"Has no one contacted you to give you more information?" Paku asked Joey as he ran, wanting more intelligence about the base.
"No, I haven't received any intelligence since leaving the village," Joey replied truthfully.
This answer didn't satisfy Paku, but through their brief interaction, he had gained some understanding of Joey's attitude.
He could tell that Joey wanted to leave NGL safely. Whether it was the information he revealed or the cell phone and map he unconcealed, it was all to persuade them to take him away from NGL as soon as possible.
However, this also confirmed that Joey was probably not lying about the strength and numbers of the insects.
"Were there several monsters chasing you before?"
Understanding Pokkuru's meaning, Joey held up four fingers: "I found four in total. One that looked like an ape and another that looked like a wolfhound were both shot dead by me. The other one looked like a pill bug; I injured its internal organs with a grenade, I don't know if it will die, that thing is quite resilient."
Joey didn't hide his ability to take down the pursuers; it was all thanks to the gun and the grenade. Pokkuru had seen his abilities and should have a judgment on the rest.
Pokkuru nodded. He hadn't sensed any insects nearby after appearing, so Joey's judgment was probably correct.
His gaze then swept over Joey. Based on experience, he believed Joey didn't know Nen.
Pokkuru could make this judgment with over 80% accuracy based on Joey's various habits and subtle details, but there were still two points of doubt.
First, Joey, who didn't know Nen, possessed a "Nen beast"!
Pokkuru didn't know much about this, after all, he hadn't been a hunter for very long.
Although Pokkuru has mastered Nen, his foundation is still far inferior to that of veteran hunters.
However, judging from the previous disappearance of the Nen beast and Joey's performance, Joey seems to be able to control the Nen beast, which should be the reason he was able to get here.
Considering this, and combined with the previous explosion, this Nen beast should be a relatively powerful combat-type Nen beast; it's just unknown what other hidden abilities it possesses.
Pokkuru doesn't believe that the explosion of the small tank was all of Joey's Nen beast's abilities.
At least in close combat, a Nen beast with a human-like appearance and a muscular body should also be adept.
Secondly, Pokkuru knows that Joey should be able to see Nen.
If Joey can't use Nen, that would be very strange, but this conclusion is based on Pokkuru's observation.
His deliberate archery gesture was a test!
If Joey couldn't see Nen, then Joey wouldn't have noticed the red arrow he used to hit the insect, and Joey wouldn't have reacted with resistance or a sense of threat when he made the archery gesture; his first reaction would have been confusion.
After all, the posture of drawing a bow and shooting an arrow barehanded is somewhat confusing to someone who cannot see Nen.
But Joey's gaze immediately fell on his hand, and his attitude was one of displeasure at his threat.
This was evidence that Bakuro suspected Joey could see Nen.
But there was a problem here: why would someone who hadn't awakened Nen be able to see it? Or was Joey a hidden master, and what he was showing now was just a disguise?
Bakuro thought back to the scene when he saw Joey in the village before. At that time, Joey also acted as if he didn't know Nen, but he also had a Nen beast by his side.
However, Joey didn't seem to look at the Nen beast directly once.
Could it be that Joey actually can't see the Nen beast? Then why did he feel threatened by his "confusing" gesture?
Bakuro's thoughts couldn't help but recall the surprise he felt when he spotted "Kira Yoshikage" and his Nen beast from afar in the village.
Because of this surprise, he secretly inquired about Kira Yoshikage in the village.
However, the results of his investigation did not satisfy him.
Although some villagers disliked Yoshikage Kira, even they described him as just an ordinary farmer.
There were a few oddities, such as his habit of politely declining matchmakers despite being 15 years old.
His lifestyle was also unusually structured compared to other villagers his age. He was
overly meticulous in tending his fields, always striving for perfect neatness and symmetry, even ensuring the scarecrows were dressed identically and moved in unison.
Aside from these traits, Yoshikage stood out as unremarkable and unremarkable in the village.
However, Kira's calm demeanor when someone deliberately called out his name suggested that the person had been secretly investigating him.
Otherwise, Kira wouldn't have reacted with such composure when someone he had never met suddenly called his name.
Furthermore, Yoshikage's ability to use weapons confirmed his identity as a member of the organization.
After all, only organization members and visiting volunteers in this country have access to basic firearms, and volunteers don't live in villages.
Therefore, it's understandable that Pokkuru had to be wary of Yoshikage Kira's covert investigation of their group.
His probing threatening gestures were also an attempt to gauge how much Yoshikage Kira knew about them.
Judging from the results, Yoshikage Kira likely knew more than Pokkuru had guessed.
This judgment was based on Yoshikage Kira's gaze sweeping over the nearby bees.
Pons had deliberately collected most of the bees, and it would have been perfectly normal for only one or two bees to be flying around in the dense forest. Yet, Yoshikage Kira noticed their presence.
Where did Yoshikage learn that Pons could communicate with bees?
Thinking this, Pokkuru, running, glanced at Joey, who was shrouded in mist.
Joey also happened to look over at that moment, and the two exchanged a polite nod before looking away.
Joey was unaware of Baku's thoughts; he was preoccupied with wondering why he could see Nen.
He knew he hadn't awakened Nen, yet he could clearly see it, or more precisely, Nen that had reached a certain level of concentration.
When he first saw Red Arrow, he hadn't realized what was happening. It was only when he saw Baku appear with eyes covered in Nen that he understood—he couldn't use Nen, yet he could see it.
Was it because of his strong mental power? Or was it related to his Stand?
Thinking of this, Joey suddenly remembered his wallet.
The shimmering white light surrounding it,
which he perceived, was likely Nen. However, he couldn't bring himself to test the reason for his Nen ability on Baku.
This led him to glance at Baku, only to find that Baku was also looking at him.
Feeling guilty, he subtly nodded, avoiding eye contact. But for some reason, he sensed a slight unease in Baku as well.
___________________________
You can read +100 advanced chapters in my patreon:
Patreon.com/Kakarot17