"Pichu?"
A familiar voice reached his ears, and Chen Mo snapped back to his senses. The environment before his eyes had returned to the ancient, weathered ruins from before.
"Pichu pich?"
Pichu's voice sounded again, even more anxious now.
Chen Mo slightly turned his head and saw Pichu back on his shoulder, looking at him with worry written all over its face. Not far away, Pidgeotto also flew over and landed in front of him, its gaze clearly asking what had just happened.
They were still here.
And yet…
The scenes of his encounter with Arthas were still vividly etched into Chen Mo's heart, making it clear that none of it had been a dream.
Moreover, Chen Mo could feel that aside from the livestream device once again gripped in his left hand, his right hand was holding a small bead that felt ice-cold to the touch.
That was the final request Arthas had entrusted to him.
Without drawing attention, Chen Mo quietly slipped Zekrom's energy bead into his pocket. Only then did he smile and reassure Pichu and Pidgeotto.
"It's fine. I just got distracted for a moment, thinking about something."
Although he had spoken with Arthas for quite some time, the timestamp on the phone screen showed that only a few dozen seconds had passed.
According to viewers in the livestream, from the moment Chen Mo turned his head to look at Zekrom's mural, it was as if his soul had been hooked away—he stood there dumbfounded, motionless, for quite a while.
[You almost scared us to death, but it's good that you're okay.]
[Mo-bao, you have no idea how scary your expression was before you snapped out of it. I seriously thought you were about to get possessed or something.]
[Possessed? The guy above must be reading too many novels.]
[No matter what, Mo-bao, this place just feels more and more creepy. Let's stop studying myths and legends and find a way out of here already.]
After thanking everyone for their concern, Chen Mo didn't rush to leave.
At this point, the ancient ruins no longer held many secrets for him. They were simply a place Arthas had left behind to seek a destined person and fulfill his final wish. There was no real danger here.
Just as Chen Mo was planning to follow the murals again and re-experience Arthas's legendary yet tragic story, a striking message in the livestream caught his eye.
[Hello, Mr. Chen Mo. We are personnel from the National Bureau for Pokémon Research and Response. We have observed abnormal phenomena occurring at the location you departed from. Based on our assessment, we advise you to leave the ancient ruins as soon as possible, prioritizing your personal safety. Additionally, before leaving, we hope you will check your private messages.]
…
Anping City Criminal Investigation Brigade Headquarters
"The message has been successfully sent. If nothing unexpected happens, Chen Mo should notice it very soon."
Hearing Hu Chengliang's report, Professor Zhou nodded. He glanced at Chen Mo on the livestream, then shifted his gaze to the split-screen surveillance footage.
About a minute earlier—roughly when Chen Mo had still been in that "dazed" state—
Professor Zhou had keenly noticed that the massive thundercloud hovering above Hongjingpo Forest was steadily shrinking in range, its density thinning as well. By his estimation, it would completely dissipate within twenty minutes at most.
Believing that the thundercloud was the key link between reality and the ancient ruins, Professor Zhou naturally didn't feel at ease letting Chen Mo remain there any longer. Thus, he had someone reveal their official identity and directly notify Chen Mo through the livestream.
"But this really is…"
Professor Zhou didn't believe this was a normal phenomenon.
That abnormal thundercloud had been perfectly stable just moments earlier, yet not long after Chen Mo entered that "dazed" state, it began rapidly collapsing.
At the same time, as the thundercloud started to dissipate, Chen Mo quickly regained consciousness.
The timing was far too coincidental not to arouse suspicion.
Coupled with the changes in Chen Mo's expression, Professor Zhou was already about ninety percent certain that the changes in the thundercloud were connected to Chen Mo himself.
"Still too young…"
Meanwhile—
That official, highly visible message completely set the livestream ablaze.
[Holy crap, Mo-bao, you've drawn the attention of the state now!?]
[The platform mods aren't reacting at all—reporting does nothing. Could it really be people from the Pokémon Research Bureau?]
[Honestly, I've felt something was off for a long time. With the platform's usual style, the fact that Mo-bao's livestream has survived this long during such a sensitive period is already suspicious.]
[Exactly. Mo-bao's popularity is basically top three on the entire site now, and with this kind of topic, no one causing trouble? If you say there's no official backing, I don't believe it.]
[This suddenly feels so exciting—like doing shady stuff right under the authorities' noses!]
[Cough cough! Watch it. What shady stuff are we doing? The officials never said ordinary people can't popularize Pokémon knowledge.]
[Is it possible—just possible—that Mo-bao is actually officially sent to educate us about Pokémon?]
Despite the authorities openly stepping into the livestream, the chat was only becoming more chaotic.
This livestream is doomed, isn't it…
Chen Mo let out a helpless sigh.
That said, he wasn't particularly panicked by the official message.
After all, he had already been brought in once before because of Pichu and had sounded out the authorities' stance back then. This time, they were offering a clear, friendly warning—there was nothing to be afraid of.
"Thank you for the reminder, Comrade 'FoxFoxFoxed.' I'll attempt to leave immediately."
No matter what, courtesy had to be shown.
Originally planning to explore a bit more, Chen Mo abandoned that idea. After checking the official private message, he began calling out to his surroundings.
"Unown, are you still there?"
The moment his words fell—
Ripples spread through the air before him, and two Unown floated out, circling around Chen Mo and Pichu.
"We've already finished looking around here. Could you take me and my Pokémon back to where we came from?"
Everything regarding Arthas had concluded, and Chen Mo had gained Arthas's acknowledgment. The Unown readily agreed to his request.
…
Hongjingpo Forest
A rift shimmering with purple and blue light suddenly appeared in the air beside the cliff.
Next—
Chen Mo and his two Pokémon emerged safely from the rift.
Looking at the two Unown still lingering within the spatial tear, with no intention of stepping out, Chen Mo couldn't help but ask one last question.
"Now that your mission is complete, are you planning to return to those ruins?"
Although normal communication was impossible, the Unown's eyes and movements made their intentions clear.
After a moment—
Chen Mo let out a soft sigh, gazing at the two Unown who had accompanied Arthas for untold ages.
"I understand. Then… farewell, Unown."
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