He also fed Charmander and Weedle some Moomoo Milk.
Zhao Feng suddenly wondered if he had already been wanted by the Alliance, and since Charmander and Weedle were both very rare, they definitely couldn't be seen by others.
Fortunately, these past few days he was either in the wild or in the black market, and he had taken measures to cover his face.
"Next time I go to the black market, I'll see if there are any human skin masks. Before that, I definitely can't appear in the city," Zhao Feng muttered.
If he had the chance, Zhao Feng also wanted to get a Ditto; it would be much more convenient than a human skin mask.
Zhao Feng squatted by the campfire, turning the smoked meat on the grill. The sizzling sound of grease dripping into the charcoal mixed with the aroma of oatmeal porridge, filling the abandoned house.
"If I keep getting thinner, I'm afraid I won't even be able to throw a Poké Ball steadily," he self-mockingly told Charmander, poking the mixed grain porridge in the iron pot with a twig.
The compressed dried meat bought from the black market expanded in the boiling water, with a few green vegetables floating in the dark brown broth.
Compared to the hard bread he had been gnawing on for half a month, the steaming heat bubbling in the iron pot now felt like a luxury.
Weedle lay on his lap, curiously reaching for the golden-brown smoked meat.
Zhao Feng smiled, picked off a small piece with the tip of his knife, blew on it to cool it, and placed it in his palm: "Don't be greedy, this is for humans to replenish protein."
But the little guy stubbornly bit the edge of the meat with its mouthpart, dragging out a long strand of meat, which made Charmander also come over to sniff with its nose.
Zhao Feng suddenly realized that he hadn't had a proper hot meal in a long time. At 175cm tall, he weighed only 45 kilograms.
"I need to gain at least 60 kilograms," he said, cutting the hard cheese with his dagger, the milky white cross-section reflecting the flickering light of the campfire.
The cheese was bought from a smuggler in the black market. It was said to be made from Dodrio fresh milk, rich in calcium that promotes adolescent development.
Zhao Feng took a big Bite, the salty flavor bursting on his tongue. He suddenly remembered the "Trainer's Basic Code" from a book: "A healthy physique is the first element to control a Pokémon."
At that time, he always thought this was for rich kids, until he fell into the mud swamp in Ouyue Lake and didn't even have the strength to pull himself ashore.
Charmander suddenly coiled the cloth bag containing oatmeal with its tail, let out an "Awooo" cry, and tossed it at his feet.
Zhao Feng understood and sprinkled a handful of crushed nuts into the porridge.
He felt the wallet hidden in the inner pocket of his trench coat. Aside from necessary Pokémon expenses, he specifically set aside 500 alliance currency as a "human supply fund."
"Tomorrow, I'll go to the black market to buy protein powder," Zhao Feng said, tapping the bottom of the pot with his spoon, announcing his new plan to the two Pokémon.
Weedle gently tapped his wrist, while Charmander wrapped its tail around his ankle, as if casting a vote of approval.
The porridge in the iron pot bubbled, the smoky aroma of the bacon mixed with the rich taste of the cheese, and for the first time, in this drafty abandoned house, it felt like home.
Early the next morning, Zhao Feng set off for Ouyue Lake, as the Everstone task was now urgent.
But what bothered Zhao Feng was that the previous task had been completed, but the system had not yet issued a new task, which made Zhao Feng a little worried.
"What big move is the system brewing?" Zhao Feng muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously caressing the Poké Ball buckle at his waist.
Since completing the first stage of the task, the system had suddenly fallen silent, and this abnormality made the back of his neck tighten.
As he rounded the third clump of reeds by the lake, he suddenly heard footsteps ahead—the crisp sound of crushed dry leaves mixed with the gentle clinking of Poké Ball buckles.
Instinct made Zhao Feng instantly recall Charmander into its ball, while Weedle climbed up his sleeve into the chest pocket of his jacket.
The man walking towards him wore a faded denim jacket and had three Poké Balls clipped to his waist.
"Little brother, are you also here to try your luck by the lake?" the man grinned. "I saw a large group of Water-type Pokémon in the reeds up ahead, maybe even some rare ones."
As he spoke, his right thumb repeatedly rubbed the middle Poké Ball at his waist.
Zhao Feng nodded politely, but his steps quietly retreated half a foot towards the lake, his back pressing against a damp tree trunk.
"Thanks for the tip, I was just going to the shallows to look for Goldeen," he said, deliberately making his voice sound a bit youthful, while simultaneously reaching into his canvas bag, his fingertips gripping the kitchen knife.
The man's gaze fixed on the swaying Weedle horn on Zhao Feng's chest—that section of horn, black as ink, glowed with a luster completely different from ordinary Weedle.
"So it's a novice playing with Bug-types..." Before he finished speaking, the Poké Ball at his waist had already flown out of his hand. From the red light, a Raticate leaped out, saliva dripping from its fangs, already at Intermediate level strength.
Zhao Feng's kitchen knife swung out almost simultaneously, the blade carrying a fierce whooshing sound, aiming directly at the opponent's throat.
The man didn't even have time to react, only feeling a chilling coldness at his neck, followed by a sharp pain.
He instinctively reached up to cover his neck, warm blood gushing from between his fingers. His entire body seemed to lose its spine, and he dropped to his knees with a "thud," emitting incoherent gurgling sounds from his throat.
His wide eyes were filled with horror and disbelief, as if he couldn't comprehend how this seemingly thin young man could strike with such fierce ruthlessness.
Taking advantage of the man falling to the ground and Raticate's momentary disorientation, "Weedle, String Shot!" Zhao Feng roared.
Weedle instantly shot out from Zhao Feng's sleeve, and streams of white silk lines instantly sprayed towards Raticate.
This Raticate was clearly well-trained. Even in the chaotic situation of losing its Trainer's command, out of instinct, it still unhesitatingly pounced towards Zhao Feng.
However, the silk lines severely dragged Raticate's steps, reducing its originally lightning-fast Speed by thirty percent.
"Release Poison Sting!" Zhao Feng, seeing this, was anxious and quickly commanded loudly.
Weedle received the command, and three pitch-black Poison Sting, in a sharp triangular formation, shot towards Raticate.
Raticate, experienced, suddenly dodged sideways, its body arcing strangely in the air, cleverly avoiding a direct hit from Poison Sting.
The Poison Sting flew past its fur, embedding deeply into the nearby mud, instantly corroding three small black holes.
Zhao Feng seized the perfect opportunity while Raticate was dodging Poison Sting and its movement was slightly paused. His right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the Raticate's Poké Ball from the man's waist.
The moment he touched the Poké Ball, he unhesitatingly pressed the button, and a red light instantly enveloped Raticate.
Raticate let out an unwilling roar, its figure gradually blurring in the red light, finally disappearing, successfully captured inside the ball.
Zhao Feng quickly twisted the lock, securely locking the Poké Ball to ensure Raticate couldn't break free.
This was the disadvantage of having no Trainer's command. If Zhao Feng were commanding, he would have definitely had Raticate endure the Poison Sting and deliver a fatal blow.
The man had already stopped breathing. Zhao Feng, killing for the first time, felt a bit nauseous looking at the blood continuously gushing from the man's throat.
After calming himself down, "I'm sorry!" Zhao Feng said to the corpse.
He began to search the man's belongings. Unfortunately, the man was not wealthy; he only had one thousand alliance currency and two empty Poké Balls.
But for Zhao Feng, it was an unexpected gain. After all, an Intermediate level Raticate could fetch a good price, likely a high price of ten thousand alliance currency, which could alleviate some of Zhao Feng's urgent needs.
Zhao Feng dragged the man's body towards the lake, the mud leaving varying depths of footprints on his boot soles.
The surface of Ouyue Lake rippled, and he knew this was the best "disposal method."
After dealing with this thorny matter, he took a deep breath, trying to cast aside the recent blood and tension, as the task of finding the Everstone was urgent.
At this moment, his gaze was drawn by a movement by the lake. Pushing aside the dense grass, he saw a large group of Poliwag playing in the shallows.
At the edge of the group, several slightly larger Poliwhirl were vigilantly patrolling, while on a nearby protruding rock, a majestic Poliwrath rested with its eyes closed, exuding a powerful aura, its strength clearly having reached Advanced level.
Zhao Feng's heart stirred. He knew the market value of Poliwag; if he could catch a few, he could earn a considerable income.
But trying to sneak a catch under the nose of this Advanced level Poliwrath and several Intermediate level Poliwhirl, how easy could that be?
Zhao Feng carefully squatted down, took out several Poké Balls from his backpack, and then pulled out a Berry. He quietly crushed the Berry and sprinkled the fragrant pulp in a corner a little further from the Poliwag group.
Several Poliwag were the first to smell the scent, wiggling their round bodies and swimming curiously in that direction.
The movement attracted the attention of a Poliwhirl. It croaked twice, wiggled its limbs, and quickly swam over to investigate.
Zhao Feng's heart pounded faster at the sight. He quickly and gently threw a Poké Ball, targeting a Poliwag that was a little further from the group.
The Poké Ball arced through the air, about to hit the Poliwag.
Just then, the Poliwrath suddenly opened its eyes, its gaze shooting like lightning towards Zhao Feng's direction.
It let out a low roar and used its Water Gun move to knock away the Poké Ball.
Zhao Feng was shocked. He hadn't expected Poliwrath's senses to be so keen. In the nick of time, he urgently shouted, "Weedle, String Shot to interfere!"
Weedle instantly shot out from his sleeve, its mouth wide open, and thick strands of silk shot towards Poliwrath.
Poliwrath waved its arms, trying to block.
Zhao Feng took advantage of this chaotic interval, throwing two more Poké Balls in quick succession, while also shouting to Weedle, "Use Poison Sting again!" Several Poliwhirl were hit by Poison Sting, their Speed slowing down.
One Poké Ball accurately hit a Poliwag, and the ball shook violently.
Zhao Feng's palms were sweating from nervousness, his eyes fixed on the shaking Poké Ball.
Finally, with two crisp "click" sounds, the capture was successful! He had no time to rejoice, quickly picked up the Poké Ball, recalled Weedle, and desperately fled through the dense grass.