Hunter x Hunter: Card Master, the Strongest in the World.

Chapter 259 S-Class Emperor Engine! Insect Genetic Technology!

The only A-level item card comes from [Martian Alien], which is [Insect Genetic Technology] and can be considered a "cultivation technique" card.

Terra Formars is a rather unique work because it involves a group of people fighting mutated cockroach-like beings on Mars.

In this worldview, in the mid-21st century, due to the explosive growth of Earth's population and the unbearable burden on the environment, humans released moss and cockroaches onto Mars to improve the Martian climate in order to carry out Mars colonization.

As a result, the cockroaches that humans released to modify the environment evolved into terrifying creatures.

Ostensibly, a large group of people were sent to Mars to drive them away, but in reality, they just wanted to obtain more detailed information.

This group of people first underwent surgery to modify their genes, and then only needed to inject a drug at a critical moment to unleash the power of their genes.

For example, people with the bullet ant gene will become incredibly strong after being injected with the drug, while people with the locust gene will have amazing speed and extraordinary jumping ability.

This is a good result, especially in terms of its high value for scientific research.

Especially since this is the world of Hunter x Hunter, it has countless special insects that are not found in the Martian aliens universe, giving it a higher potential.

The original work could only select relatively normal insects such as mantises and poisonous bees.

He had a very suitable insect target at hand.

Chimera ants!

If this technology could be used to create corresponding enhancement methods for these special chimeric ants from the Dark Continent, the effect would definitely be stronger than using ordinary insects.

Of course, the specific situation depends on how well Orochimaru responds.

He glanced through it briefly and found that the technology was quite basic, only including a portion of the core content.

To truly put this into practice successfully and focus on chimeric ants, continuous experimentation and research are needed, which naturally falls to his only scientist, Aunt Snake.

Although the burden was heavy, he still placed high hopes on Orochimaru.

Orochimaru was already skilled in biological research, and with the most important core technology already in hand, it would just take him a little longer. With his abilities, he would succeed sooner or later.

He was convinced of it.

If successful, then it will be something to look forward to.

Ordinary people would experience a leap in strength after injection, but it's unknown what would happen if a Nen user received the injection.

It might even be used on the chimeric ants themselves to enhance their strength.

This may seem like just a technique, but if used properly, it might help him build a formidable team.

Lynn pondered for a moment, then realized that the trait bar had reached its end, and the last card was revealed.

A look of anticipation flashed across his eyes.

Let's see what kind of cards this Chimera Ant territory can produce.

[Rank: S—]

[Type: Ability Card]

[Background: One-Punch Man]

[Introduction: Originating from King, the seventh S-class hero of the Hero Association, this ability allows the user to control their heartbeat and exert their power. It has three effects: Effect 1: Imperial Majesty - Increases the intensity of the released aura. Effect 2: Imperial Talent - Enhances aptitude for abilities related to aura and kingship, with the potential for self-taught mastery. The more kings defeated, the greater the improvement. Effect 3: Ideological Influence - Makes it easier for others to misunderstand the user's thoughts.]

It really is an S-rank card!

Not only that, it's also a very interesting ability card.

The Emperor Engine—it's a resounding and imposing name, and its owner is none other than King, the seventh-ranked S-class hero in One-Punch Man, known as "the strongest man on Earth."

However, as a viewer, Lynn knew very well that this was actually fake.

In some works, there is a special type of character who is often misled by others due to various misunderstandings. In reality, they are either weak or have no strategy, but are mistaken for strongmen or strategists.

King is that kind of person.

In the story, whether it's humans, monsters, or even gods, everyone considers King to be the absolute strongest.

This is perfectly normal. If he didn't have the God's-eye view as an audience member, he would feel the same way.

After all, King has an extremely imposing face.

And every time danger arises, Saitama, the strongest fighter, appears, defeats the enemy, and then quickly leaves, leading people to believe that King defeated the enemy.

Rather than calling him the "strongest man on earth," he's more like the "strongest summoner," as he manages to "summon" the bald demon king Saitama every time.

He also has a special talent: a very strong heart. When he is nervous, his heart beats faster, and even the people around him can hear his strong heartbeat, like an engine starting up.

Whenever the enemy hears this sound, they will subconsciously recall King's achievements, and then begin to be brainwashed, losing without a fight.

Therefore, this kind of heartbeat is also known as the "Emperor's Engine".

As it stands, King's Emperor Engine has no practical use, while his Emperor Engine is different, having three different effects.

The first effect is an amplification; for example, the effect of his psychic pressure will be better afterward.

The second effect is somewhat intriguing; it improves his aptitude in the "King of Glory" category, though the specifics of how this effect manifests are currently unknown.

However, it is surprisingly capable of growing.

As long as he continues to defeat the "King" level, his own aptitude in the "King" level will improve accordingly. Just as two tigers cannot share one mountain, only one king is allowed in this world.

Finding an enemy who meets the criteria for a King of Glory is probably not easy.

The only one he could think of right now was the King Ant.

The third effect, which is also the core of the Emperor Engine, is that it can influence the thinking of others. For example, even if the enemy is stronger than him, he may misunderstand and retreat.

This has happened to King many times, and it has been surprisingly effective in crucial moments.

Meanwhile, Netero and his group arrived, and the Chimera Ants also regained consciousness.

However, after regaining consciousness, she seemed even more depressed than before.

Her once clear gaze was now filled with a complex expression.

They are now much like Corudo was just now; they are finding it difficult to accept the current situation.

If originally, he only harbored the idea of ​​protecting the queen ant.

So when human memories are fully awakened, their thoughts begin to waver.

What should they do now?

With human souls but the appearance of monsters, can they still live a normal life?

Lynn was not surprised to see the chimera ants remaining silent.

Just like Corrugdo, they all need some time to recover. "What a disaster!"

Bi Hong looked down at his pale blue skin, thick skin, and the immense power contained within his body, and said in a deep voice.

It even has a pair of long bull horns on its head.

How can you tell it's a human being?

In truth, many people would be willing to become Chimera Ants, especially someone like a division commander.

They can retain a significant amount of human memory, and also acquire talents and powers that they did not originally possess.

Compared to most humans, the Chimera Ants are far more gifted, their strength increasing at an astonishing rate, as if they've been given a cheat code.

This is extremely important in the Hunter x Hunter world, which is based on strength. Only by having strength can one have the ability to determine one's own destiny.

If the news gets out, a whole bunch of people might be willing to offer themselves up to the queen ant.

All in exchange for greater power.

However, these people did not include those who were present when they died.

The humans who can be devoured by the queen ant are basically residents of the NGL Autonomous Country.

Aside from the unfortunate Pokkuru, who was eaten too late, the queen ant had already begun to nurture the king ant, so he was not born but was simply provided as nourishment for the king ant.

It wouldn't have mattered if he had been caught earlier or later.

If he had reincarnated earlier, he could at least have been reborn as a Chimera Ant at the Master Commander level, which would have been much better than his original talent.

If they arrive a little later, Kate and the others will be there. Catwoman won't be born yet, and they'll definitely be able to be saved.

It's really unlucky that I got caught at this crucial moment.

The people who died were residents of the NGL autonomous region, and naturally, members of green organizations that lived in harmony with nature.

Therefore, they are not interested in any kind of power and only like to live a simple and leisurely life. So rather than becoming like this, they prefer to look like humans.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".

Meanwhile, Merleon also successfully recalled his memories from the human era.

Unlike the others, whose faces were somber, Merleon had two lines of tears on his face.

Merleon, holding a book, walked to the side and finally knelt down in one spot—the body of Penguin Peggy!

Page, whose head had already been blown off, was later eaten by the hungry King Ant.

Only the scattered remains of the body made it appear even more tragic.

Merleon knelt before the body, wiping away tears from his face, and kept making soft sobs.

Peggy the penguin is its godfather!

His adoptive father was a scholar from NGL who later adopted him, and the two lived together.

Although he is called a godfather, he is more like its biological father.

But the appearance of the chimeric ants completely shattered all of this!

Both of them were eaten, and in the end, they both turned into this horrible state.

Even in this state, its adoptive father still did not survive.

If someone were standing in front of Merleon now, they would see its contorted expression.

"Mereon, what's wrong?" Bi Hong asked, puzzled.

It's understandable that it cried; it also felt like crying, after all, a perfectly healthy person had turned into this.

But why kneel before Peggy's body?

"Peggy the penguin—was my godfather when I was human!"

Merleon spoke haltingly, his voice trembling with sobs, before abruptly standing up and turning around at the end.

Completely different from the leisurely, sun-loving Merleon of the past, the Merleon of the past is dead.

There is only one human left who wants to take revenge on the Ant King because his adoptive father died tragically!

So Peggy is Merleon's godfather?!

Upon hearing this, the division commanders, including Bi Hong, widened their eyes in shock. The impact of this news was second only to their recently recovered human memories.

They could then understand Merleon's current personality change.

He had personally witnessed his adoptive father's gruesome death right before his eyes—

"Did this really happen?"

Mo Laowu asked in surprise.

This incident also surprised Mo Laowu and the others, as it was truly too much of a coincidence.

It just so happens that both father and son are division commanders, and the father was killed by the Ant King, which made Merleon very sad.

"Let me ask you, do you want to continue living as humans, or as chimeras?"

Now that they had all regained their human memories, Lynn asked them one last question.

This also makes it easier to process them later.

"Nature is humankind."

"We definitely want to go back to human life."

Bi Hongweng said, "This is also the sentiment of both the Octopus Division Commander and the Bear Division Commander. They both hope to continue human life."

"I see. But your homeland has been destroyed, and in your current state, you are probably not suitable to return to human society."

"Why don't you work under me for now? Who knows, you might be able to regain your human form someday."

Lynn's words rekindled hope in Bi Hong and the others; in this vast world, there was still a place for them to go!

Not only that, there is even hope of regaining human form!

This statement might not be very credible if it came from anyone else, but Lynn had just demonstrated an amazing skill.

That was really scary.

Lynn's ability to eliminate a large number of division commanders and corps captains in such a short time, and even restore their memories, shocked them greatly.

Deep down, he couldn't help but trust Lynn.

Therefore, Bi Hong and the others were willing to work under Lynn.

"Please wait a moment," Merleon suddenly said.

"I'd like to ask you, are you going to fight the Ant King next?"

'

Merleon asked Lynn, his resentment evident in his eyes.

"Yes, but you're not capable of following me right now."

Lynn knew what Merleon wanted to say without even having to guess, and vetoed it in advance.

Merion, who hasn't developed Nen abilities yet, is of no use to him. Even if he did develop them, he wouldn't need Merion to defeat the Chimera Ant King.

Merion is a rare Specialist Nen user; his Nen ability is [Proof of God's Absence].

By simply holding your breath, you can make yourself disappear.

Later, a branch of Nen ability was developed—[God's Accomplice], which can make others disappear together, greatly increasing its operability.

This ability is indeed powerful; even the guards couldn't detect it.

The ability to develop this Nen ability is most likely due to its "invisibility" talent as a chameleon.

But it was still useless against Lynn. Not to mention that he already had the [Snake Talisman] which allowed him to become invisible, with his current strength, he didn't need to resort to tricks like in the original story.

You can totally overpower it, like a giant truck running over the ant queen.

Of course, Merleon is not entirely useless; on the contrary, his ability to become invisible is unique.

It's useless now, but Merleon will be able to use it sooner or later.

Both ambushes and reconnaissance are possible.

Lynn's words silenced Merleon once again.

Come to think of it, it couldn't even move when facing the ant queen before, so how much help could it possibly offer?

"If you crave power, I can give you a chance."

"Come under my command, and I can help you improve your strength as quickly as possible. Perhaps you'll even have the chance to stand before the Ant King on the day the war begins."

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