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Laya City Hotel.
A place brimming with the distinctive charm of the Saizhou region.
The decor was dominated by deep maroon tones, with warm, dim lighting casting a cozy glow. Thick curtains adorned with intricate, vibrant patterns hung everywhere, and colorful beaded ropes dangled as decorations. Stepping inside felt less like entering a building and more like walking into a grand nomadic tent.
Most importantly, there was the overwhelming warmth that greeted them.
The three of them shed their thick down jackets, savoring the comforting embrace of the heated air.
"Should we install something like this at home?"
Mrs. Yin was thoroughly impressed by the underfloor heating and couldn't help but suggest it.
While underfloor heating didn't provide cooling, its comfort during winter far surpassed that of air conditioning.
"Sure."
Li Zhehan agreed without hesitation. He had to admit, it felt great—and besides, wasn't making money all about improving his family's quality of life?
They made their way to the large suite reserved for them—two bedrooms and a living room.
Reportedly, it was the best room available.
And it certainly lived up to its reputation, bursting with vivid colors and an atmosphere that was both lively and deeply traditional. At a glance, the room felt both fiery and substantial, as if they'd stepped into some extraordinary place.
Li Xiang scanned the surroundings, feeling like he'd wandered into some fantastical setting.
Torracat, on the other hand, loved it immediately, leaping onto the couch and rolling around with delight.
"Don't claw the sofa. That looks like real fur—we'll have to pay if you ruin it."
Li Xiang warned the fiery feline, recalling the tragic state of the couch in Qiong Island and the waterlogged ceiling.
He then released all his Pokémon, and the once-spacious living room suddenly felt cramped.
Corviknight took up the most space, completely unaware of its own bulk as it shuffled around excitedly—until it blocked Mrs. Yin's path and earned a sharp scolding.
The poor bird flinched, lowering its head in shame before meekly retreating to the window, squatting like an oversized chicken and refusing to move.
Li Xiang ignored it. No sense of personal space, just like a feathered Husky.
They settled in, unpacking their luggage.
...
Master Bedroom.
"This must've cost them a fortune."
Mrs. Yin unzipped her suitcase, hanging clothes on the provided racks. "The front desk said this was a deluxe suite?"
"Nobody could've predicted this situation."
Li Zhehan sat on the bedroom sofa, rubbing his temples. "Feels bad to keep relying on others."
"Then make more money and hire seven or eight Elite trainers as bodyguards for the family."
Mrs. Yin chuckled, her usual stern demeanor softening around her husband. "Honestly, I think it's kind of fun. So many things I've never seen before."
As long as she was with her husband, this normally authoritative woman would happily defer to him, trusting him unconditionally.
"The amenities are nice." Li Zhehan nodded, remembering the liquor the elder had offered him—that had been an exceptional drink. "Where should we go tomorrow? Snowpeak City? Or explore around Laya first?"
"Let's explore! I heard every city in Saizhou has its own unique cultural vibe."
Mrs. Yin was enthusiastic. She'd heard so much about Saizhou from Su Yiliu that she wanted to see everything—if only they had more time.
Li Zhehan had no objections.
And so, they began discussing their itinerary, even shouting to ask Li Xiang in the next room for his input.
The family revised their travel plans.
Bian Zhen had never actually intended to charge them for the ride, and they had no plans to involve themselves further in her affairs.
But sometimes, trouble finds you whether you seek it or not.
Near 11 PM.
A knock sounded at the door.
Li Zhehan jolted awake, frowning as he sat up. After reassuring Mrs. Yin, he stepped out of the bedroom—only to find Li Xiang already standing in the hallway, exchanging a glance with him.
In the living room, all the Pokémon that hadn't been returned to their balls were now alert, their eyes wide open.
"Who is it?"
Li Zhehan peered through the peephole, his voice low.
And then, he saw Chi Zang standing outside, glancing around warily as if on high alert.
"Brother Han, it's me." Chi Zang's voice was equally hushed.
After bonding over drinks at dinner, the two had become fast friends.
Li Zhehan frowned, returning to the bedroom to help Mrs. Yin get dressed before putting on his own shoes.
"Just a second."
Once ready, he saw that Li Xiang had already prepared himself and slowly opened the door.
Chi Zang slipped inside swiftly, closing the door behind him with care.
"Sorry for the late intrusion, Brother Han. This is urgent."
He apologized first.
"It's fine. What's going on? Need a ride?"
Li Zhehan guided Chi Zang to the sofa, and the surrounding Pokémon quickly made space.
Chi Zang hesitated before speaking. "It's… complicated. I hope you won't be too shocked by what I'm about to say."
Mrs. Yin emerged from the bedroom, thoughtfully preparing tea for the two men.
For the next half-hour, Chi Zang laid out everything—followed by a rapid-fire Q&A session.
According to him, a faction called the Sun Cult was locked in a bitter feud with his own Snow Cult, each despising the other to the bone.
Of course, this was all internal. This was the modern era, not the lawless past where lives were cheap.
In recent years, their conflicts had mostly been limited to sabotaging each other, hindering recruitment, and disrupting sermons—nothing too extreme.
A fragile balance had been maintained.
But at the end of the year before last, that balance shattered.
The Sun Cult fractured from within, its members turning on each other. From the ashes rose a new faction—the New Sun Cult, replacing the old one.
And with that change came a drastic shift in their methods.
First, they withdrew all their members from major cities, vanishing into the northern wilderness of Saizhou.
Second, they somehow obtained incredibly advanced technology—and began systematically targeting every member of the Snow Cult.
How?
By making their lives a living hell.
Some were harassed by online mobs after fake information and their phone numbers were leaked.
Others were bombarded with endless spam calls and verbal abuse.
Even the families of Snow Cult members who were still in school were harassed.
Their strongholds in the city were targeted—from splashing red paint to dumping feces and urine.
Of course, they reported it to the police, but only small-time thugs hired for the job were ever caught.
As for who paid them? No idea. They didn't know. Even when professional Pokémon were brought in to track scents, it turned out the culprits had counter-tracking measures in place.
If they kept spending effort and resources to investigate, the worst these people would get was fifteen days in detention or, at most, a six-month suspended sentence.
Current laws weren't strict enough, leaving loopholes for these scumbags to exploit.
As a result, many people withdrew from the Snow Cult—after all, they couldn't bear putting their families through this.
The remaining members had no choice but to go underground, hiding their bases and even installing signal jammers to prevent their locations from being tracked.
'Damn, weren't these just a bunch of lunatics?'
Even just listening on the sidelines made Li Xiang feel uneasy, and he began worrying about whether this could happen to him.
Chi Zang continued his explanation.
The Snow Cult knew they couldn't just sit back and take the attacks. To turn things around, they managed to contact Bian Zhen and Ha Tong, who had been away for years.
Using the two's influence, the cult's dwindling funds, and Chi Zang's connections from years in the Association, they finally scraped together enough to acquire several Rotom and Porygon with talent in information technology—one a ghost of electronics, the other a digital lifeform, both capable of aiding the cult.
Bian Zhen and the others planned to personally escort them back.
Originally, they had wanted to hire elite hackers, but the Snow Cult couldn't afford them anymore. The war against the New Sun Cult was bound to be a long one—not something that could be resolved in a month or two.
On top of that, those hackers refused to leave bustling cities for a backwater like this, only agreeing to remote assistance.
Left with no choice, they had to settle for second best.
To pull this off, Bian Zhen and Ha Tong even disguised themselves as tourists, driving an RV and posing as a married couple. They took a detour from Haizhou, eventually heading toward Saizhou through Yuzhou.
Yet, the news still leaked. The New Sun Cult intercepted them midway, creating that horrific scene.
Now, Ha Tong and all those Pokémon were missing.
The Snow Cult was in complete chaos. The Dharma King—the old man—rushed overnight to the main sect to discuss matters with the cult leader and the remaining Dharma Kings.
The stronghold in Laya City began making plans to evacuate.
"They've crossed the Association's bottom line. Starting tomorrow, teams will enter the uninhabited northern zone. To prevent them from acting out in desperation… Brother Han, sister-in-law, I'm truly sorry, but I hope you can board a plane back to Yuzhou first."
Chi Zang looked deeply apologetic. This couple rarely got to travel, and not only had he dragged them into this mess, now he was practically forcing them to leave.
"Is the New Sun Cult really that dangerous…? Never mind, that was a dumb question."
Li Zhehan let out a long sigh.
If they were willing to trigger landslides and blow up vehicles to kidnap people, what wouldn't they do?
The stakes were clear. No matter how unwilling they were, what else could they do?
Safety came first.
"I'm really, truly sorry," Chi Zang kept apologizing.
Li Zhehan and Mrs. Yin had no choice but to agree.
The next day, Association personnel would come to escort them. The RV would stay in Saizhou for now, with Chi Zang covering the excess fees.
He had even managed to arrange their flight tickets.
Their trip to Saizhou was ruined.
After Chi Zang left, Mrs. Yin muttered self-deprecatingly, "And here we planned for so long."
Why had they driven through the night before?
Wasn't it to reach Saizhou sooner?
"It's fine. We still have some time left. We can visit Peach Blossom Island near Mancheng," Li Zhehan comforted his wife. "Haven't you always wanted to go there?"
"I'm just frustrated… Whatever. We already saved them." Mrs. Yin wrapped her arms around Li Zhehan's waist and grumbled, "No good deed goes unpunished."
"Alright, alright."
Li Zhehan patted her hand, knowing his wife wasn't actually resentful toward Chi Zang—she just needed to vent.
In the living room, Li Xiang sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
Something about the New Sun Cult felt off to him.
As if they were hiding some ulterior motive beneath all these seemingly justified yet unhinged actions.
But he had no real leads—just a strong gut feeling.
Gut feelings… Were they even reliable?
Ever since making major progress with the Three-Blind Perception Method, his mind kept conjuring strange ideas or hunches.
Sometimes, even he thought he was overthinking things.
"The more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems."
Li Xiang sighed and glanced at Corviknight. "Hey, Corviknight, how about being a scout for a day tomorrow?"
"Caww?"
Corviknight tilted its head, not understanding.
Li Xiang explained his concerns in detail.
Only after it agreed did he finally take off his clothes and head to bed.