Chapter Forty-Seven: The Struggle Between the Known and the Unknown

There was not even the slightest trace of poison-type energy left in the corpse of the Grimer. Truly—not a single drop remained.

Yet Chen Ou could sense that the stretch of river was still continuously releasing poison energy. In other words, something unknown was hidden beneath the silt of the riverbed. The most terrifying things are always those that are unknown. But, at the same time, the unknown is also what most inspires people to push forward.

Therefore, Chen Ou decided to tell the workers exactly what he had deduced about the situation. He lifted his head and glanced at Junzhi, who was staring at his own hand in bewilderment. The suspicion in Junzhi’s eyes only deepened, but he still said nothing more. He merely spoke in a cool, detached tone.

“Your situation is fairly dangerous right now. There’s something unknown and dangerous in this river—maybe a Pokémon, maybe something else. Your dredging may disturb or awaken it. I have no idea if it will be merciful enough to forgive you, but I think if you keep digging, something will go wrong.”

Chen Ou made no effort to lower his voice. As Junzhi’s face darkened, the workers behind him exploded into an uproar. Damn, their work was dangerous enough already! Now, a researcher was telling them they might be facing some unknown peril. How could they keep going with that hanging over them?

The pay the company offered no longer matched the risks they were being asked to take. At the very least… they’d need more money.

Junzhi glared coldly at Chen Ou. “You’re just fearmongering.”

Chen Ou smiled with interest. “I have no reason to deceive you. Whether your work continues or not has nothing to do with me. Whether you keep your jobs is not my concern. As long as I look away, whether you live or die is none of my business either. It’s simply a matter of keeping a gentleman’s distance from the slaughterhouse. I’m just sharing my deduction. I’m not forcing you to believe me. Whether you do or not is up to you.”

After hearing Chen Ou’s words, the workers’ murmurs became even more animated. Meanwhile, Junzhi’s face turned from black to red, then from red to white, before settling back into a cold glare at Chen Ou.

“Do you have any evidence?” Junzhi seemed to have given up on illusions and was facing reality. Still, Chen Ou could sense some pretense in Junzhi’s manner. He only picked up on it because Junzhi’s earlier loss of composure had been so obvious. To be able to regain his composure so quickly after such a slip—that was something Chen Ou had to admire.

He had no idea who this man really was.

But, truth be told, Chen Ou wasn’t too bothered. With his own abilities, most dangers in this world were no longer worth worrying about. He could afford to take risks as he pleased.

Ahem, Chen Ou was an upright person—he certainly wouldn’t court disaster for no reason!

In fact, he rather envied those transmigrators who arrived with systems: missions, rewards, matchmaking, child-rearing, and even, in the case of certain legendary figures, systems that could bear children for them. Look at himself—a transmigrator with nothing: no system, no after-sales service. If he had a chance to do it all again… at the very least, he’d hold out for better perks.

Still, life as it was now wasn’t too bad. Chen Ou had no real complaints. In the end, given the circumstances, survival demanded adaptation. Even if your mind didn’t adapt, your body would eventually adjust.

But back to the matter at hand.

“When I dug the silt out of the river, there was no poison on it. That’s why my hand is still intact.” Chen Ou showed his hand to everyone. His skin was fair and delicate, his fingers long and elegant—hands one could imagine playing the piano. “Yet the air is still thick with poison-type energy. That means the source of the poison isn’t the silt, nor is it the corpses of the Grimer.”

At this point, Junzhi interrupted him.

“Wait!” Junzhi’s face was grim. He stared at Chen Ou, pointing toward the river. “Are you saying the silt in there is all actually Grimer corpses?”

Chen Ou tilted his head in thought. “Maybe one or two percent is actual silt, but most of it—maybe all of it—is definitely Grimer corpses.”

Junzhi seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, and his face grew even more unsightly.

Chen Ou ignored him and continued, “Based on my investigation, the poison energy here doesn’t seem to come from Grimer, nor from any common poison-type Pokémon. But there’s no doubt that the toxicity is quite strong, and the affected area is large. However, it’s still not enough to explain why so many Pokémon were frightened away or killed, as you described. There’s something suspicious about the deaths of those Pokémon as well. In any case—”

A devilish smile appeared on Chen Ou’s lips. “The true culprit behind all this is probably hidden beneath this silt—no, beneath the corpses. Whether you want to keep dredging is your decision. I’ll keep observing, and if necessary, I’ll have the relevant authorities intervene.”

Junzhi paid no attention to the panic among the workers or to Chen Ou’s words. He was deep in thought.

Chen Ou guessed he was weighing the pros and cons. Though he had no idea who Junzhi really was, it was clear the man was no ordinary worker.

Known dangers and unknown dangers—how would you weigh them?

Chen Ou looked at the chaotic workers, a smile on his face that could have belonged to a villain.

But he meant no harm—he was confident he could handle whatever lay beneath. When he scooped up the silt earlier, he had sensed a slight increase in poison energy, suggesting the Grimer corpses were acting as a barrier. With that, Chen Ou could estimate the strength of the thing below; perhaps roughly equivalent to a standard second-class legendary.

Of course, there was always the chance his estimate was wrong, or that the thing had some hidden power. But even so!

Could it possibly be stronger than Hoopa’s evil form?

Don’t be ridiculous. If Arceus or Eternatus showed up here, it would be a joke. If either of those two gods appeared, Ho-Oh would have swept the area clean with Sacred Fire long ago.

To barge into the bedroom where someone is sleeping—even among legendary Pokémon, that’s a violation!

Junzhi didn’t hesitate for long. He quickly regained his composure as a leader and said, “Yingshu, notify the company—tell them there’s been an incident here. Explain everything clearly and have them send people over to handle it.”

The small, thin Yingshu was startled to hear his name, but quickly responded, “Oh!” and hurried off toward their temporary camp.

“I hope you haven’t lied to us,” Junzhi said with a mild expression, though his eyes were cold as ice.

“I’m a kind person,” Chen Ou replied with a gentle smile.