For the V5, the maintainers of the current human world order, the Kakin Empire was undeniably becoming a massive headache. This was especially true after they received the vast amount of leaked information from Allen, which prompted a flurry of investigations.
The results were staggering.
Nasubi Hui Guo Rou, the current King of Kakin, had not only completed the construction of a super-giant transport vessel capable of carrying hundreds of thousands of people across the ocean but had also initiated a final mobilization of the national military. It was a clear "all-in" gambit designed to force a compromise from the V5 and ignite a craze for exploring the Dark Continent.
This reckless approach shocked and enraged top-tier politicians, yet they found themselves lacking effective countermeasures. When an opponent is prepared for the worst-case scenario, total war, standard diplomatic channels lose their efficacy.
Consequently, emergency meetings were held daily within the V5 headquarters to discuss how to face this threat. Privately, the probing and skirmishing between the two sides had never ceased.
As the frequency of these clashes intensified, Beyond Netero finally stepped onto the stage to perform a scripted play alongside Nasubi. His highly provocative televised speech ignited the public's interest in the Dark Continent, fueling greed for its supposedly infinite resources, land, and wealth.
Within just a few days of fermentation, not only Kakin but the entire human world was in an uproar. Such an arrogant move backed the V5 into a corner.
The choices before them were binary: launch a war to dismantle Kakin, or at least its royal family, to crush any hope of Dark Continent exploration, or admit Kakin into the existing international order, turning the V5 into the V6, while demanding a shared stake in the exploration's proceeds.
"Dammit! Everything Allen said came true. These people are a bunch of lunatics!" Slean cursed through gritted teeth as he watched the news replay on television.
King Nasubi's actions were effectively wagering the entire nation as a bargaining chip; no sane national leader would make such a choice. Yet this man had not only done it but had burnt his bridges completely.
As Slean struggled to manage the burgeoning crisis, his beautiful female secretary walked in with a document and placed it on his desk. "Sir, this is an order just issued by the High Decision-Making Committee."
"Oh? What are the contents?" Slean asked curiously.
The secretary replied without hesitation, "Hunt Beyond Netero. Dead or alive. And they have specifically requested that 'Grim Reaper' Allen handle the mission personally. Additionally, there is bad news. Just over an hour ago, a group of ruthless Nen users attacked the prison holding Pariston Hill and successfully broke him out."
"My God! Why is everything going wrong at once? Have the identities of the jailbreakers been verified?" Slean rubbed his forehead, a pained expression on his face. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in over a week, spending nearly every waking hour in high-intensity work. The most visible symptom was his worsening "Mediterranean" male-pattern baldness. At this rate, he'd be completely bald in a few months.
"Based on the surveillance footage, we have no matching identities in our database. This means there is a 90% probability they are from Meteor City. Furthermore, the reactions from the intelligence community are strange; they seem to have no intention of pursuing the lead. I think..."
Before she could finish, Slean interrupted, "If you know, keep it to yourself. Don't say it aloud."
"Understood. I'll leave the order here. Please contact Allen-san as soon as possible. Your superiors want to hear news of Beyond's death in the shortest time possible."
With a slight bow, the secretary turned and left. The moment the door closed, Slean picked up his phone and dialed the number at the top of his contacts.
After a few rings, Allen's voice came through the receiver. "Hello? Calling this late... is it an emergency?"
"I assume you've seen the news these past few days?" Slean asked, getting straight to the point.
"Of course. With all this noise, it's hard to miss. So, have you foot-dragging bureaucrats come up with a countermeasure yet?" Allen teased with a half-smile.
Hearing this sarcasm, Slean couldn't help but complain, "Stop with the snide remarks! Do you know how strong Kakin's military is? They are a nuclear-armed state! And that idiot King Nasubi is a madman, acting like he's ready to drag us all down with him. If it were you, would you risk a nuclear war to stop him?"
"Don't make excuses for your weakness. If it were me, I'd slip into the palace and kill Nasubi and everyone supporting him. Violence is always the best and most effective tool for problem-solving; it's simply a matter of whether you have the guts for it," Allen replied, his tone laced with contempt.
"Political assassination is a taboo. We don't use it unless it's a last resort. Forget it, I'm not going to argue with you. Let's get to the main point," Slean said, decisively shifting the topic. After spending time with the young man on the other end of the line, he knew exactly how low Allen's opinion of politicians was. Continuing the debate would only invite further humiliation.
Allen didn't press the issue either, asking directly, "Fine, what mission have you lined up for me this time?"
"Hunt Beyond. Dead or alive," Slean stated the command freshly issued by the V5 committee.
"Oh? And my compensation? Don't tell me it's money. You know I have no interest in that," Allen said, immediately beginning to drive a hard bargain.
"What do you want?" Slean asked cautiously.
"All records and data regarding the Dark Continent, as well as a navigation permit," Allen listed his demands in one breath.
"What? You want to go to the Dark Continent too?" Slean was clearly surprised.
"Yeah. Exactly. To be fair, any Hunter with an ounce of ambition or drive yearns to explore the Dark Continent. Besides, since you can't stop Kakin's exploration anymore anyway, instead of holding out here, you should be thinking about how to maximize your benefits," Allen explained nonchalantly.
"Fine. I'll do my best to lobby for you, but I can't guarantee how much I can get," Slean sighed helplessly.
"Then it's a deal! I'm heading out now to track down Beyond."
Hearing that the other party hadn't flatly refused, Allen knew the deal was likely secure. His tone carried a hint of excitement. After such a long period of preparation, he was finally going to explore that truly unknown realm and witness a much broader horizon.
"I wish you a successful hunt!" Slean said before hanging up. He stood up immediately to find his superior. Information on the Dark Continent was highly classified; he didn't have the clearance, so he needed someone higher up to facilitate the negotiation.