Everyone Else Awakened, But I Just Opened a Pokémon Pet Shop

A child's storytelling ability might not be the clearest, but both Lu Liangpeng and Su Bai listened intently to Liu Qiaoqiao without saying a word as she tearfully waved her arms, trying to explain what had happened.

The little girl spoke while crying non-stop.

In her young heart, she believed that Zhou Xiaofei had suffered this disaster because of her.

"The attacker's identity was confirmed immediately."

After a moment of silence, Lu Liangpeng said gravely,

"It was a Contract Master named Li Jian…"

"Li Jian?!"

A face appeared in Su Bai's mind—a thin, scheming middle-aged man.

Wasn't that the very same Contract Master who had tried to take advantage of the Pokémon when Su Bai first opened his shop?

The one Su Bai had tricked out of a hundred million yuan?

And now… he'd taken revenge on Zhou Xiaofei?!

Guilt and regret surged in Su Bai's chest like a landslide, his heart weighed down like a boulder.

He never imagined that his own actions, no matter how justified, would lead to this.

"Don't cry, Qiaoqiao… This isn't your fault."

Su Bai forced a smile onto his grim face and gently patted Liu Qiaoqiao's head.

"You said you went to the Pokémon Center to see your dad's Pokémon… Your dad's name is Liu Jiantao, right?"

The little girl nodded firmly.

Su Bai let out a breath.

"Secretary Liu… was a good man. And a brave warrior."

"Your father was truly remarkable. So don't cry, okay? He wouldn't want you to be sad."

The mention of her father made Qiaoqiao subconsciously stop crying, sniffling quietly.

Watching her calm down, Su Bai sank into thought.

To say what happened to Zhou Xiaofei had nothing to do with Qiaoqiao would be a lie.

If not for her, Zhou Xiaofei probably would've gone straight back to the Pokémon Center after taking out the trash.

And once there, he'd have been completely safe.

The Pokémon Center was untouchable—not even three S-Class Death Beasts could destroy it.

Even if those beasts wiped all of Haicheng off the map, Zhou Xiaofei would've kept training his Magikarp like nothing happened.

But… it wasn't fair to blame Qiaoqiao either.

She was just a grief-stricken child, devastated by the news of her father's death.

Besides, she was still so kind and understanding…

As for Su Bai, he didn't regret punishing Li Jian.

Anyone who schemed against Pokémon deserved consequences.

In fact, everything that happened… in a way, it was inevitable.

The appearance of Pokémon had shaken the very foundations of the Contract Master profession.

Lu Liangpeng, meanwhile, had finally heard the full story for the first time.

After Qiaoqiao finished, he gently rubbed her head and sighed.

"To think… Li Jian actually protected those two children at the very end…"

"He used to be a student at Haicheng No. 1 High School."

"Contract Masters… because of their connection with death energy, their personalities always change."

There was a tinge of sorrow in Lu Liangpeng's voice.

He could still vaguely remember that once hardworking boy from years ago.

But the Contract Master profession… was complicated beyond words.

"What's done is done. A profession might influence a person, but it doesn't define them."

Su Bai's tone turned sharp, cutting off Lu Liangpeng's excuse.

Yes, he knew the profession could change someone's personality—but that didn't absolve Li Jian of guilt.

At best, it explained how he changed.

But Su Bai had no intention of forgiving him.

Li Jian may be dead, but too many things about this case don't add up.

"Old Headmaster, I don't believe this is the whole story."

"An S-Class Contract Master can usually only control one S-Class Death Beast."

"Even the most gifted Contract Masters max out at two."

"But Li Jian summoned three at once."

"What's more—after releasing them, there was a period of silence…"

"A gap of time… during which Magikarp faced all three Death Beasts alone."

"It wasn't long, but it was more than enough for someone like you to react."

"The death energy of even one S-Class Death Beast is enough to alert the entire city—let alone three!"

"And yet, even someone as powerful as you didn't sense anything."

"Do you really believe… Li Jian could pull that off alone?"

It was the first time Su Bai had ever spoken to Lu Liangpeng in this tone.

But he could see it—hesitation in the old man's eyes.

He was hiding something!

One question after another tumbled out of Su Bai's mouth.

Li Jian may be gone, but he couldn't have done this alone.

Su Bai had to dig up the truth.

Lu Liangpeng looked at Su Bai's serious, razor-sharp eyes and sighed bitterly.

"I forgot… you were the top literature student at Haicheng No. 1 High."

"Some things really can't be kept from you…"

Shaking his head, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few blackened fragments.

"We found this on Li Jian."

Su Bai calmly took the fragments, studied them for a moment, then pieced them together.

The shape that formed was a charred ring.

Clearly a contract ring—but one that had been burned or carbonized under intense heat.

On its blackened surface, faint and twisted runes could still be seen.

"This is…?"

Su Bai frowned in confusion.

Lü Liangpeng shook his head.

"I don't know. My understanding of Contract Masters is limited."

"Their profession is secretive and isolated. Most knowledge is only shared with awakened Contract Masters."

"But based on what we've seen…"

His tone turned grim.

"This ring… might have the ability to hide the aura of Death Beasts."

That conclusion wasn't hard to reach.

But even that raised more questions than it answered.

Everyone knew Contract Masters bonded with Death Beasts.

They used them to fight against other Death Beasts.

In fact, hiding a Death Beast's aura was completely contradictory to their purpose.

All Death Beasts were registered and sealed—Contract Masters only released them in battle scenarios.

And they didn't usually train or spar like Pokémon Trainers did.

If a Contract Master summoned their Death Beast, it only meant one thing:

They were fighting a real Death Beast.

There would be no need to hide its presence.

So then…

Why would someone even make a ring like this?!

According to the Author:

📘 [Author's Note]: These chapters are laying groundwork for future plot developments. I know they may not feel as intense as earlier chapters, but they're necessary. After so many climactic scenes, it's okay to have a few chapters to breathe.