I'm live-streaming Pokémon science popularization on New World.

"Dad! Mom! Sister Yu'er!" Li Hao rushed out of the car, tears finally streaming down his face.

"My son!" The middle-aged woman, Shen Qian, broke free from her support and hugged her son tightly. Tears welled up instantly, and her hands trembled as she stroked Li Hao's face and shoulders, as if afraid that what she was seeing was a hallucination. "You're finally back... You scared me to death..."

Li Hao's father, Li Li, patted his son's back heavily, his throat bobbing as if he wanted to say something stern, but in the end, he only said in a hoarse voice with red eyes, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back safely."

Then, his gaze passed over his son and landed on Lin Dao, who got out of the car afterward.

Li Li released his son, strode up to Lin Dao, extended his rough, strong hand, grasped Lin Dao's hand firmly, and shook it vigorously: "You must be Mr. Lin Dao? I'm Li Hao's father. Thank you so much these past few days! If it weren't for you, this kid..."

His voice was choked with emotion, and he couldn't continue speaking, but he held Lin Dao's hand tightly.

"Uncle, you're too kind," Lin Dao quickly replied. "Li Hao and I are companions, and we take care of each other. There's no need for thanks."

At this moment, the young woman who had been supporting Shen Qian walked over.

She first nodded politely to Lin Dao, then gently reminded Li Li and his wife, "Uncle, Aunt, this isn't the place to talk. Let's take our guest home first. Mr. Lin must be tired from his journey."

Her voice was calm and clear, with a rational restraint. Her gaze quickly and carefully swept over Lin Dao, her eyes showing concern, curiosity, but more so, cautious observation.

"Yes, yes, let's go home first, we'll talk when we get home." Li Hao quickly wiped away his tears and said.

The Li family lives on the third floor in an old-style apartment of over 80 square meters, but it is kept very clean.

As soon as Lin Dao entered, he smelled the aroma of food. The dining table in the living room was already full of dishes: twice-cooked pork, Mapo tofu, fish-flavored eggplant, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and even a whole braised fish.

Although they were all home-style dishes, in the current era of rationing, it was undoubtedly a hearty meal.

"Quickly, Mr. Lin, Xiao Hao, let's eat first! You must be starving after the journey!" Li Li greeted them warmly.

Faced with a table of long-awaited, warm meals that belonged to human civilization, Lin Dao did not refuse.

Li Hao's eyes were already shining. He sat down and began to wolf down his food, praising it indistinctly between bites: "Mom, your cooking is still the best! My mouth has been so bland these past few days!"

Lin Dao maintained basic table manners, but ate much faster than usual.

These days in the wild, although we don't go hungry, cooking conditions are limited, and we mostly cook grilled fish and soup, which are monotonous in flavor.

At this moment, the taste buds are awakened by the familiar spicy flavor, the stomach is filled with warm food, and a long-lost sense of peace quietly arises.

Seeing the two children eating so heartily, Shen Qian finally smiled and kept putting food on their plates.

Li Li poured tea and sat down to the side.

During the meal, the Li family members shared their experiences from the past few days.

It turned out that three days ago, Li Hao's mother, Shen Qian, suddenly received a call from the hospital saying that a batch of newly arrived imported special drugs could be used to arrange her hospitalization for treatment, with all expenses covered.

She initially thought it was a scam, but the hospital sent a car to pick her up, all the paperwork was in order, and they even prepaid half a month's hospital fees.

"I felt something was wrong right away," Shen Yu'er said, picking up a piece of food with her chopsticks. Her tone was calm, but her eyes were sharp.

"My aunt's illness is chronic and requires long-term treatment. The hospital had always said there was no effective treatment. So when they suddenly became so attentive and offered it for free, I went to look it up."

She paused, then looked at Lin Dao: "It turned out that the doctor in charge of the liaison was the vice president of the Provincial People's Hospital, who usually doesn't handle the admission procedures for ordinary patients. Moreover, there was an extra special fund in the hospital account from an unknown source, with the note 'Special Case Research Funding'."

Lin Dao put down his chopsticks: "You think... it's because of me? Because Li Hao is doing a live stream with me?"

"That's the only explanation." Shen Yu'er nodded. "I've seen your live stream recording. Mr. Lin, I've seen a similar description of the energy characteristics of the pendant around your neck on the National Academy of Sciences' intranet."

"Although the level of secrecy is very high, my mentor was involved in the relevant project, and he mentioned in private that 'those creatures are related to a higher level of existence.'"

Her words caused a slight pause at the dinner table.

Li Hao put down his bowl and said, "Brother Lin, let me formally introduce you again. This is my dad, Li Li, my mom, Shen Qian, and this is my cousin, Shen Yu'er. She's studying for a master's degree in materials science at Rongcheng University. Recently, because things are not peaceful outside the city, the school has suspended some classes, so she's temporarily staying at my house."

Lin Dao remained silent for a moment, then took out a pomelo from his pocket, which was the gift he had prepared for their meeting.

"Auntie," he handed the pomelo to Shen Qian, "please try this."

Shen Qian took it with a puzzled look and glanced at her son.

Li Hao nodded vigorously: "Mom, eat this. It's a tree fruit. Pokémon can recover their strength by eating it, and it's also good for people."

Shen Qian took a bite with some skepticism, then her eyes widened immediately: "So sweet...and..."

She chewed carefully, swallowed, and a few seconds later, the paleness on her face faded visibly, replaced by a healthy rosy glow.

"I feel...much better," she said in surprise. "I have energy again, and my head isn't dizzy anymore."

Li Li excitedly grasped his wife's hand, then looked at Lin Dao and said, "Mr. Lin, this..."

"Berry is a special plant fruit from the Pokémon world," Lin Dao explained. "It contains special life energy. For humans, although the effects are not as obvious as for Pokémon, it can still regulate the body and replenish vitality."

Looking at Shen Qian's noticeably improved complexion, he made a judgment in his mind: the healing effect of Wenyou Berry on humans is about 30% to 50% of that on Pokémon, but it is enough for chronic diseases and weak states.

The meal was eaten amidst shock and gratitude.

After dinner, Li Hao was pulled into the bedroom by his parents for a private talk, leaving only Lin Dao and Shen Yu'er in the living room.

Shen Yu'er poured Lin Dao a cup of tea, her tone becoming serious: "Mr. Lin, I know you are no ordinary person. Your knowledge, your abilities, and the way you appeared... all exceed common sense."

She looked directly into Lin Dao's eyes: "I won't ask about your background or your purpose. I just want to know, are you a friend or a danger?"

Lin Dao picked up his teacup, the aroma of tea wafting upwards. He pondered for a few seconds, then gave his most sincere answer:

"I want to be friends. To humans, to Pokémon, to the world. But I can't guarantee that everyone will consider me a friend, nor can I guarantee that there won't be any dangers along the way."

He put down his teacup, his gaze calm: "What I can guarantee is that I will not intentionally harm anyone. I am here to build bridges, not to create chasms."

Shen Yu'er looked at him for a long time, and finally nodded gently: "I believe you. Not because of what you said, but because of Xiao Hao's change. He used to be impetuous and a little insecure, but now he has a sense of responsibility and courage. This change is not faked."

She stood up: "Just tell me what you need. I'm studying for a Master's degree in Materials Science at Rongcheng University. My advisor is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and I received a message from him yesterday saying that as long as it's not illegal or harmful to the country, I can help you now."

Lin Dao also stood up and said solemnly, "Thank you. I need quite a few things, but the three most urgent are: a new energy vehicle with a long range, a set of professional outdoor live streaming and communication equipment, and some basic materials."

He took out a list he had written the night before: "These materials may be quite special, and some may even need to be custom-made."

Shen Yu'er took the list, quickly glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow: "High-strength lightweight alloy hammer, precision pressure sensor... what you're making is no simple matter."

"It's certainly not simple," Lin Dao admitted, "but it's very important."

As the two were talking, Li Hao came out of the bedroom, his eyes red and swollen, but with a smile on his face: "Brother Lin, I've already talked to Mom and Dad. We'll split the money in half. I'll go to the bank now to complete the formalities. Sister Yu'er, why don't you go shopping with Brother Lin? You know the city well."

Shen Yu'er checked the time: "The mall isn't open yet, let's go to the technology market first. Some equipment needs to be pre-ordered, the sooner the better."

Lin Dao changed his clothes and put on a hat and mask, which were more professional disguise equipment prepared in advance by Shen Yu'er.

As the three of them left, Li Li saw them to the door and patted Lin Dao's shoulder forcefully: "Mr. Lin, I'm entrusting Xiao Hao to you. You all... must come back safely."

"Definitely," Lin Dao solemnly promised.

Unbeknownst to them, as they drove towards the technology market, in the distant forest, several unmarked military off-road vehicles silently left the road and ventured deep into the woods along a trail worn out a few days earlier.

Besides the well-equipped, cold-faced mercenaries, there were also several men and women dressed in casual suits with a cold demeanor on the vehicle.

Carrying various sophisticated detection instruments, they scanned the forest with sharp eyes, their target clearly set, and slowly advanced towards the depths of the forest.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Lin Dao was standing in front of a counter at the technology market, pointing to a professional-grade live-streaming setup and saying to Shen Yu'er:

"This, and this solar charging system, we need the best of both worlds."

His fingers slid across the list, his gaze unwavering.