At night, a bright white moon hung high in the dark sky, surrounded by scattered stars.
Walmart blazed with lights, packed with people and buzzing with noise.
A tall old RV was parked outside the entrance, and everyone got out one after another.
Looking at the dazzling selection of activity guides, Gwen's face lit up with excitement. "Seventy-two restaurants, thirty-eight movie theaters, and all kinds of entertainment. This place has everything!"
"Oh, sweet! We could spend the whole summer here!" Ben said, grinning from ear to ear.
The group had just started toward the mall when two dark figures suddenly dropped from the sky.
"Stop right there! We're mall security. Hand back the jewelry!"
Dozens of uniformed security guards shouted as they rushed after the two figures.
Those two moved with incredible agility, like legendary master thieves. They vaulted over several cars in a row, brushed past Ben like ghosts, and dashed toward a dark warehouse.
Only then did everyone get a clear look at them. It was an elderly couple, each carrying a bulging sack stuffed with gold and jewelry.
"Those are... thieves!" Ben froze for a second, then grinned. "Figures. Heroes are busy no matter where they go, and I'm no exception!"
He pressed the Omnitrix, switched to Wildmutt, and slammed it down.
Boom!
A faint green flash burst out, and an orange beast with no eyes or nose, sharp fangs, and vicious claws came crashing onto the pavement, blasting deep cracks into the ground.
"Roar!"
Wildmutt let out a growl and shot off into the night like a blur.
"Grandpa, you and Gwen head back to the RV first. I'll keep an eye on Ben," Lucian said, turning to them.
"Well... all right." Grandpa Max nodded. He trusted Lucian to handle things.
"Cuz, be careful," Gwen said softly before heading back to the Rustbucket with Grandpa Max.
"Relax. They're just two petty thieves." Lucian smiled, pressed the Omnitrix, and transformed into XLR8.
Whoosh!
A blue blur flashed past, weaving through rows of cars and pedestrians in a zigzag as if nothing could block its path, then vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, inside the dim warehouse.
The two robbers were clearly old, yet they moved with startling agility, which made the whole thing feel strange.
Could it be... they just looked old? Maybe they weren't actually that old at all?
By the time Wildmutt finished that thought, he had already chased them deep into the warehouse.
The two robbers stood under the moonlight with their backs to Wildmutt, then slowly turned around.
Their eyes were hollow and lifeless, as if their souls had been emptied out. No joy, no anger, no emotion at all.
"Roar!" Wildmutt lunged forward with a powerful swipe.
The two of them leaped up at the same time, springing into the air and dodging Wildmutt's massive claw.
Then, like a pair of lizards, they clung to the stone pillars on either side, one left and one right, staring down coldly from above.
The old man attacked first, throwing a vicious kick straight at Wildmutt's face.
Wildmutt raised his right arm and barely managed to block it, but he still staggered and lost his balance, stumbling backward.
"Hyah!" The old woman drove a left hook into Wildmutt's chest and knocked him flat to the ground.
The two "strange" robbers did not say a single word. They just started beating Wildmutt relentlessly.
They were incredibly strong and seemed tireless. Every punch went straight for a vital spot.
"Roar!!"
Wildmutt snapped, his feral instincts exploding.
With a violent swing of his powerful arms, he sent both of them flying into the wall with a thunderous crash.
A shower of jewelry spilled from their sacks, glittering all over the floor.
Their faces were full of wrinkles, yet they stayed expressionless, as if they felt no pain at all.
It was almost like they had been hypnotized.
"Freeze!"
At that moment, a large group of security guards rushed in, rifles raised and aimed at Wildmutt.
Wildmutt glanced at them, about to explain.
"Roar, roar..."
The second he opened his mouth, he realized he could not talk.
Okay. Better run first...
Wildmutt turned around, only to discover that the two robbers had already vanished. All they left behind was a pile of jewelry.
"Roar!"
Forget it. Get out first.
Wildmutt slammed a foot into the ground and charged forward. His claws scraped the floor in a spray of sparks as he smashed through crates, trying to break out through the front entrance.
"Open fire!" the head guard shouted.
Rat-tat-tat!
A dense hail of bullets poured down, forming a steel storm that swallowed Wildmutt whole.
Wildmutt's hide was too tough for bullets to actually hurt him, but their force still drove him backward again and again.
At the critical moment, a blue blur flashed through the room at insane speed, weaving between the guards.
In the space of a heartbeat, XLR8 had snatched every weapon out of their hands.
None of the guards even saw XLR8 clearly. They just felt their hands suddenly go empty, and their guns were gone.
The guards stared down at their empty palms in stunned horror.
What the hell?
Was that a ghost or something?
By the time they finally reacted, the fierce beast was already gone, as if it had never been there at all.
...
Ten minutes later, inside the Rustbucket.
"Oh man, what was with those two old geezers? They were crazy strong. Did they grow up eating Sumo Slammers cereal or something?"
Ben's eyes were still wide. He had not recovered from the shock yet.
"Dork, eating corn chips doesn't make you stronger. It just makes you even more of an idiot." Gwen smacked her cousin on the head and rolled her eyes.
"Lucian, what exactly is going on here?" Grandpa Max asked.
Elderly robbers who moved like that... and bold enough to steal jewelry in front of a whole crowd?
There was definitely more to this.
Lucian rested his chin on one hand and thought it over.
If he remembered right, those two robbers had been hypnotized, and the one behind it all... seemed to be some pretty strange guy.
Lucian could not quite remember the name, but the guy seemed somewhat similar to Zombozo.
The difference was that one used hypnosis, while the other fed on joy.
This villain was not exactly top-tier, but he was not weak either. He could even hypnotize aliens, except for plant-based ones...
"Maybe those two were sleepwalking," Lucian said with a wave of his hand. "All right, Grandpa, it's getting late. We should get some rest."
"We still need to go into the mall first thing tomorrow morning to buy supplies, so don't stay up too late."
"Oh, and if there's any kind of hypnosis show nearby, don't go watch it. And definitely don't participate, got it?"
The others exchanged puzzled looks, clearly not understanding what Lucian meant.
Still, they chose to trust him.
After all, every time danger came their way, Lucian was the one who got them through it.
Lucian shrugged and lay back down on the bed.
He really did want to mention the hypnotist, but there was no easy way to explain it. He could hardly tell them he had been reborn.
Everyone turned in early.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning was fresh and clear. After washing up, the group headed into Walmart...