In his previous life, Law's definition of exploration was naive, and his attitude wasn't rigorous enough.
Every venture into dangerous territory carried significant potential risks, not something that could be borne with a casual, joking attitude.
So, the team that once set out with laughter and cheers eventually faced a catastrophic disaster.
Teammates died unexpectedly, the team fell apart, and in the end, only he was left.
Despite this, Law still understood the fundamental difference between being part of a team and being a solo act.
Back when he first went to the Dark Continent, he only took Biscuit and Tonpa. There, they encountered countless dangers, but each time, they managed to get through them by supporting each other.
That was the importance of a team.
Regarding the blueprint for the second expedition to the Dark Continent, things weren't yet clear.
But one point was absolutely certain: the combination of Knov and Shiro.
The combination of Hide-and-Seek and Fool's Method, once paired, would become an unparalleled logistical system.
Therefore, Law absolutely had to get Shiro on board.
Using a method that played to Shiro's interests to pique his curiosity was the persuasion tactic Law employed.
This was also something Ging couldn't do, because Ging had never been to the Dark Continent.
Law's description of the unknown tobacco hadn't swayed Shiro, but it certainly had piqued his interest.
After all, he too was a Pro Hunter, with his own pursuits.
After a long silence, Shiro said, "I'll think about it."
Over the past two days, he had firmly refused Ging countless times. But this time, he couldn't bring himself to give a firm refusal.
However, he wouldn't agree to come aboard easily either… there were many reasons involved.
The key point was, not everyone could be as carefree as Ging, able to set aside family without pressure to pursue a dangerous future.
Shiro found that difficult to do. Moreover, he was older than both Law and Ging, lacking the vitality and drive that the young possessed.
"Alright."
Law agreed. He understood the principle that haste makes waste, and besides, there was still plenty of time, so he wasn't in a hurry.
Furthermore, Shiro's response was a good sign.
A moment later, the two left the room one after the other.
Law went to Netero's room, while Shiro went downstairs to the first floor.
Upon entering the room, Law saw this scene:
Netero was looking out the window, Cheadle was looking at Netero, and the air was very quiet.
Law felt the atmosphere was a bit strange and closed the door behind him.
Even after the door closed, Netero remained staring out the window, his gaze unmoving. Cheadle turned her head to look at Law standing by the door and was the first to break the room's silent atmosphere.
"I need to know more about the Chimera Ant eggs." Cheadle stood up, her tone very serious.
"Talk about it here?" Law glanced at Netero.
Hearing this, Cheadle also looked at Netero, hesitated for a moment, then shook her head at Law.
Seeing this, Law thought for a bit, then looked at Netero again. After a moment, without saying anything, he opened the door and walked out.
Cheadle looked at the open door, then at Netero, and hesitantly said, "Chairman..."
"Go. I'm not that fragile."
Netero suddenly interrupted Cheadle's words.
His tone was flat, betraying no emotion, but the content of his words lifted Cheadle's spirits and alleviated many of her worries.
"Alright!"
Cheadle responded, then hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.
When the room held only Netero, his gaze finally shifted, slowly settling on the closed door.
A long time later, he let out a deep sigh. "A complete defeat."
Compared to the battle with the Ant King, the fight with Law was a complete defeat in every aspect.
Whether it was strength or technique, he had been thoroughly suppressed by Law.
Netero was never the type to be knocked down by a single defeat. Following his nature, where he fell, he would absolutely rise again from that very spot… this was actually quite similar to Uvogin.
But after experiencing this battle, just as Law had anticipated, Netero abandoned that line of thought.
After all, he wasn't Uvogin, possessing a youthful body at its peak.
He was old, no longer suited to be a pursuer, or rather, he lacked the energy to pursue anymore.
In fact, Netero didn't know that even the single-minded, stubbornly unyielding Uvogin had actually long since given up on chasing Law.
Some people are just unreasonable.
Even if you bolt on an electric motor, you can't outrun someone's magically infused 'flying legs'.
Cheating, right?
...
Cheadle followed Law out of the room, heading to the other end of the corridor, which was also past the stairwell.
The two stood by a window. Moonlight streamed through, falling upon them.
"During the final assault on the palace, the enemies were strong, so there was no extra time to focus on the Chimera Ant eggs. Basically, all the information was gathered by Tonpa using his Nen Ability..."
Law got straight to the point, organizing the information he possessed and stating it sentence by sentence.
Cheadle was like a faithful listener. While Law narrated this information, even though many doubts arose midway, she never interrupted him.
After about three minutes, Law finished his account.
Cheadle's expression turned slightly grave. Still not voicing her doubts, she said in a low voice, "Where did Pariston hide those eggs? And what is his purpose?"
"Isn't finding out where he hid the eggs a rather simple matter?" Law asked curiously.
"Simple?"
Cheadle stared blankly at Law.
Law stated matter-of-factly, "Transporting that many eggs would require using a considerable number of airships. Even if that operation wasn't documented in detail on paper, just asking the pilots or maintenance crew would reveal the airships' movements that day."
Cheadle's head jerked down, as if struck on the back by an invisible boulder.
"Also, even considering the timing of moving the eggs, there's no need to overcomplicate this matter."
Law tilted his head, listening to the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves blown by the wind coming from outside the window.
"What you should be pondering isn't Pariston's original intention and purpose for moving the eggs, but what he can do with that batch of eggs now."
"Huh?"
Cheadle slowly looked up, her eyes flickering.
Then, she thought of a possibility, and a chill ran down her back. "Could it be..."
Law looked at Cheadle's slightly panicked expression and said, "You seem to have thought of the worst possible outcome."
Cheadle gritted her teeth. "Yes. If that batch of eggs has already hatched, and they appear before the public, causing harm... then all the advantages we've painstakingly built up would be... completely undone."
"No wonder Pariston has been inactive all this time. That guy has just been watching the show!"
At this point, Cheadle clenched her fists, staring intently at Law, and said, "Such important information, why didn't you say it earli-"
She stopped herself mid-sentence, took a deep breath, bowed her head, and apologized to Law. "I'm sorry."
She never liked complaining after the fact. But the information about the Chimera Ant eggs was simply too crucial in the Association's internal turmoil this time… enough to cause the hard-won advantages to collapse overnight.
That's why she couldn't help but complain. But halfway through, she immediately caught herself and apologized.
'Two thousand five hundred eggs! And if what Law said was true, each one was born knowing Nen...!'
"Find out where that batch of eggs is, and tell me immediately."
Law's voice sounded in her ear, carrying a faint, drifting quality.
Cheadle looked up, but Law was no longer in front of her.
She spun around just in time to see the hem of Law's clothes disappearing around the stairwell.
Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately took out her phone, notified all key members of the moderate faction, and prepared to convene an emergency meeting.