"Follow me."
Hearing these words, Gu Yuan immediately stood up and followed Shadow.
After going through a series of twists and turns, they arrived at the entrance of the base. Shadow pressed the code, and the massive door slid open. Sunlight streamed through the gaps.
Stepping outside, Gu Yuan realized that the entrance to Shadow's private base was actually underground, hidden in the wilderness.
Once the door closed again, it looked just like a patch of grass; no one would ever notice it.
The surrounding area was a plain, and in the distance, the outline of a forest could be seen.
Looking at the outside world after more than a month locked inside, Gu Yuan felt nothing, no fear, no thought of escaping.
Even though Shadow had taken him in for his own purposes, he had also given Gu Yuan the chance to become strong, spending two months building a solid foundation for him.
By both reason and sentiment, Gu Yuan had no reason to betray Shadow.
Soon, a helicopter landed in front of Shadow, and Gu Yuan followed him aboard.
Partway through the journey, they transferred from the helicopter to a small private plane; apparently, their destination was quite far.
"I'll take you to a small island," Shadow began. "There will be others there. Your task is to kill ten people within a month."
"Of course, the more you kill, the more valued you'll be."
"A friendly reminder: even if you don't seek others, they will come for you. Be proactive and you'll have a better chance of surviving this trial."
"Your job is to complete this mission and survive. Don't let me see you only with one kill in a month."
Sitting on the plane, Shadow explained the trial awaiting Gu Yuan.
At the same time, the system's voice sounded in Gu Yuan's mind:
[Shadow's Hunting Quest initiated]
Objective: Kill people on locationReward: 100 points per killTime limit: 1 Month
Seeing this, Gu Yuan felt a surge of excitement.
He finally had a way to earn more points.
Even if Shadow hadn't required it, Gu Yuan would do everything possible to kill more people.
Gu Yuan's lips twisted in a self-deprecating smile.
My time in this world has truly corrupted me, huh?
If it were before his transmigration, Gu Yuan would be horrified in this situation. Going to an island to kill or be killed? He would have hidden himself trying to protect his life, and that would be it.
But now… after living on the streets, not knowing if he would survive to see the next day, his empathy had been exhausted.
The people in this region should thank their luck that he didn't feel like taking revenge on everyone.
He would kill only if there was a benefit to it, and this was such an occasion.
My kindness is just for my allies and Pokémon to enjoy, as for others… it would depend on his mood at the time.
Gu Yuan reached a conclusion and answered Shadow.
"Yes. I will make you satisfied," he replied calmly.
Shadow nodded and closed his eyes to rest.
Soon, the cabin fell silent, waiting for the moment they reached the destination.
Gu Yuan closed his eyes, unaware of how much time had passed before they finally arrived.
Stepping off the plane, he saw an open field and several modern buildings; this had to be Team Rocket's base on the island.
Not far from the base was a cleared area, beyond which stretched a vast forest, like a green ocean.
As Gu Yuan observed the environment, Team Rocket members stationed there approached.
First, they respectfully saluted Shadow, then began attaching a tracking device to Gu Yuan.
"This will allow you to see the approximate positions of others within a 200-meter radius. Red represents you while yellow represents others."
"Orders from the boss: you may not destroy your device, and neither may anyone else."
While installing the device, one of the Team Rocket members gave Gu Yuan a brief explanation.
"You may depart now."
Shadow tossed a prepared backpack to Gu Yuan, signaling him to move forward without pause.
Gu Yuan nodded, took the backpack, and headed toward the forest.
In no time, his figure disappeared from sight.
Watching him leave, Shadow boarded the plane and departed. He had many tasks to handle and couldn't wait around for a month.
"This is the cutting-edge tech of the Pokémon world? Fancy," Gu Yuan muttered.
Once inside the forest, he opened his backpack to check the supplies.
Even before counting the items, he was amazed by the spatial backpack. Shadow had explained its use beforehand, but seeing it in person was still shocking.
Pokémon technology was definitely skewed. With this kind of spatial folding, there was potential for astonishing results if developed further.
Gu Yuan, however, had no intention of studying the tech; he simply counted his usable supplies.
Water came first, enough for himself, Charmeleon, and Eevee to last for about three days, meaning he needed to find a water source quickly.
Next was food, also enough for three days. After that, he would have to rely on his own skills.
There were also some medical supplies and potions to heal status conditions, though the quantity was limited, reserved for critical moments.
The only useless item was a Team Rocket insignia badge.
"You two, come out. Be careful, someone could attack at any time."
Though the detector had not yet found any targets, Gu Yuan didn't rely on it too much. The rules only stated that the tracker could not be destroyed, not that other methods couldn't be used.
If he relied solely on the detector, he might die without even knowing why.
Finding his bearings, Gu Yuan cautiously moved deeper into the forest.
There was still a month to complete the mission, but first, he needed to adapt to the forest and apply Shadow's survival teachings in practice.
Meanwhile, other Team Rocket members on the island also received messages.
Hunting the yellow dots on their trackers promised huge rewards.
Of course, to avoid complications with the tracker, retrieving the insignia badge was also an option—the one item Gu Yuan had deemed useless.
Soon, the others began searching frantically.
Their strength, according to the intel, was comparable to his own. No one would hesitate.
Unaware that Gu Yuan had already been marked for pursuit, he encountered a wild Rattata.
Not wanting Charmeleon and Eevee to waste energy on unnecessary battles, Gu Yuan assessed the Rattata's strength and pressed deeper into the forest.
To move freely in the forest, Gu Yuan first needed to understand the strength of the wild Pokémon there.
As for the other humans, their power was of no real concern; at most, they would be Junior Rank. Otherwise, the trial would lose all meaning.