The tunnel was already completely unrecognizable, having collapsed into ruin. Countless fallen boulders buried what had once been the passage, making it clearly impossible for vehicles to pass through anymore.
But the strangest thing—
Was the eerie calm that now enveloped the scene.
Chen Mo frowned slightly.
Although he still didn't know exactly what was going on, standing here finally gave him the chance to use his Aura to probe the rubble ahead.
However—
Before he could activate his ability, the ruins suddenly began to shake.
Then—
Rocks started to tumble.
A gigantic stone serpent, its body seemingly composed of countless massive gray-black boulders, emerged from the debris. Atop its head was a conspicuous rocky horn, and beneath that horn, a pair of pitch-black eyes gazed coldly down at Chen Mo and the others.
The moment this scene appeared through the camera lens, viewers instinctively held their breath. After all, anyone faced with a stone serpent several stories tall—even knowing it was made of rock—would feel an overwhelming, instinctive terror.
"Don't panic."
Chen Mo's voice rang out softly at the most tense moment.
He stared at the colossal serpent ahead and spoke calmly.
"Its name is Onix. It's a Pokémon that survives and grows by absorbing various hard materials, and it usually lives deep underground."
To be honest, although Onix wasn't a carnivorous Pokémon and generally had a neutral attitude toward humans and other Pokémon—neither friendly nor hostile—
In a situation like this, Chen Mo couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Because even without using [Detection Eye], just from the gray-black stone armor covering Onix's body, he could tell one thing very clearly:
This thing was strong. Very strong.
If an Onix like this suddenly decided to attack them, even with Pidgeotto and Absol present—and Pichu (crossed out)—it would still be extremely troublesome.
Especially if Onix ignored Chen Mo entirely and chose to charge straight into the crowd. With that absurdly massive body alone, it could cause devastating casualties.
"This is bad…"
Chen Mo watched the Onix with utmost caution.
But at that moment—
Absol stepped forward, moving to the very front of Chen Mo's group, standing alone as it faced the Onix.
"Absol! Absol absol!"
"Rrr…"
"Absol!"
Just like that, under the gaze of dozens of people on-site and over a hundred thousand viewers in the livestream, the two Pokémon began communicating with each other.
[Mo-baby, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and translate for us!]
[This is killing me—what is Absol saying to Onix? Absol looks pretty angry, though.]
[Damn it, please don't let them fight. Onix's size is terrifying!]
[What's there to be afraid of? Even if they fight, Onix only has one Pokémon. On Mo-baby's side, if you count Absol, there are three Pokémon that can battle. Advantage is ours!]
[Please let everyone be safe.]
Even listening carefully—and even using his Aura—Chen Mo still found it difficult to fully understand what the two Pokémon were saying to each other.
But—
He had another way to figure out what was happening.
"Pichu, I'll have to rely on you."
"Pichu~"
Understanding Chen Mo's meaning, Pichu immediately jumped down from his shoulder. While calling out, it began mimicking the conversation with its body, acting out what Absol and Onix were saying.
Although the viewers were still completely lost, Chen Mo—having lived with Pichu for so long—instantly grasped what it was trying to convey.
"So that's it… Absol is scolding Onix for choosing the tunnel area as its resting place, something it shouldn't do?"
"And it's demanding that Onix leave this place—land that belongs to humans—immediately. Otherwise, Absol will treat it as an enemy and launch an attack?"
"..."
Chen Mo fell silent.
He now more or less understood why Absol had blocked the tunnel and refused to let vehicles pass. It was likely afraid that the traffic would wake the Onix sleeping underground.
What Chen Mo didn't understand, though, was this—
Why would Absol go so far as to risk becoming enemies with an Onix, all for a tunnel that belonged to humans—and for humans themselves?
Even if Absol was known to be relatively friendly toward humans, was it really necessary to go this far?
Chen Mo didn't understand.
As Absol issued its warnings and threats, the Onix on the other side also fell silent.
In an instant, the air plunged into a suffocating stillness.
Even the livestream chat slowed dramatically, with only a few scattered comments drifting across the screen.
Everything felt like the brief calm before a storm.
Even though he didn't know why Absol was doing this, Chen Mo was very clear on one thing—
Which side he should stand on.
At his signal, Pidgeotto and Pichu both entered a state of alert.
"Absol!"
Another sharp warning rang out from Absol.
The Onix stared at Absol for nearly half a minute.
Finally—
It moved.
But instead of attacking, it turned around and plunged straight into the ground beside it. The movement was massive, causing the earth to tremble once again.
But soon—
The vibrations gradually weakened, until they vanished completely.
It seemed that the Onix had left.
"We survived!"
"That was terrifying… How can there be such a scary magical beast in this world? I almost died of fright."
"Honestly, the moment that stone snake crawled out of the tunnel rubble, my brain instantly imagined over twenty different ways I could die."
"Yeah, the wild is way too dangerous. When I get back, I'm quitting this damn job and finding something that lets me stay in the city."
Cheers and relieved voices echoed from behind.
Chen Mo, however, was still staring at the white figure standing with its back to him.
"Absol…"
Perhaps hearing Chen Mo's voice, the white figure turned slightly. For a fleeting moment, Chen Mo felt as though Absol's ruby-like eyes glanced back at him.
But before Chen Mo could say anything—
Absol leapt lightly onto the tunnel ruins, then ran like the wind, transforming into a white streak as it darted nimbly through the mountains and forests.
At the same time—
The middle-aged man who had been saved by Absol finally snapped back to his senses. He hurriedly got out of his car, trying to chase after that white figure.
But the collapsed tunnel debris didn't just block Chen Mo—
It blocked the man, and everyone else, from Absol as well.
All they could do was stand there, watching that white figure recede into the distance, until it finally disappeared into the forest.
Chen Mo noticed the emotions on the man's face, but said nothing. He simply gazed at the vast expanse of green mountains and trees.
His eyes reflected the scenes that had just unfolded.
"Will we meet again…?"
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