The atmosphere at the press conference grew increasingly lively.
For ordinary people, experiencing the wonders of a genetic organism in person was an entirely different experience from reading about it or watching videos.
Before long, someone eagerly raised a hand and asked, “Could I touch it?”
“Me too! Pick me!”
Once someone had taken the initiative, a large number of people immediately followed suit, raising their hands.
Among them were several invited members of the media.
Jiang Ming stared at the sea of hands before him, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
Sunkern probably wouldn’t mind being touched, given its gentle temperament.
However, letting every single person in the room have a turn might end up hurting the little Pokémon.
That was the last thing he wanted.
Unfortunately, refusing everyone outright would be difficult under the circumstances.
He could only raise his voice and announce, “Everyone, please listen! Since there are too many people, we’ll save everyone some time by holding a lottery and randomly selecting ten lucky participants.”
The crowd wasn’t particularly happy with this arrangement.
However, one glance at Liu Haoyun, who stood nearby like a fearsome guardian deity, was enough to make them abandon their protests.
Soon, the ten lucky participants were selected.
Their faces flushed with excitement as they hurried onto the stage and lined up.
One by one, they carefully placed their hands on Sunkern and began gently stroking it.
“Please be careful!” Jiang Ming reminded them.
“When touching the leaves on top of Sunkern’s head, make sure to be gentle. They’re very important organs!”
“Oh my goodness! It’s so soft and comfortable!”
A cute, round-faced girl gazed at Sunkern with hearts practically shining in her eyes, looking utterly enchanted.
Seeing how popular Sunkern had become put Jiang Ming in an excellent mood.
Of course, the hundreds of Reputation Points rapidly accumulating on his System interface were another important reason.
And this was only the appetizer.
Once the press conference ended and news about Sunkern gradually spread, Jiang Ming expected to gain at least several thousand—perhaps even tens of thousands—of Reputation Points.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was that so many people would start asking whether Sunkern was available for purchase, despite the fact that it hadn’t demonstrated many of its abilities yet.
As for why people wanted one, its rarity as Coastal City’s second genetic organism and its adorable appearance were certainly factors.
Surprisingly, though, what attracted people the most was Sunkern’s ability to release a pleasant fragrance.
In other words, its move, Sweet Scent.
The fragrance produced by this move wasn’t merely pleasant to smell.
It also had a special effect that helped people relax both physically and mentally.
In battle, the move was intended to make opponents lower their guard, thereby reducing their ability to evade attacks.
Especially when Sunkern deliberately controlled the move’s power, it could serve as a living air freshener—one that was entirely natural and even had a therapeutic effect.
Faced with the crowd’s eagerness to acquire Sunkern, Jiang Ming didn’t immediately answer their questions.
Instead, he prepared to unveil one final bombshell.
Amid the audience’s puzzled gazes, he instructed the staff to bring out a solar panel from backstage.
He then had the venue’s domed roof opened, allowing sunlight to pour directly into the hall.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy a demonstration of Sunkern’s most powerful ability!”
With a sweeping gesture, Jiang Ming directed everyone’s attention toward Sunkern and the solar panel.
“Sunkeerr!”
Accompanied by an adorable cry, Sunkern began doing its work.
Barely more than ten minutes later, the audience watched in astonishment as the solar panel’s power output climbed from zero all the way to its maximum.
Whoooa!
The sight sent a shockwave through the crowd.
Electricity!
Sunkern could actually help generate electricity!
As local residents, everyone present understood all too well that Coastal City’s electricity shortage had been a major obstacle to its development in recent years.
And now, a genetic organism cultivated by Zhengming Company had demonstrated a promising solution to that very problem.
Of course, judging from the demonstration, a single little Sunkern wouldn’t be enough to alleviate the city’s current power shortage.
But this was a beginning.
Who could say that Zhengming Company wouldn’t eventually develop a genetic organism capable of easing—or perhaps even completely resolving—Coastal City’s electricity crisis?
Before the audience had even finished processing this revelation, Jiang Ming delivered another piece of news.
Sunkern was still in its juvenile stage.
Once it reached maturity, it would be able to provide energy to even more solar panels!
That wasn’t all.
Jiang Ming also explained that Sunkern was relatively inactive and easy to raise.
All it needed was a patch of land and an appropriate amount of water to live normally.
Naturally, a Sunkern raised under such conditions wouldn’t be particularly impressive in combat.
But Jiang Ming had never intended for people to use these Sunkern as fighters in the first place.
His plan was simply to let people keep them as pets.
One astonishing revelation after another left the audience completely overwhelmed.
Easy to raise, capable of performing a variety of functions, and adorable to boot…
Many people silently counted Sunkern’s advantages, their longing for one growing more obvious by the minute.
Unfortunately, Sunkern was a genetic organism.
Under ordinary circumstances, even the cheapest genetic organisms were beyond the financial reach of most ordinary people. Find the original chapter at g.com.
That didn’t apply to everyone, of course.
Those who weren’t short of money weren’t particularly concerned about the cost.
Some immediately called out to Jiang Ming onstage, demanding to know the price of a Sunkern.
“As for the question of making Sunkern available to the public, I’ll leave the explanation to our company’s vice president, Xue Wenhui!”
According to the plan they’d agreed upon beforehand, it was now Xue Wenhui’s turn to take center stage.
After stepping onto the stage, Xue delivered only a few brief opening remarks before the atmosphere became even more animated.
Watching him work the crowd, Jiang Ming couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
Experience really does make a difference.
Only after the atmosphere had been thoroughly stirred up did Xue Wenhui calmly reveal the proposal they had prepared in advance.
“Rental?”
The people below looked bewildered when they heard the word.
“That’s right. A rental plan!”
Xue Wenhui spoke with a serious expression.
“Zhengming Company is a socially responsible enterprise! As our General Manager Jiang has said, technological progress shouldn’t benefit only a privileged few. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the changes brought about by technological innovation.”
“That was also the original reason General Manager Jiang entered the biological cultivation industry.”
“Given the high cost of genetic organisms, we’ve developed this rental plan so that everyone can have the opportunity to interact with them at close range.”
As he finished speaking, Xue Wenhui swept his hand outward.
The enormous screen behind him suddenly lit up.
Zhengming Company’s logo appeared, displaying a stylized symbol formed from the two Chinese characters in the company’s name: Zheng and Ming.
Once the logo faded, a detailed rental statement appeared on the screen.
The statement was lengthy, but its terms were straightforward.
For the time being, Zhengming Company would not sell Sunkern to the public outright.
Instead, it would offer them exclusively through a rental service.
Anyone who signed a protection agreement could rent a genetic organism from Zhengming Company for a period of three months, after which it had to be returned.
During the rental period, however, any income generated by the genetic organism would belong entirely to the renter.
As for the rental fee, three months with a Sunkern would cost just 999 Federation Credits.
After reading the statement, the audience could no longer remain calm.
Only 999 Federation Credits!
Although it was a rental fee rather than a purchase price, if Sunkern’s demonstrated abilities were genuine, the electricity it generated over those three months might be enough to cover the entire cost.
The crowd immediately grew restless with anticipation.
Seeing their reaction, Xue Wenhui quickly added an important clarification.
“Anyone wishing to rent a Sunkern must first sign a protection agreement.”
“Our staff will conduct periodic visits to check on the condition of each Sunkern. If we discover that one has been mistreated or deliberately harmed, we will not only reclaim it but also demand 300,000 Federation Credits in contractual damages. We will use the full force of the law to protect our company’s rights!”