Chapter 296: Trust and Manipulation
After a moment of tense silence, Lan couldn't help but ask carefully, "So, what do I need to do?"
Xiu then slowly explained, "I don't need you to actively explore and gather high-level intelligence. Just tell me what information you can access through your normal duties.
I will judge the value based on the information you provide, and then I will return a certain amount of monetary compensation to you."
He paused, then added, "And you can help me with some specific tasks when I need you. This is also paid, and you can choose to refuse any task you're not comfortable with."
The woman, Lan, felt a sense of disbelief for a moment when she heard such seemingly generous conditions.
Originally, she was fully prepared to be completely exploited by Xiu, likely dying on some dangerous mission while gathering intelligence for him. She just didn't expect… this.
She had joined Team Rocket purely to rely on its resources and power to survive.
There was no loyalty, no true allegiance. And right now, more than anything, she needed to survive.
"Okay! I promise," she said, her voice firm despite her internal turmoil.
"Then eat this," Xiu grinned when he heard her agreement and tossed something small and dark towards her.
The woman caught it subconsciously and found it was a black pill. She hesitated, looking at the object in her hand with suspicion.
"You don't trust me, and frankly, I don't trust you either," Xiu stated. "And this pill is the beginning of trust between us."
But the woman showed no intention of eating it. Her resistance was obvious.
"Do you have any other choice?" Xiu looked at her, his smile unwavering, but his eyes cold.
It was clear what he meant: if she didn't eat it, she wouldn't be leaving this forest alive.
As soon as he said this, an expression of helplessness, of having to compromise, appeared on Lan's face.
She opened her mouth and, with a grimace, popped the pill inside. Her face contorted as if it was incredibly hard to swallow.
Xiu smiled at her performance and teased, "Although you might think you're being clever, I am not stupid. Eat it properly and don't waste my time."
The woman paused. With a sigh, she took the pill out from between her fingers, where she'd apparently palmed it, and threw it into her mouth for real this time.
She swirled it back and forth for a long moment, until she tasted a strange, bitter flavor, and then swallowed it with a visible frown.
"Have some water," Xiu walked over and handed her a bottle. "Then, I suppose I should call you Lan from now on."
Lan didn't intend to respond verbally. She took the water, opened it, and took a large sip to wash away the bitterness in her mouth.
It was only then that Xiu continued, his voice casual. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. The thing you just ate contained a seed. It's from a very strange plant I discovered. It grows its seeds inside a sweet fruit.
When a Pokémon eats the fruit, the seed will parasitize its body, absorbing nutrients, and finally breaking through its host's body to grow into a new plant."
Lan just froze there, not knowing how to react to this horrific description.
"Don't worry," Xiu explained with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "This seed is actually very fragile to humans. It's easily digested by stomach acid.
At the same time, even if it escapes the stomach acid, it's often excreted from the body because it germinates very, very slowly."
Lan felt a slight sense of relief after hearing this, but Xiu's next sentence made her heart hang in the balance again.
"So, after I discovered this shortcoming, I immediately made improvements. The drug coating on the outside of the seed can not only protect it from being corroded by stomach acid but also greatly promote its germination, allowing it to sprout and take root in a very short time."
Lan was stunned by what she heard. She stood there completely dumbfounded, able to do nothing but passively accept Xiu's chilling information.
Xiu continued, "It's just that the initial coating was too solid. It was difficult to dissolve even after being passed through stomach acid, so the seeds often couldn't germinate effectively.
So, I improved it a little bit more, so that the outer layer would dissolve and the seed would activate when it came into contact with water."
Lan slowly lowered her head to look at the water bottle still clutched in her hand.
Then, she looked up at Xiu, her eyes revealing a kind of utter despair, the despair of being toyed with, of being utterly powerless.
"Um… after such a long time, and since it has been activated by contact with water, it should be about time…" Xiu stretched out his hand and slowly slid his fingers down her throat, finally stopping at her lower abdomen.
He poked it firmly. "Right here. Can you feel it?"
Lan looked down at the location of Xiu's fingers. Indeed, she felt a slight, unusual pain, as if something was wriggling inside her, accompanied by a vague, persistent tingling sensation.
"Do you feel it? It's starting to sprout and take root," Xiu said, his voice like that of a child who had discovered a fascinating new toy, sharing his joy with Lan with a disturbing, almost manic excitement.
It was just that Lan couldn't bear it anymore. She panicked as she felt the pain becoming more and more obvious, more real! "Whatever you want me to do, I'll listen to you! Just make it stop!" she cried out.
Xiu took out something else from his pouch and handed it over. "Eat this."
This time, Lan didn't hesitate at all. She snatched it, threw it into her mouth, and swallowed it desperately. Then she arched her back, clutching her lower abdomen, and looked at Xiu with an extremely complicated, fearful expression in her eyes.
"Don't be afraid," Xiu said, stretching out his hand to help straighten her up. "Don't even think about trying to remove it now that it has already sprouted, unless you don't want your entire intestinal tract.
But what you just ate can inhibit the activity of that plant. Feel it? The pain should be gone now, right?"
Lan calmed down slightly and focused on her abdomen. Indeed, the previous disturbing sensation was gone.
But a profound feeling of sadness, of utter subjugation, spread from the bottom of her heart. This meant that she was now completely controlled by this person.
"Don't be like that," Xiu said, his tone almost reasonable. "As long as you take the inhibitor regularly, it won't affect your body. It's no different than normal."
He took out a small tin and handed it to her. "Take one pill every seven days. If you run out, ask me for more."
Lan carefully held the jar in her hands. She felt a small measure of relief when she saw it was filled with the inhibitory pills.
"What on earth do you want me to actually do?" Lan asked, her voice flat. She had let go of any pretense now; she didn't care anymore.
"I said before, we lacked a little trust between us," Xiu waved his hand casually, appearing very relaxed.
"It's still the same arrangement as before. Whether you accept the missions I offer or refuse them, it will not affect the inhibitory drugs you can get from me. Just let me know when you're running low."
Lan looked incredulous when she heard this. She couldn't understand why Xiu would go to so much trouble to make her physically dependent on him but then not explicitly use this dependency as a bargaining chip for every single task.
She was confused; she really couldn't understand his angle.
But this was obviously good for her. At least she didn't have to worry about losing the chance to survive simply because of failing to complete a dangerous task.
She wondered, though, if what he said was actually true, or just another layer of manipulation.
Xiu didn't want to elaborate further. He glanced at the surroundings, then returned the items he had taken from her earlier – her clothes, her standard gear, but not her Poké Balls yet. He also handed her the key to one of the cars he had acquired.
"Deal with your companion yourself here," he gestured towards the still-hanging male agent. "Then get in the car and leave. When you go back and report to Team Rocket, just say that I beat you back, that you barely escaped."
As he spoke, Xiu didn't forget to make a few pointed complaints. "That old fellow Giovanni sent you here just to die.
Even if I didn't do anything, the countermeasures Professor Oak had arranged for Pallet Town would crush you. Your little Zubat swarm? Is simply a joke in their eyes."
As he said that, Xiu looked at the hanging man, curled his lip in distaste and gave her Pokémon back before saying, "He killed my little Rattata. Clean him up for me."
Lan didn't say anything when she heard this. Now that she was in this situation, she understood her position clearly.
Xiu had no intention of staying. After getting her agreement and establishing a discreet contact method, he turned and left, disappearing into the jungle as silently as he had arrived.
Lan watched Xiu's figure gradually recede into the darkness, her hand instinctively stroking the Poké Balls Xiu had finally returned to her, a storm of conflicting emotions raging within her.