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Chapter 94 Poison Gas Bomb

Although Wang Cheng couldn't understand what the Pokémon were saying, he understood Lin Dao's strategy.

He took a deep breath, took out a few tree fruits and energy cubes that he carried with him, placed them in front of Mud, and then gestured to convey the meaning of the forest path as simply as possible.

Muk looked at the food, then at Wang Cheng, and then at Lin Dao and Pikachu nodding at it on the phone screen, seemingly deep in thought.

Finally, it slowly nodded, moved its body a few meters to the side, and cleared the area.

"It agreed!" Wang Cheng shouted excitedly into his phone.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments like "Awesome!", "They can really communicate!", and "Nut is so easy to talk to!"

Lin Dao also breathed a sigh of relief and summarized to the camera.

"As you can see, Pokémon are often capable of communication and reasoning."

"Their needs are usually very straightforward: food, a safe environment, and a comfortable habitat. Often, when we humans encounter Pokémon causing trouble," our first reaction might be to drive them away, confront them, or even just think about capturing them.

"But subjugation is not a panacea, nor is it always the best option. Trying to understand the reasons behind their behavior and resolving issues through equal negotiation often yields better results."

Just then, the sound of sirens and the footsteps of more people came from outside the courtyard. The city bureau leaders and relevant experts who had received Wang Cheng's urgent report arrived at the scene together with the personnel from the National Pokémon Phenomenon Response Bureau's Shancheng Office who had just arrived.

The scene instantly became tense yet orderly.

The city bureau leadership quickly took over command, and experts and technicians in protective suits began preliminary ground scanning and air testing.

The members of the response team were more concerned about Mud's condition. Wearing high-level protective masks, they carefully observed the "protagonist" of this special event.

The initial scan results came back quickly. A metallic object, not small in size, was indeed detected about 1.5 meters below the tree pit. The detection instrument also showed that there were trace amounts of unusual chemical toxins in the air in the area. Although the concentration was extremely low and did not reach the threshold for causing acute harm to the human body, long-term exposure would undoubtedly be harmful.

"Based on the shape of the metal echo and local records," an elderly expert said solemnly to Zhang Xiaoling's parents (who had also rushed back after receiving the news) and the person in charge at the scene.

"This is very likely an unexploded ordnance left over from the war, and—judging from the type of toxin detected, it is very likely a poison gas bomb."

"Poison gas bomb?!" Zhang Xiaoling's mother's legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground, but her husband held her up tightly.

Thinking of their family, who used to live and play every day next to this yard where deadly weapons were buried, and even dig holes to plant trees on it—a wave of fear washed over them like a cold tide.

The viewers in the live stream went wild, their gasps seemingly audible through the screen.

A deadly danger was lurking beneath the yard of an ordinary family, and the stinky Mud that everyone despised turned out to be the first "guardian" to discover it and try to "deal with" it!

The atmosphere at the scene was serious.

Bomb disposal experts and chemical defense troops are in place and ready to excavate and handle the situation according to the highest safety standards.

However, at this moment, Mud, which had been quietly sitting to the side and staring at the pit, suddenly became agitated.

"Beidou! Beidoudou!" it cried out urgently, its body surging forward, trying to get closer to the pit that was about to be "taken over" by humans.

In its simple mind, that was the "good stuff" it discovered first, and it was agreed that it would handle it!

"Stinky Mud! Don't go over there! It's dangerous!" Wang Cheng shouted hurriedly when he saw this, wanting to step forward to stop it, but afraid of provoking it.

The team members on site tensed up, placing their hands on the Poké Balls at their waists.

If the slime goes out of control and forcibly comes into contact with an unexploded ordnance, causing unpredictable consequences, then there will be big trouble.

"Wait a minute!" Lin Dao's voice came through Wang Cheng's phone speaker clearly, drowning out the noise at the scene.

"Don't provoke it! Officer Wang, tell Stinky Mud again that the item will be given to it, but it must be removed by professionals first to ensure its safety before it can be handed over to it."

"Ask it if it can trust us just this once? Or, is there any way for it to remove and dispose of that thing itself, while ensuring absolute safety in the surrounding area?"

Lin Dao's suggestion caused the experts present to frown.

Let Pokémon handle high-risk unexploded ordnance? That sounds crazy! But the members of the response team exchanged glances, and one of the middle-aged captains stepped forward and whispered to the on-site commander.

"Mr. Lin's suggestion—perhaps it's worth a try."

"We have done some research on the habits of Pokémon like Muk. They do indeed possess the ability to decompose, digest, and even transform various toxic and harmful substances, and the process is relatively gentle," unlike the dangerous physical explosions.

"Most importantly, Muk is currently agitated, and forcibly stopping it could lead to a worse situation. We can prepare a comprehensive contingency plan and let it try under close monitoring."

The on-site commander pondered for a moment, glanced at the agitated Chou Chou Mud, then at Lin Dao's calm face on the phone screen, and finally gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Alright! Let's try Mr. Lin's and the response department's plan! All units, highest level of alert! Chemical defense, medical, and fire fighting units, all in position! If there are any signs of things getting out of control, immediately proceed with the planned forced evacuation at the designated location!"

The order was given, and everyone took their positions. The atmosphere was so tense it seemed to freeze.

Wang Cheng swallowed hard, steeled himself again, and walked up to Chou Chou Ni. He tried to speak slowly and used gestures to convey Lin Dao's meaning.

Stinky Mud understood the meaning of "you will get the stuff" and "safety first". Its white eyes looked at the humans around it who were on high alert and the strange equipment, and then at Wang Cheng's nervous but sincere face.

It remained silent for about ten seconds.

Then, it did something that surprised everyone.

It slowly spread out its enormous, viscous body, like a living carpet, evenly covering the tree pit and the surrounding two square meters of ground.

Its body began to emit a very faint "gurgling" sound, like the flow of liquid or the digestion of a living organism.

The sound, and the color of the body surface also became deeper.

"What is it doing?" someone asked in a low voice.

"It seems to be—permeating? Decomposing the soil?"

The response team leader stared intently at the monitoring instruments. "The energy readings are rising slowly but steadily—no high-energy reaction triggered by any explosives! It's truly attempting a safe extraction!"