After driving forward for about another ten minutes, Chen Mo could already see rows of vehicles piled up in front of the tunnel through the windshield.
"Looks like this is going to be blocked for quite a while,"
Ah Hui muttered.
"But what exactly is causing the jam here? Could it be roadwork in the tunnel? Or an accident?"
"Let's ask and find out."
Chen Mo slowly edged the car forward, rolled down the window, and asked a driver in the neighboring vehicle.
"Sir, so many cars are stuck here—what's going on up ahead?"
The bald, burly man in the other car glanced at Chen Mo, then replied calmly,
"Kid, if you're in a hurry, you'd better turn around now while there's still space behind you and take another route. There's a magical beast blocking the road ahead. No one knows when it'll leave."
"A magical beast?!"
Ah Hui instantly perked up in the passenger seat and looked at Chen Mo, the meaning obvious.
"Mm… let's get out and take a look first. Hopefully it's not something troublesome like a Snorlax-type Pokémon."
Chen Mo opened the door and stepped out first.
After taking just a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back.
"Thanks for the warning, sir."
"?"
The bald man leaned his head out of the window, staring at the young man weaving through the gaps between cars, his head full of question marks.
"Hey! There's a magical beast up ahead!"
In the end, he couldn't help but shout again.
But the young man didn't turn around—he merely raised his left hand and waved it casually, as if to say he understood.
That only left the bald man even more confused.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small yellow figure dash past. Before he could even react, it had already caught up to the young man and, with practiced ease, climbed onto his shoulder.
"That's—!"
The bald man's eyes widened.
Before he could say anything, another voice rang out beside him.
"Relax, uncle. Just leave magical beast stuff to my Brother Mo. He's absolutely professional—people from the Magical Beast Research and Countermeasures Bureau have watched his livestreams and given them a thumbs-up!"
"Huh?"
The bald man turned his head—only for the scene before him to nearly make him jump out of his skin.
Standing there was a young man in a gray hoodie, holding in his arms a green caterpillar that was thicker than his forearm.
"Is it really that scary? Caterpie is obviously super cute, okay…"
Looking at the bald man, who had his mouth wide open and was practically pressed against his car door in fright, Ah Hui sighed lightly, apologized, and jogged off toward Chen Mo.
The cameraman, Brother Yi, followed behind at an unhurried pace, calmly capturing all of it on camera.
Only after the three of them had left—
Did the bald man finally let out a breath, as if he'd just survived a disaster.
After hesitating for a moment, curiosity got the better of him. He cautiously leaned out the window again and looked toward the direction Chen Mo and the others had gone.
"…What kind of people are they?"
—
At the very front of the traffic jam, a group of people were nervously watching the beast standing atop the tunnel entrance.
It stood on all fours, its eyes shining like red gemstones—clear and brilliant. Its entire body was covered in beautiful, smooth white fur, while the areas without white were a muted gray-blue.
And if one had to name its most striking feature, it would undoubtedly be the scythe-like, horn-shaped blade protruding from its head.
"Damn it! How long is this magical beast planning to block us here? I've been waiting almost half an hour, and it still won't move!"
"Exactly! I was planning to rush home, and now cars have blocked us from behind too. We can't move forward, can't turn back—what are we supposed to do?"
"I already called the police. They told us to avoid provoking it. From what they can tell, it doesn't seem to have any intention of attacking people right now."
"Not right now—what about later?!"
"Damn it, I don't care anymore. I have to get through this tunnel today. Let's see what it can do to me."
A middle-aged man in the crowd snapped in rage—the same one who'd complained about waiting half an hour.
Despite the surrounding voices urging him to stop, he ignored them all and got back into his car, clearly blinded by anger.
The engine roared to life.
Under the anxious stares of the onlookers, the car slowly drove straight toward the tunnel.
It wasn't fast.
Even though he was furious, the instant the car started moving, regret crept into the man's heart.
"You guys keep yelling—why didn't anyone come pull me back…"
At this point, turning back was impossible. If he did, wouldn't he be laughed at by everyone around?
"…I'm gambling on it!"
Gritting his teeth, the middle-aged man was just about to slam the accelerator—
When, in his field of vision, the silver-white magical beast that he'd been watching so closely suddenly made a movement.
The scythe-like horn on its head began to glow with a dazzling white light.
A powerful sense of danger surged through him. Instinctively, the man switched from the accelerator to the brake.
Screech—
The sharp sound of an emergency stop rang out, followed immediately by a thunderous boom.
With his own eyes, the man saw a brilliant arc of light slash down just a few meters ahead of him, carving deep fissures into the ground.
"..."
It wasn't just the middle-aged man—everyone standing behind him was utterly terrified by the sight.
If he'd been even a little faster, wouldn't the man and the car have been cut cleanly in two?
Seated in the car, the man's hands trembled on the steering wheel, cold sweat pouring out as his face turned deathly pale.
"Come back! Hurry up and come back!"
"That's right, sir—don't go any further! That magical beast really will kill!"
"Your life's more important. There's no need to rush this moment!"
Shouts rang out from all sides, but the middle-aged man's mind was completely blank. He couldn't react at all.
And just then—
Chen Mo, who had finally reached the front, stepped to the edge and looked ahead.
Although he hadn't witnessed the shocking scene himself, from the crowd's words and the lone car stopped before the tunnel, he could roughly guess what had happened.
He lifted his head.
Amid the dazzling light, the Pokémon responsible stood tall, its head slightly raised as it gazed down at the people below.
Bathed in sunlight, its smooth white fur looked even more beautiful. A gentle breeze brushed past, causing the fur to sway softly, making the entire Pokémon appear both sacred and mysterious.
"So… you're the one blocking the road."
Chen Mo murmured softly.
"Absol."
He was no stranger to this Pokémon. In fact, because of certain traits unique to Absol, Chen Mo felt a strong fondness toward it.
Well… not just the smooth white fur—
Okay, maybe that counted a little too…
Perhaps sensing the unusual emotion in the gaze coming from the crowd, the Absol resting atop the tunnel tilted its head slightly.
Its eyes met Chen Mo's.
Their gazes crossed.
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