Since Zhou Zhiwen returned that day, he had made a trip to the black market in the meantime. While buying energy cubes, he pretended to accidentally drop his mask, exposing his face. Afterward, Zhou Zhiwen waited a few days, feeling the timing was about right. On this day, he happened to have a day off, so he decided to carry out the task Wen Qi had entrusted to him.
With two fire-type energy cubes tucked in his pocket, Zhou Zhiwen arrived at Chunhua Research Institute with a nervous heart. From a distance, the institute’s building stood tall and imposing. The entire structure was silver-gray, exuding a strong metallic feel, with clean, flowing lines and a heavy sense of technology. Under the bright sunlight, the building’s surface reflected dazzling light, making it impossible not to take notice.
The institute’s main gate was tightly shut, with two rows of stern-faced guards standing at the entrance. They wore matching black uniforms, stood tall and upright, and their sharp eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything. Beside them stood several imposing Black Garura. These Black Garura had glossy black fur and eyes full of vigilance. Their agile bodies and taut muscles radiated a powerful aura. Each Black Garura was at the gym level, their presence meant to prevent psychic and ghost-type Pokémon from sneaking into the institute.
As Zhou Zhiwen approached the gate, he immediately felt an immense, invisible pressure. The guards’ gazes locked onto him like sharp blades, as if trying to see right through him. Zhou Zhiwen couldn’t help but swallow hard, forcing himself to stay calm as he stepped forward. Above the gate, advanced surveillance equipment was installed, constantly rotating and capturing every subtle movement in the vicinity. The institute’s walls were tall and sturdy, covered with various protective devices, making them intimidating to behold.
Zhou Zhiwen looked up at the institute’s sign, where the words “Chunhua Research Institute” gleamed brightly in the sunlight. He slowly approached the gate, and as he drew nearer, the invisible pressure grew stronger. The guards at the entrance fixed their piercing eyes on him. One guard frowned and asked sternly: “Stop! What are you doing here?”
Zhou Zhiwen swallowed hard and forced himself to answer calmly: “I… I’m here for a test.”
The guard looked him up and down and pressed further: “What kind of test? Do you have an appointment?”
Zhou Zhiwen quickly replied: “Yes, yes, I made an appointment in advance.” As he spoke, he carefully pulled out the relevant documents.
The guard took the documents, examined them closely, then handed them back, saying: “Go on in.”
Once inside the institute, Zhou Zhiwen’s heart was full of unease. He couldn’t understand why he was so nervous just to get a test done—it was all Wen Qi’s fault. If Wen Qi hadn’t told him so much and just given him the energy cubes without explanation, he might have been calmer, knowing nothing. But now that he knew, he could only take things one step at a time.
Zhou Zhiwen entered the testing center, where the room was spacious and bright, filled with various advanced and complex testing instruments. A tester approached him with a professional smile and asked: “Hello, what would you like to have tested?”
Zhou Zhiwen carefully pulled two fire-type energy cubes from his pocket and handed them over, saying: “Please test these two energy cubes.”
The tester took the cubes, and the smile on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a look of disappointment. He shook his head slightly and said: “Just energy cubes?”
Zhou Zhiwen’s heart tightened, and he quickly explained: “Yes, please test them.”
The tester sighed helplessly and said: “Alright, even though they’re perfect quality, we’ve seen all kinds of energy cubes here. I really don’t get why you insist on testing these.”
Zhou Zhiwen gave an awkward smile but said nothing. As the tester placed the energy cubes into the instrument, he muttered under his breath: “Every day, there are all sorts of strange testing requests. What’s there to test about energy cubes?”
Zhou Zhiwen stood to the side, fidgeting with his hands in embarrassment, unsure how to respond. The tester casually put the energy cubes into the machine, fiddling with the controls with a nonchalant air. In his mind, they were just two energy cubes—what could be so special about them?
The machine whirred rapidly, data flickering across the screen. At first, the tester only glanced at it occasionally, not taking it seriously. Soon, the results came out.
The tester gave it a cursory look, initially seeing nothing unusual. At first glance, it seemed no different from ordinary intermediate energy cubes. But then, his eyes landed on the final part of the results. The words “Advanced Energy Cube” struck him like a thunderbolt in his mind. His previously indifferent expression vanished completely, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief.
“How is this possible?” The tester couldn’t help but exclaim, quickly re-examining the report.
Zhou Zhiwen, who had been watching the tester’s every move intently, saw this sudden strange reaction and knew in his heart that the most critical, most dangerous moment had arrived. His gaze grew sharper, as if trying to capture every subtle expression on the tester’s face. His heart pounded wildly, as if it might leap out of his throat. But strangely, the more tense the moment became, the calmer Zhou Zhiwen grew. He knew that any panic now could lead to irreversible consequences.
The tester focused entirely on the report, scrutinizing each value one by one. Every piece of data seemed like a puzzle waiting to be solved. These values all appeared quite high, but overall, they still fell within the normal range for intermediate energy cubes. Suddenly, an anomalous piece of data caught his eye.
It was a value labeled “Life Energy.” Though extremely low, to the experienced tester, even this trace of life energy was enough to shock him. It was this life energy that had elevated the intermediate energy cube by one level, making it advanced. Life energy, as he knew, was typically only found in rare natural treasures. Yet here it was, inside such a small energy cube.
“This… how can this be?” The tester muttered to himself, beads of sweat unknowingly forming on his forehead. He looked up again at Zhou Zhiwen, curiosity and confusion in his eyes. Now he finally understood why this man insisted on testing such an ordinary-looking energy cube.
At that moment, their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still.