Joey wasn't opposed to sharing information, because although he knew a lot, he probably wouldn't say much.
His main concern was how to add his own twists to the information to make Pokkuru and the others want to take him or their group away from NGL as soon as possible.
After all, if nothing unexpected happened, these people would most likely die tomorrow.
Joey didn't want to die, so he had to find a way to lead them astray or find an opportunity to separate from them.
However, they had seen the Chimera Ants earlier, so they probably had some ideas in mind.
Joey was somewhat helpless about this; clearly, the plot had already deviated from the original story since Pokkuru and the others were unexpectedly drawn in by his battle with the Chimera Ants.
In the original story, they should have encountered the Chimera Ants tomorrow and been wiped out while trying to escape.
Joey had been somewhat prepared for this, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
According to his understanding, as long as he didn't die before encountering the comic book characters, the future events after he encountered the characters in the story would deviate from the original story!
If his appearance means the plot continues as it appears in the comics, then Joey should start wondering if he'll be unknowingly obliterated by some kind of cosmic will or deus ex machina in NGL.
Furthermore, the appearance of Pokkuru and the others serves as a reminder to Joey that his destination was likely the main base where Zayro was located in the comics.
Based on Joey's understanding and the slightly more accurate timeline established by his encounters with Pokkuru and the others, that base has probably been taken over by the centaur-like Chimera Ants.
A battle is very likely already raging there!
If Joey continues rushing there as before, the chances of encountering the Chimera Ants will only increase.
If he were alone, his best option would be to rush there, hide at a certain distance from the base, monitor the Chimera Ants' movements, and wait for Kate and the others to arrive.
With Kate around, Joey felt he would be safe at least until Neferpitou found him.
But how could he tell Baku about this now?
"We'd better leave here quickly. The explosion caused quite a commotion, and there might still be monsters nearby,"
said one of the two bystanders, a man with thick, grayish-white eyebrows.
No one objected. After assessing the general situation at the base, Joey abandoned the idea of going there, since Baku and the others had the location of the checkpoint leading out of NGL. Baku
was young, but he had the demeanor of a captain. However, he chose to lead his men back to the previous battle site, simply collecting a few pieces of the Chimera Ants' remains and putting them into a cloth bag.
Joey was somewhat speechless at this: "If you just need intelligence or proof that there are unknown insects here, you can take pictures of these corpses. There's no need to take them away. The smell of blood will attract enemies, and there are a lot of insects here."
As he spoke, Joey pulled out his phone and handed it to Pokkuru, pointing in the direction he had come from.
"There are even more corpses there—human, insect, you name it. You can find weapons and equipment there too, but I advise you not to waste time on this. The most important thing now is to get out of the area quickly."
Pokkuru's eyes lit up, and he took the phone. If given a choice, who would collect the remains?
They had undergone a strict body search before entering NGL; not only were they not allowed to bring in technological devices like phones, but even silicone products or dentures were prohibited.
"Are there a lot of these insects?" Pokkuru glanced at the phone and then handed it to Pons, who was standing nearby. The blank screen of the phone clearly disappointed him.
Pons nodded and led the two away quickly, while Pokkuru looked seriously at Joey.
"Many, not just one village was attacked. When I left, I saw swarms of flying insects carrying away many people.
And didn't you notice that these insects are somewhat human-like? They possess intelligence, and even more powerful individuals exist."
Joey didn't hide much, telling Bakuer everything he had seen and heard.
"It seems things are getting serious." Bakuer frowned, but hesitated.
Clearly, having only encountered Chimera Ants once, and being easily killed, he hadn't developed any fear of them.
"But if we could get more information, or even find the insects' nest, that would be a great achievement.
And this time, it's not just our team that came to NGL. If we could unite…"
Listening to Bakuer's seemingly soliloquy, yet clearly directed at him, Joey sighed inwardly. He saw a familiar light in Bakuer's eyes—desire!
Perhaps only by making Bakuer feel despair would he understand the terror of the Chimera Ants and choose to withdraw.
From Pokkul's perspective, this wasn't an unwise choice. It was simply a matter of information asymmetry between the two sides, and Pokkul wouldn't take Joey's words entirely seriously, only using them as a reference.
This reflected both his distrust of Joey and his greater confidence in his own abilities and judgment.
It also revealed Pokkul's desires and ambitions, and his persistence and confidence as a hunter.
"Let's go to the base; it's likely under attack," Joey said, not trying to dissuade him further. He took a map from his pocket and handed it to Pokkul. If he wanted to experience despair, then let him experience it.
As for taking the map from Pokkul and setting off alone, Joey had considered it, but knew it was unrealistic.
Pokkul wouldn't give him the map because he was still helpful to their team, and Joey's condition didn't allow him to go alone in his current state.
Pokkul nodded first, then shook his head.
He said they needed to return to the camp they had hastily left behind; they still had belongings to take.
Soon after, Pons and the others returned, and the phone was returned to Joey, as they had found other phones.
Judging from the weapons on their bodies, they hadn't forgotten to clean up the battlefield while gathering intelligence.
However, none of them looked well; the gruesome scene of the battle between humans and chimera ants had clearly instilled a sense of fear in them.
Pokkuru went to check on things herself, which took a little longer.
But the returning group didn't choose to leave and return to the checkpoint as Joey had hoped. Instead, they planned to contact other teams to explore further in.
Joey understood that you can't persuade a suicidal person, so she silently followed the group, her mind filled with many thoughts.
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