with ill-concealed annoyance.
It was evident from the intensely unpleasant tone of her conversation that, despite being fellow members of the Zodiacs, she did not like him at all, feeling a strong sense of repulsion and distaste.
"Oh? Did the world really lose a destabilizing factor? This young man named Allen seems capable of stealing other people's Nen abilities. That is to say, he has replaced the Mad Chemist and become an even more dangerous destabilizing factor," Pariston's eyes flashed with a mischievous light.
But Cheadle scoffed and counter-questioned: "And what do you intend to do about it? Send your specialist Hunters to cause trouble for him? Believe me, that is no different from feeding a wild beast; it will only make him stronger. What's more, Allen is someone Chairman Netero favors. The old man won't let you touch anyone or anything he's interested in."
"Fascinating! You developed such strong confidence in him after only meeting him once? Or rather, is he truly formidable in the field of Nen, prompting a certain expectation even from the Chairman..."
Undoubtedly, as the type of person Netero described as his most difficult to deal with, Pariston could be considered top-tier in terms of information analysis, intellectual ability, and strategic maneuvering.
In just a few short sentences, by integrating the intelligence he had previously acquired, he had mentally sketched out Allen's image, personality, abilities, and the possible limitations and prerequisites for his ability to steal others' Nen.
Finally, Pariston reverted to his previous sunny and cheerful smile, shrugging his shoulders and feigning fear: "Oh dear~ Today's youth are truly terrifying. I think it's better if I don't take any risks."
Having said this, he turned and left without hesitation, as if the challenging and threatening remarks he had just made had never happened.
Watching the most detestable man in the Hunter Association walk completely out of sight, Cheadle finally let out a slight breath of relief. She tightly clutched the silver combination lockbox in her hands and walked straight towards her personal laboratory.
There was no doubt that the box contained the Essence of Life.
However, before she could get far, Netero suddenly appeared around the corner, stroking the beard on his chin and asking with deep meaning: "You've met Allen? How does he compare to me now?"
"It's hard to say. If we compare sheer Aura volume, he has already far surpassed you. It's clear that his goal, both in Heavens Arena and in his current hunt for B-rank and higher wanted criminals, is singular: to use that strange Nen Beast to steal and devour the opponent's Aura and ability," Cheadle spoke without hesitation, voicing her most sincere thoughts and feelings.
To be precise, this was one of the main purposes of her trip: to observe Allen's rate of growth for the Chairman.
Upon hearing this answer, Netero burst into happy laughter: "Ohohohoho! Is that so? That is truly exciting and something to look forward to."
"Wait! You don't mean to say that you want to..."
Cheadle clearly understood the implication of the fleeting look in the Chairman's eyes, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her face.
"Don't worry, I will patiently wait for him to propose this request himself. After all, to some extent, he and I pursue the same thing: achieving the powerful strength needed to defeat all opponents. And to do that, he must challenge me." Netero subconsciously clenched his fist, already showing the signs of his old age.
After all, the first of the Ten Articles of the Hunter repeatedly emphasizes that a Hunter must have a goal to hunt.
Since becoming the strongest Nen user among humans, it had been many years since he found a suitable 'prey.'
However, Allen's emergence reignited his desire to challenge a strong opponent and pursue the ultimate limits of martial arts.
Cheadle was visibly startled by the powerful Aura the Chairman unintentionally released, and she quickly frowned, questioning: "Is it really alright for you to let Allen go around stealing other people's Nen abilities like this? I sense that Pariston also has a considerable interest in him, and he might use some underhanded means in secret."
"It doesn't matter. The people he kills are either competitors in Heavens Arena or wicked wanted criminals. The former, having stepped onto the ring, should be prepared to be killed, and eliminating the latter is a Hunter's professional duty. He has neither violated the laws of secular society nor breached any of the Hunter Ten Articles. As for Pariston, let him do whatever he wants. If Allen can't handle even that small amount of trouble, then he is not qualified to be my opponent."
While saying this, Netero's usual benevolent expression changed completely, and he looked identical to Hisoka when he was excited.
In fact, the state he was in right now was his true nature: a martial artist with an intense competitive spirit and a deep desire to win.
However, the hundred-and-twenty-something-year-old man quickly collected his frightening expression and stared at the silver lockbox, asking: "What is that?"
"Ah!"
With a gasp, Cheadle immediately composed herself and proactively opened the box: "This is something Allen gave me before he left. It contains an incredible amount of life energy. I believe it might be related to his ability to transform Nen users into cocoons and consume them, so I plan to take it to the lab for comprehensive testing and to try and manufacture some special medicines that defy common sense."
"Life energy?!"
Netero narrowed his eyes, staring at the crystalline object that emitted a faint, green glow, his face revealing undisguised surprise.
"Exactly! It might even be able to make you younger, you know. Also, I'll need the assistance of those two people's abilities," Cheadle explained excitedly.
"Medicine that can make people younger? Something like that could potentially attract the attention of the V5. Tell you what: from now on, strictly control the number of people involved in the research, ensure one hundred percent confidentiality, and don't let too many people know about it for the time being, especially Pariston," Netero instructed with a serious expression.
As an old man whose strength was less than half of his peak, he knew better than anyone the massive upheaval this substance would cause in the human world if it could genuinely be used to create an age-reversing elixir.
Without even mentioning anything else, the power-wielding politicians, wealthy merchants, kings, and nobles alone would resort to any means necessary to obtain such medicine, potentially even sparking terrible wars.
After all, the more power and status people possess, the more they crave to live as long as possible!
Even the Chairman himself wished he could restore his aging body to its most peak condition, then engage in a death-match with the opponent he was looking forward to.
"Understood! Please rest assured, I am well aware of the gravity of this situation," Cheadle agreed without hesitation.
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr-eon if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]