Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 300 (Patreon)

Chapter 300: Dialogue

Luo thought to himself clearly, though it wasn't particularly outrageous, and responded with a simple "Hmm."

In the darkness, Sanbica's face turned slightly red, a stark contrast against her pale skin, a scene Luo unfortunately couldn't see.

Applying medicine to the lower back was trivial, but after removing her outer garments, what remained was rather thin.

Holding the edge of her coat, Sanbica genuinely whispered, "Thank you."

She was aware of the vast distance between the Hunter Association and Devil Island, and the perilous nature of the island.

Should anyone set foot on the island without a permit, they'd be branded as a top-level fugitive upon discovery.

Luo must have arrived by sneaking onto the island, not through the lengthy and challenging official procedures. Waiting for a permit would have meant not making it in time.

Fortunately, when she had a chance to use a mobile phone, her first thought and message were for Luo.

It was an instinctive choice—among all she knew, only Luo would travel thousands of miles to rescue and assist her.

Considering the message she sent was brief and vague...

Because of Luo, she was saved. Otherwise, once the effects of Pandora's Box faded, she would have been doomed.

As Sanbica expressed her gratitude, Luo's eyelids drooped slightly, and he smiled silently, extending his hand towards the darkness and gently touching Sanbica's cheek.

Her body shivered slightly but without her previous almost wary resistance, quietly letting Luo's hand rest on her face.

"You're okay, that's good," Luo said softly.

Sanbica's cheeks grew even redder.

But the next second, she remembered her duty and quickly said, "I need to report what happened here to the Association, Luo, can I use your phone?"

The intimate atmosphere shifted abruptly, like a romantic candlelit dinner interrupted by a business call.

Luo wisely retracted his hand and took out his phone.

He prepared to find Netero's number for Sanbica, and the phone screen lit up.

The light was not strong, but it allowed Luo and Sanbica to see each other's faces.

They were close, looking into each other's eyes.

Using the dim light, Luo saw Sanbica's face clearly.

The intensity of the light just masked the blue veins under her skin, and without those imperfections, Luo, up close, was struck by her breathtaking beauty.

The difference between eyes open and eyes closed!

Luo stared at Sanbica, momentarily lost in thought, holding the phone without another move.

It was hard to describe the feeling—it might have been because Sanbica always wore a mask, or because her eyes open were much more stunning than when closed, creating such a strong contrast.

At that moment, he deeply felt that Sanbica should not be wearing a mask.

Thinking this, he selectively ignored the veins on Sanbica's face.

Being stared at like this, Sanbica's gaze began to shift away, her pupils even moving aside, avoiding Luo's gaze.

She knew about the fine, visible veins on her face, so she found Luo's reaction too exaggerated.

She did not realize that the perfect lighting was concealing her facial flaws, truly revealing the foundation of her appearance.

"Luo!"

Being stared at so intently, Sanbica finally couldn't help calling Luo's name.

"Oh, oh!"

Luo came back to his senses, gave an awkward smile, and handed over the phone, asking, "Do you want to call President Netero?"

"Yes." Sanbica nodded.

Luo said, "I've got the number ready for you."

Sanbica took the phone and immediately dialed Netero's number.

Luo watched from the side, not sharing with Sanbica what Netero already knew, because different perspectives can yield different pieces of information.

Plus, he originally wanted to ask about Sanbica's experiences, but now he could simply listen in.

The call connected.

The voice that came from the phone was not Luo's; Netero was not surprised and recognized it as Sanbica's.

Then, Sanbica detailed her experiences after arriving on the island, from infiltrating the prison to reluctantly using her last-resort protective measures.

Gathering intelligence is a skill all professional Hunters must master. Sanbica's thorough explanation was precisely what Netero needed.

He patiently listened to Sanbica's report, selecting useful information to keep in mind, without interrupting her from start to finish.

Luo listened too, and was surprised to hear about her ordeal in prison, especially about the two Nen users he had killed there—they were the ones who had harmed Sanbica.

These two were fairly strong, but Luo had grown much more powerful after Bisky's special training and his battle with Antomu.

Ultimately, Sanbica's combat capability was still relatively weak, her role being

 more of a support and logistics nature.

After about fifteen minutes, Netero patiently listened to Sanbica's report and told her to hand the phone to Luo, as he had something to say to him.

"Hello."

Luo took the phone, starting with a response.

"I'm on my way to the port and will board the ship in the morning. If the voyage goes smoothly, it will take about eight days to reach Devil Island," Netero said.

"You're personally coming over." Luo raised an eyebrow.

"This matter has a bit of history with me," Netero explained.

Luo changed the subject, "Eight days? By the time you arrive, this matter might already be resolved."

"Don't be too arrogant, kid. That type of aberration took a direct hit from you and remained unscathed, which speaks volumes about its strength, not something ordinary Nen users can handle. You've seen nearly a hundred, but who's to say there aren't more?"

Netero spoke gravely, "This isn't a fair fight of soldier against soldier, general against general. You understand the principle of being outnumbered, don't you? Don't act rashly before Linne joins you."

Luo fell silent, knowing Linne and Machi were en route, but unsure how long it would take them to reach Devil Island.

Don't act rashly, huh... But the situation didn't allow him to keep a low profile.

These aberrant magical beasts were indeed strong, but with God's Hand and True Master at his disposal, even their astonishing defenses couldn't withstand his attacks.

Just yesterday, he had sliced a scale lizard in half by the lake—an evidence of his might.

But as Netero said, he had to consider the worst-case scenario—imagining the number of enemy magical beasts.

If it were a hundred, Luo was confident he could take them down one by one. But several hundred, once surrounded, escaping would be difficult.

Thinking along these lines, there were definitely risks, but Luo wasn't planning to just hide. Before Machi and the others arrived on Devil Island, he at least wanted to halve the enemy's numbers.

Considering Machi and Buhara's capabilities, taking on one magical beast was manageable, but two, three, or even four would be a challenge.

Most importantly, the enemy seemed to have plans for Sanbica, especially that man in the white lab coat who looked at her strangely, likely having discovered her abilities.

Otherwise, even if Sanbica used her protective measures, she wouldn't have survived an hour, half an hour, or even ten minutes.

That situation was terrifying indeed, but there were plenty of ways to kill Sanbica, and yet the enemy had risked keeping her alive in a glass cell.

It wasn't clear how the enemy planned to use Sanbica, but just that was enough for Luo to intervene.

Luo paused for a moment, then jokingly said, "Old man, what do I do if I'm bored? I can't just sit around."

Netero called him a brat, and he retorted with "old man."

Hearing Luo's words, Netero could tell what he meant and immediately responded, "If you can't sit still, then lie down."

"But there's no soft bed here." Luo continued to joke, but his intention was clear.

Netero paused, realizing he couldn't dissuade Luo, and said, "If you're set on this, I won't stop you, but be very careful."

"I know," Luo replied.

"Don't take risks you're not sure of; I think you can assess the situation clearly."

"Of course." Luo suddenly glanced at Sanbica, seriously saying, "I won't give them any chance."

He wouldn't give the enemy any chance to harm Sanbica or any chance to defeat him.

"Keep in touch."

Netero, aboard a skyship far above, finished his last words and then hung up the phone.

Luo silently put away the phone, pondering his next move.

"Luo," Sanbica looked at him.

"Hmm?"

"What's an aberration?" Sanbica asked.

She had woken up unaware of the matter of the artificial soldiers, only feeling that the prison was plotting something and that each member seemed very strong.

In this quiet environment, she could even hear Netero's voice and knew he was heading towards Devil Island. Not only that, but a group of reinforcements would arrive first.

But what concerned her more was the "aberration" mentioned by Netero, and it seemed that Luo didn't want to wait for the reinforcements but intended to face the aberrations alone.

"Didn't I tell you?" Luo organized his thoughts.

Afterward, Luo detailed the process from entering the prison to rescuing her.

Hearing Luo's narration, Sanbica realized that the secrets hidden in the prison were far beyond her imagination.

These so-called aberrations were a combination of humans and magical beasts, and they could even use Nen?

"Your abilities must have been exposed, and the enemy seems to have plans for you; otherwise, with their capabilities, you wouldn't have lasted until now," Luo said, pinching his chin, his voice deep: "I don't know what they're plotting, and I'm not interested in finding out."

"But if they really mean you harm, then it's only a matter of time before we're found."

"Before that, I don't want to just sit and wait; at least, I can draw the enemy's attention while reducing their strength."

"They won't get a chance to harm you."

Saying this, Luo smiled slightly and continued, "Of course, if the enemy doesn't pursue aggressively, then we can just hide here for seven or eight days, letting the old man handle all the troublesome matters."

Sanbica bit her lip; under these circumstances, there was nothing she could do.

Luo seemed to see through Sanbica's thoughts and said, "Do you remember the battle at Meteor Street?"

Sanbica was startled, then nodded, "I remember."

"The enemy's magical beasts are strong, not to mention their attack power, but their defense alone is difficult to deal with. However, with your Nen abilities, it's a different story."

Luo looked at Sanbica seriously and smiled, "Let's put it this way, it would indeed be difficult for me to take on so many magical beasts alone, but isn't that why you're here?"

"..."

Sanbica wasn't sure if Luo was comforting her or if he really needed her abilities.

However, if her abilities could help Luo in this situation, she would be very happy.

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