Establishing contact with Kakin's Seventh Prince, Luzurus Hui Guo Rou, had been part of Ivan's plan from the very beginning.
He knew Pakunoda's ability very well.
So from the moment he realized the Phantom Troupe would learn he was alive, he also knew where they would go looking for him.
One place was Correa.
The other was Heinrich.
He had felt safe visiting Correa at first because he believed news of his resurrection wouldn't spread so quickly.
But reality proved otherwise.
He had underestimated the Troupe's speed.
Still, discovering their presence at the Judicial Bureau was actually good news.
After all, it was better than realizing they were already waiting at his door.
Then came the issue of Heinrich.
Their deal had been simple:
Heinrich would provide the location of the Gashaya Family's new narcotics trade, and Ivan would show up as an investigator to conduct a raid.
But since Pakunoda had already read his predecessor's memories, Ivan didn't believe the Troupe would fail to connect the dots.
And once they did—
that deal would become a trap.
At that point, Heinrich's personal stance no longer mattered.
No matter what he chose, Ivan would be walking into danger.
Yet Ivan had still chosen to make the deal.
Because his goal had been to divide or delay the Phantom Troupe's movements.
Knowing it was a trap, Ivan had no intention of jumping into it.
From the very beginning, he had never planned to raid the Gashaya Family.
He didn't care whether the new drug was distributed by the Shu-U Family or the Gashaya Family.
Even if he destroyed this single transaction, it wouldn't stop the drug from entering the market.
This was Kakin.
So instead, Ivan chose to go straight to the root of the problem.
By contacting the Seventh Prince, the power behind the Gashaya Family.
With Sevanti's introduction and his own identity as an investigator, Ivan only needed to convince the Seventh Prince of one thing:
That he had no intention of investigating the documents left by Lyman.
Or perhaps—
to make the prince curious about those documents.
Either way, there was a high chance the Seventh Prince would choose to protect him.
After all, such "protection" merely meant instructing the Kakin mafia not to target him.
For a prince, that was nothing more than a simple phone call.
Wilge drove Ivan toward another palace gate.
The Seventh Prince wasn't currently inside the royal palace.
However, the route they took was not the same entrance Ivan had used earlier.
"Do you just need the truck driven into the palace?" Wilge asked.
"Yes," Ivan replied.
"Somewhere discreet."
"The man inside can be held for a couple of days."
"As for the contents of the cargo compartment… they'll leave on their own and find me."
Wilge glanced at him curiously.
"What's inside the truck?"
"Dinosaurs," Ivan said with a smile.
"Dinosaurs?" Wilge blinked in surprise before shaking his head.
"Kakin has dinosaurs?"
"That's news to me."
"Though recently there have been reports of newly discovered species."
"The government is even considering hiring Hunters to investigate unknown wildlife."
Ivan frowned slightly.
That comment reminded him of someone.
Kite.
A Hunter who appeared early in the manga and later returned during the Chimera Ant arc with a new body.
He was also the disciple of Ging Freecss and played a major role in triggering Gon's rampage.
Ivan remembered that Kite had once conducted biological surveys in Kakin.
During one expedition, he even discovered a species called the Camping Tiger, a horned beast that roasted its prey using fire.
If Wilge's information was correct, the Hunter likely to be invited for such work might indeed be Kite.
Compared to navigating Kakin's tangled web of mafia, royalty, and the Phantom Troupe—
Ivan felt far more drawn to a life like Kite's.
Exploring the world.
Studying strange creatures.
Of course, that was only a fantasy.
Because if he were being honest—
what fascinated him most wasn't wildlife in general.
It was dinosaurs.
Whether ancient prehistoric dinosaurs or the fantastical dragons from fiction.
Perhaps once he escaped the chaos of Kakin, he could earn a Hunter License and become a paleontologist.
Something like Dr. Ferdinand, though hopefully without his eccentric habit of claiming that even spitting on the ground insulted the earth.
If Ivan had never been transported to this world after obtaining Scary Monsters, he might have returned to Britain and opened a natural history museum.
Before transmigration, he had spent his life chasing poaching cases.
After arriving in this world, he had considered becoming a doctor.
Or even an executioner.
Eventually, he had become a royal guard.
Now he had transmigrated again.
His current identity was an investigator.
But he was tired.
What he truly wanted now was to devote himself to things he actually loved.
"If I could become the creator of the Monster Hunter series," Ivan muttered to himself, "that would be pretty great."
"What?" Wilge asked.
"I didn't catch that."
"Nothing," Ivan said with a smile.
"I was just thinking that my future suddenly feels a lot clearer."
Open a dinosaur museum.
Find like-minded people.
Develop games together.
And occasionally travel for research and exploration.
As Ivan imagined that future, the car slowly drove out of the palace.
At the same time—
A palace soldier approached the cargo truck.
He had been ordered to drive it into the palace compound.
But the moment he reached for the door handle—
pain exploded in the back of his head.
His body collapsed forward against the door.
He didn't fall.
Because a bamboo skewer had pierced through his skull, pinning him directly to the truck door.
Blood slowly dripped down the metal surface.
Inside the truck, Pike heard a dull thud.
When he turned his head, he saw the soldier's eyes rolling upward outside the window.
Already terrified, Pike screamed in panic.
And then he saw someone approaching.
A tall, heavily built man.
His hair stood up like the spines of a porcupine.
A wide, excited grin stretched across his face as he walked toward the truck.
Pike didn't know who the man was.
But he knew one thing.
He was doomed.
Regret flooded his mind.
He shouldn't have stayed in the truck.
He should have chosen to become a dinosaur.
At least then he wouldn't have to face this terrifying man now.
After all—
when the hijacker gave him the choice earlier, he had hesitated.
Why had he trusted the soldiers and their guns?
Just because weapons made him feel safe?
But hadn't he already learned a few hours ago—
guns meant nothing against true monsters?
Uvogin saw the despair on Pike's face.
He saw the regret in his eyes.
He liked that feeling.
The only problem was—
Pike was far too weak.
Still, that didn't matter.
As Uvogin approached the truck, he remembered what Chrollo had told him.
There was another gift waiting inside the cargo compartment.
Hopefully this dinosaur would be more interesting.
He didn't want another fragile creature made from cats and dogs—
something that died with a single touch.
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