Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 482 When evil reaches its peak, it overflows.

Chapter 484 When evil reaches its peak, it overflows.

Unlike Wanlong and Lianwu, Yueju did not encounter any guards sent by the "City Defense Masters" along the way.

It wasn't because the plasma cluster was hesitant to act, or because they were intimidated by the gambling king's legendary past and reputation, but rather because they couldn't find him for a simpler, and more infuriating, reason.

Yes, from the moment the three Unova Elite Four members were swallowed by the blue light on the castle wall and forcibly teleported into the castle, Cinnamon vanished in an instant, like a drop of water falling on the "Hot Sands".

All the "eyes," all the surveillance equipment—including listening probes and wide-angle cameras hidden in vents, wall cavities, and even decorative patterns—failed to capture the slightest trace of this superstar after he entered the castle.

Even if they unleashed a tsunami-like wave of Pokémon, they couldn't find any trace of the gambler.

This is definitely not normal.

This maze was a sophisticated instrument designed by Gero himself, with the coverage angle of each "eye" meticulously calculated. He had clearly verified it repeatedly beforehand, and theoretically, this system should not have any blind spots.

However, the evil-type Elite Four member, along with his cleaver commander, managed to escape the range of all surveillance networks within two seconds of landing, thanks to the flash of light emitted by the transfer device.

Damn it.

The dull thud of a fist slamming into the metal workbench made the already empty cocoa cup jump slightly.

Between theory and practice, there exists a wall filled with imperceptible errors, a fact that Gerald, an engineer, understands better than anyone.

Normally, these minor deviations are often absorbed by the system's large fault tolerance or canceled out by the careful design of skilled engineers. Even if they are accidentally exposed, they will not have a substantial impact on the entire chaotic system.

But an error is an error.

Once discovered and exploited by some extremely clever individuals, these ideas will snowball along the logical chain, eventually causing the entire system to malfunction or even collapse!

While the setbacks suffered by Iron Rock and Iron Leaf were certainly frustrating—in Jero's script, they were supposed to deplete Wanlong and Lianwu's stamina and trump cards—he never expected these "stage devices" to eliminate the Alliance's top-tier combat power during the maze phase. That didn't matter.

The real problem is that, as of this moment, that "extremely intelligent guy" is still nowhere to be found.

Jero deduced that Blueberry was currently frantically running around in the blind spots of various surveillance cameras. But he couldn't predict the extent to which this gambler, lurking in the shadows and with unpredictable thoughts, would ultimately disrupt the entire plan with his seemingly scattered actions.

He doesn't want to become the next Vio.

Of course, to be honest, the castle monitoring system, which the "city defense master" had high hopes for, was not entirely without feedback.

Nearby microphones occasionally picked up slight vibrations resembling footsteps, and at the edges of certain key intersections, shadowy figures would occasionally flash by at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye—indicating that the creature that had always remained out of sight had not only found the correct direction of advance but was also steadily approaching the core.

"Did he take advantage of the time difference when the monitors turned? No—that gap alone is far from enough for someone to become completely invisible. He simply controlled the length of time he was exposed to different monitors each time, turning the confrontation with the monitoring system into a game similar to whack-a-mole, leaving me no time to react. Indeed, relying on one person to monitor all channels of the entire maze simultaneously is still too much of a stretch—"

Jero rubbed his temples in frustration.

He could originally use the sounds and shadows to roughly determine the area where the blueberry was located, but while he was distracted by manipulating the Iron Rock and Iron Leaf to fight against the two Heavenly Kings, he completely lost track of the former.

"If I had known, I should have sent more people to manage these monitoring channels—but that would have created a complex command system that would have undermined the very foundation of the castle and reduced the efficiency of automatic response. It would have been better to simply install pressure sensors and write corresponding automatic acquisition programs—in any case, there's no point in thinking about that now."

For engineers, given enough tools and time, spilled water can be recovered. Summarizing experiences is sometimes more important than burying oneself in hard work—but right now, what he lacks most is precisely time.

Stay calm, you must stay calm.

No calculation can be solved by the anxiety of the calculator, and the same principle applies to engineering.

"In the end, no matter how he hides, in this ever-changing labyrinth, I am still the only one who holds the reins."

Before the flickering light screen, the Plasma Sage's gaze turned cold—

"Since he can achieve invisibility from a God's-eye view by anticipating the blind spots of the surveillance network—then God only needs to design a path that leaves him with no other choice."

Then, place the most crucial piece at the end of the road.

As he pondered, Jero's finger slid rapidly across the holographic interface of the control terminal.

First, he isolated the area where the other two Heavenly Kings were located. Then, he pulled out the lowest-level set from among thousands of building transformation plans—the final procedure he had originally set up for the "ultimate victory of the Plasma Group."

In the glorious future where the Union Alliance no longer exists, this castle no longer needs to appear as a labyrinth. It will unfold, be reshaped, and transform into a solemn and straight thoroughfare to welcome believers and converts who come to pay homage to the new order.

Of course, in this situation of "receiving uninvited guests," those grand reliefs and vaulted ceilings can be omitted.

As the engineer's fingertip touched the screen, the simulated button on the light screen obviously couldn't make a sound.

The next second, from the depths of the steel castle, which had been managed, renovated, and polished by the Plasma Group for nearly ten years, came a deep, familiar hum, like the awakening of a giant beast.

Countless forks in the road were violently cut, misaligned, and shifted.

The walls flipped like loose pages.

The floor is raised or lowered in sections.

The ceiling is folded and layered.

The complex network structure rapidly collapses and contracts under precise force.

Ultimately, it coalesced into a straight, narrow corridor without any side branches.

It is like a narrow strip of sky cleaved by an axe between two cliffs, only wide enough for three people to walk side by side, with smooth alloy walls on both sides that are impossible to climb, extending upwards to a height that is difficult to see.

All decorative patterns were removed, leaving only the cold, hard metallic color, which reflected a merciless, pale glow under the dense light sources embedded in the wall.

At the end of this straight passage, a figure stood quietly.

It stands firmly on all fours, its head held high, its metallic body a cold, steely blue.

Atop his head, a pair of beams of light composed of azure energy particles radiated a constant and majestic glow, like a crown.

Its posture and silhouette are exactly the same as those of Gopaleon, the holy swordsman in the Unova legends who symbolizes "justice" and "guidance".

However, its overall precise mechanical texture, the artificial light bands flowing at the joints, and the inorganic blue light in its eyes all proclaim its "unnatural" nature.

If Wanlong were here, that novelist would immediately blurt out the name of this paradoxical Pokémon.

—Iron shell.

But even without that obscure knowledge from a gossip magazine, the cranberry, born into nobility and well-versed in Unova mythology and heraldry, would never mistake the prototype it imitates.

Beneath the feet of this artificial Pokémon, a dazzling golden halo has already steadily spread out.

It is precisely an "electrical site".

"Now you have nowhere to hide."

In the control room, the whispers of the "City Defense Division" certainly did not spread to the distant corridors through any sound transmission devices.

But standing within that forcibly constructed "narrow passage," the evil-type king seemed to be able to clearly feel the controlling will that emanated from the cold metal and the piercing light.

The light sources that fill the walls of the narrow corridor illuminate the space like the shadowless lamps in a hospital operating room.

Without a doubt, the integrated, narrow corridor doesn't have many side streets that need to be monitored.

Those "eyes" that were originally scattered everywhere can now clearly monitor every speck of dust in this cramped space without changing their field of vision by even a millimeter.

And those lurking in blind spots are no exception.

"It's time to teach that cunning gambler a lesson."

Jero's sinister mutterings sounded particularly clear amidst the low hum of the instruments.

Before him, the light screen was divided into several sections, illuminating various parts of the castle, but the 'City Defense Master' Zi Guang remained firmly locked on the entrance of the "Narrow Sky," on the black figure that had finally appeared.

"Originally, following Quixes's advice, I didn't intend to deal with you intruders during the labyrinth phase. But the trouble you caused on the Royal United Ship almost broke the Order's financial chain! In fact, if I hadn't paid out of my own pocket, even the final form of this castle would have almost become a half-finished product due to budget shortages. Ahhh—even the most good-tempered and tolerant engineer would find it hard not to feel a desire for revenge against society when faced with such a financial black hole caused by malicious fraud."

At this moment, the only way for Blueberry to pass this level is to defeat Paradox Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Jero had already mobilized resources. He suspended the operation of Iron Rock and Iron Leaf, channeling their energy reserves through underground pipelines to this location and pumping them all into the Iron Head shell at the end.

Based on the data analysis of the previous battle between the two Heavenly Kings, without the support of his companions, unaware of the truth about the energy extraction device, and standing on the "Electric Field," it was impossible for Lantana to defeat the Guardian in his complete form, whose energy state was at 300%.

The balance of power is undoubtedly tipped in one direction.

There's no reason to lose.

Jero squinted at the monitor screen.

After the "eyes" finished moving, they gradually focused, making the scene in the corridor clearer.

A metal corridor where every speck of dust was visible, a stark, lifeless light, and—

The outline that was originally identified as "bilberry" began to look strange.

The edges are rough and the texture is poor, like a crudely made stage prop.

That wasn't the iconic red and black suit of some gambling king at all, but rather an empty shell in the shape of a human, barely tangled together with dark green vines and leaves!

At that very instant, a clear, undisguised sneer came from the listening device.

"idiot."

As soon as he finished speaking, the "gambler silhouette" that the grass-sprout turtle had carefully pieced together with "magic leaves" fell to the ground, limp and lifeless, just like a piece of paper in the literal sense.

The real cranberries aren't found at that meticulously designed "narrow passage" entrance.

It wasn't under the stark white light that was locked onto by countless cameras.

A cold, abyss-like black blade of light slashed out from the shadows without warning.

From the end of the transformed corridor, behind the dazzling golden light of the "Electrical Field," behind the imposing steel guardian with its iron-shelled body, one strike at a time.

He swung it down.

The genius "city defense master" seems to have overlooked a simple equation.

The Blueberry King's Dark type is doubly effective against the Ironhead's Psychic type.

In the three battles between the Elite Four and the Guardian, although Ironrock was threatened by Chandelure's Ghost type, it could also threaten the former with its aggressive Rock type moves. As a result, Wanlong had to act as Lila's assistant in the battle in order to conserve its strength. But in fact, if this Ghost type Elite Four member were to reveal its trump card, it would most likely win even in a one-on-one battle.

As for Lianwu's old craftsman, although he was countered by Ironleaf's Psychic-type, due to the special nature of his training method, his Pokémon moves did not dissipate energy. Therefore, under Zero's deliberate retreat, the battle did not last long.

Errors in information during the two battles led Zero to mistakenly believe that the Guardians and the Elite Four's ace spirits were evenly matched.

However, this is actually an extremely fragile balance, so fragile that even a perfectionist engineer like Jero would scream in despair when performing stress analysis.

With its overflowing energy and the "electric field" buff, Ironhead certainly has the potential to defeat the Lemon-Cut Commander head-on.

Its Special Attack advantage was enhanced by Electric Terrain, and its Speed ​​on paper was significantly stronger than Bisharp, a Steel-type opponent. Furthermore, its existing Fighting-type moves could deal four times the super-effective damage to Dark/Steel Bisharp, without any concern for energy consumption. As long as it didn't make the foolish mistake of trying to use a Psychic-type move against a Dark-type, Zero couldn't find any reason to lose.

But all of this is contingent on the battle truly beginning.

Of all the Pokémon types, none is more adept at ending a battle before it even begins than the Dark type.

correct.

At this point, perhaps it should no longer be called the "Cleaving Commander".

"Servant's knife."

The gambler's voice came from the shadows behind Ironhead, so calm that no emotion could be detected.

The Pokémon, clad in iron armor, bowed its massive body like the most submissive subject, its posture humble and its movements silent.

Only the enormous blade on its head drew a perfect, breathtaking arc in the air—a dark arc of light that embodied all the violence, cunning, and murderous intent.

It appeared suddenly!

Trapped outside the castle and suddenly cut off from their trainers, the companions are now in a state akin to being on the verge of death.

As the "general" who commands all, the immense pressure of this dereliction of duty is transforming into the most intense and coldest flames of revenge.

The blade had already reached the steel neck of the iron head shell.

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