Hunter x Hunter: From Obtaining the World to Beyond Heaven

Chapter 117 Kang Jae Doesn't Like Memories × The Corpse on the Ceiling

Dia and Qiduo exchanged information with each other.

Although Kido and Bisky set off before Dia, they were a step slower than Dia, who flew there in one breath.

"Not long after entering the hotel, I heard the sounds of fighting. When I rushed over there, I found myself in an abandoned building."

Kito recalled the situation at the time and began to analyze:

"It might be some kind of landmine-like [emission] ability. Once a certain condition is triggered, it will teleport the triggerer to a distant place."

"Wait, what kind of triggering condition could be met by so many people at the same time?"

Dia shook her head, rejecting her conjecture:

"The sounds of battle you heard back then were probably me beating up those bastards, but when I was teleported away, they showed no signs of being teleported away at all."

If it were truly a landmine-like Nen ability that treats everyone equally, how could it have only teleported away the hunters?

"You mean, this is an ability that the enemy initiated? Teleporting so many people away simultaneously without warning, without even showing their faces? If they really have such an ability, why did that teapot commit suicide just now?"

Qi Duo frowned and retorted.

'It seems she didn't commit suicide...'

Dia squinted at Qiduo, whose expression remained unchanged, and thought to herself.

But what Kido said wasn't without reason. If the enemy really had such Nen ability, how could he have been so easily defeated?

"Unless... it's a [divine artifact]?"

Qiduo hesitated before suggesting a possibility, and then, seeing Dia's puzzled look, explained to him what a "divine artifact" was.

After listening quietly to Qiduo's explanation, Dia naturally thought of the Three Sacred Treasures possessed by the Kakin Empire in the manga—

[Ceremony and Zen Buddha] [Auspicious Omen Pill] [Egg in a Pot]

Those three national treasures do indeed each possess special abilities and were used to sustain the war of succession.

If it really is a "divine artifact", then it makes sense.

But would such a precious thing really exist in a place like this?

The two thought about it for a long time, but still felt completely confused.

Ultimately, Kido suggested that they continue searching the inn to see if they could wait for their other companions to arrive.

Silva and Bisky were also teleported away at the same time, and they should theoretically have also thought of heading to the inn.

So the two of them left the study and began to explore other places.

Upon arriving here, Dia had already figured out the surrounding environment using the ripple radar.

They were currently in the center of the first floor of the hotel; heading south down the corridor would take them back to the track where Dia killed Uluru.

The corridor to the north leads to the hotel restaurant on the first floor, which is currently deserted.

After discussing it, the two decided to go directly to the second floor to conduct the investigation.

Firstly, there was nothing left to investigate on the first floor at this point. Secondly, according to Dia's investigation, the second floor of this hotel had actually been turned into a completely hollow, single-level floor!

He didn't know if it was designed this way from the beginning, or if the meridian or someone else wanted to do something with it, so he manually hollowed out all the walls except for the load-bearing columns.

But there is no doubt that this second floor is very valuable to explore at this moment; perhaps that [artifact] is also there.

'It would be a real shame not to try and get your hands on something this good.'

Thinking this, Dia quickened her pace.

Upon reaching the second floor and stepping inside, the sight before her eyes immediately made Diya's eyes narrow!

It turned out that the large, single-level apartment on the second floor was not empty.

From the ceiling, countless black straw ropes hung down, and beneath each rope, a corpse was gleamingly suspended!

Looking at the hanging mummies, Dia felt a chill run down her spine.

It wasn't for any other reason than the ropes around the necks of those mummies!

He had seen this thing before. Not long ago, he had almost been entangled by it and even witnessed the scene of [Shout] being killed on the spot after being entangled by it.

'There are at least several hundred corpses here. Who could have conjured so many ropes at once...?'

The ability to materialize so many ropes while also being able to control them remotely showcases the level of development of the ability user.

"They all died of suffocation; in other words, they were hanged."

Qiduo stepped forward and briefly examined the manner of death of the several corpses. As expected, they had all died from suffocation by hanging.

She also discovered that some of the corpses had knife cut marks on them, as if someone had cut flesh off their bodies.

Why is that?

Thinking back to the person I just met who has lived here for 25 years.

How did he survive for 25 years without food production?

Qiduo felt a pang of toothache and shook her head, unwilling to think about it anymore.

She turned her head, about to say something to Dia.

Roar--!

Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from deep within the second floor!

The sound surged in all directions like ocean waves.

The roar was incredibly strange, like the exhilarating sound of someone who had been choked and was finally freed.

boom!

Immediately following the roar was the sound of a huge floorboard shattering.

Dia and Qiduo exchanged a glance, both finding the roar quite familiar, as if they had heard it somewhere before.

Without hesitation, the two headed towards the source of the sound. If they weren't mistaken, they should run into someone familiar soon...

"Well……"

Kang Jae suddenly opened his eyes and found that he could not breathe at all!

He suppressed the extreme discomfort and reached up to touch his neck, where he touched something rough, like some kind of... rope.

Without any hesitation, Kang Jae grabbed the rope around his neck with both hands, and his enormous aura suddenly exploded, like a mountain roaring and a tsunami exploding in mid-air!

With his exertion, the rope that was tightly wrapped around his neck was instantly torn off!

Kang Jae, having escaped, immediately took a deep breath, and then—

"Roar--!!!"

A thunderous sound erupted from his throat, but he still felt it wasn't enough to vent his anger, so he slammed his fist hard into the floor, creating a huge crater. Only then did he let out a long breath, stand up with satisfaction, and look around.

"Where am I...?"

Kang Jae scratched his head, wondering how he got there.

What was he doing before?

"Ah! That's right! That guy captured Miya and Kita!"

Kang Jae's eyes widened suddenly, and he muttered loudly to himself.

He was gambling with someone, but that person used some underhanded trick and captured Mizaston and Qiduo, forcing him to play a game that he had no idea what was going on!

"So, I guess I lost. Both Mitchellston and Qido are dead..."

Kang Zai muttered to himself with some disappointment that he and Mitchell had been friends for many years, and that Qi Duo had been very kind to him.

He felt a deep sense of loss, overwhelmed by guilt for not being able to save them, which made even the naturally irritable man feel somewhat disappointed.

"You're the one who's dead! You idiotic tiger!"

Suddenly a familiar voice reached his ears, causing him to turn his head sharply and look around blankly.

What came into view was Qiduo and that boy named Dia walking over angrily!

"Hey! You're back to life?"

Kang Zai was overjoyed. What about Mitchellston? Had he also come back to life?

"I've already said I'm not dead, what are you talking about?"

Kido stood there speechlessly, beginning to doubt whether the guy in front of her was really Kang Zai.

He may have seemed stupid before, but he wasn't this out of touch, was he?

Qiduo asked suspiciously:

"You're that idiot tiger, aren't you? When did we first meet?"

"..."

A hint of confusion flashed in Kang Jae's eyes; recalling the past was something completely foreign to him.

Whenever he inadvertently recalls his scarred past, frustration and pain become like hooks, firmly embedded in his flesh, from which he can never break free.

Those memories, like those of a lost soul, never appeared in his mind.

After staring blankly for a while, he shook his head, giving up on torturing himself, and said with righteous indignation:

"I don't remember!"

Kang Jae couldn't tell whether he truly didn't remember or simply didn't want to recall.

But for him most of the time, the answer was the latter.

What kept him going through countless difficult times was his innate "big heart" and his unwavering will, not some vague past.

In summary—

Kang Jae doesn't like to reminisce; since it's already happened, what's the point of thinking about it?

Dia looked at Qiduo with a questioning gaze, and then received a "that's him" look in response, which put her at ease.

As long as it's not Kang Jae in disguise, it's fine.