Jiang Tiansheng pondered that he needed to send someone to the Venusaur to gather information. The key was that this person had to be tight-lipped and not an outsider.
After thinking it over, he decided that Zhou Zhiwen from before was the most suitable.
First, Venusaur knew him, so it wouldn't attack without reason.
Second, after what happened that night, Zhou Zhiwen had already learned everything he should and shouldn't know, so sending him now was just right.
Third, Zhou Zhiwen was a Fire-type trainer with decent strength, so he probably wouldn't suffer too much in the forest.
Having figured this out, Jiang Tiansheng told his secretary to notify Zhou Zhiwen to come see him.
Soon, upon receiving the notice, Zhou Zhiwen rushed over to Jiang Tiansheng like the wind.
Jiang Tiansheng looked at Zhou Zhiwen and said:
"Zhou Zhiwen, I have a secret mission for you. Do you have the confidence to complete it?"
Zhou Zhiwen was no rookie. Hearing the captain's words, he saw right through it and knew this mission had to be shady.
He quickly replied:
"Sorry, Captain, my Pokémon haven't recovered yet. I'm afraid I can't handle such an important mission. Maybe you should find someone else."
Jiang Tiansheng had been captain for years and had seen all kinds of people. Zhou Zhiwen's little tricks were child's play to him.
With just a bit of maneuvering, he could easily handle him.
"Oh, is that so? Forget it then. I was thinking, if you could complete this mission, I'd promote you. And considering what we went through in the forest, I was planning to compensate you too. But since your Pokémon haven't recovered, it's my oversight. Go rest, and call your vice-captain Zhang Yang over instead. Let him handle it."
Zhou Zhiwen had been steady as a rock, thinking he could dodge this troublesome task.
But Jiang Tiansheng's next words hit him like a bucket of cold water.
The first part was fine—even if he didn't get promoted for not completing the mission, it didn't matter.
But the part about sending his vice-captain Zhang Yang was clearly a move to make him step aside.
If the vice-captain got promoted, he'd become captain. There were no open positions in the team, so that would mean Zhou Zhiwen would have to make room for Zhang Yang.
That wouldn't do. He had to complete this mission no matter what, or the loss would be too great.
"Captain, I've thought it over again. My Pokémon will recover by tomorrow, so it won't affect the mission. I'm willing to serve you."
"Really? Won't that be too much of a stretch?"
"No, not at all. It's all voluntary. I beg you to give me this mission. I promise to complete it resolutely."
"Good, I knew you were talented. The mission is simple: go to the forest overlord's place tomorrow and check the situation. Most importantly, find out about that Bulbasaur. Be very careful!"
"Uh, Captain, if I say I don't want to go now, will I get beaten to death?"
"What do you think? Anyone who's dared to back out in front of me has grass three feet tall on their grave. Don't overthink it. Go now, that's it."
Zhou Zhiwen felt like he'd shot himself in the foot. If he'd known this was the mission, he'd have let Zhang Yang handle it.
The mission reward was good, but one wrong move and he might not come back.
But he'd already agreed. If he backed out now, his fate might be no better than going to the forest.
Jiang Tiansheng watched Zhou Zhiwen stagger away, smirking to himself:
"Kid, you think you can outsmart me? In the end, you fell right into my trap. Hahaha."
Back in his office, Zhou Zhiwen spent the whole walk frowning, wondering how to handle this mission. If things went wrong, he really might not return.
If that Bulbasaur was still alive, Venusaur probably wouldn't fly into a rage. But if it was dead, going there would be walking into a death trap.
This was like carrying a lantern to the toilet at midnight—asking for trouble!
After thinking for ages with no solution, he suddenly remembered that Wen Qi lived right next to the forest.
Zhou Zhiwen had always felt Wen Qi was no ordinary person. Maybe he could ask him for advice.
Now, he had to try anything, even if it was a long shot.
Soon, he dialed Wen Qi's number.
At that moment, in the villa, Wen Qi was being pampered by Audino, feeling like this was the life of ease and freedom.
Just as he was enjoying himself, his phone rang. He picked it up, saw it was Zhou Zhiwen, and answered directly.
"Hello! Captain Zhou, what's up?"
"Boss Wen, sorry to bother you. I'm calling because I need your help. I wanted to chat a bit first, but since we're so familiar, I'll get straight to the point."
"No problem, Captain Zhou. With our relationship, just say whatever it is."
"It's like this, Boss Wen. Do you know what's going on inside Chunhua Forest? I have to go to the overlord Venusaur's place tomorrow to gather intel, and I'm really uneasy, so I came to ask you."
When Wen Qi heard that Zhou Zhiwen was going to the overlord Venusaur's place tomorrow, his heart skipped a beat. He knew his earlier caution and suspicions were right.
The League had indeed sent someone to investigate. Though he wasn't sure if it was about that Bulbasaur, it still scared Wen Qi badly.
Good thing he'd handled things properly, or he'd be in big trouble now.
He just wanted to keep a low profile and develop quietly, not get on the radar of the League behemoth.
As for Zhou Zhiwen's question, Wen Qi hesitated, unsure whether to give him any information.
After a moment's thought, he decided he couldn't expose himself, but he could offer some help. After all, if Zhou Zhiwen really didn't come back, Wen Qi would suffer losses too.
"Boss Wen, are you still there? Can you hear me?"
Zhou Zhiwen's voice over the phone snapped Wen Qi out of his thoughts. He quickly said:
"Yes, yes, I was just thinking how to help you. How about this: before you go to the forest tomorrow, stop by my place. I'll prepare something for you to bring to the overlord. It probably won't cause you trouble—I have some connection with the overlord."
"Great, thank you so much, Boss Wen. I didn't expect you to be so resourceful, even connected to the forest overlord. Amazing. Let's leave it at that. I'll come visit you tomorrow."
"Okay, see you then."
After hanging up, Zhou Zhiwen sank into thought. He hadn't expected Wen Qi to have a way out. It looked like he'd make it back safely from this mission.
Thinking that, he cheered up. Promotion and a raise seemed right around the corner.
Meanwhile, in the villa, Wen Qi reviewed his plans with the overlord, checking for any loopholes. Once he fooled the League, he could focus on raising that Bulbasaur in peace.
After a while, he found there were basically no gaps. The biggest one was his trip to the forest yesterday—that trail couldn't be hidden.
But only the forest Pokémon knew about it, and they generally didn't tell humans, so it was safe enough.
With that settled, he went back to being a lazy bum.