Wen Qi happily rode his mount goat back home, but Zhou Zhiwen, the captain of the City Bureau's Search Team 1, was in a terrible mood.
The previous night's black market auction was such a big event that the search officers were certainly aware of it. Every time an auction ended, although the search officers wouldn't interfere, they had to strictly monitor public order in the city afterward. So, this was the busiest time for the search officers. Because after every black market auction, there were always some people trying to pull off a double-cross. If both sides fought in an isolated area without affecting city order, the search officers generally wouldn't get involved. Those black market folks also knew to keep things in check—whether they were the ones ambushing or being ambushed, they tacitly agreed not to disrupt city order, as neither wanted the search officers to step in. It's understandable that the ambushers feared the search officers, but why did the victims also fear them? The main reason was that once the search officers got involved, all items sold on the black market would be confiscated. So, both sides wanted to avoid the search officers' attention. However, there was an exception: when the ambushers stole the goods and intended to kill to silence witnesses, they no longer cared about the consequences and would quickly summon the search officers. Even if they lost everything, at least they could save their lives.
Last night's situation was similar to before and basically wouldn't have affected city order. But who would have thought there was a Dratini? That was a pseudo-legendary! Even if it was only green-tier, there were green-tier pseudo-legendaries that could reach the Champion level. Even if it couldn't become a Champion, just reaching the peak of Gym level at level 60—the so-called quasi-Champion—its strength wouldn't be much weaker than an ordinary Pokémon at Champion level. Though it might still lose, a pseudo-legendary at that stage wasn't easy to deal with. Even if defeated, the victor's condition would be severely compromised. In effect, it was almost equivalent to a Champion. Plus, Dragonite was fast and gentle with its trainer, making it especially popular among trainers. Because it was so sought after, even after the person in Box 1 bought it, many people still hadn't given up. Maybe it wasn't that they lacked money, but they didn't want to draw attention and preferred to acquire it through a low-key ambush. After the person from Box 1 left last night, many people targeted him. Although they knew he wasn't easy to mess with, risking a little danger for a Dratini was worth it.
Regarding last night's battle, both sides initially kept it low-key and didn't escalate too much. But as wave after wave of attackers came, even though the person from Box 1 had several Gym-level Pokémon, he couldn't hold out against the sheer numbers—too many ants could kill an elephant. There were just too many attackers. Eventually, someone ordered their Pokémon to use Explosion, setting the park next to the grocery market ablaze. The massive blast also woke up nearby residents. The middle-aged man from Box 1, whose Pokémon were mostly out of fighting strength, saw this and, to save himself, threw out the Dratini's Poké Ball and fled while he could. Luckily, the Dratini drew everyone's attention, and he managed to escape. But the crowd at the scene, upon seeing the Dratini, fought even more fiercely, destroying streets and damaging residential buildings. This caused many injuries, and worst of all, several deaths. Eventually, residents called the police, and the search officers rushed over upon learning the situation. Those people, realizing the police had been called, knew they had to leave quickly or they'd be caught. But none wanted to give up the Dratini, so they hesitated, unsure whether to flee or keep fighting. Just then, a Sandslash emerged from underground, snatched the Poké Ball while no one was paying attention, and with a "whoosh," burrowed back into the earth and vanished. Everyone stared at each other in shock. With the situation as it was, they couldn't track it down properly, and if they didn't leave soon, the search team would arrive. They had no choice but to let the lucky opportunist get away.
When the search officers arrived, they found the park on fire, roads destroyed, residential buildings damaged, and casualties—all of which needed investigation. Zhou Zhiwen came to the scene last night, assessed the situation, and combined with information from the black market, figured out the cause and sequence of events. But knowing that didn't solve the problem. Everyone last night had their faces covered, so it was impossible to identify them. Even if they checked the Pokémon used, who at the black market wouldn't have some obscure Pokémon ready? Thinking about this, Zhou Zhiwen felt like his head was about to explode. If he arrested people, he didn't know who did it in the short term; if he didn't, he couldn't answer to the city authorities. With no other option, he had to issue warrants based on neighborhood inquiries and some camera footage.
Wen Qi had actually heard the explosions late last night, but since they seemed far away, he stuck to the principle of "less trouble is better" and ignored them. He just let out his Venonat to help guard him, rolled over, and went back to sleep. Wen Qi knew that to live long, he had to learn from the old man at the school gate—mind his own business and stay out of trouble.
Zheng Qian was a bounty hunter, and just like his name suggested, he loved money. But his strength wasn't great, his earnings were usually meager, and his life wasn't much to speak of. At last night's auction, many things he fancied were out of his reach due to lack of funds, leaving him frustrated. He planned to unwind outside after the auction, but then he saw a group of people conspiring on how to deal with the client from Box 1. Zheng Qian didn't pay it much mind at first. Though he wasn't strong, he had a level 40 Pokémon. But with that level of strength, trying to rob the big shot from Box 1 would likely get him killed without knowing how. Even those involved in the plot had at least Elite-level Pokémon. Seeing they were trouble, Zheng Qian decided to leave quickly. But before he got far, the fight had already started. Hearing the commotion, Zheng Qian immediately sent out his Sandslash to dig a hole and hide. Normally, the Dratini would have nothing to do with Zheng Qian, and he never thought he'd get it. But seeing the situation, greed took over, and he had his Sandslash dig over stealthily to snatch the Dratini's Poké Ball. The explosions and crowd noise masked the sound of the underground Sandslash, and the panicked people didn't notice, allowing the Sandslash to succeed. Zheng Qian never expected his Sandslash to actually pull it off. Amid his excitement, fear dominated. If anyone found out, his fate would be gruesome. Thinking this, he quickly took out a scent-neutralizing potion, erased his traces, recalled his Sandslash, and hurriedly fled the scene. He had no time to deal with the hole—any noise from filling it would draw attention. So, escape was the priority; even if discovered later, he'd be long gone.