HunterxHunter: I Became Stronger After Death

A few minutes earlier.

Even when he saw Hisoka relentlessly pursuing him across vast distances, Moro never regretted his decision to steal the kill back then.

To grow stronger as quickly as possible, even if he had to relive the moment, he'd make the same choice.

But now…

Moro was starting to regret it.

A chill ran down his spine. Goosebumps prickled his skin.

He couldn't even find the right words to describe what he was feeling—on either a mental or physical level.

At that moment, he understood something deeply:

Even though he had once "read" Hisoka as a character in the manga from the godlike perspective of an audience member, it was impossible to fully grasp everything about him.

Hisoka's lack of scruples far exceeded Moro's expectations.

At this point, Moro knew there was no use trying to reason or negotiate with Hisoka to get him to leave voluntarily.

This guy was like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe—no matter how hard you scraped, it wouldn't come off.

Giving up on the idea of shaking Hisoka off, Moro decided to change his approach.

His original plan had been to gather intel about the virus and the research lab through Sambika.

But Hisoka's sudden appearance had terrified Sambika into trembling fear.

To make matters worse, thanks to Hisoka's antics, even Moro—an otherwise normal person—was now lumped in as a pervert in Sambika's eyes.

Talk about unwarranted disaster.

However, from their earlier conversation, Moro had at least managed to confirm one key piece of information:

The "unknown virus" in the village was only weakly contagious.

Since Sambika wasn't likely to provide further information, Moro decided to pivot. His new plan: take Hisoka straight into the village and investigate the research lab's location firsthand.

If Hisoka insisted on sticking around like a piece of gum, then Moro figured he might as well use him to disgust Nolan's people.

By that point, the Nolan organization would undoubtedly see Hisoka as an enemy.

With any luck, Hisoka would end up shouldering at least half the heat.

With that thought, Moro ignored Hisoka's expectant gaze, adjusted the weighty backpack on his shoulders, and headed toward the village.

"So heartless," Hisoka said, putting away his playing card. Though he claimed to feel hurt, his trademark smile never left his face.

The two walked through the forest in silence, with Moro leading and Hisoka trailing behind.

When they finally emerged from the forest, Hisoka spoke with a touch of curiosity.

"That heavy backpack of yours… full of guns, isn't it? Quite a few, I'd imagine."

"Yes," Moro replied without hesitation.

Hisoka chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Surely your abilities aren't so limited that you need firearms. Could it be that their utility surpasses that of your own techniques?"

"?"

Moro glanced back at Hisoka, giving him an odd look.

Once he saw Hisoka register the glance, Moro turned forward again and said coolly, "Your 'springing flight speed' can outrun an airship by miles. Does that mean you don't take airships anymore?"

"…"

Hisoka fell momentarily silent.

Moro continued, "You can run faster than most cars. Does that mean you've sworn off riding in them too?"

"…"

Another pause from Hisoka.

"Fair enough," he finally said, shrugging it off as though it didn't matter.

Shortly after, Moro and Hisoka crossed the plains and approached the village.

Without a word to Hisoka, Moro donned a gas mask that concealed nearly his entire face.

He then set his backpack on the ground, pulling out several handguns and attaching them to his person. He stuffed extra magazines into a portable tactical belt.

Hisoka stood to the side, casually observing Moro's actions. A faint flicker of intrigue passed through his eyes before he turned to survey the village of mud-brick houses ahead.

Due to a lack of information, Hisoka couldn't quite grasp Moro's intentions, but he wasn't inclined to ask.

After all, he preferred to let others reveal their cards rather than flip them over himself.

As for Moro, he had no intention of explaining.

He wasn't entirely sure if Nolan's virus research lab was in the village or if there was a direct connection between the two.

It was just a possibility.

But if they did end up in direct conflict with Nolan's organization, Hisoka—being the unshakable gum he was—would naturally become one of their targets as well.

Not that Moro particularly needed Hisoka to draw fire…

But since Hisoka had chosen this path, there was no avoiding it.

This burden—whether Moro wanted to or not—had to be borne.

Adjusting his gear, Moro slung the backpack over his shoulder and strode into the village.

Hisoka followed naturally.

The village was eerily quiet.

But as Moro and Hisoka walked in with bold, unhurried steps, a few scrawny dogs curled up under crumbling mud walls perked up and started barking.

The sudden commotion shattered the village's silence.

Listening to the barking that now echoed around them, Moro glanced meaningfully at Hisoka.

Hisoka, understanding the unspoken message in Moro's gaze, simply smiled without a care in the world.

Moro sighed inwardly, marveling at Hisoka's shamelessness. Or perhaps… Hisoka simply didn't possess such a concept to begin with.

Shaking his head subtly, Moro turned his attention to the village environment.

During his previous nighttime pursuit of Sambika, he had only reached the village outskirts. Now, walking through the muddy paths in daylight, he realized the village wasn't as dilapidated as he'd imagined.

That said, it was sparsely populated.

Although the barking dogs made plenty of noise, the villagers only cast a few cautious, fleeting glances at Moro and Hisoka.

Moro ignored the wary stares and continued deeper into the village.

The village wasn't large. After weaving through a few muddy paths, he reached the center, where a tall cement wall stood out amidst the mud-brick buildings.

The wall, over two meters high, stretched from one end of the road to the other. Behind it lay a large estate that contrasted sharply with the surrounding houses.

Moro's sharp eyes immediately noticed several surveillance cameras mounted at the wall's corners.

This must be it.

Moro glanced at Hisoka, who was also studying the wall. Without a word, Moro leapt lightly onto the top of the wall.

Seeing Moro's sudden movement, Hisoka followed suit, effortlessly landing beside him.

Their actions were promptly captured by the surveillance cameras.

This estate, connected to the tomb entrance below, served as the disguised research facility.

Although the disguise wasn't perfect, it was enough to deter casual visitors.

The moment Moro and Hisoka appeared on the cameras, their behavior clearly marked them as hostile.

In the underground tomb-turned-lab, a man in a black suit frowned as he watched the footage.

Back in the courtyard, Moro and Hisoka strolled leisurely, seemingly unbothered.

Moments later, a well-equipped armed squad poured out of the estate to confront them.

Seeing the precision and organization of the armed team, Moro felt confident that this was indeed the research lab.

I wonder if there are any Nen users among them…

"Brother."

Moro turned to Hisoka and slapped a handgun into his hand.

"Take them down."

"…"

Above the courtyard, the sound of gunfire erupted.

For 20 advanced chapters: https://www.patreon.com/c/Ely225