Captain Zane and Professor Charles watched in horror as the researchers collapsed one after another. Professor Charles saw his own student sway and fall to the ground. He immediately rushed over, but halfway there, a wave of dizziness washed over him. Despite his efforts to stay conscious, he still fainted. "Max, we have enemies infiltrating!" By now, Zane also sensed something wrong with his body. He staggered slightly, pressed the communicator on his shoulder, and tried to contact the external team. But his hand was grabbed by Max. "Max, what are you doing?" Zane looked at him in confusion. As the faint scent in the air reached his nose again, he suddenly realized something and finally noticed that Max’s expression had turned cold. The feeling of weakness grew increasingly intense. Zane turned toward his partner, Golem, and shouted, "He's a traitor! Kill him!" But Max was already prepared. Just as Golem attempted to move, Max's Vileplume used its vines to bind and restrain it. "It's useless. This scent released by Vileplume, when combined with the food you usually give it, produces a powerful sedative effect. Golem's strength is now less than half of what it normally is," Max sneered. Zane stared at Max in disbelief. Both of them came from the military and had worked together for nearly a decade. He had always considered Max his closest brother. Faced with Zane's question, Max didn’t answer. Instead, he simply drew a dagger and slit Zane’s throat. His Golem was also dealt by Vileplume. Max then dragged the bodies of Zane and Golem into the lab, planted a timed bomb inside, and walked out casually with Professor Charles’s briefcase. Because Professor Charles’s research was highly confidential, there were no surveillance cameras inside the lab. Coupled with the fact that Max had always kept close track of the experiment’s progress—and had earned Professor Charles’s trust—he frequently asked questions about its status in casual conversation. Professor Charles, never suspecting anything, would answer him honestly. Thus, Max had deduced that the experiment was close to success and had made preparations in advance. As Max walked out of the laboratory with the briefcase, he passed through several security checkpoints without being questioned. After all, Max and Zane were the strongest guards in the entire laboratory, and Max held the position of vice-captain. Habits, once formed, were hard to break. Max and Zane had been guarding this laboratory for nearly ten years, and both were late-stage Elite trainers. As their subordinates, the guards naturally had no reason to doubt Max or Zane. "Captain Max, is something the matter?" The guard at the final checkpoint saw Max suddenly coming out. After all, Max and Zane usually ate and slept within the laboratory, often going days without leaving. "Mm, just delivering something for Professor Charles," Max replied, pointing to the briefcase in his hand. The briefcase was old and worn, clearly having been used for many years, and most of the researchers and guards knew it was the one Professor Charles always carried. Seeing that Max indeed held Professor Charles’s briefcase, the guard didn’t doubt his words. He didn’t search the briefcase either, since he didn’t have the authority to do so. Who knew if the contents inside were classified material? After Max smoothly passed the final checkpoint and walked out of the lab, he immediately released his Pidgeot. Half an hour after his departure, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from Laboratory No. 1. The violent blast reduced the heavily fortified laboratory to rubble. The unconscious researchers inside, along with the guards at the entrance, were all killed instantly. The shockwave from the explosion even spread across the entire research institute, injuring many students and teachers. The sudden explosion naturally drew attention from everyone present at Imperial University. Julian, who had been eating dinner and was about to drink his soup, felt the ground beneath him suddenly tremble, and the lamp on the dining table also shook violently. Celebi: "Earthquake!" As it spoke, the little guy immediately hid under the table. 'Seriously? Have you forgotten you’re a late-stage Elite? How are you scared of an earthquake?' Celebi: "Julian, it’s an earthquake! Quick, hide!" It even tried to pull Julian down with it. Julian: 'Well, since you’re worried about me, I won’t mock you… for now.' Besides, given Imperial Capital’s geographical location, earthquakes shouldn’t occur here. The loud noise and the tremors were clearly from an explosion somewhere. "It couldn’t be the research institute again, could it?" Julian looked at Nicole. By now, the tremors had already subsided. Nicole nodded calmly. "Most likely." After all, it was a research institute. No matter how well safety measures were implemented, accidents could still happen. So, it wasn’t uncommon for the research institute to experience one or two explosions a year. People had long grown used to it. "But this explosion seems unusually powerful. We even felt it all the way over here." There was quite a distance between Julian’s villa and the research institute. If the shockwaves reached this far, the explosion must have been massive. "I wonder if there were any casualties," Julian murmured softly, though he showed no intention of intervening. He simply continued sipping his soup. Celebi crawled out from under the table, completely ignoring Julian's disdainful look, and went back to eating the food on the table. Between bites, it said: "That was a textbook demonstration just now. In an earthquake, if you can't escape, you should hide under the table." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽 Julian nodded faintly. "Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re a coward." Julian: "You're angry? What’s there to be angry about?" Julian couldn't help but laugh at its antics. Celebi: "Why didn’t you hide with me just now?" "If you came in too, we’d both be cowards together. You wouldn’t have anything to say, and we’d still be good friends." Julian pointed at Metagross. "With Metagross here, what am I supposed to be afraid of?" Even without Metagross, with his Master-level Psychic powers and Mega Pallet Town physique, he wouldn't have been in any danger. "Julian, I want to go check it out," Nicole said, putting down her bowl and chopsticks. After all, she was a teacher at the research institute, and judging by the scale of that explosion, there might be casualties. She wanted to see the situation for herself. "Alright," Julian nodded, scooping up Celebi in one motion. Celebi: "I don't want to go! The food will get cold and won't taste good anymore." Julian: "I'll just have Slowking heat it up later. I don’t want to come back and find out you’ve eaten everything." If he brought Celebi along, at least there’d still be some cold dishes left when they returned. If he left it behind, he’d likely come back to find even the soup gone. Upto 30 chapters ahead on :-