Zhao Feng, with his face heavily muffled, slipped into the black market under the cover of dusk, where a mixed scent of Pokémon and medicinal potions assailed him.
He clutched the cloth bag containing the Poké Balls and navigated through the crowded stalls, eventually finding the shop of the old man who had previously sold him Poliwag.
“Oh, young man, found some good stuff again?” The old man’s eyes glinted, and he reached out to grab the cloth bag.
Zhao Feng quickly pulled back, “Let’s agree on a price first. These are all high-quality goods.”
“An Intermediate level Golbat, twenty thousand; an Intermediate level Fearow with the Sniper ability, I’ll walk away for anything less than forty thousand.” Zhao Feng tapped the counter and then shook the other three Poké Balls, “Two Rattata for four thousand, and a Spearow for three thousand.”
The old man’s eyes darted around, muttering, “This Fearow’s ability is indeed rare,” before finally gritting his teeth and agreeing to the deal.
With money and goods exchanged, Zhao Feng felt the thick wad of cash in his pocket, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst through his chest.
Sixty-seven thousand! This was more than he had ever earned before!
Clutching the money, Zhao Feng’s throat felt tight. He leaned closer to the old man and whispered, “Boss, do you have any human skin masks? Or… a Ditto would also work.”
As soon as he spoke, he saw the old man’s cloudy eyes shift, and a meaningful smile spread across his wrinkled lips.
“Human skin masks are ten thousand each, a Ditto is three hundred thousand, and if you want a clean identity—” The old man held up three fingers with his bony hand, “A complete set of documents for a missing person, it’s also that much.”
Zhao Feng’s heart sank with a thud, and the sixty-seven thousand he had just received suddenly felt light in his pocket.
He gritted his teeth, “I… I’ll take a mask.” Zhao Feng pulled a wad of cash from his pocket.
The old man slowly walked to the back of the shop, gesturing for Zhao Feng to follow.
From the bottom of a wooden box inside, he pulled out an oiled paper package. Unfolding it revealed the face of an ordinary young man—plain-looking, absolutely unnoticeable in a crowd.
“Try it on.” The old man handed him a bronze mirror.
Zhao Feng took the mask and pressed it to his face; the cold sensation made him shiver.
The mirror now reflected a stranger with no presence whatsoever.
He felt the edges of the mask, confirming it fit perfectly, and then let out a long sigh of relief—at least, he wouldn’t have to live with his head constantly on the line anymore.
Zhao Feng wrapped the human skin mask in a layer of black cloth before slipping out of the shop. He felt the more than fifty thousand yuan remaining in his pocket and planned to go purchase supplies first.
Charmander had been born over a week ago, and he still hadn’t found a suitable breeding manual for it, so that would have to wait. But Weedle’s evolution couldn't wait any longer.
Based on Zhao Feng’s observations, the aptitude potion had healed most of Weedle’s hidden injuries; now, it just needed the final push to evolve.
Zhao Feng mumbled to himself as he headed into the medicinal herb section.
Zhao Feng intended to develop Weedle’s Poison type in the direction of neurotoxins. If he could get Nihilego’s toxins, Weedle would immediately soar, but unfortunately, he couldn’t even touch a hair of an Ultra Beast right now.
Fortunately, there’s always a way out. After visiting three or four stalls, his eyes suddenly lit up—Spinarak’s poison sac!
“Boss, how much for this poison sac?” Zhao Feng picked up a glass bottle containing a dark purple poison sac.
“Five hundred each, no tricks!” The stall owner tapped the counter.
Zhao Feng didn’t waste words, bought two, and turned to the next stall—buying separately allowed him to haggle and avoid attracting attention.
Spinarak’s venom primarily leaned towards neurotoxins, mainly affecting the prey’s nervous system, leading to paralysis or weakness. Since it came from a Bug/Poison-type Pokémon, it was perfect for building Weedle’s foundation.
When he had gathered ten poison sacs, Zhao Feng turned and rushed to a general store. Zhao Feng gritted his teeth: “A pound of Silver Powder!”
The boss stared at him like he was an idiot: “Are you sure? This stuff isn’t cheap.”
Most people wouldn't use such expensive materials to train weak Bug-type Pokémon.
“Less talk!” Zhao Feng slammed the money on the table.
He knew clearly that Silver Powder was the most effective for developing Bug types, and no matter how expensive, he had to bite the bullet and buy it.
Zhao Feng then went to buy some berries, intending to make some more energy cubes.
Passing another small stall, Zhao Feng’s gaze was fixated on a Fire Stone, unable to look away.
A Fire Stone could be used once to boost the power of Fire-type moves, or a Pokémon could slowly absorb its energy.
Charmander was constantly flailing aimlessly at fires, so giving him a gem to experience Fire-type energy would be good.
Feigning just asking for the price, he asked the stall owner, “How much is this gem?”
“Five thousand! No haggling!” the stall owner replied.
Zhao Feng calculated; the price the boss gave was indeed the market price.
Zhao Feng felt his deflated wallet and, with a hardened heart, still paid the money.
“When I get rich later, I’ll get you a proper Fire Stone!” he murmured to the Charmander in the Poké Ball, the heavy supplies in his arms giving him a strange sense of security.
Zhao Feng was preparing to leave the black market, but his lavish spending today had still attracted the attention of some people.
Zhao Feng noticed that no matter where he went, some people were always following him.
He couldn't help but regret his carelessness today; he should have made his purchases over several days.
He began to weave through the black market, trying to shake off his pursuers.
As Zhao Feng circled out of the black market, he suddenly started to sprint.
“You found me after all, kid. Don’t run, I sprinkled scent powder on you, you can’t escape.”
A tall man, seeing that he had been discovered, simply stepped out.
Next to him was an Intermediate level Mightyena.
Mightyena’s fangs gleamed coldly in the night, and its crimson tongue greedily licked its lips.
Zhao Feng started to sweat. Previously, any Intermediate level Pokémon he had defeated either lacked a trainer’s command or were injured.
Today’s situation definitely meant a direct confrontation.
Zhao Feng first patted the Weedle hidden in his sleeve, signaling it not to act rashly.
“Big brother, may I ask what you need from your humble younger brother?” Zhao Feng forced a fake smile, pretending to be clueless.
“Big brother’s a little short on cash lately, so I was thinking you could lend me some money to spend,” the man said with a smile.
“How much does big brother need? I can give big brother twenty thousand alliance currency, which is all the savings I have.”
“Is that so? You spent more than twenty thousand in the black market just now. Come here and let me check.” The man sneered.
Zhao Feng absolutely could not let the man search him. The Poké Balls for Charmander and Weedle were on him, and if they were discovered, he would lose both his life and his possessions.
However, on the surface, he still pretended to be compliant, slowly walking towards the man.
“Big brother, I’ll give you the money, but please spare my life.”
“Naturally,” the man responded.
Zhao Feng continuously observed the man. He saw that the man was tense all over, clearly on guard against him, so a sneak attack on the man himself was definitely out of the question.
Zhao Feng could only grit his teeth, casually pulling out the Pokémon repellent spray he had bought earlier, and sprayed it at Mightyena.
The spray had a pungent odor, which was unbearable for the sensitive-nosed Mightyena, causing it to frantically cover its nose with its front paws.
Zhao Feng wasn’t idle with his mouth either, “Weedle, use String Shot.”
Weedle immediately darted out of Zhao Feng’s sleeve and shot white silk at Mightyena.
Affected by the smell, Mightyena didn’t react in time and was hit squarely by the white silk.
Zhao Feng took the opportunity to sprint backward.
The man cursed, “Damn it, Mightyena, go tear him apart.”
Zhao Feng ran while having the Weedle on his shoulder use String Shot and Poison Sting to harass.
The black market was too remote; Zhao Feng was now in the suburbs, and if he could reach the city, there would definitely be a glimmer of hope.
But Mightyena’s Speed was still far superior to Zhao Feng’s, and it caught up to Zhao Feng in no time.
Mightyena’s mouth glowed black, a Crunch attack, as it lunged at Zhao Feng.
The distance between Mightyena and Zhao Feng grew shorter and shorter.
A Crunch with 80 power, if it landed on Zhao Feng, he would either die or be crippled.