Outside the research base, Begetto walked out with Kevin.
As soon as he came out, Kevin saw dust rising in the distance, slowly dissipating at that moment. The place where the dust rose should be the location of the roaring sound from just now.
"What happened over there? Was there a battle?" Kevin asked. He could faintly smell gunpowder in the air, and besides armored vehicles, he could also see main battle tanks here. The roaring sound he just heard was very much like artillery fire.
Begetto didn't explain directly; he just pointed forward. "You'll know when you see it."
Before long, the roar of an engine came from the forest, kicking up dust on the road. Soon, a huge towing vehicle slowly drove out, pulling a flatbed trailer. A giant "insect" was loaded on the flatbed.
This insect was extremely large—comparable in size to several elephants put together. It looked like it belonged to the beetle class, its outer shell covered by a single piece of carapace covered in sharp spikes. In front of its head antennae, it even had exaggerated horns like a rhinoceros. Judging solely by appearance, if it were normally lying on the ground, its entire body would be protected inside the carapace.
"When I left, the monster ravaging this area shouldn't have been this kind of insect, right?" Kevin said, then carefully examined the beetle's appearance. He felt he had seen this insect in a book. "Assault Armor?" he asked tentatively, with doubt in his tone, not daring to be completely sure.
Begetto nodded. "That's right. Don't doubt it—this thing is an Assault Armor, or rather, a bio-weapon modified based on the Assault Armor."
The Assault Armor was originally a large insect, normal size about that of a human head, with the largest known size only twice that. Such a size was already considered huge among insects. This type of beetle moved extremely fast; when hunting prey, it relied on its front horns and charging speed to attack. Its fully enclosed carapace could effectively resist external damage and prevent external enemies from observing it. Only a very small number of natural predators could prey on them. What was truly tricky was that this type of beetle lived in families—meaning once they appeared, most would form a charging formation with several individuals. With slight carelessness, even a human could easily have leg bones broken by being hit—hence the name "Assault Armor."
Now, the Assault Armor before him was somewhat exaggerated. Its size had increased by dozens of times. Previously, its charge might have been like a shot put thrown. But now, its impact force could be compared to a truck driving at full speed, coupled with its fully enclosed exterior and exaggerated front horns—the danger level had sharply risen to the extreme.
"So the main trouble you're currently facing is this modified Assault Armor?" Kevin asked.
Begetto shook his head. "No, the main trouble is still the perpetrator of the massacre you witnessed before you left."
This time, without waiting for Kevin to ask, Begetto slowly recounted the situation after he left.
"After you left, we began searching for traces of that monster, quickly made a discovery, and saw what it looked like with our own eyes. That guy is definitely man-made—the moment we saw it, we confirmed it. Moreover, it's very cunning. After discovering us, it didn't attack but directly fled. At that time, there were only three of us." These three were undoubtedly Begetto, White Tree, and Shant—three Nen users.
The massacre Kevin witnessed before had over a dozen casualties, and more than half were soldiers armed with firearms. This indicated that the monster clearly sensed the dangerous aura from Begetto and the others, and thus chose to flee without hesitation. This showed the creature had keen intuition and also demonstrated considerable intelligence.
"Moreover, its size has also grown—even larger than White Tree estimated. At first, we thought it was because the traces left behind weren't precise enough. But later, when we discovered new traces, we deduced its size was larger than what we had seen before. The further these traces went, the larger the size they indicated—it's growing at an unimaginable speed."
Hearing this, Kevin frowned and couldn't help asking, "So you haven't caught it all this time?"
Begetto shook his head regretfully. "We were too careless. After determining it was man-made, we instinctively thought someone was controlling it. Our attention shifted to the controller because it behaved too intelligently. Do you understand what I mean?"
Kevin nodded, indicating understanding. After all, to completely solve the problem, simply eliminating this biological creation was definitely not enough. The organization behind creating this trouble must be eradicated—otherwise the time and effort spent would be meaningless. Moreover, from Begetto's description, this monster behaved like a human, making them feel like they were dealing with a person.
"But as I said just now, we were careless. This monster has no human control—it was simply released here. It disrupted the ecological balance here, and these beetles you see were actually creatures released into this area along with it. It's just that the release points were far apart, and their growth rate was too fast, so we didn't notice at the time. These released beetles are specifically provided to that monster for nutrition."
So that's how it was. According to Begetto, that monster grew extremely fast and definitely needed sufficient nutrition. Though this was a nature reserve, there weren't enough large animals to provide necessary nutrients. Even if the monster was powerful, its hunting range was limited; the arrival of such a food chain disruptor would inevitably trigger a chain reaction. Other animals would naturally flee to survive. In this situation, the monster might face malnutrition—and at that time, it might migrate and continue causing destruction elsewhere until everything in its path was chaos.
But the organization behind manufacturing this monster clearly had a plan in advance, so they released these modified "food" items here along with it. Clearly intended to keep it confined to this area.
"Compared to that monster, these exaggeratedly sized Assault Armors are the real ecological disruptors. They're omnivores, and you should understand why they can grow to such size." Eating everything could turn a once dense forest into barren land. Speaking of this, Begetto shook his head irritably. For a Hunter dedicated to protecting the ecosystem, these environment-destroying guys were the most detestable—and they operated in families, with quite a large number.
"So what specifically do you want me to help with?" Kevin asked curiously. "Is it to investigate the organization behind it, track and eliminate that monster, or clear out these beetles?"
Hearing this, Begetto smiled. "The organization behind it—essentially, doesn't require us to worry too much."
Seeing Kevin's inquiring gaze, Begetto explained. "Though I'm not entirely clear on the specific situation yet, it's certain that behind it is an international criminal organization. Situations like the one we're currently facing aren't isolated cases; several continents have seen the release of these kinds of modified creatures. After multiple affected countries jointly issued directives, the Hunter Association headquarters has already dispatched several Zodiac members and relevant Hunters to investigate." Begetto himself could be considered a member of the relevant team, but because of his own responsibilities, he was still here dealing with related issues on this side.
Kevin nodded in sudden understanding. "In other words, we don't need to actively investigate that organization—dealing with the impact they've caused is what we should be doing?"
Begetto nodded. "That's right. We're now considered participants in this matter. After it's concluded, we'll receive corresponding rewards based on our contribution." After speaking, he looked at Kevin, a smile appearing on his face. "Don't you need that kind of material? These modified creatures likely have the materials you need on them. Even if we don't have it here, other places will. After all, this is an international organization, and according to your contributions, you can always get the materials you want."
Kevin nodded, having to admit he was somewhat moved. More importantly, this was related to the result of the divination.
[Engrave your purpose into the astrolabe, and the favorable wind will guide the sailing ship. When you drop anchor, don't easily lift it again. Don't look back—the pearls you seek are hidden in the treasure guided by the seagulls.]
This was the divination poem Neon gave him when he left. Since it was the end of the month, there was only this one section. It seemed to have complex meaning, but for the person being divined for, the more important or dangerous the information, the more difficult it was to interpret. There were no words indicating danger or symbolic references in this poem. This meant this information was relatively important to Kevin.
"Alright, I agree. So you want me to help hunt the Assault Armor and that monster?"
Begetto nodded. "Though I'm not quite sure about your Nen ability, judging by your physical fitness and the Nen you emit, you're clearly someone who excels in frontal combat. The current problem is that the situation lacks people like you who can fight head-on." This was the reason Begetto hoped Kevin would assist. Whether it was the monster or the Assault Armor, they needed someone with strong frontal combat ability to hold them back; otherwise, it would be too dangerous for them. Because these creatures were too cunning, tracking them or setting traps was extremely easy to scare them away. The Assault Armor weren't as bad—after all, they were insects and not very smart—but it couldn't stand against their large numbers. Dealing with them one by one wasn't easy.
Moreover, they couldn't clear out too many at once—they needed to keep that monster here. If too many Assault Armor were cleared out and there was no food, that monster would escape. This way, they would lose track of it, making things even more troublesome.
Looking at the Assault Armor being dragged on the cart, a smile appeared on Kevin's face. "Hehe, no problem."
As soon as he finished speaking, a rumbling sound came from the distance again. Soldiers began shouting.
"Quick! Drive the tanks over, the damned bugs are coming again!" A person who seemed to be a commander stuck his head out of an armored vehicle and shouted loudly.
Seeing this sudden situation, Begetto turned to look at Kevin, a slight smile on his face full of meaning.
Kevin didn't hesitate. He stretched his body and walked toward the direction of the sound. "They came just in time."
"Set up the blocking nets! Quickly set up the traps, temporarily block its steps! Everyone don't cluster together—spread out!"
"Trap ready—" A soldier hadn't even finished speaking when he felt a tap on his shoulder and was pulled to the side.
The soldiers blocking the way moved aside one after another. Kevin walked over openly and without hesitation.
All the soldiers watched this scene, slightly stunned. Even the approaching tanks stopped at the entrance.
"Hey! That guy, are you—" The commander hadn't finished speaking when he saw Begetto's signaling gaze. Seeing the commander no longer spoke, the soldiers who had originally wanted to dissuade Kevin silently retreated to the side.
One soldier quickly ran forward and handed Kevin something that looked like an incense burner. "The smell inside here can attract the bugs to you. Please be very careful."
Kevin took the incense burner, nodded, and placed it directly at his feet. His eyes fixed on the road in the forest.
He saw tree after tree being broken. A behemoth was rushing at high speed, raising a large amount of dust, charging rapidly toward his location.
Kevin twisted his neck, making a cracking sound. He spread his stance and stretched his hands forward. His aura suddenly erupted.
"This guy, he's really brave." Begetto watched this scene and couldn't help raising his eyebrows. For a moment, he doubted his previous judgment—could Kevin really be an Enhancement-type Nen user? He really couldn't understand how an Enhancement-type could develop a Nen ability for making medicine, and he saw that Kevin didn't even use his own potion. The box containing potions at Kevin's waist was still tightly closed.
Did he want to stop the Assault Armor with brute strength? Though a little worried, Begetto didn't speak to stop him. At least in his opinion, Kevin wasn't reckless or ignorant. Since he dared to do this, he must have some confidence in himself. Moreover, the aura Kevin erupted was very strong.
As the rumbling sound grew closer, a soldier couldn't help swallowing. "Is he... is he going to die?"
"Shut up. There are always amazing people in this world."
The rumbling was already close at hand, dust blowing into their faces. The monster's figure gradually became visible. It was even bigger than the one dragged on the cart just now! It was like a roaring truck crushing its way over.
"Hey, hey, there's no way to stop this!" A soldier couldn't help shouting. Trying to stop it head-on was simply too exaggerated. What was the difference between this and using a person's body to stop a truck?
Shant stood beside Begetto and couldn't help frowning, reminding him, "This one's too big. Won't it..."
"Trust him." Begetto just frowned and said with a serious expression.
Kevin looked at the Assault Armor charging straight toward him. "It really gives me a bad sense of déjà vu." He muttered softly, "Like a truck or something... I hope I'm lucky this time." His eyes became sharp.
The strong wind pressure and oppressive aura generated by the charging giant beetle swept toward him.
Bang!
The two collided fiercely. Some soldiers couldn't help closing their eyes—they really couldn't bear to see the tragic sight of a person being smashed to pieces.
The wind pressure generated by the collision blew toward the crowd, and several soldiers' hats were blown off.
"Unbelievable!" The officer on the armored vehicle widened his eyes in surprise.
"My god! He's simply a Hercules!"
"God bless."
The scene presented before everyone: Kevin steadily resisted the Assault Armor charging like a truck. His legs were deeply embedded in the ground, plowing a short furrow. His aura erupted violently. Though the soldiers couldn't see the aura, they could clearly feel the powerful force erupting from Kevin and the accompanying sense of oppression.
"Stop! You're speeding, big guy!" Kevin grinned, veins bulging. His muscles bulged, and the short sleeves of his shirt were directly torn, perfectly displaying his physique full of strength and explosiveness. He used his hands forcefully, tightly gripping the opponent's horn and the side of its shell.
"Hup!" Kevin let out a loud shout.
"He, he lifted that monster up!" A soldier widened his eyes and shouted loudly.
One must know that the Assault Armor's enormous size meant equally astonishing weight. Now, a seemingly small human had actually lifted such a huge creature. This pure aesthetic of violence was displayed before everyone, leaving them stunned.
"Driving improperly, loved ones shed tears!"
Kevin muttered strange words under his breath, holding up the Assault Armor like this, revealing the body hidden beneath its shell. Dense, powerful thin legs were all concealed under the shell, and when lifted up, they wriggled densely, sending goosebumps down everyone's spines.
"Go!" Kevin swung violently.
A whistling sound accompanied by wind pressure followed. The Assault Armor's huge body was forcefully thrown out, crashing heavily into the forest, knocking down a large area of trees. However, despite this, the beetle's strong defense prevented it from being too severely damaged. Even though it was knocked over and upside down, it quickly struggled to right itself.
Just as it adjusted its body and prepared to charge again, Kevin had already leaped into the air, descending like a meteor from the sky. His fist was raised high, and a large amount of aura gathered on it.
"This move is called—the ticket!"
Bang!
A huge roar sounded. The impact brought wind pressure mixed with sand and mud, forming a black wave of mud and rock. A large amount of branches and leaves also flew around. The watching soldiers raised their hands to shield themselves.