radicalducati Page 95
Page 95
Before Lin Che could even say goodbye to anyone, the scene before him transformed into bizarre and colorful blocks of light.
When he finally set foot on solid ground again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment.
This is no longer an ancient and mysterious cave, but a futuristic, high-tech metallic space. Soft light shines down from the ceiling, and the air is filled with the subtle sounds of instruments operating.
He was immediately teleported to the Alliance's mobile command center, located deep within the Kunlun Mountains, which boasted the most advanced facilities and the highest level of security.
Immediately afterwards, a staff member wearing a white research coat and carrying the emblem of the Alliance Special Logistics Department walked quickly to him and respectfully handed him a terminal.
"Analyst Lin Che, your champion-level logistical support and highest information access have been activated. Please issue your instructions at any time."
Chapter 88 Leaving Stardust Cave! Back to Reality! Hakron at the School Gate!
A few hours later.
Inside the heavily guarded mobile command center, the air seemed to have been sucked out, and every movement carried the coldness and stagnation of metal.
This is the nerve center of the Huaxia Alliance located on the front line of the Kunlun Mountains. The walls are covered with pale blue data light strips. Dozens of elite personnel wearing specially made combat uniforms of the Alliance are busy at their respective posts, but there is no extra sound except for the low hum of the instruments.
The conference room is located in the core area of the command center.
A dozen or so figures sat around a massive circular alloy conference table. Any one of them could shake a regional league with a stomp of their foot. They were the guardians of China, champion-level powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the trainer pyramid.
However, at this moment, these powerful figures, who were used to witnessing the awakening of divine beasts and the upheavals in the secret realm, all had the same emotion frozen on their faces.
Shocked.
A shock stemming from a complete upheaval of cognition, mixed with horror and bewilderment.
At the center of the conference table, a three-dimensional star map projected by Zhixing was slowly rotating. It was not any star field known to humankind, but a despairing picture from another dimension, filled with death and an aura of foreboding.
A dying planet is mercilessly swallowed by a dark, ever-wrenching, and expanding "hole".
The ultimate alien portal, a cosmic, other-dimensional, planet-devouring void...
These concepts, accurately translated and presented by Zhixing from Lin Che's mouth, were like heavy hammers, brutally shattering the worldviews they had built up over decades, even their entire lives.
Lin Che stood in front of the projector, his expression calm.
He had just finished a detailed report that lasted an hour, revealing all that he had seen and heard in the Stardust Caverns without reservation.
A deathly silence enveloped the entire conference room.
Finally, the suffocating silence was broken by a heavy thud.
"boom!"
A burly, middle-aged man with bulging temples slammed his hand on the table, the sturdy alloy surface groaning under the weight. His eyes were wide open, burning with a fierce fire—a fierce will honed in countless brutal battles, a belief in only his own strength.
He is the champion of the Chinese fighting system, known for his tough style and fierce personality.
"absurd!"
His voice, booming like a bell, resonated throughout the closed meeting room.
"The contents of the report are too outrageous! I cannot, and will never, gamble the future of the entire alliance and the safety of hundreds of millions of people behind us on a vague 'cosmic crisis' based solely on the one-sided accounts of a teenager and an elf of unknown origin!"
He stood up abruptly, looked around at his colleagues, and spoke with a resounding voice.
"I propose that we must venture deep into the Oasis of Time once more! I will personally lead the team to attempt to establish a direct mental connection with the sleeping Jirachi and obtain firsthand, authentic intelligence! We are trainers, we are warriors, and strength is the only language we truly trust!"
These words immediately disrupted the tense atmosphere in the conference room.
Several champions whose style leans towards conservatism and practicality immediately showed their approval and nodded slightly.
"That's right, seeing is believing."
"The authenticity of the intelligence must be verified a second time."
For a time, voices of doubt and agreement were intertwined.
The Alliance Chairman, the ever-silent and composed old man, shifted his gaze from the unsettling star map and finally fixed it on Lin Che, the eye of the storm. His eyes were deep and unbiased, and he simply asked a question calmly.
"Lin Che, what's your opinion?"
All eyes were instantly drawn to this.
Despite the pressure from over a dozen champion-level experts, Lin Che remained upright. He straightened his body, met the burning gaze of the fighting champion, and shook his head with unwavering determination.
"I reject."
Two words, clear and resolute.
"I reject any offer to take the risk again."
He paused, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"Champions, we may be facing a god that has existed since ancient times. Jirachi is in a very unstable state right now; it is asleep and repairing itself. Any contact that is beyond its comprehension may be perceived as a threat by its instincts, thus triggering unpredictable consequences."
"We should have the most basic reverence for the powers that are above us. Blind and reckless contact is not courage, but arrogance. It will only bring greater disaster than the unknown."
His words were forceful and logical, demonstrating a maturity and composure far beyond his years.
The champion of the fighting system blushed instantly, feeling that his authority and ideas had been openly challenged by a junior.
"Awe? Only a coward would disguise fear as awe!"
He roared.
The final decision rested with the alliance chairman.
He closed his eyes, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, as if he were making an incredibly difficult decision. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, which were now clear.
"I will take Lin Che's suggestion."
"The proposal to venture deeper into the Oasis of Time is rejected. From now on, the Jirachi threat level is temporarily set to the highest."
The resolution was issued.
"President!"
The fighting champion's face was filled with disbelief. He clenched his fists, and his knuckles cracked.
"Cowardly behavior!"
He finally forced out those words through gritted teeth, then turned sharply, no longer looking at anyone, and strode out of the conference room. His resolute back view carried an unwavering determination to prove himself at all costs.
No one stopped.
Everyone knows his temperament, and they also know the terrifying strength of his champion-level ace, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks. Perhaps, he really can create miracles.
However, no miracle occurred.
Tragedy struck unexpectedly.
Less than half an hour.
Inside the command center, a piercing alarm shattered the newly restored tranquility.
That was the last mental message sent back by a scout Pokémon left behind by a Fighting-type champion on the outskirts of Time Oasis.
The message was chaotic and desperate, interspersed with a mournful cry of extreme pain belonging to a monstrous force.
By analyzing the fragmented information, everyone instantly understood what had happened—
He forcibly approached Kirachi.
He attempted to use his proud and domineering fighting spirit to shake the spiritual barrier of the gods.
Then, he triggered Jirachi's dormant self-defense mechanism.
That was neither an attack nor a counterattack.
That was an irresistible power of "wishing".
That power wasn't a violent energy surge; it was silent and still, yet it carried a divine, unquestionable will of law. It responded to the fighting champion's intense desire to "access the truth," and thus, it kept him forever "still" at the moment closest to the truth.
His entire being, along with his loyal champion monster, was enveloped in a pale golden light, forever frozen in the amber of time.
This painful lesson, learned at the cost of a champion's life, was like a resounding slap in the face to all the doubters.
The meeting room was deathly silent.
The champions who had previously echoed him turned pale and their bodies trembled slightly uncontrollably.
This served as a wake-up call for everyone, and it also completely confirmed how correct Lin Che's calm, almost cruel, judgment was.
Ultimately, the alliance chairman gave the order personally.
The Alakazam beside him, which had been resting with its eyes closed, suddenly opened its eyes, emitting a dark blue light, and a powerful spatial force instantly enveloped Lin Che.
"Lin Che, you go back first. Leave this to us."
The chairman's voice was hoarse and weary.
With a flash of silver light, Lin Che's figure disappeared from the spot.
In less than half a day, thanks to the Chairman's precise and powerful teleportation relay, he was safely teleported back to the ground.
When he looked back, the majestic and continuous Kunlun Mountains behind him were being completely blocked off.
Countless engineering sprites and alliance forces marched into the mountains, and barriers made of physics and energy were quickly established.
Red, high-level warning signs bearing the skull and crossbones symbol are ubiquitous in every corner where one might enter the mountains.
From today onwards, this place has been officially designated as a top-level restricted area in the world.
A forbidden zone where a champion is buried, and a place where a god sleeps, connected to a cosmic crisis.
The suffocating oppressive atmosphere of the Kunlun Mountain restricted area was finally left behind.
The moment Lin Che leaped off the back of the Warrior Eagle and his feet touched solid ground again, the first thing he did was dial that number he knew by heart.
The call was answered almost instantly.
Before he could even speak, his mother's urgent, tearful voice came through the receiver, followed by his father's calm yet concerned admonitions.
Lin Che patiently assured his parents again and again that he was unharmed until they were completely at ease.
After hanging up the phone, he sent messages to Xu Qingyan and his roommates to let them know he was safe. Almost instantly, the dormitory group chat exploded with activity.
That evening, back in his dorm, Lin Che washed away the dust of his journey, leaned back in his chair, and joined a video call that his roommates had already started.
On the screen, three familiar faces huddled together, bombarding him with questions about his experience of going missing.
"Brother Che, tell me honestly, did you secretly go to some newly discovered secret realm to make a fortune again?"