Chapter 242: A Meteorite From the Sky

The wind at Horn Deer High Ridge carried the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Huo La stood on a rock at the edge of Shan Gang, his gaze looking down.

Beside the stream below, two massive Mysterious Horn Deer stood with heads held high; their thick, curved antlers bore black beads at the bases that glimmered faintly in the sunset, marking them as the leaders of the entire Jingjiao Deer herd.

The Sacred Deer in the herd were scattered in small groups along the creek; some lowered their heads to nibble fresh grass, others bent to drink, moving leisurely, completely unaware of the unwelcome visitor on Shan Gang.

Huo La cautiously looked around, confirming there were no signs of agitated Pokemon activity nearby, then relaxed and took the full set of camping gear from his backpack.

Strangely, after being transported to this world, all the Pokeballs he brought became mere decorations, but this backpack and its contents were unaffected; the tent, sleeping bag, and cooking utensils could still be used normally, becoming his essential support for surviving in Hisui.

He deftly set up the tent, and with Cyndaquil's help built a fire pit— the little creature hopped to the firewood, gently spitting out a few sparks, and the dry wood instantly burst into flames, the warm glow dispelling the mountain chill.

Huo La placed an iron pot over the fire, boiled hot water, and pulled out two rations from his backpack: one was the era's common Pokemon jerky, the other a batch of nutritious grains he had prepared especially for the two little companions.

He tore the jerky into small pieces for Cyndaquil, then poured the grains into his palm, beckoning Eevee to come eat.

By the time Huo La finished tidying the cookware and adding enough firewood, night had fully fallen.

Hisui's night arrived especially quickly; the night sky fell like a heavy black cloth, instantly covering the whole Horn Deer High Ridge, with only countless stars glittering in the sky, dazzlingly bright.

"I never expected that on my first camping night in Hisui, it would be you two keeping me company," Huo La said, sitting on a stone beside the fire, watching the two little companions huddled at his feet, his tone tinged with emotion.

When he was in Kanto, except for the early departure period, his later journeys always had companions, and outdoor camping was never solitary.

But in this Hisui two thousand years ago, the only ones he could rely on were these two newly captured Pokemon.

He reached up to pat Cyndaquil's head, then gently scratched Eevee's chin, smiling as he said, "Cyndaquil, Eevee, I have to admit, Hisui's night sky looks far prettier than Kanto's. Look at that star—so bright—Whoa, what the heck!"

While Huo La was marveling at the brightest star, he suddenly saw its brightness surge, trailing a long white comet tail, plummeting toward him at extreme speed!

He instantly realized this wasn't a star at all, it was a meteor! No, a meteorite!

Huo La didn't have time to think, he quickly recalled Cyndaquil and Eevee into their Pokeballs, grabbed his backpack, turned, and sprinted away from the campsite.

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening roar exploded behind him, the massive shockwave like an invisible giant hand instantly flung the running Huo La into the air.

He crashed heavily onto the ground, rolling several times before stopping, his whole bones hurting as if they were taken apart, his ears buzzing, even his breathing carried a scorching pain.

Immediately after, a scorching wave of heat swept over, mixed with thick smoke and sparks, nearly burning his skin.

Huo La struggled to rise, covering his mouth and nose as he coughed violently a few times, then turned his head toward the direction where he had just camped.

There it had become a sea of fire, the raging flames devouring the tent and surrounding vegetation, sparks soaring with thick smoke into the sky.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft! My damn... what a freakin' luck!" Huo La spat out dust and debris, unable to hold back his profanity.

If he hadn't stayed awake tonight, happened to see the falling meteorite, and reacted quickly enough to run, he would probably have been roasted by now.

He braced against a nearby rock, slowly steadied himself, his gaze fixed on the center of the fire.

The flames there were especially fierce, and faintly a massive stone with a dark reddish glow embedded in the ground could be seen — the fallen meteorite itself.

The ground around the stone was charred black, continuously radiating heat, even the air was warped.

Even more unsettling, the meteorite's impact caused intermittent Pokemon roars to echo through the surrounding forest, voices filled with agitation and unease, clearly disturbed by the recent shock and heat wave.

"We're screwed, this is a big trouble now," Huo La muttered, his brows furrowed, thinking it was bad.

The previously tranquil Horn Deer High Ridge was thrown into complete chaos by the sudden meteorite.

His investigative mission hadn't even begun when this disaster-level accident struck.

At that moment, a system voice suddenly sounded in his ear, with a barely perceptible urgency: "Detected unknown Cosmic Life Energy fluctuation, intensity level: S-Grade, energy source—falling meteorite."

"Trigger Temporary Task: Absorb the meteorite core energy, restore the system's basic operating energy

Task time limit: 1 hour

Task reward:...

Failure penalty: system re-enters sleep mode until the next high-energy trigger."

"My damn, system, are you messing with me!!!" Huo La shouted after hearing the task prompt, unable to hold back profanity, his voice trembling with frustration.

Ignoring the frighteningly high temperature around the meteorite, just the phrase "unknown Cosmic Life Energy fluctuation" was enough to set off alarms in his mind.

In his recollection, this level of Cosmic Energy either relates to legendary Divine Beasts or exotic beasts, or is a dangerous entity that can warp ecosystems, and a slight misstep could lead to irreversible doom.

Absorbing meteorite energy? How is that any different from sticking his hand straight into the fire!

Huo La stared fixedly at the dark-red glowing meteorite in the fire's center, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

The scorching wave of heat and thick smoke slammed into his face, choking him into coughing, yet his mind raced— the task time limit was only one hour, and the failure penalty was even fatal.

If the system slept again, he would not only lose the Pokemon's Attribute Panel, but also the hope that sustains him, which he absolutely could not accept.

Moreover, the crucial point is that such a commotion here couldn't be hidden for long.

The night-shift members of the Security Corps near Zhuqing Village were surely already on their way.

The two field leaders of the Diamond Team and Pearl Team in the Obsidian Fieldlands were intimately familiar with anomalies in their jurisdiction, and might appear within half an hour.

"Damn it, go all out!" Huo La gritted his teeth, a flash of resolve in his eyes.

He pulled a spare cloak from his backpack, went to the water source, soaked it, wrapped it around himself, then tightly tied the collar and cuffs, creating a simple heat shield.

"Cyndaquil, listen: when I get close to the meteorite, use a Smokescreen to cover both me and the meteorite, block the surrounding view as much as possible, understand?" Cyndaquil chirped ambiguously, nodding vigorously.

Huo La inhaled deeply, no longer hesitating, crouching low, using the rocks on Shan Gang for cover, and carefully crept toward the fire.

The nearer he got to the meteorite, the higher the temperature, and the damp cloak quickly heated, the air scorching his throat.

The surrounding vegetation continued to crackle, occasional burnt branches falling with a sharp sound.