Jian still felt he had a chance to turn the tables.
Because there was still no news from Honchkrow, so even though he found it hard to move, he still held onto hope, constantly imagining how he would cut Baimu's flesh into pieces.
This expectation persisted until Vibrava returned and threw the fainted Honchkrow onto the ground.
Despair left him disheartened.
The reason Honchkrow couldn't win was that it panicked upon hearing the Trainer's cry for help and accidentally got hit by Vibrava's Dragon Breath.
The Pokémon he pinned his hopes on was defeated because of his own burden.
How laughable.
Baimu softly thanked Vibrava and returned it to the Pokeball to rest.
Chansey fainted after giving Lairon the last Healing Fluctuation, but from his observation, it seemed to be just mentally exhausted and would recover after sleeping.
Lairon, after evolving, had slightly recovered its stamina. With the Healing Fluctuation and some food to replenish its energy, it only needed a little rest in a shaded area.
Baimu gathered Mightyena and other Pokémon, simply bandaged the wound on his arm, and hydrated himself.
He sat on a rock shaded by Gao Yan, looking down at the aching and contorted Jian. That once arrogant face was now full of fear and pain.
Those eyes that constantly despised others now bore a plea.
But it stirred no sympathy in Baimu.
"Beep!"
The Aerial Rotom above made a soft noise, slowly descending beside him, "You have received a reward totaling 5,380,000."
"Hmm?"
Baimu and Jian both showed expressions of surprise and disbelief.
Five million as a reward, who was so generous?
Even if he only got thirty percent of it, five million still meant 1.5 million in funds, enough to pay off his debt to Otsuka and have some left over.
Nevertheless.
This money was earned with his life, so thinking about it this way, five million didn't seem like much.
Baimu composed himself, calmly looking at the dazed Jian, and said:
"I ask, you answer, say anything useless and I'll cut you once, understand?"
"..."
"Do you understand?"
He quickly stepped forward, swiftly stabbing Jian's shoulder with a knife, then pulling it out at top speed.
Jian let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, "I understand, I understand!"
"Good."
Baimu began to ask questions.
First about the mole, even though he already had a suspect, he couldn't act without concrete evidence.
Of course, it wasn't realistic to expect Jian to reveal the mole's identity; the focus was on Jian providing some useful information.
To let the Quicksand Team outside search for the mole.
A traitor collaborating with hostile forces would be intolerable in any organization.
Then.
It was about the drugs given to Mightyena and Obstagoon earlier.
There was no doubt that it was some kind of illegal drug, akin to a special stimulant, that greatly consumed the Pokémon's internal energy for physical enhancement, with a dulling effect on the mind, made them more resilient and more resistant to various things.
It even occasionally had the side effect of "forcing maturity."
That is, making a Pokémon evolve in an illogical way, similar to the evolution broadcasts and evolution injections created by the Rocket Team.
With all its excellent effects, it became quite expensive, but this power was not without its price——
Take it too much and you become an idiot.
No.
Just taking it once reduced one's intelligence until they became an idiot.
This drug caused a Pokémon to become mentally deranged and even had a certain degree of addiction, so even in Pyrite Town in the Ore Region, it was banned from sale.
Baimu listened silently.
Mightyena and Obstagoon, what kind of misfortune did they have to encounter such a Trainer?
He found the remaining pills in Jian's pocket, decisively crushed them into powder with a rock, letting the wind take them away.
Next, was the whereabouts and condition of Otsuka and others.
They definitely needed to be saved.
Baimu was still hoping that Otsuka could turn over a new leaf and become someone with principles and a positive perspective.
That child shouldn't die in such a place.
Fortunately, Jian didn't kill Otsuka, not out of a newfound conscience, but because he found the latter's mouth to be tight, with a great deal of self-sacrificial spirit, he deliberately played out a scene of heroes admiring heroes, "magnanimously" letting him go, only breaking his arms and legs.
Despite the diverse betrayals in Pyrite Town, everyone favored this kind of brotherhood spirit.
The less they had, the more they yearned for it.
Jian thus received quite a bit of reward.
Afterwards, Baimu asked some other things, and when it seemed like everything was said, he looked at Jian, whose expression faintly carried expectations of being let go, then turned to look at the pit Lairon created with Quicksand Hell.
The ground had already hardened...
It's fine.
Baimu stood up and found the two captives in front. He intended to wake them up, only to discover they were already awake but pretending to be unconscious.
He glanced at the ropes around them; they showed signs of wear and tear.
"Open your eyes if you're awake, I'll give you a task now, complete it and you'll be spared."
A silence fell over them.
Baimu: "Alright, I only need one of you now, the other one I will stab to death."
"Wait!"
"I'm awake, I'm awake!"
The two pretending to be unconscious suddenly opened their eyes, forcing a nervous chuckle, "What are your instructions?"
Though they had previously shown great resolve, criticizing Huo Wu for betraying the Evil Dog Team and angrily accusing them of cheating, in the face of survival, any noble integrity had vanished.
This was within Baimu's expectations.
He picked up the two and pushed them in front of Jian, pointing to the latter, who was twisted on the ground like a worm:
"Dig a pit, bury him with only his head exposed, and I'll let you go."
The two's pupils shrank sharply, looking back at Baimu with eyes full of fear.
Jian groaned weakly, having lost a lot of blood, he barely had the strength to speak, "No, please spare me. I can give you money. I have a lot of money... please spare me... save me..."
Baimu paid no attention to him.
He looked at the two, "Actually, this task only needs one person..."
"I'll do it!"
"I'll do it too!"
The two Evil Dog Team Members instantly fought to take on the task.
Thus.
Under Baimu's orders, the two used makeshift tools to dig a pit in the hole previously made by Lairon, nervously glancing at Lairon and the latter, sweating profusely in fear.
On the other side.
Baimu positioned Jian face up, feeling around his chest area, gestured to Lairon, "Come, step here."
"Lairon?"
"Yes, right here."
Bang! Crack.
As Lairon stepped down, Jian's feeble voice faded, leaving only faint gasps in his throat.
Baimu observed for a few seconds, unable to determine if that step caused a collapsed lung, but at least a few ribs were certainly crushed.
The human body in the Pokémon World was too resilient, he worried his judgment was wrong.
However.
Combined with the intense heat from the ground and severe blood loss, he shouldn't survive.
Digging the pit was a long process, extremely painful for Jian.
The experience of watching the dust fly, the pit take shape, death approach inevitably, and feeling completely helpless.
It was truly torturous.
The more anxious he became, the more he gasped for air, the more he couldn't breathe, the more he wished to die right there.
This step-by-step process was even scarier than being killed outright.
Finally.
The two dug a large pit, threw Jian into it, and covered him, leaving only his face exposed.
The two Evil Dog Team Members felt a chill inside, seeing Baimu as a devil, not only denying a swift death but torturing him like this!
But actually.
Baimu's thoughts were quite pure.
Stabbing Jian in the heart would indeed be straightforward, but dying too easily would be a relief to him instead.
After all, apart from this competition, this guy directly caused eight deaths since childhood, perhaps even more that weren't mentioned.
Dying too quickly was not fitting.
Good is rewarded with good, evil with evil. Since Jian fell into his hands, he should bravely go through what he's done before dying.
Only then could those who died at Jian's hands rest in peace.
And he could find peace himself.
"Alright, you're free now, remember to prepare the money to redeem your Pokémon."
Baimu looked at the buried Jian with only his face showing, nodding satisfactorily.
The latter gazed blankly at the sky, seemingly losing all hope for life.
The other two Evil Dog Team Members exchanged a glance, gratefully thanking Baimu, fearful of angering him, worried they'd be buried alive there too.
Ten minutes.
Two Delibird came to take them away.
Baimu glanced at the radar, heading in the direction Jian previously mentioned, seeking the injured Otsuka.
Fifteen minutes later.
The buried Jian, in inhumane agony, finally expired.