Deep within Wusong Forest, Zachary stood in a clearing.
He took a deep breath, trying his best to steady his voice.
"That man has arrived. Dressed in white, his strength is incredibly formidable. He took that peeping fellow away, and then—"
He paused, his voice low.
"One punch. With just one punch, my ant colony was completely wiped out."
Ian's brows furrowed tightly.
He turned to look at Layard standing beneath a tree, fury burning in his sinister eyes.
"I will report this matter to the higher-ups."
Ian's voice was as cold as ice.
"You'd better think of how to explain yourself, Layard."
He knew Zachary all too well.
This taciturn man never exaggerated an enemy's strength; if he said that man wiped out the ant colony with one punch, then it was absolutely true.
Layard leaned against the tree trunk, hands in his pockets, his face full of disdain.
"You should worry about the matter at hand first."
He said lazily.
"As for what comes after, it's not your place to tell me what to do."
"You—!"
Ian took a step forward but was stopped by Kilian.
"Enough, stop arguing."
Kilian pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his tone steady.
"We all know Zachary's ant colony. With the strength of us four, even if we were to wipe out those ants, we couldn't do it in a single punch."
He paused, his gaze turning solemn.
"So this person's strength is indeed great. If we face him... our chances of winning are very low."
Ian grit his teeth, his fists clenching until they cracked.
"Then what should we do? Just leave? Leave experiment subject no. 2 behind?"
He turned abruptly, glaring at the three of them.
"If we go back like this, you know what the consequences will be!"
Zachary was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking.
"We enter the Secret Realm."
Ian and Kilian looked at him in surprise at the same time.
Kilian pushed up his glasses and said thoughtfully.
"Hmm... it's not impossible. experiment subject no. 2 hasn't lost control. As long as we don't appear before it and provoke it, and with that crystal stone, there's a high probability we won't be attacked."
Ian's eyes gradually lit up.
"That man will definitely enter the Secret Realm."
Zachary continued.
"When the time comes, we'll..."
He didn't finish, but the meaning was already clear.
Ian nodded, a ruthless expression reappearing on his face.
"It's the only way."
He turned to look at Layard, his tone cold.
"You're coming in too, don't even think about running! Otherwise, you'll die right here."
Layard shrugged, looking indifferent.
"Fine, fine, fine, you're the boss."
He turned around, his back to the three of them, but the corners of his mouth curled into a mocking arc.
'A bunch of arrogant fools.'
He sneered in his heart.
'I'm not going to die with you.'
From Zachary's description, he had a rough idea of who that man was.
There had been a huge stir recently—the powerhouse who wiped out the Genei Ryodan was said to be a young man dressed in white.
A monster of that level, against a few pathetic specimens like them?
Keep dreaming.
Layard followed behind the three as they walked toward the entrance of the Secret Realm.
He quietly observed the surrounding terrain, having already made up his mind: if things went south, he'd bolt immediately.
Inside the Secret Realm.
Hundreds of Wusong Town residents were scattered throughout the dense forest.
No, they could no longer be called "residents."
Their skin was an abnormal dark red, their eyes rolled back to white, and a wriggling little red worm was embedded in their foreheads.
These worms seemed to be connected to their nerves, controlling their every move.
A group of red worm Monstermen were besieging a massive Rock Hoof Beast.
The Rock Hoof Beast fought back fiercely, its sharp claws tearing open the chest of one of the monsters, blood splashing and organs exposed.
But the monster had no reaction.
He glanced down at his wound, then continued to pounce on the Rock Hoof Beast, biting frantically with his one remaining hand.
One, two, three...
The wounds on the Rock Hoof Beast's body grew more numerous, while those red worm Monstermen seemed to know neither fatigue nor pain.
Finally, the ferocious giant beast collapsed with a boom.
The monsters dragged its corpse and walked slowly toward the Ruins.
The light door rippled slightly, and four figures appeared in a dense forest.
Faint, low growls came from the distance; it was the controlled creatures on the move.
The four didn't linger, moving quickly toward the Ruins.
Along the way, they saw many residents controlled by red worms.
Kilian watched this scene, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
Meanwhile, Leo, Sophia, and Shizuku stood not far from the cave entrance.
Sophia scanned the surroundings warily and said in a low voice:
"Master, we haven't encountered any attacks on the way here. Could they be lying in ambush inside the cave?"
Leo shook his head.
"They aren't that stupid. If they hid in the cave and I attacked it directly, they wouldn't even be able to run."
He paused, his gaze landing on the cave interior.
"They should have entered the Secret Realm. Most likely, they're waiting in ambush at the entrance."
Shizuku adjusted her glasses, her tone still calm.
"In that case, we'll die if we go in."
When she said this, her expression didn't change at all, as if she were merely stating an objective fact.
Leo smiled.
"I'll go in first in a bit. You two wait for me outside. If everything is fine, I'll come back out to let you know."
Sophia's expression changed, and she took a step forward.
"Master, if they really are ambushing the entrance, going in recklessly might..."
Leo raised a hand to interrupt her.
"Don't worry."
He looked back at his disciple, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, his eyes flashing with absolute confidence.
"The fact that these guys would rather hide in the Secret Realm than come out proactively proves one thing—they are weak."
He had confidence in himself.
With his current strength and the terrifying recovery power brought by "Shivering Soul," as long as he wasn't killed instantly, even the heaviest wounds would heal quickly.
"Rest assured."
Leo turned and strode into the cave.
The cave was deep, growing darker the further in he went. But his vision was unaffected, and he soon saw the pale blue light door at the end.
The light door floated in mid-air, quietly awaiting the next person to step through.
Leo stopped and observed carefully.
"They didn't even close the light door..."
He was secretly on guard.
'It seems they are very confident. Or rather, that so-called "experiment subject" is strange.'
He took a deep breath, his Nen instantly surging and forming a solid layer of "Ken" on his body's surface.
Then, he stepped through the light door.
After a slight ripple, the scene before him suddenly changed.
A dense forest, towering trees, humid air—it was completely different from the cave just now.
Sunlight filtered down through the layers of the canopy, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.
Leo stood where he was, unmoving.
His gaze scanned the surroundings, his senses fully open.
Two hundred meters away, a few slight movements caught his attention.
A few ants.
Grayish-black ants, a size larger than normal ants, were crawling slowly on a tree trunk.
They were crawling in a very regular direction, as if they were...
Monitoring.
The corners of Leo's mouth turned up slightly.
He raised his right hand, and Nen condensed in his palm into a miniature Nen Bullet.
The Nen Bullet was only the size of a fingernail, but the energy compressed inside was enough to shatter a large tree.
He tossed it lightly.
The Nen Bullet traced a perfect arc, landing precisely among the ants.
"Bang!"
A slight explosion.
The ants, along with the bark of that tree, were turned to dust.
Leo withdrew his hand and waited a few more seconds.
There was no other movement.
"It seems they didn't intend to launch a sneak attack at the entrance."
He muttered to himself.
"They only left a few ants to observe."
He turned and circled the area a few times, confirming there were no other ambushes within a five-hundred-meter radius before stepping back out of the light door.
Outside the cave, Sophia and Shizuku were waiting anxiously.
Seeing Leo emerge, Sophia breathed a sigh of relief.
"Master, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Come in."
The three once again stepped through the light door and entered the Secret Realm.
In a clearing near the Ruins.
Zachary opened his eyes, his face grim.
"He's inside. He even discovered my ants."
Ian's brow furrowed.
"Weren't your ants placed two hundred meters from the entrance?"
Zachary nodded.
Kilian pushed up his glasses, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
"To be able to discover your ants from two hundred meters away... it seems his perception is indeed very strong."
Ian grit his teeth and turned to look at the silhouette of the Ruins in the distance.
"Let's go, head toward the Ruins. It's time to release No. 2."
The four turned and dashed toward the Ruins.