Abandoned Mystery Realm (Please Keep Reading)

The next morning.

Shu Tong went to the county town early. He first bought a case of Moomoo Milk at the department store, then went to the Pokémon Hospital to visit Yin Shu's Poliwhirl.

Perhaps Poliwhirl's resistance to poison had increased after being hit by Poison Sting before. This poisoning was not too serious, and it should be discharged tomorrow.

Shu Tong's visit also brought him closer to Yin Shu.

The Mystery Realm invasion was drawing nearer and nearer. When the time came, having Yin Shu and the others help cover for him would give him a better chance of successfully obtaining the Beedrillite.

After leaving the hospital, Shu Tong continued to the department store to see whether he could find anything worthwhile.

This time, Shu Tong headed first for the held-item section.

There was not even a single high-grade resource. Fortunately, Silver Powder was cheaper than Poison Sting, so he spent 1.5 million to buy two mid-grade portions of Silver Powder.

Just as he was about to leave, a familiar-looking young man walked in, followed by two burly middle-aged men in suits and sunglasses.

"I'll take all the Poison-type resources here," the young man said.

The sudden display startled the clerk, who hurriedly called out the section manager.

When the section manager saw the young man, he immediately put on a flattering smile. "So it's Station Chief Zhu's son. What brings you back?"

Upon hearing "Station Chief Zhu's son," Shu Tong searched his memories and finally realized who the man before him was.

The station chief at the Wastewater Treatment Plant where his father worked was surnamed Zhu. Since Shu Tong came from a single-parent family, he had often gone straight to the station after school as a child to wait for his father and head home together.

That was why he had met this young man before. He was Station Chief Zhu's son, Zhu Zhixiang. However, after entering high school, Zhu Zhixiang had been sent by his father to study in Jinling.

They had not met again after that.

A rich young master like him would never notice a minor character like Shu Tong.

Buying up every Poison-type resource in one go—he was absurdly rich.

Knowing that he and Zhu Zhixiang no longer belonged to the same world, Shu Tong left on his own.

Since his father had the day off, Shu Tong returned to their home in the county town. The moment he stepped inside, a wave of Stench hit him in the face.

His father was in the living room playing with his work partner, Grimer.

"Dad," Shu Tong called.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back this time? I haven't even bought groceries yet. Wait here for me." Father Shu immediately got up, preparing to recall Grimer into its Poké Ball.

"Wait." When Shu Tong saw Grimer's information, he hurriedly stopped his father.

Father Shu was also puzzled. His son usually hated Grimer's foul smell the most. Why was he moving closer this time? It was rather unusual.

Grimer's information appeared before Shu Tong's eyes, making him gasp sharply.

[Name]: Grimer

[Attribute]: Poison type

[Ability]: Stench

[Moves]: Poison Gas, Mud-Slap, Harden

[Individual Talents]: Mid-grade stamina; low-grade attack, defense, special attack, special defense, speed

[Recent Turning Point]: Half a month later, it died when an Abandoned Mystery Realm collapsed

"Dad."

"What is it?"

"I remember that your station handles industrial wastewater for all of Auspicious City, right?"

"That's right. Don't you already know that?" Father Shu was left somewhat bewildered by Shu Tong's question.

"Recall Grimer first."

"Ah, all right!" Father Shu felt completely unable to keep up with his son's pace and recalled Grimer.

"So how does your Wastewater Treatment Plant work?" Shu Tong asked.

"Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Shu Tong suddenly felt that he had made the atmosphere too tense. He smiled and said, "I'm just curious. How is all that sewage treated? Does it all depend on Grimer?"

Father Shu smiled proudly. "You've come to the right person. I've worked at the water treatment station for over ten years."

Shu Tong could not help covering his face. His father was really making a mystery out of it.

"The core of the water treatment station is actually an Abandoned Mystery Realm," Father Shu said.

"A Mystery Realm?"

"Yes. Once the country has finished developing the resources in some small or medium-sized Mystery Realms and confirmed that no resources remain, they hand those Mystery Realms over to the Environmental Protection Bureau. Sewage, garbage, and the like from a designated area are sent into those Mystery Realms. Grimer colonies love garbage and wastewater most of all, so they raise some Grimer to process the wastewater and rubbish. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone? Otherwise, how could our living environment be so clean? Grimer have actually made tremendous contributions," Father Shu said.

"Oh, I see. But as far as I know, after Mystery Realms appear, they gradually merge with the places where they appeared. Why haven't these Mystery Realms merged?" Shu Tong asked.

Father Shu laughed. "For that, we have to thank Dr. Li Chongyao, director of our National Environmental Protection Bureau. After all the resources inside a Mystery Realm have been removed, its energy sharply declines. Dr. Li invented a Base Device that emits energy to hold these Abandoned Mystery Realms in place and prevent them from merging with this world, allowing them to serve a greater purpose."

"Then if the Base Device is damaged, wouldn't the Mystery Realm collapse?" Shu Tong asked.

"You don't need to worry about that. Nothing has ever gone wrong in all these years. They say Dr. Li made use of spatial energy, and the Base Device's core technology is entirely controlled by Dr. Li's team. No one could possibly damage it," Father Shu said.

Shu Tong nodded and fell into deep thought.

He did not know what to say. He could hardly tell his father that he had seen the future and that the Mystery Realm would collapse.

Seeing that Shu Tong had no more questions, Father Shu finally relaxed and went downstairs to buy groceries.

Half a month from now... wouldn't that be one week after the end-of-month assessment? He felt there were many things about this that he could neither explain nor understand. But his current status was far too low; it would be extremely difficult to uncover the truth. Still, he had to find a way to save Dad's Grimer. It had been his partner for many years.

At lunchtime, Shu Tong asked, "Dad, can I go take a look inside the Abandoned Mystery Realm at your station?"

Father Shu immediately frowned. "Why go to that awful place? It's full of toxic substances. You need full-body protective gear to enter. Usually, we just send Grimer in directly. Inspectors only go in occasionally, and every time they come out, they feel sick for half a month."

Shu Tong had already prepared his reason. "It's still a Mystery Realm, after all. I'm already an Apprentice Trainer, and one day I'll have to face Mystery Realms directly. Since I have the chance to experience a Mystery Realm's formation and structure now, I think it's an excellent training opportunity."

Father Shu pondered for a moment. "Since my son is so ambitious, leave it to me. Normally, non-station personnel are strictly forbidden from entering, but your dad is at least a squad leader. I happen to be on duty tonight, so I can pull some strings and take you in."

"Great. Thanks, Dad."

"Why thank me? We're father and son."

The widely criticized prices have been revised. Thank you all for your suggestions.