Chapter 36: An Unexpected Turn of Events

"Today, I will attempt to communicate with the Pokémon here to help Zhou Fuqing find his necklace."

Qian Lin shouldered his backpack. Swablu perched atop his head like a hat, brimming with energy, while Growlithe followed loyally by his side, its tail wagging rhythmically.

"However, as I’ve mentioned before, most of the Pokémon here have conflicts with humans. Even with the lure of berries, the vast majority won't come near me, so don't get your hopes up too high."

Looking up, the morning sun bathed the man and his two Pokémon in light. Their shadows intertwined, becoming indistinguishable. The sky was clear and cloudless, mirroring a mood that was as indescribable as the moment itself.

...

"What’s the status?" In the intensive care unit of the First People’s Hospital of De City, a middle-aged doctor asked, staring at the medical chart in his hand.

Before him stood a hospital bed where a man lay with a deathly pale complexion. His body trembled incessantly, and his eyes were rolled back, showing almost nothing but the whites, with bloodshot veins spreading across them—a truly terrifying sight.

Several doctors and nurses stood by the bedside, their faces etched with horror and confusion.

"Zhao Zhugang, male, 47, a construction worker at a local site. He was found collapsed in a building at 9:34 PM last night. It’s said he suddenly lost contact during his night patrol. This was his state when he was found. He arrived at 10:06 PM. No underlying conditions, no infectious diseases, no history of allergies, no family medical history, no major surgeries..." a nurse reported while clutching the file.

The middle-aged doctor shifted his neck. "A night has passed. What are the specifics?"

One of the nurses looked at the doctor, her tone heavy with helplessness. "Vital signs are normal, brain waves are normal. Aside from being slightly sub-optimal, we can't find any cause. The brain CT shows no abnormalities, and we are currently checking blood and other factors... Everything is perfectly normal, yet the patient remains in this state."

Another doctor grabbed his hair in frustration. "The only thing we know for sure is that the patient is unconscious and his body temperature is maintaining a relatively low level. It dropped for no apparent reason, and neither blood transfusions nor external interventions can bring his temperature back to normal. If this continues, he... it’s only a matter of time."

The middle-aged doctor lowered the chart, his weary face showing resignation. "What about his family?"

"We’ve made contact. They are in another city and are on their way, but due to the... Pokémon, we estimate they won't arrive until at least tomorrow," the nurse replied, then added, "However, the family has stated they will cooperate unconditionally with our treatment. It has already been reported, and they said the paperwork can be signed later."

"Sigh." The middle-aged doctor sighed and closed the chart. "How is the notification for the meeting going?"

"Everything is prepared."

"Then let’s go. To the meeting." The middle-aged doctor took one last look at the trembling man in the bed, then turned and walked away with a heavy heart.

This type of condition was something he had never encountered in his decades-long medical career. The bad news was that he had no idea what the patient was suffering from; the good news was that the disease could be named after the patient.

In a way, that was a form of immortality.

The middle-aged doctor chuckled softly, then shook his head in resignation. At times like this, he could only use such thoughts to comfort himself; what else could he do? A doctor’s mental state must remain stable; he had grown accustomed to this over the years.

After the doctor left, only a few young doctors and nurses remained to look after the man. While the director was in the meeting, they were tasked with trying to find the cause of the illness and providing emergency care if necessary.

A young doctor with glasses wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled up a chair to sit down. "Switching out, switching out. I can't take it anymore. I haven't slept all night; let me sit for a moment."

A nurse changed the IV drip and sighed. "Let's take turns. Someone will come to relieve us shortly."

Several of them looked at various scans, discussing possibilities. As they talked, they would occasionally scratch their itchy scalps. Truth be told, if a few more cases like this came in, everyone present would end up bald.

While they were deep in intense discussion, one nurse stared at the man on the bed without a word, frowning and contemplating from time to time.

Her long silence drew the attention of her colleagues. An older nurse nudged her gently and smiled. "Don't be so nervous, Xiao Xi. Relax a little; don't let yourself snap. You need to keep your composure to take good care of the patient."

She clearly thought the girl was overly tense.

"Ah?" The nurse named Xiao Xi blinked, then waved her hands repeatedly. "No, Sister Fang, I was just wondering if this could have something to do with the Pokémon."

"Pokémon?" Sister Fang paused. "You mean the monsters?"

Sister Fang was older, the hospital work was taxing, and she didn't have the habit of following the news. Her recognition of the name "Pokémon" was limited to having heard of it; the word "monsters" was what she had always remembered.

Xiao Xi nodded. "Yes. Since we can't find a cause through any standard tests, is it possible this is a disease or viral infection that didn't exist in our world before? Could the appearance of Pokémon have brought about a new type of virus capable of infecting humans?"

Hearing this, Sister Fang patted Xiao Xi on the shoulder. "We haven't finished all the tests yet. Whether it's a virus or something else, let's wait until all the reports are back."

...

As night fell, in a patch of grass near Twelve Village, a flock of Spearow flapped their wings and flew past. Their sharp cries, carrying a cold aura, drifted through the air as they flew into the distance, as if pursuing an enemy.

A few minutes later, the grass rustled. A cute little blue bird peeked out from the brush, cautiously scanning the sky. Once it was certain the Spearow were gone, it let out a long sigh of relief.

"How is it, Swablu? Are they gone?" a young man's voice came from the grass.

"Chirp~"

Swablu flapped its wings gently and flew out of the grass.

A moment later, a disheveled figure and a dog covered in leaves emerged from the brush.

Qian Lin carefully looked around and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Bad start. I tried to ask for directions and ended up in the middle of a Spearow flock. They chased me for the entire afternoon—don't they ever get tired?"

"Woof!"

Beside him, Growlithe panted with its tongue out, looking rather foolish.

Qian Lin looked at this scene, speechless. If even Growlithe was exhausted, one could imagine how persistent that flock of Spearow had been.

Setting down the drone he had been hugging, Qian Lin reached out to pick the leaves off Growlithe one by one. "Usually, Spearow only act this crazy when they are protecting their territory or retaliating against an attacker. I was clearly just passing by, yet I was chased and bitten by the whole flock. It's obvious this group of Spearow is one that has fought with humans before."

[I remember on the official website, Spearow were registered under the name 'Irritable Bird.' I can only say the name fits.]

[Whether it's Spearow or Irritable Bird, it's very fitting.]

[But you actually ran away without even thinking about it. That's really doing a disservice to the combat power of Swablu and Growlithe.]