frightfiction Chapter 436 The Dead End for Zhang Leiyuan
Chapter 436 The Dead End for Zhang Leiyuan
"Chirp~"
The Warrior Eagle, carrying Zhang Heng, rapidly descended towards the mudflats.
Zhang Heng flipped and leaped off the Warrior Eagle, the damp sea breeze carrying a salty, fishy smell hitting him.
Everyone already knew that Zhang Heng was the last member of their trip, so his arrival wasn't too surprising.
Zhang Heng looked at the huddled figure in the crowd, his Adam's apple bobbed, and finally he walked over: "Amin..."
Min Fangxin suddenly turned around, a sickly flush appearing on his pale face, and bloodshot eyes that almost swallowed his pupils.
"Zhang Heng, did you already know?!" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping. "You knew my second brother died at the hands of Kyurem, didn't you?!"
Zhang Heng stood frozen in place, his fingertips trembling slightly.
The strength of Brother Minhui gripping Zhang Heng's wrist seemed to still be there outside the medical room where Duan Guanjun was seriously injured that day, and Brother Minhui's urgent words were still imprinted in Zhang Heng's mind.
"Don't tell Amin, he can't take it right now."
But at this moment, the boy's broken gaze was like a sharp blade, piercing directly into his heart.
"Ah Min, calm down. I told Zhang Heng not to say anything." Min Hui appeared behind him at some point, veins throbbing on his forehead.
“I don’t want to hide it from you, but now that Kyurem is approaching the border, you’re my only brother. I can’t let you do anything foolish! I have to keep you alive!”
"Alive?!" Min Fangxin suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, staggering back a few steps.
"My second brother's body is still warm, yet I'm hiding here like a piece of trash! I need power! The power to kill Kyurem!" His voice suddenly rose, startling the long-winged gulls circling above the sea.
"Om~"
Just then, a rumbling sound like gears jamming came from deep within the giant nest.
The six scarlet stone pillars suddenly swelled, and dark purple energy surged along the patterns like boiling magma, causing the entire mudflat to tremble violently.
Evan's hand holding the detector trembled violently: "The energy reading has exceeded the critical value! Something inside is forcibly absorbing Dynamax energy! Dynamax energy is starting to converge inside."
Everyone's attention was drawn to the giant nest, their eyes fixed on it, but they didn't notice that Min Fangxin had already unzipped his trench coat.
"I want to go in."
Min Fangxin suddenly murmured, his voice eerily calm, and the next second he leaped into the vortex in the center of the nest.
"Oh no! Evan! Stop him!"
Min Hui was shocked to see his brother's behavior and quickly called for help from Ai Wen, who was closest to the cave entrance and reacted instantly.
"With Eurythmic Power!"
The pink energy beam instantly wrapped around Min Fangxin's ankle, but was shattered by a sudden burst of flames in the next second.
A dark purple figure darted out from under Min Fangxin's loose trench coat; it was none other than the long-unseen Xi Cui Fire Beast!
Its mane burned with eerie purple flames, and its sharp claws gripped Amin's shoulders tightly, dragging him straight into the depths of the lair.
The moment the vortex closed, Zhang Heng only saw a relieved smile on Min Fangxin's blood-stained lips, and the same resolute determination that surged wildly in the amber pupils of the Emerald Fiery Beast, just like that of the boy.
"Amin!"
Zhang Heng staggered to the edge of the giant nest, the energy patterns on the mudflats beneath his feet twisting like living things.
The vortex in the center of the nest suddenly contracted violently, and dark purple energy burst forth, forming a pillar of light that pierced the sky, causing the surrounding hexagonal stone pillars to hum.
Zhang Heng stared blankly at the towering pillar of light, the scene just like the towering pillar of light in the Sword and Shield game.
This indicates that the Dynamax Den is now complete, and that there must be Dynamax Pokémon inside.
Min Hui roared and tried to rush towards the cave entrance, but Ai Wen and Zhang Heng held his arms tightly.
"Team Fujian! Going in now is just suicide!" Ai Wen shouted to stop him.
The energy detector flashed wildly in the bright light, and a piercing red alarm sounded.
Evan continued, "The energy concentration in the nest is three times higher than before, and the spatial structure inside could collapse at any moment!"
"That's my brother!" Min Hui's neck, veins bulging, almost snapped as he struggled to break free of their restraints, his eyes red-rimmed. "I've already lost a brother! Am I just going to watch A-Min die in there?!"
Zhang Heng gritted his teeth and withstood Min Hui's brute force, his voice penetrating the two who were arguing.
"Brother Minhui! Trust me! I will definitely bring Amin out safely!"
"No!" Min Hui and Ai Wen shouted simultaneously. Ai Wen frowned and shook his head: "This is not the time to act impulsively. Your strength—"
In their eyes, Amin and Zhang Heng were the same age, and their skill levels should be about the same.
If it's dangerous for one person to go in, it will have the same result for two people to go in; they won't let a new person get into danger.
"Who said I'm going to act impulsively?" Zhang Heng curled his lip, and the Master Ball in his palm flashed with white light.
With a crisp "thud," a figure carrying the pressure of both Water and Fighting types crashed to the ground.
The Martial Arts Ursaring was surrounded by dazzling energy patterns. Blue light shone from its gauntlets and cape-like fur, illuminating the entire mudflat. The oppressive aura unique to Fighting-type legendary Pokémon made all Fighting-type trainers hold their breath.
All the Fighting-type trainers had eager eyes, filled with a determination to compete with them.
Min Hui's eyes widened, and an incredulous groan escaped his throat.
When Zhang Heng resolved the crisis of Duan Guanjun being corrupted by Kyurem energy last time, he was just a newbie who relied on props to deal with emergencies. Now he has actually been able to subdue a divine beast like Martial Arts Bear Master.
He gazed at the boy's resolute profile, his clenched fist gradually loosening—if even Zhang Heng, who possessed a divine beast, couldn't resolve the crisis, what use would it be for him to recklessly rush in?
“Ah Heng…” Min Hui’s voice trembled as he bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching his knees. “Please.”
Zhang Heng quickly helped Min Hui up, saying, "Brother Min Hui, there's no need for that. Min Hui and I are good friends, and the meaning of good friends is to support each other in times of crisis. If I were in such a situation, Min Hui would make the same choice."
Evan stuffed the detector into his backpack and deftly pulled out a Poké Ball: "I'll go with you. We need to find out the source of the abnormal energy in the nest, and I'd like to know more information as well."
Zhang Heng and he exchanged a glance, and the martial arts master Xiong opened his arms in perfect unison, firmly embracing the two of them.
"roar~"
With a deafening roar, the divine beast plunged into the vortex of its nest, accompanied by a whooshing sound.
Then, the instant they disappeared, a thin crack suddenly appeared in the sky, and a pair of vertical pupils gleaming with cold light quietly emerged, observing Zhang Heng and Martial Arts Master Xiong through the distorted spatial ripples.
.....................
South China
In a specially constructed secret chamber 300 meters underground in an abandoned mountainous area, the walls, made of special steel, gleam with a cold, hard metallic luster.
Security personnel in black, armed with specially designed electromagnetic guns, patrolled silently through the corridors, followed by Dusty Phantoms. Ghost-type Pokémon were surrounded by interference ripples, effectively blocking any possibility of detection by Ghost-type Pokémon.
Under heavy guard, at the deepest part of the underground space in this area is a completely enclosed conference room.
Inside the conference room was a long oval-shaped conference table, around which a few people were sitting.
The holographic projection in the center of the conference room was showing the qualifying rounds at Goose City Academy.
Zhang Heng and Martial Arts Bear Master were among them, with Martial Arts Bear Master being particularly magnified, his water and fighting-type energies surging like a tidal wave.
Xiao Xi's pretty face was filled with disbelief. Sitting in the leather chair, her two small fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms. (Character introduced in Chapter 229.)
"Zhang Heng?! That new trainer?! He's grown so rapidly?!"
The helmeted man directly in front of them was shrouded in shadow, with only his gaze peeking through the gaps in his mask.
As he raised his hand, the holographic image suddenly switched to a close-up of Zhang Heng in the arena—the boy's determined gaze and the divine beast aura surrounding the martial arts bear master created a strong impact.
"We originally thought it would be a weakness for the Zhang family, but now it's at risk of getting out of control."
The helmeted man's voice was converted into an electronic sound through the helmet and echoed in the conference room.
The air pressure in the conference room was so low it was suffocating.
Rizki stood hunched over in the shadows, his faded combat uniform cuffs frayed. Ever since Flash Draco escaped from the Grass-type Wild Area, he had lost the opportunity to move freely and could only act as a dog to be used at any time.
At this moment, he stared at Zhang Heng in the holographic projection, as well as the surging divine beast aura around him, swallowing a bitter taste as his Adam's apple bobbed—the boy who had been easily suppressed by him on the island in the middle of the lake had grown to such an extent in just a few months.
"Look what you've done!"
The withered old man's cane slammed heavily on the alloy floor, causing ripples to appear in the water glass on the table.
"You led an elite team to the championship challenge, and you couldn't even handle a mere kid? Xiaoxi, you still haven't given a reasonable explanation."
Xiaoxi's fists clenched until they turned white, and she was about to retort.
The helmeted man suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Who do you think you are! If you've got the guts, then—"
"Hmph, when I was killing another Zhang family heir overseas, Zhang Leiyuan's younger brother, I wasn't as useless as you guys."
A sinister smile crept across the old man's age-spotted face. "If it weren't for Zhang Leiyuan's good luck, and that old bastard Zhang Yuanke (Zhang Heng's grandfather) arriving in time... the Zhang family would have been gone long ago."
"Enough!" A male- or female-indistinguishable electronic voice suddenly rang out.
In the very center of the conference room, the holographic screen distorted violently, and blue-white electricity crackled and surged through the air, causing everyone to instinctively remain silent.
As the scene stabilized, the leather executive chair creaked and spun around, and a man in a custom-made suit ran his fingertips over SunIbu's soft fur.
The Pokémon's pupils glowed with an eerie crimson, while the man's voice, processed by a voice changer, pierced everyone's eardrums like an ice pick.
"Can't even a rookie trainer handle this?"
Those present felt cold sweat trickling down their spines and into their collars.
This was their leader behind the scenes. Although the altered voice did not reveal his emotions, his words clearly indicated his dissatisfaction.
"Chief, leave this to me!" The old man's hunched back suddenly straightened, a morbid fervor igniting in his cloudy eyes. "I'll make sure that brat—"
“No need.” The man’s long fingers suddenly stopped, and Espeon let out an uneasy whimper.
"Zhang's potential has already attracted the attention of the league, and with Duan Suyue in charge of South China... even if you all combine your strengths, you are no match for the South China champion. Why not change your target?"
He dragged out the last syllable, and the invisible pressure caused the temperature in the conference room to drop sharply.
Xiao Xi almost immediately replied, "You mean... targeting Zhang Leiyuan, the newly crowned East China champion who is currently battling fiercely overseas?"
As she spoke, Xiaoxi made a throat-slitting gesture.
"Om~"
Before the words were finished, spiderweb-like cracks suddenly appeared in the space.
A strange finger suddenly pierced through the barrier of this space, slid downwards, and tore open a crack in the void, flowing with ghostly blue flames.
The stench unique to the spirit world assaulted my senses, and the sound of chains being dragged echoed from the depths of the crack, as if some ancient and terrifying being was awakening.
If Zhang Heng were here and could recognize that this was the same Night Demon that had appeared on the second basement floor of the affiliated hospital, the one capable of opening the entrance to the spirit world…