Upon hearing the explanation from the middle-aged man, Cain felt a slight unease in his heart.
A participant from the previous trial? Now he had already reached the rank of Captain, which meant that after leaving the Test Island, he had likely been promoted directly to that level.
Team Rocket's Test Island program lasts three months, but there's not always a trial mission every three months. The interval between each test varies, but it generally doesn't exceed half a year.
Not everyone has the prior experience that Cain, who has been reborn, possesses. Therefore, this man named Milan, who has managed to become a Captain in around six months, must have exceptional talent and strength.
Milan stood aside without saying a word. Those who leave Test Island aren't like students graduating from school, where seniors look after newcomers. Survivors from Test Island are usually extremely selfish and only care about things that benefit them.
The middle-aged man didn't provide further explanations. He only mentioned Milan because he worked under his command.
He took out a small black box, palm-sized, and handed it to Cain, saying, "This is what Mr. Umbra needs. I've prepared it for a long time. Now I'm giving it to you, and it's your responsibility to ensure it reaches him safely."
As he said this, the man's gaze turned severe. Although he usually appeared as a smiling and harmless person, no one achieves the rank of Senior Officer in Team Rocket without accumulating dozens or even hundreds of lives.
Cain took the box seriously and stored it in his ring.
He had no right to ask what was inside. His task was simply to deliver it to Umbra.
In the Pokémon world, although teleportation methods are highly developed, some items cannot be transmitted due to their high energy content or other reasons.
For instance, a high-quality evolutionary stone contains too much energy, preventing teleportation methods from quantifying it, so it cannot be sent.
That's why the postal profession still exists in the Pokémon world.
"Well, if there's nothing else, don't stay here. The situation in Mahogany Town is unstable right now," said the middle-aged man as he handed the box to Cain, signaling him to leave.
"Yes," Cain responded, nodding.
The situation in Mahogany Town wasn't safe at the moment, and a battle could break out at any time.
"Boom!"
Just as they finished speaking, the entire base suddenly shook, and countless alarms began to blare.
Although it was only a slight movement, the walls of the base began to crack.
"Damn it, are they going to attack now?" The middle-aged man's face immediately turned grim.
Was the Alliance launching an attack?
What were the sentries doing?
Milan's expression also changed. In a direct confrontation between the Alliance and Team Rocket, even as a Captain, he wasn't sure he could survive.
Both quickly left the office, ignoring Cain's presence.
If the Alliance was really attacking, no one would care about a minor character like him.
Cain's face showed concern. If the Alliance launched an attack at that moment, getting out of there would be a problem.
He looked at the office door; the two who had just left probably wouldn't be back soon.
"Slowpoke, set a reference point here," Cain said resolutely, summoning his Slowpoke.
Although the Alliance's attack was a disaster for the Team Rocket base, it also represented an opportunity for Cain.
Not to mention anything else, the main database of the research center's computer held countless valuable data. If he could access it, the knowledge Cain had accumulated in his previous life might not even compare to what he could obtain now.
However, the main computer of the research center was on the fifth level, a place not even Team Rocket's Senior Officer had access to.
Only those who achieved Elite Officer rank or were key researchers in the center could access those levels.
If Slowpoke set a reference point here, Cain might have the chance to return later, though the level of danger would be unpredictable. Cain was determined to act according to the situation.
Once Slowpoke set the reference point and Cain returned it to its Poké Ball, the two men who had left returned with grim expressions.
Seeing Cain still there, the middle-aged man's face turned colder, and with some impatience, he said:
"Milan, take this kid outside. I have to go transfer the data."
"Follow me," Milan said as he grabbed Cain by the shoulder, coldly.
At that moment, no one cared about a minor character like Cain.
The middle-aged man had ordered Milan to escort Cain, which could delay his preparations for the upcoming battle, and he might be injured or even die in the confrontation with the Alliance.
Therefore, there was no reason for Milan to treat Cain kindly.
Cain frowned as Milan dragged him out of the office, enduring the pain in his shoulder without saying a word, allowing himself to be taken up to the third level.
"There's an elevator here that takes you directly to the surface. Go up now and don't head south. The Alliance is attacking from that direction, but the people there should be able to hold them off a little longer."
Saying this, he pushed Cain into an elevator, closed the door, and left without another word.
Cain remained silent inside the elevator. A few seconds later, he felt the elevator begin to move, ascending rapidly.
Half a minute later, when the elevator door opened again, Cain was already outside, under the sun, feeling the warmth on his skin.
He heard faint sounds of explosions and saw flashes of fire in the distance, towards the south.
"It seems the Alliance is quite determined this time," Cain murmured.
After reaching a quasi-elite power level in his previous life, Cain had investigated the reasons behind this Alliance attack. Although his knowledge wasn't complete, he had managed to glean some clues from others' conversations.
It appeared that the Lake of Rage research center was involved in studies that affected the Alliance's fundamental interests.
They were conducting research on Pokémon evolution directions, and although it wasn't clear how far they had advanced, they must have been close to a major breakthrough, prompting the Alliance to act.
After leaving the elevator, Cain didn't choose to leave directly. Although staying there was very dangerous, the possibility of accessing that data was hard to ignore. Even obtaining just a small portion could be immensely helpful to him.
The system could perform all its functions thanks to the vast amount of data stored in its database. If he could obtain part of that data, he might discover a way to incubate the Larvitar egg or find a reliable method for psychics to increase their power rapidly.
Despite the risk, it was worth a try. And if things got really bad, he always had Slowpoke's Teleport move as a trump card.
(End of chapter)