By the time the Alliance's support troops rushed over, Chen Jiaxing and his group had already vanished deep into the mountains, leaving no trace.
The mining area was filled with a pungent smell of blood, with lingering traces of battle on the ground. Potholes and scorched earth left by Pokémon skill impacts were visible everywhere, along with bloodstains from injured Pokémon, presenting a scene of utter chaos.
Jiang Mo stood at the entrance of the mining area, his gaze sweeping over the team before him. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he spotted two familiar figures in the crowd—Lu Jiyin and Mu Qingxue.
Lu Jiyin, clad in the Alliance's specialized protective suit, stood tall and straight, his eyes conveying a sense of composure. It seemed he had matured considerably during this period.
Upon seeing Jiang Mo, he smiled slightly, quickly walked forward, and patted Jiang Mo's shoulder, saying, "Big Cousin, I didn't expect it to be you! This time, thanks to your timely intervention, the situation was stabilized."
Jiang Mo responded with a smile, "Brother Lu, there's no need to be so polite between us. We're all working for the Alliance. The resources of this Leaf Stone mining area must not be lost. I merely did what I had to do."
At this moment, Mu Qingxue also walked over. Her figure was graceful, her face serene, and her long hair was tied back, giving her a neat and tidy appearance.
"Jiang Mo, are you alright? Looking at the battle, those people must be quite strong," Mu Qingxue said softly, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Big Cousin, Miss Mu didn't have to come, but when she heard that Dawn Company was coming to support, she immediately stood up and volunteered to come!" Lu Jiyin winked from the side, a mischievous smile on his face.
His deliberately exaggerated movements and expressions made Mu Qingxue's cheeks flush instantly, becoming a bit embarrassed, and her eyes began to flicker unsteadily.
Jiang Mo looked at Mu Qingxue, whose cheeks were slightly red, and then glared fiercely at Lu Jiyin.
Then, Jiang Mo shook his head slightly and said to Mu Qingxue, "I'm fine, Qingxue. By the way, what's the situation like outside right now?"
Lu Jiyin's expression immediately turned serious upon hearing this, and he said, "The situation outside is becoming increasingly tense. The Shenzhou Alliance and the North America Alliance have already begun negotiations."
"Neither side wants to blow things up too much. After all, the benefits in this Xicui Secret Realm are too tempting. Once they start fighting, it will only give other forces an opportunity."
"So, currently, both sides are at the negotiating table, trying to work out a reasonable profit-sharing plan."
Jiang Mo frowned slightly, pondering to himself: These negotiations probably won't go smoothly. Both sides have their own agendas, and there will likely be no shortage of covert actions behind the scenes.
Thinking of this, he asked, "Do you have any idea about the North America Alliance's purpose in capturing large numbers of Hisui Pokémon? Their frantic actions must hide some unspeakable conspiracy."
A hint of worry flashed in Mu Qingxue's eyes as she said, "According to the intelligence we've gathered so far, the North America Alliance seems to be conducting genetic research, and this research requires a large number of different types of Pokémon as samples."
"Those traitors from the Huangsheng Group were providing them with a large number of Pokémon unique to the Shenzhou region."
"The numerous incidents of Trainers being killed and Pokémon being stolen recently were likely their doing."
Fujiwara Rine was very surprised upon hearing this, saying, "Nani? The traitors are actually from the Huangsheng Group!"
Mu Qingxue nodded and continued, "That's right. However, the Huangsheng Group alone cannot satisfy the North America Alliance's appetite, nor do they have the ability to cause such a large stir."
"So the Alliance suspects that there are other internal traitors within our ranks who haven't been exposed yet."
Jiang Mo's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he subconsciously looked at Fujiwara Rine next to him.
Fujiwara Rine's expression instantly became unnatural, and a hint of panic appeared in her eyes. Although she tried to hide it, that momentary unnaturalness was keenly caught by Jiang Mo.
Fujiwara Rine, sensing Jiang Mo's gaze, quickly forced a smile and walked up to Jiang Mo, saying, "Jiang Mo-jun, this time, we really owe it to you."
"If you hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Everyone is tired after such a big battle. How about we return to the base to rest first?"
Jiang Mo narrowed his eyes slightly, subtly sizing up Fujiwara Rine, his heart secretly on guard.
From the very beginning, he had noticed that when Dawn, disguised as the Huangsheng Group, attacked the mining area, the defenses here were very lax, not at all resembling what a garrison should be like.
And facing the attack, the expressions of many members of the Fujiwara Family were not panic and tension, but a kind of surprised astonishment.
It was as if they were shocked that the "North America Alliance" would actually launch an attack, which was truly too suspicious.
Fujiwara Rine's reaction was so abnormal, especially her obvious unnatural expression when she heard about more internal traitors. Jiang Mo boldly speculated internally, could they also be traitors to the Shenzhou Alliance?
However, at this moment, he did not show it, merely nodding slightly and saying, "Miss Fujiwara is right. Everyone has worked hard. Let's go back to the base to rest."
Everyone returned to the base in a state of exhaustion and silence. Jiang Mo continued to ponder. If the Fujiwara Family were traitors, he would have to make good use of them.
Even if they weren't, hehe, the Neon Country has been somewhat disobedient to management since its incorporation into the Shenzhou Alliance. Their ambitious nature can be seen from their failure to report the discovery of the Xicui Secret Realm immediately.
However, everything requires evidence. Right now, all of this is just Jiang Mo's speculation, and it still needs to be confirmed.
Jiang Mo already had a plan on how to confirm it. He took out a large pile of high-quality energy cubes from his backpack, then gently called out into the air.
"Lord Menghuan, are you still there? I have lots of delicious things here, all for you."
"Mew~"
With a clear Growl, Mew appeared from nowhere. Its small and exquisite appearance was very cute. Then, with a whoosh, it pounced on the energy cubes.
It grabbed the cubes with both hands and stuffed them into its mouth, devouring them. It even muttered to itself, calling Jiang Mo unprincipled for hiding them and not letting it eat them before.
Jiang Mo looked at the gluttonous Mew and smiled helplessly, then whispered to Mew, "Lord Menghuan, I need your help."
Mew raised its head, its eyes sparkling as it looked at him, its cheeks puffed out, full of energy cube crumbs, signaling him to continue.
"I suspect the Fujiwara Family is colluding with the North America Alliance. Can you secretly help me investigate their movements?" Jiang Mo continued.
Mew ignored him after hearing this, continuing to bury its head in the energy cubes, thinking: You want me to be a grunt? No way!
Jiang Mo saw that Mew was unmoved and felt a little anxious, so he continued, "As long as you help me this time, I'll prepare a whole cartload of these energy cubes for you! A full cart, all yours!"
"Mew?!"
Mew was stunned when it heard this, its eyes instantly widening, filled with surprise and temptation. Then it said, "Two carts! Not one less!"
"Deal!" Jiang Mo agreed without hesitation.
Mew swallowed the food in its mouth, nodded haughtily, wiped its mouth with a paw, and said, "For the sake of these delicious treats, I, the great one, will help you this once, but you mustn't go back on your word!"