"Uncle Ye, it's fine," Su Qingxue said. "When the time comes, I'll just disguise myself—no one will recognize me."
But Uncle Ye was unmoved.
"No way!"
"Miss, if you want to leave, you'll have to step over my dead body first."
He was getting stubborn now. Since persuasion hadn't worked, he could only dig in his heels.
"You—!"
Su Qingxue was so exasperated by Uncle Ye's attitude that she was momentarily speechless.
"All right, enough. No more arguing," Guo Yi interjected, soothing both of them before proposing,
"Uncle Ye, how about this: you go ahead and prepare whatever we'll need for the secret realm expedition. Three days from now, we'll see how things stand. If you still say no, we won't go."
The moment she heard this, Su Qingxue panicked.
That was a Champion-Potential Pokémon—how could she let it slip by?
"Teacher…"
She was about to protest when Guo Yi stopped her with a gesture.
Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.
Truthfully, Guo Yi's plan was simple.
Three days later, if Uncle Ye still refused, he'd just have Beedrill show its Elite Four-level strength.
Even if that might be a bit shocking, there was no other way.
He couldn't let Su Qingxue miss out on the Champion-Potential Weedle, but he also couldn't let her fall out with a loyal veteran like Uncle Ye.
This was the only solution.
"Fine! We'll do as you say, Mr. Guo," Uncle Ye agreed, nodding.
Either way, he had no intention of backing down in three days.
As for preparing supplies, that was the easy part.
"But let's be clear—if you don't keep your word, don't blame me for turning on you," Uncle Ye added, just in case, before heading off to make the preparations.
"Teacher, if Uncle Ye still refuses in three days, are we really not going?"
"That's a Cha… I mean, a Weedle!"
Su Qingxue nearly let the word "Champion" slip, but seeing the curious looks from nearby bodyguards, she swallowed the last syllable.
Guo Yi chuckled.
"Relax. In three days, Uncle Ye will definitely agree to let us go."
"Come on, let's head back to the villa."
Seeing how confident her teacher was, Su Qingxue could only trust him.
"Captain, what's so special about this Weedle that Miss Su's getting so worked up?"
Once the two had left, bodyguard Xiao Lin couldn't help but ask.
The squad captain just shook his head.
"Who knows? Maybe Mr. Guo has a Beedrill himself, so he wants Miss Su to have one too."
"In any case, it's none of our business. We just need to do our job."
Whether Su Qingxue wanted a Weedle or some other rare Pokémon, their only responsibility was to keep her safe.
Anything else was outside their pay grade.
Still, one of the guards muttered quietly, "How can it not concern us? The danger inside a secret realm is nothing like here!"
But before he could finish, he felt a sharp, icy stare—coming from his captain.
The captain's gaze bore into him.
After a long silence, the captain finally spoke, "Our job is to keep the client safe. What she does isn't our concern. We get paid, we do the job."
"You're not rookies anymore—do I need to remind you of the rules again?"
Maybe it was that things had been too easy lately—everyone was getting a bit complacent, saying whatever they wanted.
He'd already warned them before, yet still, they hadn't learned.
Clients don't spend millions just to listen to their complaints.
Seeing the captain's anger, the guard immediately stepped forward to apologize:
"Sorry, Captain, I spoke out of turn. It won't happen again."
The others, who hadn't spoken, quickly lowered their heads under the captain's glare.
"These next few days, everyone stays sharp. Anyone who screws up again can deal with company discipline. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Mentioning "company discipline" made everyone snap to attention.
Normally, captains were lenient with rules in the field, preferring to adapt.
But if a captain decided to enforce regulations by the book—
No one dared slack off.
---
The setting sun painted the land crimson.
Just outside Yangliu Village, Lin Ke led the Flying Eagle Gang's elites quietly closer.
"How's the recon?"
Lin Ke, expression grim, questioned the underling who'd scouted ahead.
"It's all clear, Boss. Su Qingxue's in that villa. But the place is surrounded on all sides by Elite Bodyguard Company staff. Sneaking in won't be easy."
The underling reported everything he'd found.
"Hmph! If we can't sneak in, we'll just break in," Lin Ke snorted coldly.
He raised his right wrist and checked his watch.
"It's five thirteen PM. Everyone, stay out of the village and find somewhere to lay low. At midnight, we attack together."
"If anyone screws up and gets spotted, you know what happens."
His cold, sweeping glare sent chills through his men. Remembering his past methods, everyone shuddered.
"Don't worry, Boss—we won't mess up!" they all promised in unison.
With that, the Flying Eagle Gang melted into the outskirts, waiting for midnight's arrival.
Not far behind them, an invisible, shadowy figure lingered in silence.
After eavesdropping on their plans, that plump shape flickered and vanished into the void.
A kilometer away in the forest, it reappeared.
Wu Yao had been waiting there.
The moment she saw Gengar, she hurried over.
"Gengar, what did you find out? When are they making their move?"
"Geng, geng (Midnight)!"
Hearing this, Wu Yao pouted, looking disgruntled.
She grumbled, "What is it with these underworld types, always picking midnight for their jobs?"
"Don't they know staying up late is terrible for your skin?"