Chu Feng was well aware that the jar in front of him contained exactly what he had been dreaming of—energy cubes imbued with life energy.
Moreover, the transparent glass jar clearly held high-grade, perfect-quality Dragon-type energy cubes.
For a moment, Chu Feng hesitated, unsure whether to take them.
The intention was too obvious—it was clearly meant for him.
He couldn't fathom the other party's motives, and a sense of caution held him back from accepting the energy cubes easily.
Zhou Zhiwen noticed Chu Feng's dilemma. At first, he didn't understand, but after a moment's thought, it clicked—Dr. Chu was wrestling with the question of what the other party's true purpose was.
Zhou Zhiwen pondered for a moment before speaking:
"Dr. Chu, a friend of mine asked me to bring this to you as a gift. He said you'd definitely like it and wants to be friends with you—no other agenda."
Hearing this, Chu Feng's mind turned, and he quickly grasped the implication, letting out a silent sigh:
"What a sly fox."
He understood now. The earlier energy cube was bait, and he had taken the hook.
But the other party still had reservations, so they dangled an even bigger lure to see if he'd bite again.
Accepting the gift meant accepting the other party and aligning with them.
Refusing would mean rejection, and the other party would likely never approach him again.
As a researcher at the doctoral level, Chu Feng was no fool. He quickly pieced together the logic.
He also understood that this matter was too significant, and the other party's caution was only natural.
In truth, Chu Feng was only half right. Wen Qi was simply timid and cautious.
As for the value of life energy, Wen Qi didn't think much of it. Not only did his shop have it, but even the Berry trees in his small world were countless—he could have as many as he wanted.
By now, the Berry trees in his small world had matured, bearing fruit every three months, four times a year, in such abundance that he could never use it all. So he truly didn't see life energy as anything precious.
If Chu Feng knew this, he'd be green with envy.
After a moment's thought, Chu Feng picked up the jar of energy cubes, only to fall into another dilemma.
Since it was about making friends, exchanging gifts would deepen the bond, but he had no idea what to give.
First, offering money was out of the question—it lacked class. Energy cubes or similar items would be embarrassing to present.
He didn't have many rare treasures to spare, and parting with them would pain him. Besides, the other party likely had life energy and wouldn't care for such things.
Common Pokémon items might appeal to ordinary people, but they'd seem too mundane for someone like that.
In that brief moment, Chu Feng found himself more conflicted than he had been in the entire previous month.
After all, the energy cubes Wen Qi had sent were worth at least two to three million, and they were hard to come by even at that price.
His return gift would need to be of similar value and relatively rare.
After thinking it over, Chu Feng asked:
"Captain Zhou, does your friend want anything in particular? I'd like to prepare a gift as a return."
Zhou Zhiwen hadn't expected Wen Qi's guess to be spot-on—there really was a return gift.
"Dr. Chu, I'm not sure about that. But my friend seems pretty well-off, like he doesn't lack much. Maybe you could give him a Pokémon—that's sure to be appreciated."
The idea of giving a Pokémon lit up Chu Feng's eyes. It was a great suggestion—no Trainer could turn down a Pokémon.
Then he remembered that the research institute had recently hatched several Houndour.
He figured the other party might not need other Pokémon, but a couple of Houndour to guard the place wouldn't hurt.
Luckily, he had insisted on keeping two green-quality Houndour, one male and one female, worth around four to five million together. Not too expensive, but fitting.
So Chu Feng said:
"Captain Zhou, thanks for the advice. I have two Houndour here, just hatched, as a return gift for your friend. I hope he'll like them."
Zhou Zhiwen was startled when he heard Chu Feng offer two Houndour as a return gift.
He knew that if Chu Feng was giving them as a gift, their quality must be green.
For a moment, Zhou Zhiwen's eyes betrayed clear envy. He thought to himself:
"Two green-quality Houndour worth four to five million—that's a hefty gift."
His mind unconsciously pictured the cute yet powerful Houndour, and his envy grew stronger.
But he also knew that if he kept helping Wen Qi, there would be more good things to come. So he steadied himself and said:
"I think my friend will definitely like them."
Meanwhile, Chu Feng was on the phone, instructing logistics to bring the two Houndour to his office. Soon, an assistant delivered two Poké Balls containing the Houndour.
Seeing the unfamiliar Zhou Zhiwen, the assistant hesitated for a moment but noticed the doctor handing the Poké Balls directly to him.
The assistant couldn't help but think that this person must be someone important.
After receiving Chu Feng's return gift, Zhou Zhiwen prepared to leave.
Chu Feng didn't stop him, knowing that the next time he came, he'd bring that friend along. By now, Chu Feng had calmed down, no longer as anxious as before.
Once Zhou Zhiwen left, Chu Feng returned to his private lab and carefully opened the jar of energy cubes.
Though he knew they were meant for his Pokémon, he couldn't resist testing them first.
After all, he couldn't just feed his Pokémon something from a stranger without checking—if there were any harmful ingredients, it could hurt them.
Soon, all one hundred energy cubes were tested, and the results showed no issues. What's more, they brought a pleasant surprise: the life essence they contained was richer than any he had seen before.
Chu Feng mused that the higher the grade of the energy cubes, the more life energy they held.
Though these were only high-grade perfect, he was content. Even his own Pokémon mostly ate high-grade perfect energy cubes.
Only his ace, Dragonite, occasionally got top-grade perfect ones, but those were hard to come by.
These high-grade perfect energy cubes with life energy were on par with top-grade perfect ones, and the life energy made them even better.