Just a few days later, within the V5 headquarters building, politicians and bureaucrats were frantically occupied.
Changing from the V5 to the V6 was not something that could be accomplished with mere words. Existing powers had to be amended and redistributed to a certain extent; the endless daily meetings alone were enough to give them splitting headaches.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Slean.
Having received yet another promotion, he was no longer required to deal with those tedious disputes. Instead, he was now specifically in charge of the Special Operations Office, responsible for the exploration of the Dark Continent and monitoring every move of the Kakin Royal Family.
It must be said that for anyone, this new job was a significant challenge.
Slean found himself suffering from insomnia once again, especially after reading the exploration records of the Dark Continent and the detailed information regarding various terrifying calamities.
He couldn't help it.
Judging from those files, the danger level of the Dark Continent surpassed the limits of anyone's imagination. To say nothing of the distant past, the Five Threats that had already been identified remained completely unsolvable to this day.
This was because many of them simply could not be killed.
More precisely, they could not be killed by any means known to mankind, be it nuclear bombs, the Poor Man's Rose, biochemical weapons, or even Nen abilities.
Slean shuddered to imagine the hellish landscape that would ensue if these horrific monsters ever spread into the human world.
While he was immersed in his dread of the unknown, his female secretary finally pushed open the door and entered. In a clinical, emotionless voice, she reported, "Sir, the guest you have been waiting for has arrived."
"Quickly, show him in! Never mind, I'll go personally."
With that, Slean hurriedly scooped up the thick stack of documents from his desk and rushed out of the office.
After walking just a few paces, he saw Allen waiting in the hallway. He immediately greeted him with a smile, "Long time no see. You're looking well."
"Of course! Eating and sleeping every day, it'd be strange if I didn't look good. You, on the other hand, look like you're at death's door. You've even lost all your hair." Allen looked at the man's round, shiny head and couldn't help but crack a joke.
The last time they met, though the man had a receding hairline, at least half of his head was still covered. Now, only the gleaming "mark of the strong" remained.
"Damn it! Don't even mention it! It's all thanks to those bastards from Kakin! A while back, I was getting less than four hours of sleep a day. My private doctor thought I might drop dead at any moment. Then, just as the trouble with Kakin was settled, my superiors put me in charge of the Dark Continent and monitoring Kakin's every move. Since reading the intel on the Dark Continent, my insomnia has only gotten worse."
At the mention of his hair loss, Slean immediately began to pour out his grievances.
From his tormented old face, it was clear he was utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically.
"Relax! You don't have to actually go to the Dark Continent. You just need to sit in your office and give orders," Allen comforted him with a smile.
"I hope so. Here, these are the detailed materials on the Dark Continent I promised. You can read them at your leisure on the ship. Now, come with me to meet my direct superior, the chief representative of the V5, Urban-san."
As Slean spoke, he shoved the documents into Allen's hands and led the way toward the upstairs office.
The two of them soon arrived at a dark brown door via the elevator. After Slean exchanged a few words with the guards, he led Allen inside.
The room was approximately two hundred square meters. The walls on both sides were lined with over a dozen oil paintings of various figures in profile. In the center of the room sat a desk, and behind it, a man in his sixties.
Clearly, this was the powerful Urban.
Slean placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly. "Excellency, the man beside me is the Allen you've been interested in."
"Oh? You look even younger in person than in the video records. If I recall correctly, you aren't an adult yet, are you?" A faint smile appeared on Urban's aged face.
"That's right. I'm only sixteen this year," Allen replied, making no effort to hide his current body's age.
"Truly young and promising! Slean, you may leave. I wish to speak with this young man in private." Urban bluntly dismissed his subordinate.
After watching Slean exit and close the door, Urban asked with a half-smile, "If memory serves, you have quite a history with the Kakin Royal Family, don't you?"
"Correct. Those people plotted against me, and they were the true culprits behind the Chimera Ant incident. So, I intend to find an opportunity for revenge."
Allen didn't hide anything, openly admitting his hostility toward the Kakin Royalty.
"Excellent! You are very candid. I like candid people. So tell me, what was your original plan for revenge?" Urban followed up.
"It's simple. Sabotage the Succession Contest they've worked so hard to organize, and then kill the current King, Nasubi. In doing so, Kakin will inevitably fall into unprecedented internal chaos. Factions eager to end the royal rule will surely seize the chance to drastically weaken the Crown's power. Regardless of the final outcome, Kakin will decline, perhaps the monarchy will even be completely overthrown and abolished."
In his pursuit of revenge against Kakin, Allen had remained relatively restrained, targeting only a few individuals. He knew that aside from the current King, even most of the Princes were kept in the dark.
However, hearing this, Urban's expression immediately turned to one of disappointment. "Sabotage the Succession Contest? Do you have any idea how terrifying the Nen generated by that ritual is?"
Allen nodded slightly. "Yes, I know a bit. I also know that the Seed Urn likely contains the powerful Post-Mortem Nen of all those who failed the ritual in previous generations."
"And you still believe you have the ability to sabotage it?" Urban's face showed a glimmer of curiosity.
"There is no such thing as invincible power in this world, nor is there a perfect Nen ability. No matter how much Post-Mortem Nen is contained within that urn, its essence is still just 'Aura' composed of life energy. And handling things related to Aura happens to be my specialty. Now, after all this talk, what kind of authorization do you plan to give me?"
Allen looked up, meeting the old man's bright, sharp eyes.
"Heh! You are indeed clever. I will give you the highest level of authorization. If possible, you may kill every single member of the Kakin Royal Family on that ship. Especially that urn—it must be destroyed at all costs. To ensure success, I will have intelligence personnel assist you from the shadows. But be warned: if you fail, I will disavow everything from today's conversation and may even list you as a top-priority fugitive." Urban stated his stance clearly.
"So if I fail, I automatically become a disposable pawn? That's very typical of a politician. But it doesn't matter," Allen agreed without a second thought.