Joey raised his hand again but stopped before his mouth, glancing indifferently at the bloodstains on his fingertips before looking away.
Ten seconds.
This was the time Joey estimated was when the opponent was close to him, and also the time it would take for the Withered Heart Attack, having completed its mission, to return to his side.
As a professional hunter, even if Pokkuru couldn't see the Stand, she would notice the mark left by the Skull Chariot.
And could Nen users really not see Stands? Joey had a big question mark about this.
Ten seconds passed in the blink of an eye. The sound of breaking branches came from not far away. The Skull Chariot, having completed its mission, ran back and returned to where it should have been in Killer Queen's outstretched hand.
At this moment, four figures appeared in a distant, encircling formation.
Joey didn't even hesitate, raising his hands in surrender and stepping out from the hidden bushes.
Also, judging from Pokkuru's eyes, shrouded in a hazy, gaseous energy, moving from the Skull Chariot to Killer Queen's location, Nen hunters could indeed see Stands.
Wait, I can see Nen? Joey paused slightly.
"Kira Yoshikage?" Baku didn't give Joey more time to observe, directly revealing his identity.
Joey snapped back to reality, all the words he had prepared stuck in his throat. His guesses about Nen and himself came to an abrupt halt, leaving only: He knows me?
A flood of thoughts flashed through Joey's mind in the next instant, but his outward expression remained calm with tightly furrowed brows, and his deep, slightly hoarse voice directly answered: "It's me."
"How did you get here?"
"The village was attacked by monsters. Everyone was either dead or captured. I was the only one who escaped here."
Joey spoke slowly, glancing with lingering fear in the direction of the Chimera Ants that Baku had previously destroyed.
Baku's sudden revelation of his name caught him completely off guard.
However, regardless of the relationship between Baku and Kira Yoshikage, there was nothing wrong with him directly stating the situation of the village.
Joey even had a hunch that this wasn't the first time Pokkuru had seen Killer Queen, a fact confirmed by the lack of surprise in his eyes when he looked at her.
Based on this, Joey had another theory.
From the information Joey knew, Pokkuru and the others had come to investigate because they discovered the existence of monsters in NGL. Therefore, their contact with Yoshikage Kira most likely occurred in the village!
And the reason they knew Yoshikage Kira was also highly probable because of Killer Queen.
This analysis stemmed from Yoshikage Kira's personality.
He was a person who disliked the limelight, to the point that he consistently maintained a respectable third-place ranking in his class during exams.
This was a ranking that didn't attract much attention, yet was still quite excellent.
In society, Yoshikage Kira remained the same; he wouldn't strive for first place, nor would he be at the bottom, hovering around the passing mark of the elite.
This led Joey to conclude that Yoshikage Kira would also hide himself in this unassuming position within the village.
This means that Yoshikage Kira might have secretly kept an eye on Baku and the others, but wouldn't actively seek them out as Hunters who would clearly cause him trouble.
Furthermore, Kira, who has always lived in seclusion in NGL, hasn't had many opportunities to interact with Hunters, which means he's highly unlikely to know that Nen users can see Killer Queen.
Based on this, Killer Queen being accidentally exposed to Baku becomes a possible scenario.
This is the most reasonable explanation Joey could think of instantly. As for whether there might be other simpler or more dramatic ways of getting to know her, there might be, but Joey thinks the probability is low. If he encounters such a situation, he can only blame his bad luck.
Of course, whether he's truly unlucky or not, Joey needs to try and get more information from Baku and the others to confirm.
Now he has given his answer, and he's waiting for Baku and the others' reaction and response.
Joey's attention was extremely focused, because everyone's micro-expressions would provide him with a basis for judgment.
A correct judgment would give him a significant advantage, while a wrong one could even be a matter of life and death.
Pons, a cute-looking girl with green hair and wearing the same brown-yellow hat as Pokkuru, first glanced at Pokkuru with suspicion, then covered her mouth in disbelief upon hearing Joey's answer: "How could this be?"
"Is it the bug that chased you before?" Pokkuru, short in stature and with a baby face, frowned calmly: "So, what are your plans now? Where are you going?"
The bystanders, at this moment, fully displayed their characteristics, showing no expression towards either Pokkuru's words or Joey's answer, instead cautiously guarding the surroundings.
They seemed tense, as if still frightened by the chimera ants from before.
However, judging from the bees flying around nearby, Pons seemed to be on guard as well.
Pons' earlier glance at Pokkuru had already made Joey understand something.
But Joey realized that his behavior seemed to have given Baku away!
Was it because he had been too calm when Baku called his name?
The situation had been so sudden; maintaining composure was the best expression Joey could think of in that instant.
But Baku's choice made a connection: the "Yoshikage Kira" call was intentional.
While Joey was trying to analyze him, Baku had also tested him immediately upon meeting.
But why?
Joey's mind raced, making various judgments, while his mouth uttered the prepared statement he had made in those ten seconds.
"I've been investigating Zairo, and about an hour from here, there's a drug cultivation base.
After the village was attacked, I planned to go there to check it out, since only the organization has weapons to deal with monsters."
Joey pointed to the assault rifle hanging on his chest.
Pokkul's gaze swept over the rifle. After a moment's hesitation, he slightly adjusted the direction of his finger before speaking, "An hour's journey? That's not far. On the way there, could you share any information you have with us?"
Although Pokkul's tone was polite, Joey sensed, or rather, detected, an undeniable certainty.
Clearly, Pokkul had absolute confidence in his own strength and his companions, even though he had seen Killer Queen beside Joey and witnessed the piercing attack that shattered the Chimera Ants.
However, Joey wasn't surprised. Although he had Killer Queen, if a direct confrontation occurred now, he would undoubtedly be the one to die.
This was due to the difference in combat experience, intuition, ability, and current state.
It wasn't that Joey's Killer Queen was weak, but Joey himself was far too weak compared to Pokkul.
Without a sneak attack or prior planning, he was simply no match for Pokkul, a professional hunter who also possessed Nen abilities.
Fortunately, Joey had planned to accompany them, so after Pokkuru spoke, he frowned slightly, his handsome brows furrowing as he slowly nodded.
Simultaneously, the Assassin Queen vanished, as if she had disappeared automatically after sensing the lack of threat.
This was a deliberate act by Joey, both a test and an expression of his attitude.
He was testing how much Pokkuru and the others knew about his relationship with the Assassin Queen, while his attitude indicated that although he was somewhat dissatisfied with Pokkuru's threatening methods, he would cooperate.
However, Joey didn't notice that Pokkuru, seeing his slightly displeased attitude, secretly made a gesture to Pence.
And this gesture, in Joey's eyes, meant that Pokkuru had withdrawn her threatening actions.
___________________________
You can read +100 advanced chapters in my patreon:
Patreon.com/Kakarot17