Hunter × Hunter Chapter 189: Infiltrate

The officials explain NGL rules. One asks if there are other similar establishments. The bald official replies that the facility exists for information exchange with the outside world. Gon questions the presence of machinery and computers. The official insists there is no machinery or anything unnatural within NGL. He lists forbidden items: gold, oil-based products, glass, and any manufactured goods must be left behind. Clothing with synthetic materials must also be removed. The group is told they can only prohibit such people from entering. An official offers an assortment of natural clothing from upstairs. Killua reacts with surprise at the strict rules while Biscuit questions the eye-glasses restriction.

In a rocky cavern entrance, a group stands together as a tall figure with long hair and a cap addresses them. "VERY WELL," the figure says. "WHY DON'T YOU GUYS HEAD TO THE NEAREST TOWN AND AWAIT OUR INSTRUCTIONS." "SO ONLY THE 5 OF US ARE LEFT?" asks another. "WE'LL DEFINITELY BE BACK WITHIN TWO WEEKS TO CONTACT YOU GUYS," the tall figure replies. Gon, Killua, Biscuit, and the others prepare to move. A woman with short hair appears and gestures politely: "PLEASE ENTER THE EXAMINATION ROOM." Inside the examination area, the group undergoes checks. A staff member explains, "SUCH A RIGOROUS INSPECTION." Another panel shows the process: "AN ULTRASONIC SCAN WILL FOLLOW SUBSEQUENTLY." "AFTER BEING EXAMINED, YOUR BODY WILL BE X-RAYED FOR ANY METALLIC OBJECTS." The woman continues, "ONCE WE EVEN FOUND SOMEONE WHO HAD TRAINED AN ANIMAL TO BRING HIS LAPTOP IN FROM THE OUTSIDE AFTER HE HAD ENTERED." She adds, "THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS CASES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE CONCEALED CELL PHONES OR CAMERAS WITHIN THEIR ANAL CAVITIES." "THAT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE HIDDEN WEAPONS INSIDE THEIR BODIES BEFORE," she concludes with a knowing expression.

Gon stares at blank monitor screens while Killua gestures beside him. Nearby, Biscuit and others work at computer terminals. A bald man with a long goatee welcomes them: "WELCOME TO THE NGL FREE STATE." He adds, "THANK YOU FOR BEING SO COOPERATIVE! PLEASE COME THIS WAY." The scene shifts to a vast open landscape with a distant forest. The group stands small against the horizon as a large "HYUUUUU" sound effect fills the air. Someone shouts, "LET'S GET STARTED THEN." and another replies, "ALRIGHT!" A horse stands atop a rock formation. In the foreground, a smiling woman explains the rules: "IF ANY ACCIDENTS OCCUR THAT RENDER THE HORSE UNABLE TO MOVE AGAIN, THE PENALTY IS 5,000,000 JENIIS." A sign reads "WELCOME! THE RENTAL CHARGE PER HORSE IS 12,000 JENIIS A DAY." with a wooden rental board showing "1日 12,000 J."

A group of riders on horseback travels through a rugged, rocky mountain pass in NGL. Narration explains that so far there have been no eyewitness accounts of any giant insects. However, even if the insects are here, the inhabitants will probably not make a commotion about it. Below, villagers work in terraced fields; they believe being attacked by predators is simply part of nature's cycle. A hand points to a map labeled NGL while a voice states they should start by searching the settlements along the coastline. If nothing is found along the perimeter, the body of the insect probably isn't here at all. In the foreground, Gon leans over a large rock while Killua and a spiky-haired traveler watch. The spiky-haired traveler says, "That's assuming the people here are willing to be upfront with us." A small disclaimer at the bottom notes this is a work of fiction.

A bearded man in a knit cap gives a thumbs-up while speaking to a girl with long hair. Gon and Killua stand nearby with the spiky-haired traveler, who notes that even though the two are here to help, they are really keeping an eye on the locals. The spiky-haired traveler adds that he did not really expect to trust them from the very beginning. A close-up shows the spiky-haired traveler under a wide hat, eyes narrowed, declaring that his instinct tells him it is here. In a forest clearing, a large bear-like creature in a suit holds a rock and warns a small bear-like figure not to do anything foolish because it will not hold itself responsible if the figure dies. Nearby, a curly-haired man with a weapon looks terrified while another figure carries a log and laughs.

In the top right panel the suited koala leans forward and asks the muscular man what the difference is between them. The man, visibly irritated, retorts that lesser men should not order almighty men around. The koala calmly notes the man is obviously a lesser creature. Suddenly the muscular man lunges forward with a furious shout of 'SHUT UP!', his fist connecting hard. Impact lines and the large SFX 'GO' and 'GYAH' explode across the panel as the suited koala is struck and sent reeling. In the bottom left the koala, unfazed and still holding his drink, questions whether the man's mother taught him to answer politely. He adds that nobody can save the old man now. The middle bottom panel shows the koala from behind saying 'YARE YARE' while the right panel depicts the muscular man being driven back by another powerful blow, debris flying around him.

The muscular man's face appears bloodied and shocked, eyes wide with visible injuries. A massive strike follows, shown from behind as a huge 'BAAAN' impact erupts with radiating lines. The suited koala stands calmly in the next panel and advises the man to change his ways the next time he reincarnates. In the lower section two hooded lizard-like figures emerge from the rocky terrain with swirling eyes and a long tail visible on one. The SFX 'ZUZUZU' rumbles across the ground. One hooded figure stares with spiral eyes while the other watches. A speech bubble expresses surprise that the suited koala killed the man. The final small panel shows two wide eyes peering from behind rocks accompanied by 'ZU ZU' sounds.

A koala-like Chimera Ant officer lounges while musing that humans do not realize how insignificant they are and that looking at them makes him mad. Nearby, another officer lies on a log and decides he must present meat to the Queen by the end of the day, noting that dead bodies cannot be preserved. In a flashback panel, a wide-eyed monkey-like Chimera Ant questions whether attacking the crying little kid who ran away yesterday was necessary, while the koala replies that if the kid had not attacked he would have shown mercy. In the forest, the small mouse-like Chimera Ant spits and the koala declares that simply saying 'don't move' is enough because he is the superior officer. He adds that if he were the other, he would not give prey a chance to struggle and has smarter ways of capturing them. The monkey-like officer, holding a coiled tail weapon, suggests the koala enlist in the feed-collection team if he likes killing so much. The koala, now wearing a suit and tie, stares forward and tells someone 'YOU'RE HOPELESS.'

A massive rocky mountain rises against the sky with five large oval markings drawn across its midsection. Below, a map panel shows scattered dots labeled BUNKYO, FUNKYO, and BUNKYO again across a terrain. Another map section displays a large explosion marked BUNKYO with a spherical object descending by parachute. In the lower panels, two small figures stand among trees while a voice asks if grunts are getting killed. Multiple Chimera Ants with skull piles around them are shown being attacked; one large ant labeled BUNKYO carries a net-like structure while others labeled KARI, KARI KARI, and PETA lie defeated among bones. A massive ant figure with a balloon-like back and labels PETA stands amid the carnage.

In a rocky cavern, a feline humanoid with wild hair and spotted fur stands over a small girl with a ponytail. The girl examines the body while the cat-like figure reports, "THE BODIES OF ZAZAN'S GRUNTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN FOUND." "NO, BUT I'VE ALREADY LOST ALL COMMUNICATION WITH MY GRUNT," she adds. Nearby, another voice states, "ONE OF MY GRUNTS. AND I HEARD THAT ZAZAN'S SQUAD LOST THREE." The girl asks, "ARE YOU SURE?" as they inspect the corpses. "IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING WAS SHOT THROUGH THEIR SKULLS," she notes. A masked, insectoid grunt with goggles appears in the next panel, declaring, "SOME TYPE OF UNKNOWN MAN-MADE WEAPON?" The cat woman replies, "HOW SHOULD I KNOW?" The masked figure continues, "THIS ONE WAS SHOT WITH BULLETS." Peggy, a bird-like humanoid, stands nearby and says, "PEGGY IS INSPECTING THEM UPSTAIRS." The girl asks, "...WHERE ARE THE CORPSES?" In the bottom panel, the cat woman gestures at sprawled bodies and says, "ON THE OTHER HAND, I JUST CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT ONE OVER THERE." Peggy answers, "YOU CAN TELL BY THE BULLET HOLES."

Peggy, the bird-like humanoid, continues speaking with a stern expression. "HOWEVER THEIR COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE TOO POOR TO RELATE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED." A small figure adds, "WE DID ASK THE OTHER GRUNTS THAT WERE THERE AT THAT TIME..." Peggy notes, "YEP, BUT IT WASN'T WITH A BULLET." Another character points out, "THIS ONE HAS ALSO BEEN INJURED IN THE HEAD." The girl with the ponytail holds up a small object and states, "NO BULLETS WERE SHOT OUT, BUT THE GRUNT GOT HIT IN THE HEAD ANYWAY." Peggy explains, "APPARENTLY THE HUMAN MADE SOME GESTURES TO SHOOT..." A close-up shows the girl listening as Peggy confirms, "THOSE GRUNTS DID CONFIRM THAT THEY FELT SOMETHING WAS SHOT." She replies, "CORRECT!" The girl then says, "AMONG THE GRUNTS THERE ARE SOME THAT CAN'T SEE, BUT CAN FEEL THEIR SURROUNDINGS REALLY WELL, RIGHT?" Peggy responds, "WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING THEY CAN DO." The girl concludes, "AS FAR AS HUMAN POWER GOES..." In the final panel, Peggy declares with a fierce expression, "IF THEY FIGURE OUT THAT OUR 'LIFELINE' IS THE QUEEN, THEY WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KILL HER!" and adds, "THE ABILITY TO LEARN AND ADAPT IS MAN'S GREATEST STRENGTH."

A fierce close-up shows a young man with sharp features and intense eyes glaring forward, sweat on his face, as dramatic motion lines burst behind him. 'THAT'S RIGHT!' a voice declares off-panel. In the next panels, the same character’s wide eye fills the frame while another panel reveals a small spiky creature beside a short-haired figure in a dark outfit. 'THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO DO ALL THAT IT TAKES TO SAFEGUARD THE QUEEN, DON'T YOU SEE?' the short-haired figure asks. 'DO YOU STILL NOT UNDERSTAND?' The spiky creature replies with a hesitant 'UHH ...' The topknotted character, seen from behind, thinks 'I DEFINITELY WILL PROTECT ...' while the spiky creature affirms 'YES, YOU'RE RIGHT OF COURSE. UHN ...' A hand clenches tightly as the topknotted character states 'LEAVE HER SAFETY TO ME.' The scene shifts to a rocky, barren landscape where the topknotted character stands angrily, confronting the spiky creature. 'WASN'T IT YOU WHO JUST MENTIONED IT?' the spiky creature retorts. 'NO.' The topknotted character demands 'WHO? WHO'S THIS REINA YOU SPEAK OF?' while the short-haired character looks on with a puzzled 'REINA? ...?'

The topknotted character stands with arms crossed, telling the spiky creature 'LET'S FORGET ABOUT THAT FOR NOW.' Question marks hover near the spiky creature. In a wider rocky vista, distant figures stand while the topknotted character questions 'YOU PROBABLY HEARD WRONG.' and 'I SAID SOMETHING?' The spiky creature and short-haired character discuss options in the foreground. A close-up shows the short-haired character’s profile as he declares 'GIVE THEM A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE.' and 'WE JUST HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT!' The topknotted character, seen from behind, suggests the short-haired character is better suited as a military strategist. The short-haired character counters that the humans do not know their true capabilities. In the final panel the topknotted character sits alone, murmuring 'REINA ... ?' with a troubled expression.

High in the treetops, a massive "DOUN!!" echoes as something heavy crashes down. A reptilian chimera ant with wild hair and dual pistols leaps into view, cackling "KYAA HAHA HA" while shouting "THIS IS GREAT!" Below, a chaotic group of grotesque monsters with various weapons and insectoid features scramble across the forest floor. The lizard-like creature continues its rampage as distant "DON DON DON DON" impacts and "KYAAHAHAHA" laughter ring out across the landscape. In a separate panel, three young Hunters react with alarm. The girl in the beanie cries out, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" The boy with spiky hair answers "YEAH." From the left, narration boxes warn "NOT GOOD ... THESE CREATURES ... THEY'RE WAY TOO DANGEROUS!"