At dawn the next day, Grandpa Max was already up. After freshening up, he started the old RV and drove toward the nearest big city.
The others were still sound asleep.
It wasn't until they were nearing the city limits that Xiao Chen stirred awake. Instinctively, he touched the Omnitrix on his wrist with his left hand, feeling its solid presence.
Sitting up, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and adjusted to the light streaming in before climbing down from his bunk.
With three people on board, the RV had stacked bunks, and Xiao Chen had been sleeping on the topmost one. Naturally, this meant a bit of climbing up and down.
"Good morning, Grandpa," Xiao Chen greeted Grandpa Max with a nod before heading to the bathroom to wash up, brush his teeth, and change into clean clothes. He then sat down and began fiddling with the Omnitrix again. Even after having it for a whole day, he still found the device endlessly fascinating.
"Xiao Chen, there's breakfast in the fridge. Eat first before playing with that watch," Grandpa Max said with a caring tone.
"Got it, Grandpa." Xiao Chen took out a few slices of bread from the fridge, toasted them, and began eating while continuing to twist and turn the Omnitrix.
"If I could transform into Way Big or XLR8, I'd be unstoppable," Xiao Chen mused to himself, his imagination running wild.
"The system can enhance my alien heroes, so it should also be able to upgrade this trusty clunker! Maybe it could awaken its Ultimate Evolution ahead of time, or even unlock new alien heroes!"
To Xiao Chen, the Omnitrix wasn't the ultimate cheat. The true cheat was the system.
"Xiao Chen, buckle your seatbelt!" Grandpa Max suddenly warned in a serious tone, his focus unwavering as he drove.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Xiao Chen quickly put down the Omnitrix and his empty plate, fastening his seatbelt without delay.
Sure enough, the RV began swerving left and right, seemingly dodging vehicles ahead!
Through the window—
Xiao Chen caught sight of a large truck speeding past the RV. Onboard were several masked men, each armed with rifles, their menacing gazes briefly locking onto Xiao Chen.
"Those guys… robbers?" Xiao Chen muttered, pressing his face against the cold glass, his eyes straining to see what lay ahead.
Not far away—
An apartment building was ablaze, with people inside crying out for help. Surrounding the building was a crowd of onlookers, some trying to douse the flames with buckets of water, others frantically calling the fire department. Yet, their efforts were too slow to rescue those trapped inside.
"A gang of robbers stormed the residential building, stole money from the residents, and set the place on fire to cover their escape before fleeing!" Xiao Chen quickly pieced together the sequence of events in his mind.
If nothing intervenes, the people inside will perish in the flames…
But Xiao Chen was that intervention.
"Grandpa," Xiao Chen said resolutely, turning to Grandpa Max, who had already prepared to stop the RV. He pulled over in a concealed spot.
"Xiao Chen, what's going on?" Gwen and Ben woke up from their slumber, with Gwen curiously eyeing Xiao Chen.
"There's a fire outside. I'm going to save the people. You two stay safe," Xiao Chen said firmly as he hurried to the door.
Before stepping out, Grandpa Max called out to him again, turning around with a face full of concern. "No matter what alien you transform into, Xiao Chen, remember this: stay safe and don't reveal your identity."
Warmth surged through Xiao Chen's heart. No matter what happened, he was always Grandpa Max's grandson—even when he transformed into an alien hero.
"Understood, Grandpa!" Xiao Chen nodded emphatically before stepping out of the RV and heading into a nearby alley. After ensuring no one was around, he activated the Omnitrix. The screen popped up instantly.
Bang!
With a light tap—
A brilliant flash of fire erupted!
Heatblast emerged in the alley, his fiery body illuminating the darkness.
Boom!!
Jets of flame shot out from his feet, propelling him into the air. Like a blazing comet trailing fire, he soared toward the burning building!
The crowd of onlookers quickly noticed.
A streak of red lightning tore through the sky, zooming over their heads and stopping in front of the burning building!
"Alright, let's start by controlling the outer flames," Heatblast declared as he landed. With a slight twist of his arms, fiery energy surged out from him, forming a barrier of flames on the ground that encircled the burning building.
The original fire was immediately isolated by Heatblast's higher-temperature flames, preventing it from spreading further.
"Help! Somebody help us!"
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