Chapter 70: Alien Scout
Screams echoed through the campus as countless vines burst out of the ground, coiling toward the alien creature suspended midair.
Franklin didn't rush to attack. The moment he activated the Eye of True Sight on the alien, his Kamehameha was already charging.
But when the Eye of True Sight revealed the creature's combat power—only twenty points—Franklin immediately dispersed the energy gathered between his hands.
He watched as the green-skinned, frog-like monster that stood over two meters tall and had been sent flying into the air by a punch suddenly shrank down to barely fifty centimeters.
Controlling the vines, Franklin completely restrained the creature and slowly drew it toward him. "Your name's Ghi Bree, from planet Balke?"
Seeing Franklin's gaze, the alien nodded in panic, its eyes full of fear. Franklin let out a long sigh.
"With power that weak, what are you doing on Blue Star? Don't tell me you really thought that shape-shifting ability of yours would scare me into giving up Lala?"
The alien nodded frantically, then shook its head just as quickly, refusing to say a word. Franklin felt utterly exasperated.
"What's with nodding and shaking your head at the same time? Do you have some other scheme in mind?"
As he spoke, Franklin dragged the bound alien over to Risa Momioka. "You alright?"
He reached out to help her up, but Risa slapped his hand away. "Don't you dare touch me, you pervert! You creep!"
Seeing the strange creature so close by, Risa's face tensed in alarm. She quickly hoisted Haruna Sairenji onto her back and took two cautious steps backward.
Realizing he hadn't yet earned her forgiveness, Franklin could only shrug helplessly. "Alright then, let's hear it. Why did you lure these two to the equipment room?
Explain yourself properly, earn their forgiveness, and I might let you off once. But if you can't give me a good reason, I can't promise you'll live through today—after all, you started this."
Ghi Bree's eyes filled with terror. He squirmed violently, letting out muffled noises but still refusing to speak. Franklin tightened the vines, his patience steadily thinning with every pitiful whimper.
"Lin, let him go! You're going to strangle him!"
At Lala's shout, Franklin looked over to see her running toward him. He loosened the vines slightly.
The next second, the fifty-centimeter Ghi Bree rapidly expanded, transforming in an instant into the image of the school principal. Dropping to his knees before Franklin, he began to wail,
"I'm sorry, boss! I'm really sorry! I was egged on by someone else, I swear I didn't mean any harm! I've got a family—kids too! Please forgive me, I know I was wrong!"
Franklin ignored his groveling and instead turned to Lala.
"You know this guy?"
Lala nodded helplessly. "Yeah. We used to be classmates. He's extremely timid—he'd probably faint if someone startled him too hard.
His species normally communicates through mental waves. To speak out loud, they have to shapeshift first. So even if you strangled him earlier, he literally couldn't talk."
Hearing that, Franklin withdrew the vines binding Ghi Bree.
"So, what do you think we should do with him? Judging by that lecherous look when he turned into the principal, he clearly wasn't up to anything good. If I'd come one second later, Risa and Haruna might've been 'harassed' by him already."
"Well," Lala said thoughtfully, "since he's from Balke, and there aren't any Blue Star laws for dealing with aliens like him, why not hand him over to Zastin? There's plenty of intergalactic law—one of them's bound to fit."
Franklin nodded in agreement. "Good idea. If I killed him myself, it might cause more trouble later. Better to hand him to Zastin—he's reliable."
Right on cue, a flash of white light appeared. Zastin materialized beside them, effortlessly grabbing Ghi Bree by the collar. Looking at Franklin, he said,
"You acted decisively—not bad. I heard your concern earlier, so I'll be blunt.
Anyone who comes to Blue Star to make trouble for you but can't beat you—you're free to deal with them however you like.
Landing on an undeveloped planet is already a serious crime. Being killed by a native only means they got what they deserved.
Even if you let them go, they still have to pay the fine set by Deviluke law—with spirit stones as penalty.
And don't worry about retaliation. With His Majesty around, anyone foolish enough to try would be courting extinction."
As the white light began to envelop Zastin again, Franklin quickly raised his hand. "Wait! Don't go yet—I've got something to ask."
The light faded, and Zastin turned to him. Franklin rubbed his chin, thinking carefully before asking, "Just hypothetically—don't get mad—if someone did retaliate and, say, something happened to my sister or my cousin… you guys have resurrection tech, right?"
Zastin immediately understood the real meaning behind the question.
"Hmm… your concern makes sense. In reality, once something happens, it's already too late to undo it. How to handle it is up to you."
Hearing that acknowledgment, Franklin smiled faintly and revealed his true motive.
"Zastin, those aliens came to Blue Star looking for me. If I beat them and let them go, could I maybe get a cut of those fines they pay?"
Zastin stared at his mercenary grin, momentarily speechless. Wrapped in white light, he vanished with a terse reply: "Wait—I'll ask His Majesty."
The lack of a flat-out refusal made Franklin's eyes brighten. The King of Deviluke wasn't stingy—this plan might just work.
Watching all this from the side, Lala tilted her head curiously. "Lin, are you that short on money?"
Franklin answered frankly, "Not money—spirit stones.
Well… not short right now, but I will be soon. If I can get a cut from those fines, it should keep me going for a while."
Seeing Lala hesitate, Franklin smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I've got my own way of getting spirit stones. You don't need to worry about that."
With that, he took Lala's hand and walked over to the dazed Risa Momioka.
"Hey, Risa, let me take Haruna. You've been carrying her for a while—you must be tired."
Startled by his voice beside her ear, Risa flinched, almost dropping Haruna. Franklin caught Haruna just in time, holding her securely in his arms.
When she saw that Haruna was unhurt, Risa glared at Franklin furiously.
"This whole thing started because of you! Who exactly is this Lala girl? And what did that cool-looking man mean by all those things he said just now?"
Her accusing stare made Franklin feel a twinge of guilt—after all, today's chaos really did have quite a lot to do with him.
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