The more Joey learned, the more V5's might and mystery unfolded before him.
He only had three days inside Saherta—hardly enough time for a deep investigation. With no familiarity, no established contacts, he had no real direction to probe deeper.
So after stocking up on supplies in the border town, Joey drove back into the desert.
Still, the Saherta trip hadn't been fruitless.
Once he brought up the Kakin Empire, a curious guard shared tales from Saherta's side—what ordinary people believed.
Apparently, Kakin had once been powerful, but past rulers had grown obsessed with rituals and spent enormous resources on pointless superstitions.
According to the guard, this only weakened the nation, squandering manpower and wealth, dragging Kakin into stagnation.
In recent years, under Nasubi Hui Guo Rou, the empire had rapidly developed. Some even said it was catching up to Kukanyu Kingdom.
But compared to Saherta Union or Begrace, the guard claimed, Kakin still had a long way to go.
From his words, Joey realized something: even among the V5, there was a clear hierarchy.
Saherta and Begrace were T1, the first tier—leaders among leaders.
Then came Minbo Republic and Oucima Federation. At the bottom sat Kukanyu.
Biased as the man might be, he wasn't completely wrong.
From Joey's intel, the T1 nations were the ones who had actually returned from the Dark Continent with something useful.
Joey's current obsession—the Plant Weapon: Gold-Silver Ingot—was Saherta's find.
And they had supposedly brought back a panacea herb from the labyrinth city.
Other treasures may have been left behind. No one knew for sure.
From Sambika, Joey had learned of a plague—Zobae Disease, nicknamed Despair That Cheats Hope.
The team that encountered Zobae?
Beyond Netero's expedition.
Back then, Beyond had joined Kukanyu's military in an attempt to harvest a legendary Alchemical Plant named Melion.
The results were tragic.
The entire military unit, plus Beyond's hunter squad—only six survived.
One of them, infected by Zobae Disease, lived on in eternal torment.
And it wasn't just Zobae. Their records mentioned several unknown plagues.
As for the Melion plant itself?
Dead by the time they returned.
There were doubts about the records, but no solid proof.
Beyond surely knew the full story.
And that infected hunter was still locked away in Immigration Control's quarantine ward.
Sixty years had passed.
He should be long dead.
But he still lived—neither man nor ghost.
Joey had seen glimpses of him in the manga.
He was clearly... broken.
Immortal, perhaps, but in a state worse than death.
Sambika's goal was to analyze Zobae Disease. But she wasn't even allowed near the infected.
She would be joining the Dark Continent expedition as the Hunter Association's chief physician, so maybe she'd finally get her chance.
But even asking for Beyond's expedition route was a political minefield.
After all, Beyond was under strict surveillance by the Hunter Association.
From other rumors Joey caught wind of: Kurapika would also join the voyage.
But Leorio, unlike the manga, had not become a Zodiac.
It was unclear whether he would even participate.
After Ging and former Vice Chairman Pariston left, two new Zodiacs were added: Morel and Kurapika.
Morel's merit in the Chimera Ant Extermination earned him a Three-Star Ocean Hunter license.
He was already elite.
Highly respected.
His appointment as a Zodiac had been unanimously welcomed.
Some even recommended Nob for a position—but he declined.
Nob didn't care for the Dark Continent.
As he put it:
"My business isn't there. Why force myself?"
Still, his 4D Apartment Nen ability was so vital that the Association had yet to find a true replacement.
Back in the desert, Joey drove while reviewing all intel on the Five Calamities.
He'd already mentioned two.
1. Humanoid Beast Papu
Disaster Type: "Exchange Joy for Life"
Associated Nation: Begrace
Despite the casualties, Joey suspected Begrace retrieved the Power Stones.
They were just stones, after all. Hauling a few out seemed doable.
Especially considering how technologically advanced Begrace was.
Even its smaller cities looked like Sky Arena—full of trams, solar grids, and high-speed development.
It gave off the feeling of a world a decade ahead.
His super-durable Beetle phone was also made in Begrace.
2. Hell's Bell
Disaster Type: "Transmits Murderous Intent"
Associated Nation: Oucima Federation
Their goal was a longevity food: Nitrolomy.
But before even reaching the swamp where it grew, 99% of their team died—devoured by Hell's Bell.
Only eleven returned.
Hell's Bell was a two-tailed serpent that transmitted killing intent like a disease.
The V5 rated it A-2.
That's two levels higher than the Chimera Ant King, Meruem, who was rated A.
Its reproductive ability and numbers were unknown, but its savagery was rated A-1.
Had it existed in Mobius Lake, it could've wiped out humanity.
Thankfully, it hadn't been seen since.
3. Gas Lifeform Ai
Disaster Type: "Desire-Dependent Entity"
Associated Nation: Minbo Republic
Minbo tried to find Tri-Origin Water, the base for all liquids.
With the Association's help.
But they failed.
Only three survived.
And all came back... mad.
Everyone in the expedition had turned on one another.
What Ai really did remained a mystery.
But Minbo's expedition was the most tragic—a total failure.
4. Zobae Disease
Disaster Type: "Despair That Cheats Hope"
Associated Nation: Kukanyu Kingdom
Already covered earlier. Tied to Beyond's team and the Alchemical Plant Melion.
5. Gold-Silver Ingot
Disaster Type: "Plant Weapon"
Associated Nation: Saherta Union
Also covered earlier. The guardian of the Labyrinth City housing the miracle herb.
Joey knew of one more undocumented journey.
Isaac Netero, the late Chairman, had also explored the Dark Continent with two companions:
Lynne
Zigg Zoldyck
Zigg was a name Joey couldn't recall well.
The oldest Zoldyck he knew was Maha.
But even Maha wasn't the eldest?
He made a mental note to ask Killua.
Especially about Nanika inside Alluka.
Could Nanika be one of the Five Calamities—or something else?
As for Lynne, he had no ties.
Better bring her a rare ingredient if he wanted a proper chat.
And for rare food, he needed a Gourmet Hunter.
The only ones he knew were Menchi and Buhasa, who had helped during Andre's banquet.
He'd ask Andre for help—though Joey hadn't seen him in a while.
Since recovering, Andre had quit hunting, choosing to relax and recover mentally.
He wouldn't be joining the expedition.
Joey considered hiring Andre to manage his lab and villa, but…
Andre would never accept money.
And Joey hated working with unpaid friends.
Work was work. Friendship was friendship.
He figured one billion jeni per year would be fair compensation.
Not a bodyguard—Ikarugo had taken that role already, even moving in with Meleoron before construction finished.
—
When the mark on his hand suddenly vanished, Joey hit the brakes.
He pulled out his map, matching it with the desert terrain.
"Could it be border-linked Nen?" he muttered.
His mind flashed to team-based Nen weapons like Beyond's war robot—a multi-user system combining Emission, Materialization, Enhancement…
So, Saherta's foreign detection system might be similar.
A large-scale, cooperative Nen ability, tied to God Script, etched into the land itself?
Joey scribbled in his notebook.
If enough users bound their Nen to a map using God Script, maybe they could tag any intruder with a "Foreigner" mark.
But… that would take massive aura.
Surely they couldn't tag everyone?
What if it only targeted Nen users?
He tried suppressing his aura, mimicking a civilian.
Backed the car up.
The mark reappeared.
Then he moved forward again—until it vanished.
Got out of the car. Summoned Killer Queen behind him.
No mark this time.
"Confirmed. It only tags Nen users," Joey muttered.
His stealth plan was shot.
No way to sneak in now.
"Crafty bastards."
He thought again—why would Saherta tag only Nen users, and then not recognize Hunters?
Were the guards truly clueless? Or had they secretly alerted someone?
Either way, his gut told him:
It's time to leave.
He stepped on the gas.
—
But even as Joey left, an hour later, another vehicle pulled up near his tire tracks.
Inside were four men in uniform.
"You're sure you sensed it?"
The one with the toothpick and shades asked.
"Yeah. It was the aura of a Weapon," another replied, a vicious-looking bug perched on his shoulder, sniffing the air.
The bug let out a low whimper.
"Looks like one of the Weapons scattered across the world just woke up again," the driver muttered, slamming the gas.
"Time to clean up this mess."