"A Pokémon corps?!!"
Wang Tao was dumbfounded. He had never even heard of such a thing before!
Everyone else turned toward Su Bai, shocked by his sudden declaration.
When Su Bai had casually mentioned the number five hundred million, they'd assumed the Pokémon Center was partnering with the City Lord's Office on another infrastructure project.
After all, the Pokémon Center had grown massive in scale. But with the equally massive crowds it drew, even a larger center wouldn't be enough for trainers who were constantly competing for training slots.
So, in that context, expansion made sense.
But… a Pokémon Corps?
What was that supposed to mean?
Faced with the confused stares, Su Bai didn't keep them guessing.
Everyone here was a veteran customer of the Pokémon Center.
If not for their support from the very beginning, the Center might have delayed its launch—or worse, during that day when the deathbeasts attacked, the progress bar might never have filled at all.
"I signed a contract with City Lord Zhu to provide a full Pokémon Corps—three hundred Pokémon for the city guards."
"Since you're all here, why not come along?"
Su Bai's words were confirmed by a nod from Zhu Jianyuan.
He smiled and added, "This isn't a secret. The Pokémon Corps will soon take on major responsibilities like patrol duty."
"You're the first generation of Trainers. Your battle experience is valuable."
"We may even invite you to serve as instructors for the Corps."
"Come—I've already handpicked 300 of my most trusted guards."
Zhu Jianyuan never wasted time. The moment he finished speaking, he turned and led the way.
The others exchanged excited looks—and quickly followed.
A Pokémon Corps.
An organized, full-scale Pokémon military unit!
City Lord's Mansion
In Haicheng, two buildings stood at the heart of the city: Haicheng No. 1 High School and the City Lord's Mansion.
The mansion wasn't just Zhu Jianyuan's home—it was the seat of local government. Every major administrative decision came from here. Even the Awakened Guild's missions had to be approved by the City Lord himself.
Naturally, the mansion was expansive, even containing training fields for Awakened soldier drills.
Right now, 300 elite guards stood perfectly in formation on one such field.
"These are the best of the best," said Zhu Jianyuan proudly.
"Don't forget, Haicheng is the first line of defense on the eastern frontier of the East Divine Federation. Our soldiers are battle-tested!"
"Sure, most top talents go to the capital for advanced training, but when it comes to base-level troops, we're second to none."
Su Bai nodded. For once, Zhu wasn't exaggerating.
The East Divine Federation's defense network was layered—like a giant onion.
To reach the capital, you'd have to peel back layer after layer of city defenses.
As the outermost layer, Haicheng faced more frequent and brutal deathbeast invasions than the inner cities.
Even if these soldiers weren't as innately gifted, experience alone had forged them into hardened warriors.
But then Zhu Jianyuan added something that made Su Bai nearly laugh out loud.
"And I made sure to choose guards who either currently own pets, or have previous pet-care experience! Thoughtful, right?"
Su Bai rubbed his temple and raised a brow. Pokémon weren't quite the same as pets, but...
"Impressive," he said dryly, giving a sarcastic thumbs-up.
Trying not to dwell on that logic, Su Bai pulled out a prepared sheet of paper—a detailed questionnaire.
"Make copies and hand these out," he said.
"Their answers will determine which type of Pokémon they receive."
"We've got three different Pokémon species for this army. This quiz is designed specifically for assigning them appropriately."
The options were: Corvisquire, Falinks, and Buizel.
Unlike the system's usual distribution method—which analyzed a customer's personality via the Pokédex—this mass deployment required a different approach.
These quiz questions were actually supplied by the system itself—a psychological classification tool, designed to evaluate personality and compatibility. Based on their results, each soldier would be matched with a suitable partner.
Zhu Jianyuan accepted the papers and handed them to his aide, grinning as he added:
"You really are a guest professor at Haicheng No. 1 High. So thorough!"
The City Lord's Mansion was efficient.
It didn't take long before the filled-out questionnaires were returned and tallied.
Following Su Bai's scoring rubric, the 300 soldiers were quickly divided into three corresponding groups.
The guards, standing at attention, looked visibly nervous and excited.
Su Bai chuckled and reassured them.
"Relax—this isn't a real test. Your scores simply determine which Pokémon you're best suited for."
"Alright… time to receive your Pokémon."
He pulled out a mobile Pokédex and payment terminal, then waved Zhu Jianyuan over.
"Huh? Oh—right!"
Zhu jolted, quickly catching on. With a heart full of pain, he handed Su Bai a black bank card.
His face was a portrait of reluctance.
That card held more than five hundred million.
In Haicheng—a frontline city constantly battered by deathbeasts—every cent of funding had to be stretched thin. There were always urgent needs.
Even paying for a single high-tier Pokémon was a struggle.
And now... five hundred million? Even the wealthy heirs like Ding Yue and Zhang Qun would consider that a massive fortune.
Let alone Zhu Jianyuan, the ever-broke City Lord.
He'd never seen so much money in his entire life.
Noticing Zhu's pained expression, Su Bai laughed and said:
"Relax. You won't need to pay the full 500 million."
"Just 300 million will do."
Sure enough, the amount displayed on the terminal started with a glowing "3".
Zhu blinked, stunned—then burst into joy.
Those extra 200 million were a lifeline!
Haicheng desperately needed those funds. If he could, he would've hugged Su Bai on the spot.
"City Lord dignity"?
Never heard of it!
Su Bai gave him a glare that stopped him mid-pounce, then casually began pulling Poké Balls from the Pokédex.
One after another—until a full three hundred Poké Balls were neatly arranged in front of him.
"Alright then, soldiers—come claim your Pokémon!"
A ripple ran through the assembled ranks.
Then, row by row, the guards stepped forward and received their Poké Balls.
Su Bai watched as they clutched the capsules with excitement and awe etched across their faces.
He couldn't help but smile.
"Now then—let the Pokémon Corps… make its grand debut!"