Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 282 (Patreon)

Chapter 282: Trapped in the Net

It took Sanbica Norton three days on foot to reach the island lake. Upon arrival, she didn't immediately think about how to get onto the island but instead circled the lake.

She found no small harbor for docking boats, let alone the boats themselves.

With no boats and no bridges leading to the prison, how did people on Prison Island commute?

Sanbica didn't ponder this for long and began to consider how to cross the vast seawater lake to sneak onto Prison Island.

She knew she had to use the island's communication equipment to contact the outside world, but this was a daunting task, as she was unfamiliar with the prison's layout and could easily be discovered.

Despite the difficulty, it was the only option she had.

The forest surrounding Devil's Island Lake was lush and dense, filled with a variety of plants. Their only common feature was their vigorous and towering growth.

Sanbica found a plant similar to a lotus leaf in the dense forest, detached one of its oversized leaves to use as a makeshift boat, and gathered more plants for camouflage.

Once prepared, she waited patiently until late at night before setting off on her leaf boat towards the center of the lake.

The moon hung high in the night sky, and its silver light fell from the heavens, adorning the earth in a silvery hue. However, clusters of clouds occasionally obscured the moonlight.

Navigating the leaf boat through the intermittently bright and dark night, Sanbica gradually approached the small island in the center of the lake.

After considerable effort, she landed on the island.

Sanbica hid her leaf boat in a crevice between rocks and then sneaked to the base of the prison's outer wall.

It was a five-meter-high wall, but with the amplification of her Nen abilities, Sanbica easily scaled the wall and began her infiltration of the prison.

Without knowing the specifics of the prison, Sanbica was extremely cautious, observing thoroughly before taking each step.

The prison covered a large area with towering watchtowers around its perimeter wall, and the interior was dominated by black buildings aligned side by side with corridors connecting them in mid-air.

Overall, the architectural style of the prison appeared very solid and emitted a somber and solemn aura.

Sanbica began her mission. She noticed there weren't many surveillance cameras, but there were numerous guards on the periphery, all armed with submachine guns, while the watchtower guards carried sniper rifles.

These guards were ordinary humans, yet the firearms they carried posed a significant threat to Sanbica.

She was neither Luo nor a powerful Enhancer type Nen user. Even with Nen protecting her body, taking a few bullets would spell her end.

Feeling the constant presence of danger, Sanbica carefully navigated through the gaps left by the guards and avoided the few cameras, successfully entering the building to start searching for a room with communication equipment.

Although there weren't many cameras outside, there were more inside. However, the number of guards was correspondingly fewer, indicating that the prison's defense focused more on the exterior.

Sanbica was not a professionally trained agent, but with her Nen abilities, she managed to perform many tasks even better than an agent, and the middle of the night was the best time for infiltration.

She cautiously explored the prison buildings for over an hour but couldn't find the room with the communication equipment. As time passed, the risks she faced increased.

With less than an hour until dawn, Sanbica felt it necessary to take a risk. She began to move more quickly, and as she explored more areas, she gradually realized something was amiss.

Although she had never been in contact with a prison, she had some common sense knowledge about them, but the atmosphere of Devil's Island's prison felt strange...

Sanbica realized something was off, but she didn't have the time to investigate further. As time continued to pass, she still hadn't found the communications room.

Out of desperation, she started using 'Pandora's Box' to take down several of the prison staff, but she couldn't find a mobile phone on any of them.

As more people were taken down by the virus, the likelihood of Sanbica being discovered increased.

But since she had already started, she couldn't give up halfway.

Whenever she encountered someone, as long as they were outside the camera's view, she decisively either knocked them unconscious or killed them, using various methods to take down her targets.

However, after taking down more than a dozen people, she still hadn't found a phone until she encountered a man in a black uniform, a Nen user...

As dawn approached, Sanbica took down the Nen user by surprise and searched him, finally finding a mobile phone.

The moment she saw the phone, Sanbica felt a surge of joy, and the

 first thing she did was not to call the Hunter Association but to edit a text message to Luo.

This was her first instinctive reaction, without hesitation!

Just then, an uncovered Nen fluctuation occurred in front of her, and an aura arrow shot rapidly from the other end of the broad corridor.

Sanbica noticed the Nen fluctuation, her expression changed dramatically, and she looked up in the direction from which the aura arrow came. In that instant, she made the correct decision to press the send button, even though her message was only half-completed.

Click!

The aura arrow struck the phone precisely, shattering it and sending fragments flying, cutting through Sanbica's gloves and tearing open several wounds. Blood flowed from the wounds in less than a second, covering her pale skin.

The corridor was straight, lined with yellow lamps, providing sufficient light.

The crisp sound echoed through the corridor, followed by a maliciously playful laugh.

As the phone shattered, Sanbica didn't know whether her message had been successfully sent; at that moment, she couldn't afford to think about it and turned to run.

She didn't see the attacker's face, but she knew that the aura arrow was the handiwork of the short-haired woman.

"Hehe, think you can escape?" came the teasing voice of the woman with purple short hair and sharp fangs, casually strolling forward, watching Sanbica turn and run with her narrow, slit-like eyes not showing the slightest worry.

Sanbica had only run a few dozen meters when she stopped because two men were blocking the path ahead, one tall and one short.

"I thought it was a big rat with all that bravado, turns out it's just a little hamster," said the short, frail man in a sharp, piercing voice.

His name was Ti, and his codename was the same as his name.

"And it's a woman," said the burly, bald man, his eyes flashing with a pathological brutality, his scarred hands slightly twisting, making a loud cracking noise.

His name was Xiong.

"Creak..."

Ti's fingernails were long like claws, about a meter long, and made a grating sound when rubbed lightly, just like his voice.

He glanced at the increasingly excited Xiong and cautioned, "Calm down."

Xiong ignored him and stared at the dirty Sanbica with a gaze filled with desire, immediately seeing through her disguise as a woman.

"Tap tap."

Then, steady footsteps came from behind the two men, belonging to a young man with black spiky hair.

This young man had a rugged appearance and a very cold gaze. Like the others, he wore a black uniform with a 'Death's Flower' emblem on his arm.

He held a uniquely shaped semicircular fan knife in his hand and stepped up behind Xiong and Ti, coldly saying, "We need a live one."

This young man's codename was Ying.

Xiong glanced at Ying and chuckled darkly, "Don't worry, I'll be very careful. As long as she doesn't die, it doesn't matter if she's missing arms or legs, right?"

"If you get too excited, this little girl's fate might be more than just missing limbs," Ti sneered, his comical handlebar mustache quivering slightly.

"Enough talk, let's get to it," Ying said, looking ahead at Sanbica, speaking indifferently.

The corridor was six meters wide. If she could sprint fast enough, it might be possible to get past the blockade.

Three men in front, one woman in the back—all appeared to be powerful Nen users.

The oppressive feeling of being trapped between them made Sanbica feel a deep crisis. After seeing the bow-wielding short-haired woman, she was sure that the attack on their team was related to Devil's Island Prison.

"That short-haired woman is an Emitter, within two hundred meters. To break through her blockade, I need to dodge at least ten long-range attacks."

"I have no choice!"

Sanbica's body radiated with the glow of her aura as she turned and charged toward the position of the short-haired woman.

Compared to the three men, breaking through where the short-haired woman was seemed easier.

"Whoosh~"

Shark blew a whistle in a strange tone, looking extremely excited. She raised her ice-cold metallic longbow, pulled the bowstring with her right hand, concentrated her energy in her palm, and quickly formed the shape of an arrow.

The arrows, constructed of aura, were twined in black and white colors, swirling around the shaft. Simultaneously, two mysterious Nen beasts with ram heads appeared beside Sasha; they had only heads and no bodies, and their forms were somewhat ethereal.

These two ram-headed masks looked very much like Nen beasts, yet they were not fully materialized.

She is an Emitter, and even without using a metal longbow, it would not affect the power and speed of her Emission abilities. However, she believed that since they were arrows, they should be used with a bow.

Based on this conventional thinking, she equipped herself with a metal longbow, which was essentially gilding the lily but ultimately enhanced the power and speed of her Emission.

"White is troubling."

Sasha bared her sharp teeth, and as she finished speaking, the black on the arrow vanished, leaving only white.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

She neurotically mimicked the sound of gunfire, then released her grip.

The bowstring vibrated, and the white arrow shot out, transforming into a phantom of a ram's head mid-air, heading straight for Sanbica Norton.

"It's so slow... easy to dodge."

Sanbica could clearly see the trajectory of the white arrow and was instantly reassured.

Facing the incoming white arrow, she dodged to the right, narrowly missing it.

However, the white arrow suddenly exploded near her left shoulder, turning into a barrage of white, thorny vines that viciously embedded into Sanbica's body.

Sanbica's heart skipped a beat, but she felt no pain, and the slender white thorns disappeared the moment they hit her.

"What's happening?"

Sanbica, still shocked, didn't have time to think further as she continued to break through towards the front, quickly closing the distance to within a hundred meters.

A hundred meters' distance; Sasha had fired only one arrow, her actions leisurely. Otherwise, this distance would have been enough for her to launch at least five long-range attacks.

"Black is pain."

Sasha switched her lines playfully, a cold light flashing in her eyes as she formed a black arrow between her fingers and shot it out at a high speed.

Sanbica barely had time to react, about to dodge when the part of her body previously hit by the white thorns felt unnaturally stiff, as if bound.

The sudden change made Sanbica's heart sink as she watched the black arrow fly straight toward her chest. Acting on instinct, she raised her right arm, which hadn't been hit by the white thorns, gathering Nen to shield her chest.

Sss!

Yet the black arrow easily penetrated the Nen defense on Sanbica's arm, embedding itself there.

A searing pain instantly overtook Sanbica's nerves, causing her to scream miserably as she staggered and slammed into a wall, collapsing to her knees.

"Pain is the most precious thing to humans."

Sasha lowered her longbow and walked towards Sanbica, who was leaning against the wall, playfully saying, "Enjoy this blissful moment~"

Meanwhile, in another corridor, Eagle, seeing that Sanbica had been hit by Sasha's black and white arrows, slightly lowered his fan-shaped knife, understanding that a person struck by 'trouble' and 'pain' was almost powerless.

Seeing Sasha resolve their target so effortlessly, Bear furrowed his brow; he hadn't even begun to enjoy himself yet, how could it end so quickly.

With a thought, he suddenly increased his speed, rushing towards the screaming Sanbica.

"Bear, don't mess around!" Ti, seeing this, waved her sharp claw-tipped nails, shouting in a shrill voice.

Behind him, Eagle's expression darkened upon seeing Bear's actions.

"Hey, hey, don't use Nen!" Sasha's expression changed as well, seeing Bear charging toward Sanbica with aggressive momentum.

"Not use Nen? What's the fun in that?"

Bear grinned maliciously, a savage glint in his eyes as he dashed to the pained Sanbica, punching her squarely in the lower back.

"You fool!" Sasha screamed in anger.

Her scream was soon drowned out by a thunderous crash.

Bear's punch not only broke the wall but also blasted Sanbica through it into an abandoned cell on the other side.

Sanbica spat blood, collapsing among the scattered rubble. The black arrow that had been embedded in her right arm had disappeared, and no wound was visible; the intense pain had also vanished.

Though free from the agony, Bear's punch had still severely injured her.

Sasha and Bear stood before the hole in the wall, looking through the settling dust at Sanbica lying more than ten meters away.

"Look what you've done!" Sasha, seeing the black arrow on Sanbica's arm had disappeared, her face filled with murderous intent.

"Only physical contact is true abuse and torture. That pathetic black arrow of yours is just too boring."

Bear stepped forward towards Sanbica, who was down on the ground, and sneered, "To crush the flesh inch by inch, to grind the bones one by one—that's the ultimate pleasure, understand?"

"Black is pain."

Sasha's expression turned icy as she raised her longbow again, forming a black arrow aimed at Bear's back.

Bear, sensing Sasha's Nen, abruptly stopped and turned to stare her down.

"Both of you, enough is enough," Ti admonished, frowning at them.

These two, who reveled in killing and torturing, could become extremely troublesome once they aligned on a target.

"If you two want to swap your limbs for those of beasts, I can accommodate you," Eagle said, lifting his fan-shaped knife, his voice cold and merciless like a chilling breeze.

He was serious—if this ridiculous squabble continued, he wouldn't hesitate to amputate Sasha and Bear's arms and legs and have the organization fit them with limbs of beasts.

"Tsk." Bear grunted in annoyance, withdrawing his Nen to maintain it in the 'Ten' state.

Sasha, still seething, nevertheless lowered her metal longbow and retracted the black arrow.

The group of four, moving through the hole in the wall, approached the downed Sanbica, considering her completely trapped.

Outside the prison, the early morning sun began to rise, slightly dispersing the mist over the lake.

Inside the prison, Sanbica struggled to her feet, watching the approaching group of four.

With no chance of escape, let alone winning...

Each of these four was formidable, and just the short-haired woman's Nen alone had given her a tough time, not to mention the unknown abilities of the other three.

"No way out..."

Sanbica took a deep breath, determination flashing in her dark eyes.

Pandora's Box...!

Sanbica curled up on the ground, her body pouring out a tremendous amount of aura, but in an instant, it contracted around her like a cocoon.

"Back off!"

Eagle, keenly aware that something was amiss, immediately backed away, and the others did the same.

They watched as the ground around Sanbica gradually turned a dark green, seemingly marking a small, forbidden zone of life.

Unsure of Sanbica's Nen abilities, the group could only stay away and plan their next move.

After observing for some time, they sensed a tangible danger emanating from the dark green ground and reluctantly called for their leader.

Their leader, the bespectacled, refined-looking man, arrived.

"Hmm? Interesting."

Looking at the cell that resembled a death zone, the refined man showed an intrigued expression.

......

Hunter Association, guest room.

In the dimly lit room, Luo lay sideways on the bed, intending to check the time on his phone when he noticed a new message.

He checked the message, and his expression suddenly changed; he jumped up, not even bothering to change his clothes, and rushed to Netero's room.

The message read: [Luo, Akatitz Island prison, help...]

It was an incomplete message, and although Luo didn't recognize the phone number, he knew it was a distress message from Sanbica.

Not knowing what had happened to Sanbica, but understanding that she had reached out to him for help meant the situation was dire.

Therefore, he needed to get to Akatitz Island immediately, not only to clarify Sanbica's mission details but also to borrow an airship from the association.

However, the idea of reaching Akatitz Island solely by the fuel capacity of an airship was impractical, and traveling by sea would take too long.

Luo, heading straight for Netero's room, hadn't considered this yet.

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