Wu Shuo's expression grew even more speechless as he looked at the teacup in Chen Xi's hand with a darkened face.
Is that how you drink tea? You just know how to mooch off of others!
Seeing Wu Shuo's expression as if he wanted to devour him, Chen Xi chuckled, tapped his head, and slowly said, “Although the exact time is unknown, it’s clearly approaching. Those rats in the gutter are slowly surfacing.”
Wu Shuo fell silent for a moment, then whispered, “How did the higher-ups decide?”
Chen Xi sneered, “Many of the higher-ups come from those aristocratic families and powerful forces. They only ever think about how to make a huge profit. Relying on them is less reliable than hoping for a meteor to fall and kill everyone. The country needs to change. At the very least, we can’t let those vampires hold too much power. That’s why we need to cultivate some fresh blood with strong roots.”
“Fresh blood…” Wu Shuo murmured, then looked up at Chen Xi, “So, Lin Fan is the fresh blood you chose?”
Recalling Lin Fan’s performance in the competition, especially his composure at the last moment, Wu Shuo couldn't help but nod slightly.
He was indeed excellent.
One who harbors thunder in their chest but maintains a calm demeanor can be appointed a great general.
“He’s just an alternative, but I do think highly of him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone to Yan Hui to ask for a cultivation experience. That guy has such a strange temper; dealing with him is too much trouble.”
Chen Xi tapped his head, feeling a headache just thinking about Yan Hui’s expressionless face.
“Indeed, if we were to strictly follow the higher-ups’ wishes and choose someone from the common people who could carry the banner, it would be too difficult. This Lin Fan is already an excellent choice.” Wu Shuo nodded in agreement. Only when one reaches his level of strength can they truly appreciate the value of resources.
Many things aren’t a matter of whether they can be obtained; it’s that they haven’t even been heard of.
“Alright, since things are over, I should go too.” Chen Xi stood up, put on his Niu Zhan Shi mask again, disguised himself, and left silently.
Wu Shuo sipped his tea in the room, letting out a faint sigh.
“Can the might of a Legendary Pokémon truly be touched by humans…?”
…
Lin Fan returned to the hotel from the Rock Gym and comfortably lay on the large bed, letting out a groan of satisfaction.
There was still some time before their high-speed train home departed, so he could take advantage of this time to rest well.
After all, once he returned home, he would need to thoroughly study that Poison-type Pokémon cultivation experience, which would be another time-consuming and arduous task.
Coupled with the daily study of Breeder knowledge, Lin Fan already felt his head starting to ache.
Beedrill burst out of its Poké Ball, eagerly flitting around in front of Lin Fan, constantly gesticulating.
“Ssss-bzzz! Ssss-bzzz-bzzz!”
“Alright, alright, I didn’t forget.”
Lin Fan looked at Beedrill with amusement, rolled over onto his stomach on the bed. Beedrill followed suit, its eyes shining as it watched Lin Fan open the shopping app on his phone, enter the Ling Yue Company’s flagship store, and search for “peach fruit.”
“Whoa, so many varieties!”
A series of different types of peach fruit popped up, surprising Lin Fan, while Beedrill drooled beside him.
“Let me see… Forget it, I don’t understand. Buying the expensive one is the right choice. This 40-yuan one is good. That’s the one.”
Lin Fan carefully selected for a moment, then realized he had no idea what the differences were. In the end, he could only reluctantly give up and choose to follow the popular choice.
“Besides peach fruit, Moomoo Milk can also be arranged, and Combee brand honey… A little bit of everything.”
Lin Fan’s fingers clicked “swish, swish, swish” on the screen, adding a variety of items to his shopping cart and finally making the payment directly.
No choice, he was a rich man now, and this was how he showed off.
Humming twice, Lin Fan then opened the class group chat with 99+ messages, casually scrolling through. Most of them were comments like “God Fan 666” and “God Fan, please carry us.”
Lin Fan’s mouth curved into a smirk, and he sent a cool emoji, then haughtily turned off his phone.
Sure enough, his charm was already unstoppable.
After a moment of narcissism, Su Ling came and knocked on the door.
“It’s time. We should go.”
Lin Fan responded, slung on his already prepared backpack, and took a taxi with Su Ling to the high-speed rail station, embarking on their journey home.
Su Wu had returned early after challenging the Rock Gym, as the martial arts hall still needed him to preside over it.
However, thinking of Su Wu’s “threat” before he left, Lin Fan sighed helplessly.
A doting father is truly terrifying.
…
At ten o’clock in the evening, Lin Fan finally arrived home.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he eagerly shouted, “Lin Dad, Lin Mom, I’m home!”
Hearing Lin Fan’s voice, Lin Dad, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen, and Lin Mom also quickly put down what she was doing, walking towards Lin Fan with a beaming smile and giving him a big hug.
“Our little Champion is back.”
Lin Fan’s lips curved into a warm smile. He looked at the festive balloons hung everywhere in the living room, then at the sumptuous dishes on the table, and exchanged a knowing glance and smile with Lin Dad.
The family sat around the dining table, with Beedrill also having a share, enjoying this celebration feast together.
At the dinner table, Lin Dad put down his chopsticks and solemnly took out a bank card from his pocket, handing it to Lin Fan.
“Xiao Fan, this is a little bit of the family’s savings. There’s 150,000 inside, which should be enough for you for a while.”
Lin Fan was astonished and quickly refused, “Lin Dad, what are you doing? Didn’t I tell you? The Zero Moon Cup Champion gets 200,000 in prize money. I’m not short on money now.”
Lin Mom snatched the bank card and forcefully stuffed it into Lin Fan’s hand, “Alright, if we tell you to take it, then take it. Your Lin Dad and I have consulted, and those Trainers who make a name for themselves spend at least a million on their Pokémon. Our family doesn’t have much money. We’ve kept 50,000 for emergencies, and the rest is all for you.”
Lin Fan opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t refuse and accepted the bank card.
“That’s more like it.”
Lin Dad and Lin Mom smiled with satisfaction. In their minds, they already felt quite guilty for not being able to provide Lin Fan with good conditions to become a Trainer. After seeing Lin Fan able to make a name for himself with his own abilities, they naturally decided to give their son the greatest support.
After the celebration feast, Lin Fan returned to his bedroom, carefully put away the bank card, and took out the exquisite scroll.
The best way to repay Lin Dad and Lin Mom was for him to improve his strength as quickly as possible, so he could seize every opportunity, just like that battle league Chen Xi mentioned.
“Five million…”
Lin Fan took a deep breath, composed himself, and slowly unrolled the scroll in his hand.