Normally, he had already become hesitant to maintain Killer Queen's external surveillance of the surrounding area more than an hour ago.
His mental strength was alright, seemingly due to the fact that Joey's soul had absorbed the souls of Kira Yoshikage and the original owner, making his mental strength extremely powerful.
However, his physical stamina was somewhat lacking. It wasn't that he was weak; in a different scenario, with the physical attributes of this body, Joey would probably be laughing in his sleep. This body was several times stronger than his original one, boasting eight-pack abs.
Otherwise, given the frequency with which Joey had released Killer Queen and used his abilities since his rise to power, he would have already collapsed from exhaustion.
In comparison, Joey felt that if he participated in the Hunter Exam of Gon's generation, he could easily keep up with the main group and run a four-hour marathon.
However, this comparison also revealed just how much physical exertion using Stand abilities consumed him.
He had only run for a little over an hour, and he was already sweating profusely and breathing heavily. Although he hadn't reached his limit, continuing to traverse the forest in this state would increase the danger exponentially.
Joey couldn't help but feel discouraged.
If he hadn't spent those years asleep and discovered he was in the Hunter x Hunter world earlier, he would have definitely trained harder to become stronger.
But then again, if he had known his location earlier, he would have disappeared long ago; he wouldn't be stuck in NGL as an ordinary "office worker" in a drug organization.
Just as Joey had to stop and rest, the suspicious wallet he had been carrying, emitting a strange white light, suddenly played an unexpected role.
Joey actually felt a warm aura continuously flowing into his body from the wallet.
In that instant, one word came to his mind: cheat!
But besides cheat, he also thought of another possibility: there was something wrong with the wallet; could it be Kira Yoshikage's backup plan or some potential danger?
As this judgment formed in his mind, Joey pulled out the wallet and threw it on the ground, and in an instant, the connection of energy was severed.
The wallet on the ground still emitted a faint white glow.
Joey's gaze fell on the wallet, and an intuition told him it posed no danger.
At the same time, the white glow gave Joey a genuine sense of familiarity, as if he had encountered that same aura emanating from the wallet somewhere before.
Yes, it was an aura! He sensed the aura of life within the wallet.
"Is it Nen?" Joey frowned seriously, suddenly remembering why the aura emanating from the wallet felt familiar.
Before he fell into a coma after winning his attack on Kira Yoshikage's soul at the beginning of his transmigration, he had briefly seen a scene.
A scene of Killer Queen and Garou facing off, and within that scene, Joey's perspective revealed something he had previously overlooked.
Among them was a strange creature emitting a faint white glow between Killer Queen and Garou, and besides that creature, there seemed to be some human and beast corpses in the scene.
When Joey looked over, the creature was lying on the ground with its strange, cocoon-like head drooping. At that time, it seemed to still have its disgusting mouth full of sharp teeth open. Joey felt that his decision to forget it was probably related to its unusual and ugly appearance.
Thinking of this, Joey suddenly had a connection.
When he transmigrated, he was certain he heard a strange shrill sound. Could that sound have come from the disgusting mouth of this small, unique creature?
Then why did Kira Yoshikage skin this thing to make a wallet?
And what exactly was this strange creature?
Joey unconsciously started biting his nails again. Why did Kira put the wallet in the cabinet? Why did this eerie wallet make him feel close to it? What was with the energy it was channeling into his body?
Kira Yoshikage must know or have discovered something!
So what should he do now?
After hesitating, Joey picked up the wallet. Regardless of what secrets it held, as long as it didn't pose an immediate threat, Joey planned to rely on it to leave the forest and reach the base.
It was a choice between two evils; staying in the forest was far more dangerous, even carrying the possibility of being caught and killed at any moment.
Soon after he got the wallet, the energy emanating from it once again enveloped Joey and began to penetrate his body. As the energy entered, Joey clearly felt his spirits lift, and his strength slowly began to recover.
It was as if the energy emanating from the wallet contained a vibrant life force!
Furthermore, Joey discovered that this energy resonated deeply with him, a resonance that seemed to emanate from his very soul.
However, this discovery didn't bring Joey joy; instead, it caused him to furrow his brow.
With the wallet's help, Joey's consumption and recovery gradually reached a balance. Without using his bomb abilities, his stamina consumption was somewhat controlled, allowing him to persevere until now.
Even so, Joey was now nearing his limit.
During this time, Joey noticed that the white light emanating from the wallet was gradually diminishing, suggesting that the energy within the wallet wasn't limitless. He wondered what would happen once he absorbed all of it.
Joey had a feeling that it was best not to try anything in the forest or before escaping danger.
He trusted this feeling, so if given the chance, he would immediately separate the wallet from himself.
While the wallet's help alleviated Joey's exhaustion, the continuous hours of tension, vigilance, and escape had left him mentally and physically exhausted.
With a deep sigh, Joey, suppressing his nausea and discomfort, examined the corpses on the ground. Although he knew nothing about autopsies, the slight warmth of the nearby bodies told him they hadn't been dead long.
Knowing this, Joey dared not recall the Killer Queen. He warily scanned his surroundings, then bent down to pick up a seemingly intact submachine gun and a pistol before quickly hiding in the shade of nearby trees.
The soldiers hadn't been dead long, and there were likely still Chimera Ants lingering nearby.
His tired nerves tightened again. While remaining vigilant and checking his weapons, Joey's mind raced as he considered the path ahead.
Nightfall was fast approaching, and even the densest parts of the forest were beginning to darken.
Continuing forward, Joey knew there was a high probability he would encounter departing Chimera Ants.
If he stopped, he didn't know if there were pursuers behind him, or if any Chimera Ants would return, since these corpses would be good food for them.
His rifle seemed intact, and he had plenty of ammunition left.
Moreover, judging from the numerous chimera ant corpses left nearby, this thing could still inflict considerable damage on them.
Joey, having put away his rifle, glanced at the Killer Queen, his hand pausing before reaching for his pistol. He then removed the magazine from the pistol he had found—which appeared to be the same model as his own—examined it, and put it away again.
Next, Joey reached for the map in his pocket, hoping to find some possible escape route on it, given his predicament.
However, the area was nothing but forest, with no particularly noteworthy locations, forcing Joey to reluctantly put the map away again.
He decided to continue his journey to the base before nightfall, and even if it got dark, he would try his best to reach it.
The wilderness was far too dangerous for him.
His Killer Queen abilities were only truly effective indoors; in this open area, if surrounded, his options for fighting would be extremely limited.
As for stamina, he could always squeeze out some if he gritted his teeth.
Having made his decision, Joey prepared to leave the shade of the trees, but just as he took a step forward, his body tensing as he transitioned from a relaxed state of rest to a state of alertness, a blood-stained beast's claw suddenly swung down from the tree trunk above him, aiming for his head!
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