December 5th
After the rain cleared, puddles of water reflected the fragmented sky, making the world seem as if it had been divided into pieces.
Since the Professional Hunters' website announced the list of heroes and rewards from the Chimera Ant extermination mission, more and more people wanted to get close to Germain.
But Germain didn't like this at all.
For him, celebrating privately with Morel, Knov, Knuckle, Shoot, Palm, and a few others was more than enough.
Those outstretched hands, business cards handed his way, cameras pointed at him, and microphones held up to his face—none of these were what he wanted.
Germain already didn't like staying long at the Hunter Association headquarters. Being constantly surrounded by persistent people only made him more impatient.
So, on the night he officially became the "Rat" in the Zodiac, he decided to leave on December 5th.
Though Cheadle was swamped with responsibilities recently, when she learned about Germain's intentions, she helped arrange a flight to Greed Island.
Rumor had it that Cheadle was highly likely to become the next Vice Chairman. All that was left was for Netero to give his approval and make the official announcement.
Still, regardless of the formalities, Cheadle was already handling the duties of a Vice Chairman—and even some of the Chairman's tasks had been offloaded onto her.
Lately, she had been so busy that "running in circles" was no exaggeration—it was the literal truth.
Even so, Cheadle still managed to find time to arrange a flight for Germain, showing just how strong her time management skills were.
Meanwhile, the decision presented to the Chimera Ants on November 23rd was reaching its deadline.
Over the past ten or so days, the Chimera Ants had been grappling with how to approach this decision, each with their own concerns and hesitations.
Now that Germain was about to leave, they could no longer afford to delay. It was time to make a choice.
In the end, the Chimera Ants split into two factions.
Bloster decided to follow in the footsteps of the siblings Colt and Shidore, returning to their human hometown—the NGL Autonomous Region—even if it meant living under constant surveillance for the rest of his life.
His wish was quickly granted, and he left earlier than Germain, being arranged to return to the NGL Autonomous Region.
As for the other Chimera Ants—Meleoron, the "Chameleon"; Ikalgo, the "Octopus"; Welfin, the "Wolfman"; and Hina, the "Rabbit Girl"—they decided to leave with Germain.
This decision came after deep thought, mutual discussion, and careful consideration of the pros and cons.
According to Germain, their destination was a place called Greed Island.
It is said that the island is quite large, so living there shouldn't be a problem for them.
Of course, they wouldn't get a settlement there for free; they would need to work on the island under Germain, the "Rat."
Among them, Meleoron had a unique reason for going. Besides thinking about his future as a Chimera Ant, he also wanted to repay Germain.
Without Germain, his plan to seek revenge on the "Ant King and the Royal Guards" would likely have failed.
However, this wasn't the end of things.
Palm unexpectedly expressed her desire to join them on their journey to Greed Island.
This surprised many people, especially her mentor Knov, as well as Morel, Knuckle, and Shoot.
They all came to ask her about her reasons.
After all, Palm had originally been a professional Hunter, and it was only during the Chimera Ant Extermination Mission that she ended up in her current form. The Hunter Association would never treat her unfairly.
Treating her poorly would be as shameful as neglecting a firefighter who rushed into a blazing fire or a narcotics officer who went undercover with drug lords.
Yet, Palm still decided to leave with Meleoron, Ikalgo, Welfin, and Hina, to settle on Greed Island with Germain.
Palm's reason was simple. Like Meleoron, she wanted to repay Germain and work for him.
The current state of her body, even though she is recognized as a hero, prevents her from appearing openly in front of the world. This was all thanks to Neferpitou and Shaiapouf.
Palm hoped to repay this kindness by helping Germain in whatever way she could.
Besides this, she really couldn't think of a better place than Greed Island to start over and find peace of mind.
After learning about Palm's true feelings, Morel, Knov, and the others stayed silent for a long time. They didn't try to persuade her anymore but instead came together to see off Germain, Palm, and the others.
Morel, Knov, and the others were also deeply grateful to Germain and had already decided to support him whenever he needed help in the future.
Since Palm's thoughts aligned with theirs, there was no reason for them to object further.
Among those who came to see them off were Morel, Knov, Knuckle, Shoot, and Cheadle.
Netero didn't come to say goodbye.
It wasn't because he was putting on airs as the Chairman. After December 3rd, he had handed all Hunter Association affairs to Cheadle and Beans, then disappeared.
This was one reason why Cheadle had been so busy lately.
The Chairman always did things like this—leaving without explaining his reasons or destination. Cheadle had grown used to it by now.
The purpose of the "Zodiac" was to temporarily manage the Association's affairs when Chairman Netero was away from headquarters.
As for the other members of the Zodiac, they had gradually left after the December 2nd meeting since they each had their own tasks and jobs.
In the end, only Cheadle remained at headquarters.
Cheadle came to see them off and brought along another girl.
Komugi, the Gungi girl, timidly boarded the airship.
Along the way, she stumbled and fell in fear when she saw the strange-looking Chimera Ants. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt.
Yes, she could see now.
"Breath of the Archangel" not only healed the injuries she had sustained from Zeno's "Dragon Dive" but also cured her blindness.
However, when she woke up and saw this unfamiliar world clearly for the first time, she didn't feel joy. Instead, she was a little scared.
It took her several days to adjust to the idea of being able to see the world.
Komugi was lucky. Her extraordinary talent in Gungi had saved her life. Meruem, wanting to surpass her, hadn't killed her immediately.
But her family wasn't as fortunate. They had been killed by the soldiers under Neferpitou's control and casually buried in the dirt.
They hadn't been deemed worthy to be reborn as Chimera Ants, nor had they been used as food.
Neferpitou had buried the bodies only to avoid exposing the "selection" process too early. Otherwise, they would have just been discarded on the spot.
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