Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth

Chapter 874: Chapter 1091: Impostor

"Dead? Then he hadn't gone to the lab for half a month, didn't anyone get suspicious?" Julian asked curiously.

Hubert was the lab's third lead researcher.

Just from that ranking, you could tell how important his position was. So even if he had taken leave for personal reasons, there was no way he'd be away for half a month.

To put it bluntly, for a researcher like Hubert, even if his parents had passed away, he'd likely be back to work within a week at most.

Not showing up for half a month would only make sense if there was a health issue.

And if it really was a health problem that led to him dying at home, well, a person disappearing suddenly for half a month wasn't like some stray cat or dog that went unnoticed.

For such an important researcher, forget fifteen days—if he didn't answer his phone just once, someone would have already gone to check on him.

So dying at home and lay there unnoticed for half a month, meant something was definitely wrong.

"The key is that Hubert showed up at the lab every single day. He went home half a month ago, but returned to the lab the very next day," Ella explained.

Julian showed a look of understanding: "So you're saying Hubert died the day he went home, and the 'Hubert' who showed up at the lab the next day was a fake?"

Ella nodded.

"Yes, and that person was very familiar with Hubert's daily habits, the way he spoke to people, and also had a relatively deep knowledge of spatial technology."

Without solid expertise in spatial technology, even if the fake Hubert perfectly imitated his speech, mannerisms, actions, habits, and even sleeping posture, if he lacked the necessary professional knowledge in spatial technology, he would definitely be exposed very quickly.

After all, as the third lead researcher, he had to lead certain experiments. Without the technical know-how, how could he fool everyone else?

"Though even if it was an impostor, how did he get into the lab?"

Ella's slender fingers gently traced her red lips, her expression thoughtful.

Given how strict the lab's entry protocols were, every entry and exit required identity verification—it wasn't enough to simply look like Hubert.

There were countless ways to alter one's appearance in this world—not to mention something like a Ditto or plastic surgery could completely change a person's face.

Dittos, due to their unique nature, were all controlled by various national governments. But if a spy really wanted one, it wouldn't be too difficult to obtain.

Of course, the other party definitely hadn't used a Ditto to transform into Hubert.

That method had long been obsolete. Any laboratory handling important research would be equipped with devices capable of detecting whether someone was disguised using a Ditto.

So the impersonator had likely either used some kind of treasure or special technology to alter their appearance.

Julian just looked at Ella, who was deep in thought.

Perhaps his gaze was a bit too intense, making Ella feel something, so she subconsciously looked toward him.

And found the other staring straight at her, with that kind of look—

'Hmph, finally realized this lady's charm, huh?'

Instead of feeling shy, she shot him a provocative glance.

'Don't just look—if you've got the guts, make a move. I absolutely won't resist… though if you want, I can pretend to struggle a little.'

Seeing Ella's expression that practically said "go ahead," Julian put on a serious face and asked, "Where is this fake Hubert now?"

Ella and Metagross beside her both rolled their eyes in unison.

Celebi overhead chimed in with a disappointed tone: "Julian, if you won't even take this chance, are you perhaps genderless too?"

Julian: 'You know nothing—I'm just keeping things PG13.'

Ella also knew Julian's personality well—if he were really that easy to seduce, she wouldn't have been the first to succeed.

"Before they discovered that the experimental data had been copied, the impersonator made an excuse about feeling unwell and left. We've currently lost track of them."

"An Elite and a fake researcher… why couldn't they have shown up while I was still in the secret realm?" Julian said helplessly.

He could leave the Elite Trainer to the intelligence Team One.

But the matter of the spatial backpack technology concerned the very fate of the nation. This wasn't something Julian could afford to be lazy about—he had to handle it personally.

As for the other Champions, now that he was out of the secret realm, they would naturally go in.

Besides, the Walker Group held shares in the spatial backpack technology, so this really required his involvement.

"Alright, I'm heading out—time to catch a thief."

Julian suddenly stood up, and Celebi, perched on his head, tumbled straight to the ground with a thud and landed flat.

"Tell me the lab's location."

Just as he was about to leave, he awkwardly realized he didn't actually know where the laboratory was.

Ella gave him the location.

The next second, Metagross used Teleport and vanished with Julian from the spot.

When they reappeared, they had already arrived at the lab.

Since an incident had occurred, the area was naturally under lockdown.

Julian's sudden appearance startled the guards, but upon recognizing him, they immediately saluted.

"I'm going inside to take a look," Julian said.

The guards nodded and promptly let him through.

Everyone in the lab had been detained. Until it was clear whether there were any other spies, no one was allowed to leave.

Most people either looked dejected or were filled with righteous indignation.

"How could that guy be a fake? His professional knowledge was so solid!"

"He acted so convincingly. I spent half a month with him and never suspected a thing."

"That damned guy—this is the result of several years of our hard work!"

Spending several years to develop the spatial backpack technology wasn't long at all—it was actually quite short.

Many technological breakthroughs took decades, or even longer, of research, and sometimes still yielded no results.

Yet they had managed to develop this era‑defining spatial backpack technology in only a few years.

Apart from their own exceptional talent, another key factor was that Julian had provided them with comprehensive materials related to the spatial backpack technology.

They hadn't started from scratch and explored blindly.

Instead, they already had very detailed documentation—all they needed was to overcome the practical difficulties in applying it.

This team brought together the brightest spatial technology experts from both the Walker Group and the entire country.

So it was perfectly reasonable for them to fully master this technology within a few years.

Unfortunately, just as they had finished mastering it, it was stolen. Though the culprit only made a copy, this meant the technology was no longer exclusive to their country.

And the feeling of doing all that work for someone else's benefit was incredibly suffocating.

Not to mention, the imposter had killed their colleague and used such a vile method to copy the data.

*****

Upto 30 chapters ahead on patreon :-

patreon.com/ReduxMagister