The dim underground tunnel was rough and uneven, scarred with countless digging marks as if something had forcibly bored its way through. Oil lamps hung along both sides of the tunnel walls, lighting up the packed earth and stretching all the way into the pitch-black depths.
Wildmutt charged forward on powerful limbs, claws scraping against the ground and throwing off sparks as it ran.
Grandpa Max and the others followed close behind, running at full speed, panting heavily yet still falling far behind.
"What did Cuz smell to make him run that fast? I'm about to drop dead here," Ben panted, but didn't stop running.
"Doofus, if you can't take it, stop and rest. Don't push yourself. We'll wait for you ahead," Gwen said calmly.
Having practiced karate and learned Water Magic, Gwen's physical ability far surpassed that of normal people. This level of exertion meant little to her.
Grandpa Max wiped sweat from his forehead, running steadily ahead of the two. His pace was even faster than Gwen's—it was hard to believe he was an old man.
"Grandpa, wait up!" Ben gasped, reaching out. "Seriously, what did you do when you were younger? You run faster than a rabbit!"
He couldn't understand it. It was one thing for Gwen to outrun him, but Grandpa too? It made him question his whole life.
In truth, if Ben knew Grandpa Max's past identity, he wouldn't be so shocked or disheartened.
"Grandpa's still got it," Gwen said wide-eyed, then turned to Ben. "Hey, dweeb, Grandpa and I will go on ahead. You follow us. We'll wait up front."
Her Water Magic was especially effective against the blob aliens—it would help her cousin in the fight to come.
"Wait for me…"
Before Ben could finish, Gwen had already sprinted off, vanishing down the dark tunnel in an instant.
Tap tap tap...
After an unknown amount of time, Wildmutt sensed an opening ahead.
It came to an abrupt stop, the sensory organs on its neck pulsing as it picked up a massive space below.
Hundreds of cocoon-like pods were clustered underneath, radiating heat. Based on thermal readings, they appeared to contain imprisoned elders.
At the center of those countless cocoons was a huge flying spacecraft. Inside, blob aliens were constantly moving about, hauling more cocoons in and out.
Wildmutt growled lowly, realizing the truth.
These horrific blob aliens planned to preserve all the elderly as food, then ship them off into space to their home planet.
Beep... beep... beep...
Just then, the Omnitrix symbol on Wildmutt's chest began flashing.
It growled again, quickly turning and sprinting back down the tunnel like a gust of wind to avoid alerting the creatures below.
Boom!
A burst of crimson light flared from its body, and Wildmutt reverted to Lucian's original form.
Looking at the Omnitrix, now flashing red, Lucian let out a faint sigh. He'd have to wait before transforming again.
The transformation time had increased to twelve minutes, but it still wasn't enough.
Tap tap tap...
Footsteps echoed rapidly from behind. Lucian's brow furrowed as he shifted into a ready stance.
If it was a blob alien, things could get messy.
"Is that you, Lucian?" Grandpa Max's voice echoed from the other end of the tunnel.
Hearing it, Lucian finally let out a breath of relief.
"Lucian, you're back to normal?" Grandpa Max jogged over, panting hard, hands braced on his knees. For someone his age, being able to run that fast was already impressive.
"Yeah. We'll have to wait for the Omnitrix to finish recharging." Lucian shrugged. Rushing in now would just be suicide.
Soon, Gwen came running up behind them.
"Cuz." Her face was flushed. "What's it look like up ahead?"
Lucian told them everything he had sensed, in full detail.
Grandpa Max's face grew serious as he turned toward the dark depths of the tunnel. "I'm worried we're out of time. From the looks of it, they're about to take off."
"Our appearance must've thrown those monsters off their plan," Lucian nodded, then added, "but it's fine. There are still plenty of cocoons left. Moving all of them onto that ship will take time."
"Aunt Vera must be in there. We have to save them," Gwen said, worry flashing across her face.
"Exactly! We can't let any of those freaks get away!" Ben came running up, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.
He was exhausted, but his eyes burned with determination.
Lucian gave him an approving nod. That was Ben Tennyson—still full of courage and justice, even without the Omnitrix, never backing down from a fight.
"We'll hide near the tunnel entrance and watch their movements," Lucian said with a faint smile. "Once the watch is charged, it'll be the end for those snot-slug creeps."
"Cuz, let's beat the slime out of them!" Ben said, clenching his fist.
[Ding~ Alien Hacker Mission Triggered]
[Prevent the blob aliens from returning to outer space. Rescue the imprisoned townspeople.]
[Complete the mission to gain a random enhancement effect.]
A string of system prompts rang out in Lucian's mind.
His eyes sharpened. What kind of enhancement would he get this time?
The group stayed hidden at the tunnel's edge, quietly watching the activity below.
There weren't many blob aliens left. Aside from the ones taken out by XLR8 and Wildmutt, only fifty or sixty remained.
About ten minutes later, a faint beep came from Lucian's wrist. The Omnitrix turned from red to green—fully charged.
"The watch is ready. Time to move," Lucian said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Cuz, I'm going with you! My Water Magic is their weakness—I can take them down easily!" Gwen said, excitement clear in her voice. She could finally fight side by side with her cousin.
"Oh man, then what am I supposed to do?" Ben groaned, his head drooping. Without powers, he felt useless.
Lucian patted his shoulder and said quietly, "Ben, Gwen and I will draw their attention. You and Grandpa sneak into the alien ship and get those cocoons out."
"Awesome! We'll save Aunt Vera and the others and rescue the whole town!" Ben's eyes lit up.
"Remember, Ben, even without powers, you can still be a hero." Lucian looked at him meaningfully, the corner of his mouth curling into a grin. "Besides, it's not like you don't have…"
Ben scratched his head, confused by what his cousin meant.
"Alright, enough talk. Time to move." Lucian's tone hardened. "If we wait any longer, those disgusting slugs will take off."
Gwen glanced over the edge of the tunnel and shuddered. "Cuz, it's so high… how are we supposed to get down?"
The drop from the tunnel to the chamber below was at least three or four stories. The walls were nearly vertical—without gear, no normal person could make it down safely.
If they jumped, they'd break their legs, if not worse. The blob aliens wouldn't even need to attack—they'd lose on impact.
Lucian thought for a moment, then a grin slowly formed on his lips. He had an idea.
If the entrance couldn't lead straight down, then he'd make a path himself.
With that thought, Lucian raised his Omnitrix, selected an alien, and slammed his hand down...