Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth

"Hurry over there! Someone's been attacked!"

This is a fantastic opportunity!

Kevin and his group made a quick decision and, taking advantage of the moment when the patrol personnel stepped over the water, decisively emerged from the water and ran quickly toward the outer wall.

It turned out that some test takers couldn't control themselves and resorted to violence. As soon as they subdued the other person, the alarm connected to their body's features went off.

This is indeed a rare opportunity.

The patrol order in the second lap was instantly disrupted. Those candidates who were about to cross the patrol area on the shore immediately realized that this was an opportunity and rushed out of the water.

However, there were too many candidates who suddenly appeared, and many of them were discovered, causing chaos at the scene.

Of course, some strong candidates also took the opportunity to slack off.

However, this was no longer relevant to Kevin and his group. By this time, they had successfully scaled the city wall and entered the military base.

They found a place where they could hide and observe.

Many reserve personnel were seen running out because of the riots outside.

"It's not that simple after all. Those guys waiting outside are in trouble now." Basho laughed gleefully as she watched the scene unfold.

After all, this was just a test. If it were to infiltrate a real military base, the difficulty would be far greater, and it would certainly not be as "safe" as it is now.

In a real military base, once discovered, they won't just be caught with nets; they'll likely be met with a hail of bullets.

"This military base is too large. We know nothing about the terrain here, and it would be easy to fall into a trap if we blindly venture in."

"We need to determine our destination first, and then we can make a plan of action," Kate suggested, gazing into the distance.

Kevin and the other two naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.

“The target must be a conspicuous place, so that once we arrive, we can clearly see that it is the destination,” Gorenu said after a moment of thought.

Anyway, they all felt that this first exam was much more difficult than last year's.

The examiner did not specify the exact location of the final destination, only stating that such a place existed and that they would have to find it themselves.

The group agreed to meet again in an hour, and then dispersed to infiltrate the base.

Kevin immediately spotted an office where officials appeared to be working.

He peered through a corner of the window and found that it looked like an office area, with many files and documents, as well as several whiteboards.

The whiteboard even had a defense map of the base, various explanations, and a simplified map of the entire military base.

After observing for a while, Kevin realized that he didn't need to sneak into the house. As long as his eyesight was good enough, he could see the simple defense plan on the whiteboard through the window.

Before long, it seemed to be time to leave work, and the clerks inside left one after another, leaving only the soldiers standing guard at the door.

After confirming that no one was around, Kevin stretched out his finger and gently sliced ​​the glass in half, smoothly cutting the entire piece in half.

He quietly slipped into the room, carefully moving around in the blind spot between the two cameras, taking the opportunity to examine the files.

The number of files quickly provided clues, allowing him to pinpoint the file he was looking for. After a careful examination, he determined that this was their target and then quietly left.

It seemed like it didn't take much time, but when Kevin looked up at the clock, more than half an hour had already passed.

Kevin took the file and returned to the designated location, only to find that Banana had already returned before him.

At this moment, Basho was covered in sweat and panting heavily.

"What's wrong with you?" Kevin asked.

"We almost got caught; we accidentally stepped into a trap," Basho said with a sullen expression.

However, he still managed to obtain some useful information.

"Over there is their shipyard, where a small cruise ship is moored. It looks quite different from the other warships, appearing dilapidated."

Kevin nodded.

A short while later, Kate and Gore-Nu also returned, and they looked to be in good condition.

The group compiled the clues they had found.

Sure enough, although the destination was not clearly marked, all signs indicated that the target was very obvious, and they found relevant clues from different directions.

"It's certain that the cruise ship that docked a few days ago is our destination. Judging from the files we found, this cruise ship is out of place, has many problems, and is almost ready to be scrapped. It should have been towed to the ship graveyard, not left here."

The fishy smell was so strong that it seemed to be a tangible, unpleasant odor.

After all, this is only the first round of assessment, and there won't be any overly complicated deceptive steps.

The task of infiltrating a military base, locating the target, and reaching the destination alone is far more difficult than ever before.

Clearly, this was a unique test designed by the examiners themselves in the first round.

“We’ve obtained the base’s structural blueprints, and even the deployment and patrol plans. We’ve basically figured out the conditions needed to reach our destination. Let’s go, let’s complete the first test.” Kate said, preparing to get up and leave, but Kevin stopped her.

“Wait a minute, take a look at this document. This is an old cruise ship that’s about to be scrapped. There must be a reason why it was chosen as the destination,” Kevin said, looking at the other three.

"What did you find?" Gorenu asked.

Kevin nodded.

He noticed this not because he was observant, but because he recalled Neon's prophetic poem.

One passage reads: "[A steel ship that will eventually sink to the bottom of the sea]".

Kevin felt at the time that it was related to the hunter exam, but he couldn't quite grasp the specific meaning, since the exam venue was located by the sea.

Now, he seems to have found the answer. There must be a deeper meaning behind setting this ship as the sole target.

Combining the files at his disposal, Kevin discovered that it was indeed a ship on the verge of being abandoned.

It would be perfect to use it as one of the tests in a hunter's exam.

“This is a ship that is about to be scrapped, and we are currently at a military base, our destination being this ship. Based on your past experience, is the second test related to this ship?” Kevin asked everyone.

Upon hearing Kevin's question, Basho frowned and pondered for a moment before offering her opinion: "Perhaps it's just used to get us to the next exam room?"

Kate shook her head: "No, if it were just a matter of taking a cruise ship, that would be enough. The Hunter's Guild deliberately chose such an abandoned cruise ship as their destination; they must have another purpose."

“Since it might be related to the second exam, let’s finish the first exam first, then observe the situation when we get there and make further preparations,” Gorenu’s words made everyone fall into deep thought.

"You're right."

The group reached a consensus and immediately got up and left.

Using the intelligence they had gathered, they quickly infiltrated the shipyard and quietly boarded the dilapidated cruise ship.

However, not everyone could see the unusual thing about the ship.

After all, there are still teams in the world that travel by galleon, so it's not surprising to see dilapidated boats.

"Oh! Congratulations on arriving at your destination so quickly!"

Frog Hachi danced and cheered in front of them, seemingly reverting to his original lively personality.

"This ship will not set sail until dawn and sunrise. As a reward for the first to arrive, you can have some free time on board until then. Prepare yourselves well, because the next test will begin after the ship sets sail."

An old man with a large beard wearing a captain's hat came out and spoke to Kevin and the others.

"Don't interrupt me! This is only the first exam, and I'm their examiner!" Frog Hachi muttered discontentedly, his tone exactly like that of a sulking child.

The bearded old man in the captain's hat rolled his eyes helplessly and replied perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, I'll go take a nap now."

After the old man left, Frog Hachi looked at Kevin and the others, cleared his throat, and repeated what the old man had just said.

Soon, new groups of examinees arrived one after another, and Frog Hachi hurriedly ran over to greet them.

At this moment, Kevin and the others exchanged glances, tacitly dispersed, and began to search the entire cruise ship.

An hour later, they reunited.

At this moment, each of the four people was carrying something different in their hands or on their backs.

“You were right, Kevin,” Basho said, looking at Kevin.

“There are very few staff members on board. From what I’ve observed, they’re operating at almost the bare minimum, just enough to keep the ship moving. And once the ship is in motion, we probably won’t be allowed into the areas where the staff work and rest,” Kate said, sharing her observations.

Kevin nodded, inspired by the prophecy, he had been guessing that the ship might sink during its voyage.

Following this line of thought, we found some clues.

“I found signs of deliberate damage in some structures at the bottom of the cabin. In other words, this ship will sink in the water after sailing at sea for a short time.”

Gorenu shook the fishing rod in his hand and said, "After I took this, I was warned that I could only take one other thing. Each person can only take one item."

Kate added, "We are not allowed to take items from the staff rooms and work areas."

“I went to check out the kitchen, and there was very little food stored up, just enough self-heating boxed meals for a few hundred people to eat one meal,” Basho shared her findings.

By combining this information, the group roughly deduced the possible tasks for the second exam.

"The examiner's words just now also implied that the ship's supplies are limited, and there is only enough food for one meal. Judging from the quantity, each person will probably be given one box based on the number of candidates who pass, which is only enough for one meal."

We'll have to figure out what to eat next. There aren't many tools like these, so if we arrive early and understand the examiner's hints, we can choose the items we need in advance.

Kevin nodded in agreement and added, "Judging from the current situation, the ship should be sailing at sea for a while, which may be the duration of the second test."

Ultimately, the ship will most likely sink to the bottom of the sea. Our mission may be to survive the sinking or to complete the objectives set forth in the test.

This is only a preliminary conclusion they have drawn based on the limited information available. The specific content of the exam will only be known later.

But this did not prevent them from realizing two crucial things: food would be scarce and they needed to prepare tools for sea escape.

At this moment, Kevin had a large white barrel on his back.

"This is an automatically inflatable life raft, big enough for the four of us."

“I took a whole set of five life jackets,” Kate said.

“I brought a harpoon gun.” Basho patted the box behind her.

Gorenu simply shook the fishing rod in his hand.

Banana looked at Kate: "The life jacket and life raft have somewhat overlapping functions. Should we go and change into something else?"

But Gorenu shook his head and said from the side, "No, I've tried it. Once you take an item, you can't change it."

Kevin laughed and said, "But maybe we can exchange them with other test takers? There are definitely more smart people than just us, and there must be others who have discovered the same clue. After all, no one can have too many life-saving things, and there are five life jackets here."

After a moment's thought, the group realized that Kevin's words made sense.

So they found a room and lay down to rest.

At least before sunrise, they arrive early for their allocated rest time.

They planned to get a good rest so they could be refreshed and ready for the next test tomorrow.

At the cruise ship entrance, more and more candidates finished their exams and arrived on the tanker one after another.

Frog Hachi was chattering away at the entrance, seemingly in a great mood, and was having a pleasant conversation with the test takers.

Having learned from the initial experience, no one dared to interrupt her now; they could only listen to her speak and occasionally chime in.

Some candidates also noticed something unusual on the ship and began to move around on it.

Once someone takes action, others will naturally notice. Soon, more and more people are taking action, and even situations of fighting over items begin to occur.

However, none of this concerns Kevin and his friends anymore.

At this moment, they are resting comfortably in their terraced suites, quietly waiting for the signal to set sail.

Until the announcement of departure was broadcast throughout the entire ship.

Chapter Ninety: Old Boat Survival X Exchange Meeting

The cruise ship slowly set sail.

The rising sun cast its rays, and on the deck, the candidates who had passed the first exam had gathered.

The first examiner, Wahazi, and the second examiner that Kevin and the others had met before, were also here.

"So few people passed? Was my first test too difficult?" Wahachi asked unconsciously.

The white-bearded old captain simply rolled his eyes and didn't reply.

Kevin and his friends stood at the back, watching the candidates who had successfully passed the first round.

This one competition alone eliminated almost the entire pool of participants, leaving only 105.

"It was a little more difficult than last year," Basho commented. Last year, about 500 candidates participated, but only 200 passed the first round.