Hunter x Hunter: From Obtaining the World to Beyond Heaven

That strange, colorful light instantly entered his eyes.

puff……

A barely audible sound rang out, and a tiny bulge suddenly appeared on Meruem's arm.

The bulge trembled twice, as if some living thing was hidden inside.

Upon seeing this, Dia felt certain:

'It's begun. His cells are gradually turning into snail eggs. If he persists, he will automatically transform into a defenseless snail...'

The transformation of [Stormy Weather] takes time, and this time is related to the strength of one's mental power. For example, the transformation of a Stand user takes even longer.

As a Nen user and the king of the Chimera Ants, the Chimera King's transformation would take even longer.

If he had killed Dia before he completely turned into a snail, perhaps he could have been saved. So it was a race against time, a contest of who could survive longer.

This is also why Dia brought Nitero along.

Aside from the chairman, he couldn't think of anyone else who could hold off the Ant King for so long.

At this moment, Meruem was completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

After all, for an ant that has lost its mind, the idea of ​​a "subconscious effect" is just too far-fetched...

"Now, let's see who the prey is."

Dia smiled, watching Meruem charge in like a savage beast, only to be sent flying by Netero's Hundred Style Kannon, and held up a pocket watch:

"Timer begins."

He leaped backward, his figure gradually disappearing into the increasingly thick fog, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Chapter 490 Secret Meeting of Leaders × Judges

"Cough cough."

He cleared his throat and raised his arm to check the time.

【20:15】

'...Just 15 minutes have passed, that should be enough time for us to catch up, even if a new person joins.'

He thought to himself:

'It's best not to keep those people waiting too long.'

After all, the people behind the door are not simply described as "high-ranking and powerful"; their every move affects the world.

This was his first time dealing with these people.

Previously, such matters were not the responsibility of the Special Navigation Authority; the United Nations had its own host organization.

However, this time the matter involves some taboo things.

Then his special affairs section would naturally be the first choice.

'But is it really appropriate for me, a newcomer, to handle this? The section chief is putting way too much faith in me...'

He shook his head to ease his excessive tension, and with the qualities of an elite among elites, he quickly regained his composure.

So he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Behind the door was a rectangular room with simple and formal decorations.

Cool lights shone from the ceiling, focusing attention on a round table in the center of the room, around which six people sat.

Four men and two women, including both young and old.

Each of them had someone standing next to them who looked like a servant or bodyguard.

Contrary to expectations, the room was not filled with old-fashioned smiles and diplomatic rhetoric; instead, there was a subtle sense of tension.

'Did a conflict break out?'

He quickly scanned the seated people, his mind rapidly matching their names with their identities, but he couldn't immediately guess what had happened.

Without time to delve into the details, he leisurely walked to a small podium on the north side of the round table and began to speak:

"I apologize for keeping you all waiting. I am the host of this secret meeting of international leaders. My name is Shutainer, and I work in the Special Navigation Division of the International Navigation Bureau."

clap clap...

Sparse applause broke out.

It was a kind-looking, square-faced old man who started clapping. He seemed to take everything he did very seriously, and under his lead, the others followed suit.

A young girl looked around and clapped along.

Shutainer's eyes flickered slightly as he noticed the girl who was clearly unfamiliar with the occasion.

He realized that trouble was brewing.

So Shutaina quickly adjusted her thoughts and began to speak:

"Time was of the essence, so I took the liberty of starting directly."

"To ensure the confidentiality and formality of the process, each of you now has a number plate in front of you. From now on, I will address you by the number on your plate. For example, the one to my left is [Judge Number One], the one to his left is [Judge Number Two], and so on..."

"These are all the prerequisites. Do you have any questions?"

Shutaina paused, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Have!"

The girl who had been looking around suddenly spoke up, her gaze sharp as she looked across at the other side, and said:

"I want to change seats!"

Her number was the last one, 6, so she was Judge Number 6.

"Um...then we need to vote..."

Shutaina said hesitantly.

Opposite her sat a composed young woman with purple hair and eyes, namely [Judge No. 3], who calmly said:

"Don't act like a princess, Your Highness. The seating order at the secret meeting of the heads of state is the same as the order in which the countries signed the United Nations agreement. It was set a hundred years ago and has not been changed. Even if a vote is taken, it will be rejected."

"If you want to be ahead of me in line, there is a small house in front of my palace."

That's clearly a doghouse!

Judge No. 6 screamed and gritted his teeth.

Judge No. 3 was unyielding and used sharp language:

"People can live here! If you don't want to live here, there are plenty of people who do!"

"Alright! Let's get down to business. There's more to come, involving the [Time Stoppers]. Are you sure you want to keep wasting time?"

Upon hearing this, Judge No. 6 was speechless, and could only cross his arms in frustration, remaining silent.

"call……"

Shutaina breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate.

When these two troublemakers start arguing, there's really no one in the room who can stop them, not to mention the staff.

Most other judges were also unwilling to argue with two girls the age of their own granddaughters.

"...Then let's begin the first item on the agenda of the secret meeting: to accept the Kakin Empire as a member of V5 and officially rename V5 to V6, thus announcing the establishment of a new great power alliance. In addition, Kakin representatives will sign a series of UN treaties and international conventions, and a vote will be taken on this matter."

Six hands rose from the round table.

There was no controversy on this matter; it had already been approved by all representatives of countries, regardless of size, at the summit meeting before the secret meeting began.

With this, Naspi's long-planned "V-entry" plan has finally come to a successful conclusion.

Of course, this doesn't come without a price.

"...In exchange for the Kakin Empire's agreement to relinquish the right to use the Black Whale I, allowing other nations to participate in the next phase of operations through investment, while the Kakin Empire will participate by sending personnel. Does Adjudicator No. 6 have any suggestions on this?"

"No."

Judge No. 6 replied succinctly with just two words.

As a secret meeting, the process is that simple. Even the most earth-shattering matters are just a matter of a few words and a show of hands to vote.

Unlike international conferences with their rigorous procedures and meticulous attention to detail, efficiency is the core of these summit meetings.

"Okay, next is the second item on the agenda."

Shutainer inserted a USB drive under the podium, a projection screen descended, and the projector projected an image onto the screen.

The image shows a dark green afterimage, with only a blurry outline and no discernible features.

It was obviously because the figure was moving too fast that the recording equipment only captured some afterimages, but that was enough for this situation.

"...This is the core target of the Chimera Ant Plague that broke out in the NGL Autonomous Region a few days ago, codenamed [Ant King]."

"According to the analysis of the Hunter Association's biological experts, this special chimera ant has reached the level of A in terms of destructive power and the level of A-2 in terms of ferocity towards humans. In other words, the ecology and habits of this creature are dangerous to most humans. Considering its reproductive capacity and number, the international organization finally decided to classify the humanoid chimera ant as a level B dangerous creature."

As she spoke, Shutainer frowned and pulled out a list, which contained a series of performances and final evaluations of Meruem.

He then switched the image on the screen and said:

"Currently, the Ant King has been dealt with by the Hunter Association's president, Isaac Netero, and a one-star criminal hunter, Dia Diego. The Chimera Ant plague has also been contained under the control of the other professional hunters."

As soon as Dia's name was mentioned, Judge No. 6 subconsciously clenched his fist, but quickly calmed down.

Shutainer's voice continued:

"...This is a video recording transmitted from the front lines of Demon Canyon. This snail is the humanoid chimera ant king named [Meruem], which was involved in the chimera ant plague that broke out a few days ago."

All eyes turned to the curtain.

On it was displayed an enormous, strange snail that was three meters tall.

It's grown to this size; it can already be considered a mythical beast.

In the picture, there are countless small snails scurrying around this snail, each of them laying white snail eggs, which are piled up in layers.

Those with mollusc phobia would probably die on the spot if they saw this.