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"Xiao Hao!" Li's mother tried to stop her son, but Li Hao had already broken free, grabbed his backpack, and followed Lin Dao.

Shen Yu'er grabbed her aunt and shouted to Li Hao, "Be careful! Be very careful!"

Ye Aiguo looked at Mayor Zhou: "Mayor Zhou, please immediately organize the entire city to evacuate according to the highest level of emergency plan. The military region has already issued a mobilization order, and troops are deploying outside the city."

He then instructed an officer beside him: "Notify command that I will be accompanying Mr. Lin Dao to the scene. Keep communications open and report the situation as soon as possible."

After saying that, he caught up with Lin Dao and Li Hao, who had already come downstairs, with a bodyguard: "Mr. Lin, can we come with you? We can help you drive, pass messages, and provide necessary protection."

Lin Dao glanced at the soldier. He was upright, with sharp but sincere eyes. He had no bureaucratic airs, only the competence of a soldier.

The stars on his shoulder insignia, his calm and capable demeanor, and his decisiveness in finding himself and choosing to accompany him in such a crisis all indicate that he is no ordinary officer.

More importantly, Lin Dao saw genuine urgency in his eyes, as well as a clear understanding of the situation. They needed Lin Dao's knowledge, and Lin Dao also needed official information and support at this moment.

He nodded: "Okay. But once we get there, you must follow my orders. Conventional military thinking may not be applicable when dealing with Pokémon, especially something like Salamence."

"Understood." Ye Aiguo replied without hesitation. "Guardman Xiao Wang, you drive."

The young guard took the car keys from Shen Yu'er, and the four of them quickly got into the car.

The SUV starts up, and the engine emits a deep roar.

When the car drove out of the residential area, the city's emergency response had already been fully activated.

On the streets, police and militiamen were directing traffic and guiding citizens to shelters; loudspeaker trucks were driving back and forth, broadcasting evacuation notices; and air raid sirens were still sounding on the roofs of some high-rise buildings.

"What exactly happened?" Lin Dao asked in a deep voice inside the car, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The sudden crisis left him distraught.

"I know you have people active in the forest. Have they done something?"

While receiving the latest information through encrypted communication equipment, Ye Aiguo quickly replied without any concealment: "Mr. Lin, to be honest, since your live broadcast started, the military region has sent a special operations team to secretly observe the perimeter of the forest. After you left this morning, the team was ordered to enter the depths of the forest to investigate the activity area of ​​the Flying Dragon."

He pulled up the report on his tablet: "Based on the last transmitted information, the team discovered... signs of human damage approximately two kilometers from the Salamence's lair."

"Man-made?" Lin Dao suddenly turned his head.

"Yes." Ye Aiguo's expression was grave. "There were remnants of explosives, tire tracks, and... charred human corpses. Preliminary assessment suggests that some force may have entered, attempting to capture or provoke the Flying Dragon."

Lin Dao slammed his fist on the chair: "Foolish! How could a Pokémon of Salamence's caliber be captured so easily! The consequences of angering it..."

"This is the consequence," Ye Aiguo continued. "After the explosion, the Flying Dragon was completely enraged. Instead of leaving its lair, it began indiscriminately attacking everything around it. Our special operations team lost contact while attempting to evacuate, and the last thing they saw was... flames and howling winds."

He pulled up a blurry video clip. The image was shaking violently, and explosions, roars, and shouts from team members could be heard: "Retreat! Retreat now! It's coming towards us!" Then the video cut out.

"What's the situation now?" Lin Dao forced himself to calm down.

"The fire is spreading and is expected to reach the outer perimeter of the forest within three hours," said Ye Aiguo. "We have mobilized all the city's firefighting forces, but the combination of the forest fire and the damage caused by the pyroclastic worm makes the firefighting extremely difficult."

"Subsequently, our observation posts further out reported that a large number of wild animals and... Pokémon were fleeing in terror from the depths of the forest, including some small Pokémon in the direction of your camp."

"Our personnel stationed near the camp are currently assisting... or rather, your Growlithe, in rescuing and guiding any stray Pokémon to a safer location. However, the fire is spreading rapidly, and the situation is not optimistic."

Lin Dao's heart sank. He looked out the window; the car had already left the city, and ahead lay the road leading to the forest. The road, which should have been clear, was now riddled with military checkpoints and roadblocks.

But after seeing their vehicle, especially Ye Aiguo in the passenger seat.

The roadblocks were quickly removed, the soldiers stood at attention and saluted, and they were allowed to pass.

Once outside the city, the sight before them made everyone gasp in shock.

In the direction of the forest, thick smoke had already obscured half the sky, and even from several kilometers away, the towering flames could be seen.

The air was filled with the smell of burning, and the wind blew in from the forest, carrying heat and ashes.

Even more alarming was the edge of the forest, where countless Pokémon were fleeing from the woods. Pidgey, Spearow, Rattata, Sandshrew… all sorts of Pokémon were running and flying in panic, many of them bearing burns and emitting painful cries.

In front of them stood an army ready for battle.

Tanks and armored vehicles formed the defensive line, and the soldiers were armed with specially made net guns, tranquilizer guns, and sonic detonators, but they did not fire.

The commander shouted through the megaphone, "Don't attack! Guide them to evacuate to the sides! Repeat, don't attack!"

Some Pokémon panicked even more upon seeing the army's formation. Some tried to charge the defense line, while others turned back to the forest but were blocked by the fire, resulting in a chaotic scene.

"They're terrified," Lin said, looking out the window. "The fire, and the oppressive presence of the Salamence... they're running for their lives."

Just then, a deafening roar came from the depths of the forest.

The sound seemed to come from an ancient behemoth, piercing through the flames and thick smoke, carrying endless anger and pain.

Even from this distance, all four people in the car felt their hearts clench and their eardrums buzz.

In the sky, a huge black shadow loomed in and out of sight amidst the thick smoke, its deep blue body and blood-red wings exuding a terrifying sense of oppression even from this distance.

Salamence. It really went berserk.

"Speed ​​up." Lin Dao's voice was as cold as ice. "Drive straight into the forest and to the camp."

"Mr. Lin," Ye Aiguo warned, "the fire might block the road..."

"I know," Lin Dao said, staring at the forest ahead, "but if we don't go now, the Kangaskhan might be too late. And—"

He touched the burning hot Gene Wedge: "If the rampage of the Salamence is truly caused by human intervention, then there might still be a way to quell it. But if we let it run rampant and it completely spirals out of control... this city could be in danger."

The guard, Xiao Wang, looked at Ye Aiguo, who hesitated for a second before nodding: "Do as Mr. Lin says. Notify command that we are entering the forest and request air support and fire lane clearance."

The car accelerated and sped towards the burning forest.

Deep in the forest, the creekside campsite was in complete chaos.

Growlithe barked anxiously, trying to stop the Pokémon from evacuating; Oddish huddled together, shivering; Mushroom caps wilted from the heat; Lilligant's leaves curled up.

The Kangaskhan held its baby Kangaskhan tightly in its arms, standing at the edge of the camp, looking towards the fire. Its golden eyes were full of worry. Pichu and Zigzagoon had gone to play deep in the forest and hadn't returned yet.

The thick smoke drew closer, and a wave of heat washed over us.

In the distance, the roar of the Salamence rang out again, this time closer and more furious.