Since the Houndour had just arrived and were still unfamiliar with the place, Wen Qi spent some time playing with them to help them settle in.
Seeing that the two Houndour were getting along very well with the Arcanine, Wen Qi felt reassured and left.
The Arcanine had indeed become much more steady and sensible than before, making it the perfect caretaker for the two Houndour. Wen Qi was naturally at ease.
Just as Wen Qi was feeling delighted, a danger was quietly approaching.
And the source of this danger was none other than the energy cubes imbued with life energy.
At the Chunhua Research Institute, a researcher named Zhao Zheng from a dark organization had been lying low for a long time.
However, since there had been no important information to steal before, he had remained silent, unnoticed by anyone.
This dark organization was the Pluto Organization, the most powerful underground force within the Yanhuang Alliance, with a strict internal structure and formidable strength.
The organization consisted of one king and twelve generals—one Champion and twelve Elite Four members.
Although most of the twelve generals couldn't match the official Elite Four of various regions, they still possessed the strength of veteran Elite Four trainers.
A few of the more powerful ones even rivaled the official Elite Four. Additionally, the Pluto Organization had numerous Gym Leaders and elite trainers, making them the dominant force among the underground organizations of the Yanhuang Alliance.
The Pokémon types most commonly used by the Pluto Organization were Ghost, Poison, and Dark.
Ghost-type Pokémon were mysterious and elusive, allowing members of the Pluto Organization to often conceal their presence and evade capture.
However, the Alliance was ultimately stronger, with Master trainers and even Legendary Pokémon on their side. So, despite the Pluto Organization's power, they dared not act too arrogantly; if the Alliance decided to wipe them out, they would struggle to resist.
Across the world, besides the Pluto Organization, there were other dark forces, such as the Earth Organization that worshipped Groudon, the Sea God Organization that worshipped Kyogre, the Death Crusaders that worshipped the Grim Reaper, and the Legendary Pokémon Society.
Recently, Zhao Zheng had noticed that Dr. Chu Feng's behavior was very strange.
Thinking back to the sudden arrival of the new researcher Xiao Wu at the institute, Zhao Zheng had been secretly observing Xiao Wu for several days.
He found that Xiao Wu's professional skills were quite mediocre. In an ordinary research institute, he might barely pass as a talent, but in their high-end institute, he was truly unremarkable.
Zhao Zheng was full of doubts, unable to understand why Dr. Chu Feng had specifically recruited Xiao Wu.
Combining Dr. Chu Feng's recent absent-minded behavior with Xiao Wu's previous job at the testing center, Zhao Zheng guessed that the testing center must have recently detected an extremely valuable item.
Xiao Wu's transfer might have been both a reward and a restriction, meant to keep him from talking.
Dr. Chu Feng had been dazed earlier, but then, after receiving some information, he left cheerfully.
From this, Zhao Zheng deduced that someone must have brought something that made Dr. Chu Feng so excited.
This piqued Zhao Zheng's curiosity. He really wanted to know what could make the well-traveled Dr. Chu Feng lose his composure like that.
But he also knew that this thing was definitely no small matter.
Zhao Zheng originally wanted to check the security logs to see who had visited the institute recently, but he found that the registration form had been taken away by Dr. Chu Feng.
He then went to the testing center to look up records, only to find that the relevant records had also disappeared, and even the recent surveillance footage had been deleted.
This series of actions only made Zhao Zheng more excited. He realized that since Dr. Chu Feng was going to such lengths to hide it, this must be a earth-shattering secret.
For the sake of the organization, Zhao Zheng felt he had to uncover the truth.
But now, with no clues available through normal channels, he set his sights on Xiao Wu, convinced that Xiao Wu must know the inside story.
However, his recent observations showed that Xiao Wu seemed to stay in the institute all the time, never going out. Even if Zhao Zheng wanted to force the information out of him, he couldn't.
Because the institute had a Dragonite at the quasi-Champion level. If Zhao Zheng made any suspicious move, the Dragonite would surely notice, and he would be dead for sure.
Although Zhao Zheng was extremely eager to know the secret, he didn't want to lose his life over it. So, he could only wait patiently, biding his time.
From that day on, Zhao Zheng planned to keep a close watch on Xiao Wu's every move.
As soon as Xiao Wu showed any sign of leaving the institute, he would find a chance to follow him. But Xiao Wu seemed to know someone was watching him and had no intention of leaving.
Zhao Zheng was anxious but helpless.
He could only continue observing Xiao Wu during his spare time while thinking of ways to extract the secret from him without being discovered.
One day, the institute received an urgent task, and everyone was busy. Zhao Zheng noticed that Xiao Wu seemed distracted amid the hustle and bustle, and he thought this might be his chance.
Taking advantage of everyone being focused on work, Zhao Zheng quietly approached Xiao Wu and said in a low voice:
"Xiao Wu, you seem to have something on your mind lately."
Xiao Wu was startled and gave Zhao Zheng a wary look but said nothing.
Zhao Zheng continued:
"Don't be nervous, I'm just concerned. You just joined our institute; are you still not used to it?"
Xiao Wu frowned but still didn't answer.
Seeing Xiao Wu's silence, Zhao Zheng became even more convinced that something was wrong. He decided to take a roundabout approach and said:
"I heard the testing center recently discovered something incredible. Is that true?"
Xiao Wu's expression shifted slightly, but he forced himself to stay calm and said:
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Zhao Zheng smiled and said:
"Don't hide it. We're all colleagues here. Maybe I can help you."
Xiao Wu snorted coldly and said:
"Mind your own business, or you might get yourself into trouble."
Zhao Zheng's heart tightened, knowing he had guessed correctly.
He pressed on relentlessly:
"Xiao Wu, think about it. If this is something important to the institute and you keep it hidden, can you bear the responsibility if something goes wrong?"
Xiao Wu was silent for a moment, as if pondering Zhao Zheng's words.
Just then, Dr. Chu Feng walked over. Zhao Zheng quickly shut up and pretended to continue working.
Dr. Chu Feng glanced at them but said nothing and left.
When Zhao Zheng looked for Xiao Wu again, he found him focused on his work, saying nothing more.
By then, Xiao Wu knew he couldn't say anything more, or the consequences would be severe.
However, Xiao Wu also began to suspect Zhao Zheng's motives, unsure if he was being intentional or not.
But Xiao Wu didn't dare report it to the doctor, since the other party had only casually asked, and he hadn't leaked any secrets. He decided to act as if nothing had happened.
He thought that if Zhao Zheng asked again, he would report it to the doctor.
But Zhao Zheng, realizing he had already tipped his hand, decided not to ask further. If Dr. Chu Feng found out, he would be finished.
For a moment, Zhao Zheng felt regretful. Since he hadn't gotten the information this time, the other party would be on guard next time. Conventional methods wouldn't work anymore; he would have to find a better opportunity to strike.