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Life is often full of dramatic twists.
Even Li Xiang himself hadn't expected to seize control in such a critical moment.
Both Malamar and the massive Gengar had been knocked out, and the two fat men were immobilized—only their necks and heads could still move. There was no way for them to release more Pokémon.
As a result, what happened next in this temple would be decided by Li Xiang alone.
Slowly standing up, he began weighing his options.
Should he flee with his parents?
That might have been a decent choice, but the problem was that this was an underground temple buried a hundred meters below the surface, with no clear exit in sight.
Finding the way out would take time—time that he didn't have.
His stamina was nearly depleted, and e hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. Even if they escaped, the northern wilderness of Saizhou awaited them outside. Could his family survive out there?
Would they last long enough for some vague hope of rescue?
Moreover, the situation at hand was that the so-called "god" the two fat men had spoken of was on the verge of being born.
Once it emerged, it would likely go on a killing spree—starting with Suicune, and then possibly his fleeing family!
There was no reasoning with these maniacs who disregarded human life.
And according to them, there were still "captains" outside. What if their communication had just been cut off, and those people were still alive?
Blindly rushing out would only lower their chances of survival.
Instead, it was better to first move Suicune away from the stone pillar. Once it recovered its strength, it could help them escape.
Given how it had risked its life to shield them from the shockwave, Suicune was clearly on their side.
With that in mind, Li Xiang knew exactly what he had to do.
Glaring hatefully at the two fat men—ignoring their curses, threats, and shouts—he unbuckled his belt and ran toward Suicune, who was slumped against the pillar.
"Kid! Do you even realize what you're doing?! Put that down and get the hell away!"
"Get lost! Or I'll slaughter your whole family!"
"Where are the hidden Pokémon?! Are they all dead?! Stop him!"
"Old man! I order you to stop him! Stop him!"
Li Xiang paid them no mind. The Pokémon that had been controlling people were all lying on the ground—thirty-two of them. He'd never forget that number.
As for the old man above… half-crippled, he had tried to move but collapsed and knocked himself out. The frailty of old age, indeed.
"I'm getting you out. Don't move."
Li Xiang whispered, looping his belt around Suicune's hollowed crown to avoid direct contact. Then, with all his might, he began dragging the legendary beast away.
Suicune watched him with its piercing gold-red eyes, revealing no emotion, but it obeyed, staying perfectly still to make the task easier.
Pulling nearly two hundred kilograms of weight was a brutal challenge for Li Xiang in his exhausted state.
But he didn't need to drag it far—just out of the pillar's range.
From what he'd observed, the energy-draining effect had a radius of about one meter.
One meter.
That was all he needed.
"Guh—!"
Li Xiang gritted his teeth, muscles straining, the taste of blood filling his mouth as his legs trembled. Every step felt like his bones were creaking under the strain.
Just two hundred kilograms. Just one meter.
"RAAAAH—!"
With a furious roar, Li Xiang wrenched Suicune free from the pillar's influence!
Success!
Watching the pillar's engravings dim and the Ultimate Weapon's glow fade, he collapsed, gasping for breath. He glanced at the unconscious crowd—still no one had woken up.
Was the shockwave really that devastating?
He didn't realize he'd only been unconscious for less than two minutes.
With Suicune absorbing most of the impact, the pure energy that could trigger physiological reactions had barely touched him.
"Damn you! I'll kill your entire family!!"
The larger fat man's eyes were bloodshot, while the smaller one thrashed wildly, trying to break free from the ice.
Li Xiang lifted his head and let out a cold, mocking laugh. Ignoring their rabid howls, his gaze landed on a sharp piece of metal debris nearby.
He was going to kill them.
Eliminate these bastards before they could cause more trouble and send them straight to hell.
Staggering to his feet, he grabbed the metal shard and lurched toward the two trapped men.
"Y-You! What are you doing?! Stop! Don't come closer!"
"Stay back! I said stay back!"
The fat men's faces twisted in terror as they realized his intent. They writhed desperately.
"Stop! Don't take another step!"
"Damn this A-grade combat suit! Can't even break ice! Move!!"
"Listen to me, kid! Just stop!"
"I was wrong! I was wrong! Don't kill me! PLEASE!"
Their screams shifted from rage to pleading to outright despair, but Li Xiang didn't speak a word. His face was a mask of cold fury as he raised the metal shard—aiming straight for their eyes.
Yet—Before his strike reach their target, Suicune's ribbon-like tendril wrapped around his wrist, freezing him mid-motion.
The larger fat man panted wildly, his face flushed crimson, the shard mere centimeters from his eyeball.
"...Why?"
Li Xiang turned, his expression dark as he glared at Suicune.
"These two can't be left alive. They'll cause more trouble."
His own voice startled him—hoarse, barely above a whisper. Had he damaged his throat from shouting earlier?
No matter. They had to die.
He switched the shard to his other hand.
But Suicune stopped him again, this time pointing with another ribbon—toward the reactivated Ultimate Weapon above them.
"Hngh!"
Li Xiang's head snapped up, his pupils shrank to pinpricks.
The Ultimate Weapon was glowing again, primed to fire.
The two fat men noticed it too, their terror instantly replaced by manic glee.
"Hahaha! The backup power kicked in! The god is being born!"
"Kill us now, brat! It won't matter! You'll still die! Suicune will die! Everyone dies! But if you kneel and beg, maybe I'll spare your parents!"
"Those two over there, right? The meddlers? Your choice—kneel and live, or stab us and perish together!"
Spittle flew as they ranted, their expressions deranged.
Li Xiang's face darkened further—not from their taunts, but from the dilemma.
Suicune clearly wanted him to stop the machine first.
But how?
'Force the answer out of them!'
"Cough! Cough! Tell me—how do I stop it?!" Li Xiang snarled, clearing his throat before jamming the shard into the larger man's cheek.
"TELL ME!!"
"AAAGH! I don't know! Stop! Get away! IT HURTS!"
"Bullshit!" Li Xiang twisted the metal deeper. "You have to know! And YOU—talk!"
"I-I really don't! Lu Zhong handled everything! I just peeked sometimes! I swear!" the smaller one babbled, tears streaming.
These two wouldn't talk until death stared them in the face.
With a snarl, Li Xiang yanked the shard out—only to plunge it into the smaller man's face.
"You're lying! There's always a way to pause during testing! TELL ME, or your brother bleeds out first, then YOU!"
"I DON'T KNOW! The flower's on its own program! Once it starts, it doesn't stop unless it runs out of energy! Smashing the console won't help!"
'Smashing the console wouldn't work?'
Li Xiang hesitated, eyeing the control panel. He didn't trust them, but could he risk it?
If destroying it didn't stop the weapon, he'd be dooming everyone, yet he refused to believe there was no emergency shutdown.
There had to be a way.
Lu Zhong must have had a failsafe.
Scanning the area, his gaze landed on Lu Zhong's severed lower half in a corner.
Dropping the fat men, he rushed over, ignoring the gruesome sight as he searched the corpse.
'There!'
A small silver pouch—far heavier than it should be.
'A spatial bag?!'
No time to question the advanced tech. Rummaging through, he found three USB-like devices.
"What are these?! ANSWER ME!"
Returning to the fat men, he pressed the shard against the larger one's wound, making him scream.
"I don't know! How would I know Lu Zhong's stuff?!" the smaller one wailed.
"I don't believe you! You must have seen him pause it before! Talk, or after your brother dies, YOU'RE NEXT."
His voice dropped to a deadly calm.
"Bleed enough, and you'll get dizzy. Your body temperature drops. Limbs go numb. Panic sets in. Then—slow, confused, agonizing death."
"Feel it yet? The dizziness seeping in? You're already in the first stage, and it'll only get more painful from here on out. Don't worry, I'll personally be here to make sure you an extremely agonizing death."
The smaller man's eyes widened in horror.
Worse—his brother had gone silent.
Turning, he saw the larger man's face pale, his plump features sagging, eyes vacant.
'Dead?'
The surviving brother began trembling violently, teeth chattering.
"I-I only know he used these on the computer! That's it! I swear! Strike me dead if I'm lying! I don't know how they work!"
His voice cracked with tears as he repeated the plea, broken beyond defiance.