Zhang Heng’s eyes widened, staring at the scene before him in disbelief, a gasp escaping his throat: “Good heavens! This is actually an Evil-type z-crystal?! Who would have thought that activating the system function would yield such an unexpected gain?!”
Amidst his excitement, Zhang Heng began to ponder silently. How could such a powerful and practical identification function be easily turned off? No, absolutely not! From now on, he would keep it activated indefinitely!
“Ding, Host, the identification function will damage your mental power. Long-term activation is not beneficial.”
Zhang Heng responded speechlessly: “I can’t even think about it?!”
Without stopping, he eagerly strode forward, jogging all the way to the corner of the tree hole. He bent down, quickly pulled out the exquisite surgical knife he carried with him, and carefully inserted it into the gap between the inner wall of the tree hole and the Evil-type z-crystal.
Then, he gently pried with the surgical knife, his movements soft yet skilled, afraid of accidentally damaging this rare treasure.
As time passed, the Evil-type z-crystal was finally successfully pried out. It shimmered with a mysterious and alluring light, resting quietly in Zhang Heng’s palm.
Qi Shu also watched Zhang Heng tinkering in the corner for a long time. She walked closer and exclaimed, “Oh my god! An Evil-type z-crystal! Xiao Heng, your luck is too good. Why would a z-crystal appear here?”
Zhang Heng pondered for a moment: “It seems this Evil-type z-crystal attracted the Shiftry group to settle here. Under the management of the Shiftry group, the Grass-type energy on their bodies also nourished this tree, allowing it to grow vigorously, forming a symbiotic relationship.”
He then asked Qi Shu: “Do z-crystals need to be handed over to the Alliance?”
“No, items obtained during missions do not need to be handed over. However, Pokémon in the Wilderness Area are protected and cannot be captured under normal circumstances.”
Zhang Heng’s Pokémon currently only included the unhatched Mudkip and the Walking Wake, which could not be revealed. Although Walking Wake had the Evil-type Bite skill in its skill bar, it was not a physical attack-oriented Pokémon.
Zhang Heng then said: “But the Evil-type z-crystal is not very useful to me. Can I exchange it for other equivalent rewards?”
“Yes, after we complete the mission, we can go to the Alliance’s treasury for an equivalent exchange. z-crystals are not among the items that can be manufactured, so they can be exchanged for Super S-rank items of equal value.”
Zhang Heng nodded, stood up, and looked back at the batch of Seedot Pokémon eggs.
“These eggs haven’t been contaminated. Let’s mark their location and have the Alliance send them to the Grass-type Wilderness Area in Guizhou Province.”
Upon hearing this, Qi Shu took out her communication device, sent the location coordinates, and marked the signal. Then, the communication device prompted, and a white dot appeared on the device’s radar screen.
Qi Shu said to Zhang Heng: “It seems we’ve found Zou Tianwang. He’s probably less than 1 kilometer away from us. However, the instrument shows he’s been stationary for a long time, so he must be in combat or being held back. His position is Southwest of us, which should be the outskirts of the Lake Heart Island Core area.”
“No time to lose, let’s go there now…”
Lake Heart Island Core area~
Zou Tianwang and two Senior Cadres of the Water Blade Gang were in a standoff.
A trace of blood seeped from Swanna’s beak, indicating he had sustained some injury. However, the Elite Four-level Pokémon’s aura remained powerful. He flapped his wings, hovering above Zou Yi’s head, his eyes fixed with hatred on the two Liepard before him.
As for the two Liepard opposite them, although their bodies were scarred and their fur was ruffled, the sinister glint in their eyes had not diminished at all.
Both were Quasi-Champion-level Pokémon, and their coordination was exceptionally synchronized. The two Senior Cadres on the other side also had a perfectly unified strategy: one commanded a Liepard to frontally engage Swanna, while the other seized opportunities to command a Liepard to ambush Zou Yi.
This was not like a game where battles only occurred between Pokémon. In real-life wilderness combat, not only were Pokémon engaged in battle, but Trainers also faced life-threatening danger. If a Trainer was eliminated, their Pokémon would lose command and could be easily defeated and eliminated.
Swanna, with his Elite Four-level combat power, was unable to fully utilize it, being constrained. He not only had to repel a frontal attack from one Liepard but also had to guard against a sneak attack from the other.
After several rounds of combat, Zou Yi slowly regained his composure, his anger from losing Swoobat turning into solemnity.
Zou Yi: “Swanna, Aqua Ring.”
Senior Cadre: “Still thinking of recovering? A war of attrition? Dream on.”
Another Cadre: “Good opportunity! Sucker Punch!”
Just as Zou Yi was about to reach out to open his other Poké Ball, a familiar shout suddenly came from behind: “Zou Tianwang, get down quickly! Vikavolt, use Electric Net attack!”
Upon hearing this shout, Zou Tianwang reacted with lightning speed. Almost before the words had finished, he rolled sharply to the side with a speed beyond ordinary people’s reach.
A dazzling Electric Net, condensed from brilliant yellow electricity, shot out rapidly from Zou Yi’s side, accompanied by crackling sounds.
When the Electric Net skill reached the battlefield, it expanded to a full three-meter width in the blink of an eye. The powerful current leaped and flickered on the net lines, as if it could tear apart any enemy daring to approach it at any moment.
However, facing such a sudden attack, the Senior Cadre did not panic or lose his composure. On the contrary, he remained exceptionally calm and collected, quickly giving the command: “Quick Attack!”
Following his command, the Liepard’s entire body glowed brightly, transforming into a bolt of lightning, and dodged to the side with lightning speed.
The skill missed, and Qi Shu exclaimed angrily: “They dodged even that?!”
Zhang Heng and Qi Shu arrived beside Zou Tianwang. Zhang Heng looked at the Swoobat in Zou Yi’s arms, just about to go see if he could save it.
Zou Yi raised his hand to stop Zhang Heng, saying: “He has already passed away.” Zhang Heng sighed slightly, remaining silent.
Qi Shu: “Zou Tianwang, we are here to support you as per the Alliance’s instructions.”
Zou Yi shook his head: “Museum Curator Qi Shu, you have already helped me a great deal, but the villain has already entered the Core area for a long time, preparing to break through the Divine Beast Field and capture the Divine Beast. You must go stop him.”
Zou Yi then looked at Zhang Heng: “Young friend Zhang, you possess special abilities. I hope you can help the Alliance repel the Water Blade Gang. You go to the Core area; I will finish the battle here quickly and then catch up with you.”
Swanna flapped his wings, Water-type energy surging around him, and the surrounding mist gathered on his body, coating him in a circulating layer of water. The Aqua Ring skill had been successfully cast.
Zhang Heng and Qi Shu wasted no time and headed towards the Core area in the direction Zou Yi indicated.
The mission of the two Senior Cadres was to block others from advancing and disturbing their captain.
They immediately commanded: “Liepard, Sucker Punch.”
“I haven’t forgotten the revenge for Swoobat at all.”
“Tropius! Gust!”