Read Novel Full Chapter 877: Chapter 1094: AfterwardsChapter 878: Chapter 1095: Deal
Chapter 877: Chapter 1094: AfterwardsChapter 878: Chapter 1095: Deal
The hot pot meal lasted until one in the morning, right up to the restaurant's closing time.
Throughout the whole time Julian kept eating—whenever the dishes were finished, he ordered more—while Hubert and Stan, unable to move, could only watch.
Of course, even if they could move, they definitely wouldn't have had the mood to eat.
Hubert couldn't figure out how Julian had found him. He was certain there had been no problem with his escape route, nor had he left any clues indicating the direction he fled.
Yet Julian still located him—and in only half a day.
He even began to suspect whether the Birmanian spy had betrayed him.
"Excuse me, sir, we need to close now."
The restaurant manager walked over, accompanied by several sturdy employees.
Looking at Julian still eating and drinking, he couldn't understand how this man—who didn't look fat at all—could eat so much.
Could this guy be the legendary "big eater"?
Because Julian kept ordering food nonstop, the manager had long noticed him, and also noticed that the two people sitting at the same table—neither eating, drinking, nor moving.
Such an odd scene made him wary.
So after all the other customers had left and closing time arrived, he discreetly called the authorities, worried that something might happen.
After all, the man even had a Lucario by his side.
"Finally, everyone's gone."
Julian stretched lazily. His words made the already-alert manager instinctively take a few steps back; the burly employees beside him retreated even farther.
Manager: 'I brought you here for support. Why are you backing away more than I am?'
Employees: 'You expect us to risk our life for this meager paycheck?'
There had been too many customers earlier, so Julian didn't act directly, not wanting to frighten them. Besides, the hotpot tasted quite good, so he simply waited until closing time.
With a subtle surge of his psychic powers, Julian's face reverted to its original form.
Pop!Pop!
Celebi and Jirachi's Poké Balls automatically opened at the same time.
Nebby's ball remained shut—it was probably fast asleep.
"Julian, you went too far—you actually ate so much all by yourself!"
Looking at the pile of empty plates on the table, Celebi couldn't be bothered to argue with Julian and simply picked up chopsticks to start eating the leftovers from the hot pot.
Jirachi, on the other hand, acted quite cleverly this time, waving at a stunned waiter to indicate that it wanted to order more food.
"C-Champion Walker!!"
Seeing Julian's face, along with the two iconic Pokémon, Celebi and Jirachi, the manager's expression shifted from initial shock to surprise and excitement.
He never imagined that the person he had considered a potential threat was actually Julian—the national idol.
For a moment, his speech even became a little stammered.
"Mm."
Julian nodded and then said with a smile, "Please take Jirachi's order. The little one is hungry."
He pointed at Jirachi, who was still waving at the waiter.
Then he glanced at Celebi, who was frantically eating the remnants from the hot pot—it was almost finished clearing the pot.
Come to think of it, he hadn't fed them dinner yet.
"Oh, oh, right away!"
The manager quickly nodded.
He immediately arranged dishes for Jirachi.
As for closing—close what? Even if he wanted to shut the doors now, the employees wouldn't agree. They voluntarily chose to work overtime—and without asking for overtime pay.
"Gen~"
Gengar emerged from Hubert's shadow.
Seeing the white Gengar, Hubert finally understood why he and Stan couldn't move—they had been restrained by Gengar all along.
While eating hot pot, Julian had already learned from Hubert the purpose behind his actions. Thanks to the Seven-Aperture Stone, he knew Hubert wasn't lying.
Moreover, although this guy had copied the spatial backpack technology, he hadn't destroyed the original data. At the same time, he harbored immense hatred toward Birmania.
So, regarding Hubert's fate, Julian could afford to delay judgment.
As for Stan—
Julian had already sentenced him to death in his heart. If not for the presence of the staff and the manager, he would have had Gengar carry out the execution immediately.
The sound of footsteps approached—the authorities the manager had called earlier had arrived.
They had received a report that someone with a Lucario might be up to something dangerous, so they rushed over quickly.
"Champion Walker!"
Entering the restaurant, they immediately spotted the only table still steaming with hot pot, and naturally, they saw Celebi and Jirachi eating and drinking beside Julian.
Julian glanced at these people, then instinctively looked toward the manager.
"Misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding," the manager explained sheepishly.
"Perfect timing. I'll leave this spy to you guys," Julian said, pointing at Stan.
Gengar floated over to Stan, swiped a claw across his face, and a Ditto popped out, revealing Stan's true appearance underneath—a middle-aged man in his fifties.
"That's Elite Stan!"
As the sixtieth-ranked Elite, Stan still had some recognition among the public, so someone immediately recognized him.
Shock rippled through the group.
After all, Champion Walker had just called him a spy.
Their gazes toward Stan quickly shifted from surprise to disgust.
"Gengar."
Julian spoke softly.
With a single Hypnosis, Stan instantly fell asleep, and his Poké Balls had already been locked down by Gengar the moment he was restrained.
"He's all yours," Julian said, gesturing toward Stan.
Without the help of his Pokémon, Stan was just an ordinary man, so there was no need to worry about him escaping in Julian's absence.
"Yes, Champion Walker!"
The group immediately tied Stan up. Since they had come prepared for a potential confrontation with a Pokémon trainer, they had brought along equipment capable of subduing even a pseudo-Elite.
The chance to handle business for Champion Walker excited them immensely—and capturing an Elite made the sense of achievement off the charts.
"Champion Walker… can I get your autograph?"
The team leader asked expectantly.
"Sure."
Julian nodded—he was already used to this.
Soon, the rest of the group crowded around, including the restaurant staff. In total, there were about thirty people. Julian finished signing autographs in just a few minutes.
Some even asked for Celebi and Jirachi's autographs. For the two little ones, signing was simple—they just stamped their little paws onto the paper.
As for an ink pad?
Why bother with an ink pad? The red chili oil from the hot pot worked just fine.
And as for it being hot?
A Pseudo-Champion and a First-class Legendary Pokémon getting burned by chili oil? If that happened, Julian might as well just give up on them completely.
*****
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The relevant authorities had already taken Stan away and left, and the hotpot restaurant staff also returned to their posts.
Hubert sat on the chair and asked calmly, "How do you intend to deal with me?"
By now, he had already accepted his fate. Though extremely unwilling, there was nothing he could do—after all, Julian was here.
Presumably no one in this world could snatch him back from Julian.
And even if someone could, he wasn't worthy of them making a move.
Julian took out a napkin and wiped the chili oil from Jirachi's mouth, then looked at Hubert. "That depends on what you choose."
Hubert was stunned. From Julian's tone, it sounded like he still had a choice.
Could he actually live? Or would he just be sent to prison to sew uniforms until death?
"What do you mean?" Hubert asked.
He didn't like guessing, and given his current situation, even if he guessed correctly, what would it matter? It would only make him seem clever, and who knows, maybe Julian would take offense.
After all, some people enjoyed speaking in riddles. If he guessed right away, where would Julian's pride be?
"What do you think of the Birmanian government?" Julian asked instead of answering.
"Although I used to think the country's government was corrupt and degenerate, I still had hope for it. But now…"
Hubert fell silent for a moment, his eyes filled with suppressed hatred and resentment. "Now I just want to destroy that country."
They had killed his twin brother and imprisoned his mother to threaten him. After such actions, how could he still foolishly stay loyal to them?
This was the truth.
Through the Seven-Aperture Stone, Julian knew he was telling the truth, and the hatred was indeed very strong.
Understandable—if Julian was in his place, he would be even more extreme.
"But right now you can't do anything. Even if you really bring the data back to Birmania, do you really think their government would let an outsider become a high-ranking official?"
"They may be corrupt and rotten, but that doesn't mean every official is. There are always some shrewd individuals."
"And their country has a Champion."
Julian's words made Hubert's face turn pale and flushed in turns.
To put it bluntly, he was just a researcher—a genius in his field, but far from adept in politics.
"What do you mean by that? Even if I fail, I can still bite off a piece of flesh from the Birmanian government!"
Hubert glared at Julian with a vicious expression.
So what if he was a Champion? He didn't even care about his own life anymore; even if Julian were a god, he wouldn't be afraid.
Julian actually began to appreciate this guy a little.
He said slowly, "Your mother is still in the hands of the government, isn't she? How about it, do you want to save her?"
"You will help me save my mother?!"
The vicious look instantly vanished, replaced by excitement and hope.
"That depends on you."
Between individuals, there was no such thing as "help"—it was more about mutual benefit. If you can bring me benefits, then we are friends.
"What could I possibly have that the great Champion Walker would value?"
Hubert mocked himself. He was just a prisoner now, while Julian was not only a Champion but also the heir to the vast Walker Group.
Someone like him lacked nothing.
"I appreciate your talent."
Julian looked at him and continued, "Of course, that's secondary. The main reason is that the Birmanian government's actions pissed me off. After all, the spatial backpack technology was something I dug out from a technological ruin."
"Although it's being developed jointly by the Walker Group and the state, the Walker Group holds sixty percent of the profits."
"Moreover, the follow-up and derivative technologies of spatial backpacks have a vast future. What they did wasn't just a transgression against Drakoria—but also me."
"And I'm a petty person who holds grudges."
As he said this, Celebi and Jirachi—who were eating hotpot—both nodded at the same time.
Even Lucario beside him softly nodded.
Julian's face immediately darkened.
He glared at the three of them.
The two little ones were one thing, but even Lucario?
How could it think that too? He was just saying it casually—why did you actually agree?
Suddenly, Julian felt a sense of "betrayal."
Lucario awkwardly looked at Julian, opening its mouth to explain something, only to see Julian cover his ears.
"Not listening, not listening! Squirtle chanting sutras!"
Lucario: 'Maybe I don't need this trainer after all.'
Hubert: 'What just happened? The whole atmosphere suddenly changed—is there something wrong with his head?'
The Julian who had been domineering and cool just a moment ago instantly turned into a goofball.
The sudden shift left Hubert dumbfounded. Was this really the same person?
"Ahem."
Julian gave a fake cough, his expression returning to normal.
"So, do you accept my proposal?"
Hubert nodded. "I accept. As long as you rescue my mother, I'll work for you."
His expertise in spatial technology was actually very high, even higher than that of his deceased twin brother. It was Birmania's limited technology that had restricted his development.
After taking over his brother's identity and infiltrating the lab, he gained access to more advanced spatial technologies, which propelled his progress in this field like a rocket booster.
"Great, deal."
Julian smiled.
The field of spatial technology was extremely niche, which meant few people chose it.
With so few people, there were even fewer who became well-known or accomplished.
Now that the spatial backpack technology had been realized, further related spatial technologies still needed development, and the scale would only grow larger.
Therefore, the number of researchers in spatial technology field had to increase—especially elites and project leaders.
Although this Hubert was a spy, he had his reasons. And during the theft of the spatial backpack technology, he hadn't harmed anyone in the lab.
Moreover, after copying the data, he hadn't deleted the original files.
Otherwise, without those files, the laboratory would have had to start everything from scratch—though the process would have been faster than the first time.
In addition, this guy was indeed a rare talent in spatial technology.
So Julian decided to spare his life and have him work for the Walker Group.
"Can you contact your handler?" Julian asked.
Hubert nodded: "Yes. I just need to reach out to him."
He also knew what Julian wanted to do.
"But he won't tell me his location."
Unless that guy's superior ordered him to take Hubert away, he would never reveal his whereabouts.
*****
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