The two-day voyage was calm and smooth.
Leo spent most of his time in his cabin practicing.
"Ren," "Gyo," "Ken"—he repeatedly polished the basic applications of Nen, his Qi volume growing slowly and steadily with each cycle; although it wasn't much, it was better than nothing.
On the morning of the third day, there was a knock at the door.
"Mr. Leo, we are about to arrive at Aistan Island."
Leo finished his meditation and stood up.
When he pushed open the cabin door, a salty, humid sea breeze rushed to meet him.
The view from the deck was wide and open.
On the distant horizon, a dark outline was gradually becoming clear in the morning mist.
Aistan Island; the island was larger than expected.
There was a raised mountain in the center, its peak shrouded in white mist, making it difficult to see clearly.
The coastline was winding, and the dense forest extended to the edge of the beach, with vegetation displaying a rich, almost ink-green color.
Hisoka had also come to the deck at some point.
He leaned against the railing, his makeup as exquisite as ever, as if he had been meticulously grooming himself for the past two days.
"Mr. Captain~"
He drawled, his smile radiant.
"What should we do next?"
Leo did not answer immediately.
He stared at the island, his eyes sharp. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke.
"After we get closer, we will first circle the island to observe. Once we confirm there are no obvious threats, we will take a speedboat to the island. The Yanyun will wait two nautical miles offshore, keeping communications open."
He turned to the First Mate who was walking over.
"If there are any anomalies, or if you don't receive contact from us within twenty-four hours, turn back immediately and report to the Association."
The First Mate was an old sailor in his fifties, his face etched with the marks of wind and waves.
He nodded.
"Understood."
Hisoka shrugged.
"I'll listen to you~"
Three hours later, the Yanyun sailed slowly around the island.
The full picture of the island gradually revealed itself. The north side was a steep cliff, with waves crashing against it, creating white foam.
There was a gentle beach on the east side, but the dense forest was too close to the shore, appearing eerie.
The south side was lower in elevation, and one could see the mouth of a river.
And the west side—
"Captain, I've found something!"
The lookout's voice came from above.
Leo picked up his binoculars and looked in the direction he was pointing.
In a hidden bay on the west side, a ship was tilted and stranded on the reef beach.
The ship was about forty meters long, and its style was a medium-sized transport ship commonly used by the Association.
But at this moment, it was like a stranded giant beast, having lost all its Life Qi.
Even more eye-catching was the huge damage in the middle of the hull—a hole with a diameter of over three meters, with very clean edges.
"The Association's ship."
Leo lowered the binoculars, his voice low.
Hisoka narrowed his eyes, a flash of excitement in his golden pupils.
"It seems someone has already 'welcomed' them~"
"Move closer."
Leo ordered.
"Lower the speedboat; Hisoka and I will go aboard to inspect. The Yanyun will keep its distance and be ready to provide support at any time."
"Yes!"
Half an hour later, a small speedboat cut through the sea surface, heading toward the stranded transport ship.
The closer they got, the more they could feel that dead silence.
There were no bird calls, no circling seagulls, and even the sound of waves hitting the hull seemed hollow.
The Association's logo on the ship was clearly visible, but the paint had already peeled.
Leo and Hisoka leaped onto the tilted deck.
The sensation under their feet was wrong—not the solidity that a wooden deck should have, but a dry, brittle texture.
Leo looked down, his pupils constricting.
Mummified corpses!
Six or seven corpses were scattered on the deck in various poses.
Some were curled up in corners, some had collapsed beside cargo boxes, and one was lying over the ship's side, one hand hanging powerlessly toward the sea.
All the corpses presented a terrifying state—skin clinging to bone, dark brown, completely dehydrated, eye sockets hollow and sunken, mouths wide open, as if they had experienced extreme pain before death.
But there were no bloodstains on the deck, no signs of fighting, and even the cargo boxes were arranged relatively neatly—except for those scattered from the damaged hole.
Hisoka squatted beside a mummified corpse, extended a finger, and gently poked the corpse's arm.
"Crack."
A slight, brittle sound, like snapping a dead branch.
"Mmhmm~"
Hisoka tilted his head, observing with great interest.
"Drained of all blood and moisture in an instant. How interesting~ This technique is amazing..."
Leo was also examining another corpse.
He opened the corpse's curled hand and found the palm clenched tightly, fingernails deeply embedded in the palm—it had experienced great pain or fear before death.
But there were indeed no signs of struggle or escape around.
"An inside job."
Leo stood up and looked around.
"If it were a stranger's attack, the Association's Hunter would not be completely unprepared. To make them lower their guard, or even be wiped out before they could resist... the other party was either disguised as harmless, or was someone they trusted."
"Or... something?"
Hisoka stood up and clapped his hands.
"Some kind of seemingly harmless, but actually deadly little cutie~"
Leo didn't respond; he walked toward the cabin entrance.
The door was slightly ajar.
He pushed it open, and a thick, putrid smell mixed with the salty stench of seawater rushed to meet him.
The light inside the cabin was dim, with only faint light filtering in from the damaged hole and portholes.
The interior was even more tragic than the deck, with more mummified corpses.
Some had fallen in the passageways, some were curled up in room corners.
All corpses were in the same state—instantly dehydrated, eyes wide open in death.
Leo carefully inspected the cockpit, the crew lounge, and the cargo hold.
The communication equipment was intact and had not been sabotaged.
In the cargo hold, the wooden boxes that originally contained supplies were mostly empty.
Dried herbs, mineral samples, and a few jars of sealed Shadow Honey.
Leo opened a jar of Shadow Honey, and a rich, exotic fragrance instantly permeated the air—a deep amber, viscous liquid that glimmered with an alluring luster in the dim light.
But Leo didn't touch it.
He resealed the jar and put it back in its place.
There were no signs of fighting, no signs of intruders, all the deceased died by the same technique, and they all died at the same time within a very short period.
"It's as if... the entire ship was dragged into some Domain, then instantly harvested."
Leo muttered to himself.
He found the sailing log in the captain's cabin drawer.
The date on the last page was seventeen days ago, and the record was brief.
"Arrived at Aistan Island. Elder Batu of the Qilajie Clan brought people to receive us. Unloading went smoothly. Will return after exchanging supplies tomorrow."
There was nothing after that.
Leo closed the log and walked out of the cabin.
On the deck, Hisoka was standing by the ship's side, facing the direction of the island's dense forest.
Hearing footsteps, he spoke without turning his head.
"Did you find anything~ Mr. Captain?"
"No."
Leo walked to his side.
"Only mummified corpses. No signs of intruders, no struggle, communication equipment wasn't destroyed. Very strange."
"Hmm—"
Hisoka turned his head, his face wearing that pleasant smile.
"However, while you were inside inspecting, I did find something interesting."
He pointed to the dense forest on the right, about two hundred meters from the shore.
"Five minutes ago, there was movement there. Although it was only for an instant, I sensed it—it wasn't the wind, it wasn't an animal, it was a 'gaze'. Someone is watching us."
Leo looked in the direction he indicated.
The dense forest was thick, with layers of leaves forming a deep green barrier; he couldn't see anything.
But he trusted Hisoka's judgment—this pervert's perception was terrifyingly sharp.
"Either a Demonic Beast or someone from the Qilajie Clan."
Leo said.
"The enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light."
"So what should we do~"
Hisoka tilted his head.
"Charge in and drag them out? Or... pretend we didn't notice and wait for them to show themselves?"
Leo was silent for a moment.
Then he turned and walked toward the speedboat.
"Go to the island."
Hisoka's eyes lit up.
"Now?"
"Now."
Leo jumped onto the speedboat and started the engine.
"Since we've already been targeted, hiding is useless. Instead of waiting passively, it's better to enter actively. At least the initiative will be in our hands."
He looked at Hisoka, his eyes calm.
"Remember, our mission is to investigate, not to slaughter. Unless necessary, do not kill—especially not the people of the Qilajie Clan."
Hisoka leaped lightly onto the speedboat and sat behind Leo.
"Of course~"
He said with a smile.
"As long as they don't provoke me."
The speedboat engine roared, cutting a white arc through the water, heading toward the island's beach.