In a quiet, unnoticed corner of the Republic of East Gorteau, a change in regime had taken place silently.
The former supreme leader, Ming Jol-ik, who ruled under a hereditary system, had now been replaced by the Chimera Ant king, Meruem, who followed the law of the jungle, where only the strong survive.
When the Ant King and his three royal guards burst into the palace, Meruem never expected that the so-called King of an entire nation would turn out to be such a useless being.
According to Shaiapouf, this was a common occurrence in human society.
People who are neither intelligent nor talented can obtain undeserved positions of power simply through bloodline and connections.
Indeed, such a statement perfectly reflected human nature, and this phenomenon could be seen in every country.
Hearing this, the Ant King was utterly confused and displeased.
"Only foolish creatures would act in such a way!"
"Survival is for the fittest! Strength is the only truth one should believe in!"
With a cold voice, he declared his intent to reshape what he deemed to be a sick world: "It seems that it is time to clean up this country."
However, Neferpitou had a slightly different perspective.
"From another standpoint, humans are still useful."
"If we look at them purely as food, they are of excellent quality and should be used as rations for our soldiers."
Meanwhile, Menthuthuyoupi wasted no time, dragging numerous palace dancers out from backstage.
At that moment, seeing this scene unfold before him, being ignored completely as if he were nothing but air, Ming Jol-ik finally lost his patience; he could not help but yell angrily.
"I will use my divine power to bring divine punishment upon you! Leave this place at once—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, he was abruptly silenced.
A man who has been praised and flattered for too long will inevitably become deluded.
He had completely lost sight of reality, even convincing himself that he possessed so-called divine powers.
A lie repeated often enough can even fool its own creator.
Ming Jol-ik truly believed he was god and that he was dealing with mere peasants, like pigs and dogs.
But unfortunately for him, this time, he would pay the price for his foolishness.
With a mere flick of his tail, the Ant King ended Ming Jol-ik's life, sending him into an eternal slumber from which he would never wake.
Neferpitou then claimed Ming Jol-ik's corpse, intending to use her abilities to turn him into a puppet.
Meruem had no objections to this.
Even the palace dancers, who were desperately pleading for mercy, were handed over to Meruem to deal with as he saw fit.
In his words, that is…
"These people are really idiots."
Meruem smiled, tapped his own head, and mockingly said to the terrified humans: "Use your tiny, underdeveloped brains to think for a moment."
"When you slaughter pigs or cows for food, have you ever cared about their cries and pleas for mercy?"
To him, humans were nothing more than food, at least for now.
Meruem then stepped onto the palace balcony, gazing upon the grand scenery before him.
Satisfied with his new home, he declared: "The view here is very open and suitable for storing food..."
"We will make this into a meat orchard and use it as a human processing plant."
While the Ant King took action, and on the other side, humans also took corresponding measures.
First, the remaining Chimera Ants inside the nest had to be dealt with.
According to V5 and the higher-ups, these Chimera Ants were to be captured and used as experimental subjects.
However, under the influence of a mysterious force or, more precisely, the financial power of a certain Freecss family, these Chimera Ants were secretly transported away right under the Hunter Association's nose.
They were sent to an island infamous for its deadly survival game, a place perfectly suited for these creatures to live.
That island once used as a prison, was now strictly managed by powerful game masters and enforcers, ensuring that the Chimera Ants wouldn't cause too much trouble.
Even the bloodthirsty, pink Koala, who once killed people for amusement, was now stuck in a bar, drowning himself in alcohol, since he had nothing else left to do.
As for the Chimera Ant Queen, she was entrusted to Morel's two disciples, Knuckle and Shoot, to be taken care of.
As the most critical link in reaching an agreement with the Chimera Ants, the Queen naturally cannot have any accident.
Morel had no trust in V5 or Pariston's faction within the Hunter Association.
For example, Morel had already begun to suspect that the so-called supreme leader of the republic, Ming Jol-ik, had secretly swapped himself out with a puppet long before the crisis began.
While everyone thought the real Ming Jol-ik had been killed by the Ant King, he had actually escaped to a peaceful rural area, leaving behind a lookalike to take his place.
Clearly, he had been forewarned of the danger likely by V5, allowing him to abandon his people and save himself while leaving the entire nation to fend for itself.
V5, too, seemed to have its own plans and ambitions for the Chimera Ant king.
However, their methods were cruel and showed no concern for the common people.
They had only given Ming Jol-ik an early warning, ensuring that his substitute was the one who perished instead.
Such cowardly actions disgusted Morel.
Thus, under his insistence, the remaining Chimera Ants were sent to Greed Island.
As for Colt and Shidore…
After the brother and sister recognized each other, they hugged each other and cried bitterly.
The scene at that time was so tearful that even Morel, a grown man, couldn't help twitching his nose.
Later, with their help, Colt and Shidore found their original home.
In that remote rural village, the two also saw their original mother, who had become very haggard and weak because of the loss of her children.