The United States of Saherta is in the middle of an election year. A time of political unrest as the citizens fight and argue over which one should be elected while the candidates debate over which of them should be elected. In the background of the voting process lies the darker parts of the process. Bribes are thrown around here and there while the corporations back those that align with their interests. All in the pursuit of political power.
Assassinations however have been uncommon in recent times. Especially since Hunters taking such jobs taking care of political leaders, candidates, or Presidents is frowned upon and will be issued as enemies of the state. However, there are those that some people want dead, whether to get rid of information that could ruin their campaign or aid an ally to make a deal. Killua's older brother Illumi has been hired for the assassination of an individual who is currently imprisoned. Illumi didn't care or ask for details though he does know from the rumor mill that the man held a secret island resort for the rich elite for them to do explicit activities in secret that most of society would be repulsed by while using human trafficking to provide women to the island for "entertainment". That didn't matter to him either, all that did matter was he got paid in advance for the job and will be paid extra for a successful job and making it look like suicide.
As a guard was taking a smoke break, he flung a needle at the back of the guard's head and he became nothing more but a corpse puppet under his control. As the guard turned around to face Illumi, he beckoned the guard to come to him. As the guard went to Illumi in a corner of the prison which served as a blindspot for both the cameras and spotlights.
"Give me your uniform and dispose of your body where no one will find it," Illumi said.
The guard then undressed his uniform and gave it to Illumi, before walking off to complete his last order. As Illumi uses Nen to manipulate and alter his body to look like the guard. He can only do this without needles for five hours, but it's more than enough time for him to get in and out. Going inside the prison they used the cards keycard and made their way to the interrogation room. As his target was sitting there alone.
"You there, why hasn't my lawyer arrived yet?! I can't tell you anything without-" were the last words the man said before Illumi used the belt of his uniform to strangle the man's neck and choke him to death.
The man tried to grip the belt to take it off but Illumi was too strong for him as the belt got tighter and tighter around his neck. The last sign of life escapes from his eyes as he stops struggling. Illumi then placed the chair and tied the belt to a pipe hanging from the ceiling to make it look like he hung himself. He usually uses his needles as they are simple, quick, and efficient. Though he was hired to not leave any trace of his presence and was asked for this to be made to look like a suicide so he had to comply with this. Then with his cellphone, he takes a quick pic of the crime scene and sends it to his customer to show that the job is done.
After a minute he got a response from his client and the bonus was forwarded to his account. He made his way out as quickly as he came, changed back to his regular clothes, and dropped his disguise. As he got onto a flight back to the Republic of Padokea so he can get back to his family manor at Kukuroo Mountain. After a couple of weeks, he arrives at the Testing Gate. Each one doubled in weight as he pushed six of the doors open which in total weighed 128 tons.
After making the climb up the steps he finally gets to Zoldyck Manor at the top of the mountain and heads inside to rest in the living room. Not because he is tired, he can go through several days taking multiple jobs and killing people, but it seems business has been slow for him, unfortunately. He's been taking jobs waiting and biding his time for the day that his brother Killua would return home. He turns on the TV and begins scrolling through the channels. Until he stopped on a channel about something going on in NGL involving missing Hunters.
"Various attempts infiltrate the mysterious and secluded country of NGL or the Neo-Green Life Autonomous Region. There have been many rumors plaguing this country and any attempts to confirm these rumors were quickly snuffed out, however recently a reporter who was able to sneak into NGL with a recording device left what appeared to be his last moments screaming something about giant insects. Chairman Isaac Netero has been reported to go in as well accompanied by two Hunters with no comment. All attempts to reach NGL staff at the border stop for answers left us with no comment. Some recent investigation and news might be related, we have zoological expert Wong from the Kakin Empire here who has a theory of what's going on," the reporter lady said.
Wong appeared to be a middle-aged portly man that's usually well dressed and he seemed very nervous as he was wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. Either it had to do with what he had to say or due to it being his first time on live TV.
"Recently I had a friend from the Southernpiece Auction ask for help about curating a strange unidentified arm from an anonymous creature. I told a Hunter I hired named Kite, and his Amateur and Rookie Hunter colleagues about my associate needing a live specimen. Recently I was told by my friend they were able to identify the arm as a piece of a large Chimera Ant Queen and received an apology that they can't bring back a live specimen and that the queen must be exterminated." Wong said.
"Interesting, so Kite and these other Hunters went to NGL. What exactly can you tell us about these Chimera Ants?" the news reporter asked.
"Well, Chimera Ants are a special case of carnivorous insects. The Chimera Ant Queen uses the DNA within the blood of her prey and imbues it into her children. Creating strange hybrids with each one being unique. A swarm of normal-size Chimera Ants can eat a human body in seconds like a swarm of piranhas. So it's terrifying to think what human-sized Chimera Ants could do" Wong said.
"That does sound horrifying, is that why you seem on edge?" the reporter asked.
"A part of it, that I sent Kite and various innocent Hunters to their deaths, children even, but also going through the new species reports I noticed that a couple of the signed signatures surprised me," Wong said.
As he displays the paper Illumi looks surprised to recognize that signature and handwriting as his brother Killua's. His grip on the TV remote tightens as it begins to crack.
"Zoldyck? As in the assassin family?" the reporter asked.
"Yes, I had to reread it to be sure, and I couldn't believe it at first. And if that boy went to NGL to fight these Chimera Ants and got hurt or worse imagined what that'd mean for me. I think I might have a target on my back and could be killed at any moment. That's why I came here live cause, I am sure they wouldn't kill me on live TV or in public." Wong said.
"Well, thanks for mustering up the courage to come here today, and that's all the time we have for this segment. We will be giving more updates on the ongoing developments within NGL at a later date once any news is given." the reporter said.
Illumi then turned the TV off and set the damaged remote gently back on the table before walking over to his younger brother Milluki's room. He doesn't own a computer himself in his room cause he felt he had no need of one or wanted one. As he entered he found that Milluki had fallen asleep on the keyboard. Apparently been playing the MMORPG Ultima Illusion XIV all night that he has been binging since he failed to get a copy of Greed Island and secured a way to go there.
"How unbecoming of an assassin, it's no wonder Mother likes you the least," Illumi said.
He then grabs the chair and without much effort flings it and his portly brother across the room. As Illumi was typing in the URL for the Hunter Website, Milluki stirs himself awake.
"Wh-what the Hell Illumi?! What are you doing borrowing my laptop?! First Killua and now you are trying to take advantage of me." Milluki said.
Illumi then stopped when he mentioned Killua.
"You're saying you've been in contact with him recently?" Illumi asked.
"Yeah he gave me a save data cartridge for Greed Island but it turned out to be worthless. Tried to buy a copy at the Yorknew auction but some geezer went and bought all of the copies instead. Killua and that weird friend of his were there too I think but they weren't able to snag a copy either." Milluki said.
"Greed Island?" Illumi said.
"It's a game for Hunters that's apparently really hard to get because of how damn expensive it is with lots of rumors like one's saying you get sucked into the game and if you die in it you die for real," Milluki said.
"Now why would Killua be interested in something like that, more importantly, how does this correlate to NGL." Illumi thought.
As he entered the website Milluki couldn't help but peek as he never got to see Hunter's Website before. When the site asks him for his Hunter License number, he slides into a card reader he plugged in that he found among Milluki's many computer accessories. The website Hunter's Tavern appears to look like a digital old western saloon. As Illumi clicks the bartender has information for sale. He noticed that the current top-selling info is "Hunters Lost in NGL." for 100 Million Jenny and below it, for 10 Million Jenny is titled "The Winner of Greed Island" the latter which takes Milluki by surprise.
"What no way?! Someone managed to win that game?! Was it the old man? Illumi, pay for that and I'll pay you back I swear." Milluki said.
While Illumi normally would ignore him, he does admit he is a bit curious since it is somewhat related to Killua. As he then makes the payment the digital bartender then plays an animation of pouring a drink as he plays a computer-generated speech saying "Ah now that's a popular one lately." before he is finished pouring the drink and begins shaking and stirring the mix.
"From various Hunters that came out of Greed Island after taking a job to go in for multi-billionaire Battera, one Gon Freecs was able to accomplish the great feat of being the first to beat Greed Island to completion. As well as capturing and subduing three criminals known as The Bombers who were found guilty of several charges of homicide, assault, and terrorism that they have committed within the game. Though Greed Island has been beaten, the developers have assured people that Greed Island is not over and will be given an expansion/update so that someone else can get the chance to complete it and it won't be the same as before. Unfortunately, that's all I can say on the matter, what else do you want to know?" the Hunter's Tavern bartender asked.
"What?! Beaten, that dumb friend of Killua beat it before I did! Wait, Battera, that's the old man! Damn it of course, how could I be so stupid?! I could have gotten that old fart to hire me to play the game for him and that's what those two did?! If that kid ever sits foot here again I'll kill him!" Milluki said.
As Milluki was in a fit of anger Illumi took a mental note of his anger towards Gon and thought about using him to take care of him. Though that would make Milluki a target of Hisoka and he's not entirely sure he wants to make Milluki a sacrificial lamb, then again, Illumi is not sure if anyone in the family would miss him. He then concentrates back on the site and clicks the info about NGL and makes the payment.
"Are you sure? The info here is not for the faint of heart?" the bartender asked.
Illumi clicked yes without no hesitation.
"Alright then, from what is known apparently an outbreak of rare and dangerous carnivorous species known as Chimera Ants have appeared within NGL. Radio signals within NGL that some Hunters were able to intercept involved what sounded like gigantic bugs and screams for help and all Hunters who went to NGL so far except one were confirmed to make it out alive. Sorry, but the rest of the information is highly confidential and costs a hefty amount, you can listen to something else or pay me another payment of 100 million Jenny to continue." the bartender said.
With no hesitation he gives more money, it's not like he hasn't got enough to be able to pay for this information. Not just with his latest assassinations but all of the money he has saved up in the past.
"Well from what I've heard, Isaac Netero the grand chairman himself has gone to deal with the problem and selected two Hunters to go with him. Now the chairman is no joke, being the founder you bet he is the toughest Hunter and the strongest Nen user there ever was so for him to go there means the Chimera Ants are a serious threat. While I did say that one Hunter came out alive, he was heavily injured with one arm missing only two known survivors within NGL that were taken hostage as prisoners. All of the others are presumed dead till otherwise. Here are the profiles of each Hunter that went into NGL." the bartender said.
As Illumi saw a couple of familiar faces from the Hunter Exam he cared more about seeing his brother Killua among the profiles albeit by name only. While shocked at first, he then sighs with relief as he sees that Killua's status is "Unknown/Possibly Alive" which means it's not too late. He then sees the profile of Kite who was the survivor who came out of NGL. He's the best lead he has for some answers. He then stands up from the computer.
"Milluki, you can borrow my Hunter's License and use it to browse the Hunter's Website to your heart's content. Tell the others that I will be handling a large number of hits and won't be back for a while and don't let the rest of the family know where I am actually going. And make sure to tell the butlers to hold my calls. I am going to save Killua," Illumi said.
As Illumi left Milluki then saw the Hunter's License and the still open site. A wealthy amount of factual information that can't be got anywhere else he didn't have access to until now. He starts by scrolling through to see the current information about Greed Island. He might not be the first but he can still prove himself superior by beating the game faster than Gon did. First, he needs to get research done on what Greed Island is like so that he could prepare himself for it. Because even if the game will be changed by the time he plays it shouldn't be too different that he wouldn't have a clue or idea of what to expect without knowledge of the version Gon beat.
Illumi then got out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. With how dire the situation seemed, he knows that he alone might not be enough. Even if he can be unpredictable and unbearable. They both have someone they can't risk losing in NGL. As he then gets to his contact, Hisoka, and makes the call.
In another part of the world, Hisoka is on a hunt for a man named Chrollo Lucilfer. All for a thrilling fight to the death to satiate his bloodlust. Yet despite removing the curse that locked his Nen his target ran off. He has been on his trail ever since in a wild goose chase. And the fact that he hasn't caught up yet frustrates him. As he walks through the street hunched over and with a frightening look in his eyes.
"Oh Chrollo, you tease. You keep dragging on this game of cat and mouse and yet I still haven't had a chance to relieve myself. I can barely hold in this bloodlust anymore. Why do you have to play so hard to get? " Hisoka thought.
A drunken man then walks out of a bar and sees Hisoka.
"Hey *hic* a clown! Know any funny- urp tricks clown?" the drunkard asked.
Hisoka stopped dead in his tracks and stared daggers at the drunken bystander. It seemed he was too inebriated to be afraid. As Hisoka turns to him with a devious smirk.
"I am not a clown actually, I am a magician, though I do know some tricks. " Hisoka said.
He then got out a deck of playing cards and began to shuffle them. Before making them all vanish with sleight of hand. The drunkard felt something in his throat. He didn't know what it was but he began gagging and nearly choked before barfing up the deck of playing cards. Sobering up a bit he looks at Hisoka in horror wondering how the hell they got in there.
"Pretty neat trick if I do say so myself. Now, how about the one where I make your arms disappear? " Hisoka said.
The man was confused before he felt no feeling left in his arms. He looked to see both were gone and they were replaced with stubs. He then ran off in terror Hisoka smiles as he looks up to see where he hid the arms. Above the man's head hanging from a streetlamp using his special Nen ability.
"Bungee Gum has the properties of both rubber and gum. Cutting off the arms was the easy part, quickly using texture surprise with discarded newspapers and applying it over the wounds quicker than his eyes could follow, and hiding the arms was the hard part. Well hard for anyone but me, " Hisoka thought.
As he disengaged bungee gum, the two severed arms were flying. He then flung two playing cards that stabbed through the arms like knives and pinned them to the door of the bar. Admiring his handiwork he then noticed his phone ringing. And sees it from someone he knows quite fondly.
"Illumi~ For what do I owe the pleasure? " Hisoka asked.
"Killua is in danger in NGL, apparently there are these Magical Beasts called Chimera Ants causing havoc there and Gon has also been taken by them as well. Both are maybe alive for now, but I thought I'd let you know in case you come and help me. These Chimera Ants seem to be pretty strong so they should be able to excite you, and you won't let Gon perish won't you?" Illumi asked.
"Hmm, that is true I can't let such a promising prodigy go to waste too soon, and if these Chimera Ants are able to best Gon and Killua after how I saw them blossom on Greed Island then they could be worth my time. Yet I might lose my trail on Chrollo...though I can always try to find him another day, giving some leeway and catching him when he thinks he finally lost me could be the right move. This could be the relief I am wanting before I have the battle I have yearned for oh so long. " Hisoka thought.
"You know I never can say no to you Illumi~ And you were such a big help to me back in Yorknew City that it would be fitting if I were to return the favor. Just take out any small fries with your needles and leave the big fish to me. " Hisoka said.
"Good, we will be looking for a Hunter named Kite who may know more about what we're dealing with, I will text you the location he is at and meet you there when I find it," Illumi said.
As Illumi hangs up, Hisoka couldn't help but feel intense sexual pleasure from all of this. Not only to be going up with creatures that contend with powerful Nen users but doing so side by side with Illumi. No aphrodisiac in the world can replicate the erection he holds right now. He then walks down the street, past the corpse of the bled-out drunkard with a contorted face of terror on his corpse as he felt fear even in his last moments which also excited Hisoka a little. Ecstatic about all of the new playthings he will be adding to his collection soon.