In Howell Wayneright's home, inside the first-floor study.
Zack sat at the computer desk, gripping the mouse awkwardly with his claws as he tried to operate it. Slowly, the computer booted up, and a prompt appeared, requesting a password.
"This is the only computer left to check. A mere password should be manageable with Upgrade."
Zack's eyes shifted, and he tapped the Carnitrix symbol.
With a flash of red light, Carnitrix Variant: Upgrade appeared and quickly spread across the computer's host, monitor, and peripherals.
The computer's operating speed instantly accelerated, and the password prompt was bypassed in seconds—a hardcore boot-up!
Pop-up windows opened one after another as the hard drive was rapidly scanned.
Zack absorbed the information at lightning speed. The clever part was that unless he deliberately chose to memorize them, these memories would fade quickly, never clogging his brain.
"Just a bunch of games and videos… nothing useful to me."
His face showed disappointment—until his expression suddenly shifted.
A hidden drive had been detected, and the system began scanning its contents!
Aliens, the Organization, suburbs…
From the hidden drive, Zack learned that the computer's owner was named Howell Wayneright, an alien enthusiast who was secretly working with a group called the Organization!
This Organization's base was located in the suburbs.
According to the hard drive data, it looked on the surface like some alien research club.
"If I remember correctly, the Organization is a villainous group…"
Zack detached from the computer, his expression solemn. "Now, I need to rescue Ben!"
Foosh~
With a flash of red light, he returned to his original form and left Howell's house. Just in time, Grandpa Max pulled up in the Rustbucket, and Zack hopped on so they could head straight to the Organization's base!
...
The Organization turned out to be a massive fortress.
Around the stronghold, heavily armed guards in armored suits patrolled the grounds, making the place look more like a military base than a research facility.
Inside the fortress, in a laboratory—
Howell smiled obsequiously, rubbing his hands. "That alien—I've delivered him to you. Can I have my payment now?"
"Payment?"
One of the armored soldiers, wearing a golden mask, turned to him coldly. "The alien you brought is so weak, you should be paying us for his medical expenses."
"What?? Medical expenses?"
Howell stared at the armored soldier in shock.
The Forever Knight nodded coldly. "As the seller, shouldn't you guarantee the health of the live specimens you bring in? If you can't even do that, you dare to ask us for money?"
Before long, two soldiers dragged the grumbling Howell out of the lab and tossed him into the corridor like garbage.
"Alright."
The Forever Knight slowly turned back toward the operating table, his tone almost fanatical. "Let's see what kind of value this mysterious alien truly holds."
On the huge operating table lay Ben's Ghostfreak form, his body bound tightly with heavy iron chains. He appeared motionless, as if unconscious.
"Boss." One soldier approached, respectfully offering an operating knife.
The Forever Knight took the blade and carefully sliced across the thin layer of Ghostfreak's pale skin. "This doesn't feel like normal flesh… it's more like some sort of disguise."
Whoosh!!Boom!
Suddenly, a grotesque tentacle whipped out, smacking the Forever Knight across the room with terrifying force!
The other soldiers froze in shock, then scrambled to raise their laser rifles, aiming at the operating table.
But the operating table was empty—Ghostfreak's figure had vanished!
"Kehehe…"
A bone-chilling laugh echoed above the soldiers' heads.
Tentacles suddenly lashed out, wrapping tightly around their necks like nooses!
The soldiers were hoisted violently into the air, their limbs thrashing helplessly.
"Ahh~ I've recovered almost completely."
Ghostfreak's eerie form materialized, his purple eyes glowing with a cruel, bloody light. "It's time to unleash a massacre~ Kehehehe~"
"You just signed your death warrant!"
The Forever Knight staggered to his feet, grabbing a laser rifle and aiming it at Ghostfreak.
Bang!
The blast went off just as reinforcements rushed into the lab, dozens of rifles snapping up and unleashing volleys of fire at Ghostfreak!
"The more of you there are, the more fun this becomes."
Ghostfreak faded into invisibility, weaving between soldiers like a phantom. His tentacles struck without warning, dragging men into the shadows.
Even worse, with every strike, he twisted their minds with illusions—turning the soldiers against one another, their weapons firing wildly as chaos erupted in the laboratory.
"Everyone, retreat with me! Gather all personnel, then deal with this alien!"
With the Forever Knight's command, the soldiers began to fall back in an orderly formation.
Ghostfreak pursued them mercilessly. "Retreat? Bahahaha~~ That depends on whether you survive long enough to try!"
"Haha, well done!"
From outside the corridor, House cheered excitedly as he watched Ghostfreak tearing through the ranks.
The next second, he was casually swatted aside by Ghostfreak. "You too, kid—you deserve to die, too!"
—
Outside the Fortress
The Forever Knight, leading a handful of bloodied survivors, managed to escape the base.
Their battered state quickly drew the attention of the outer guards. After hearing the report, all remaining troops prepared for a desperate defense against Ghostfreak inside.
Wroom~!
But before they could regroup, the roar of an engine echoed through the night. An old RV barreled into the Fortress territory, screeching to a halt at the gates.
Click!
Inside the Rustbucket, the Carnitrix's screen suddenly popped open, displaying the silhouette of a an alien.
Without hesitation, Zack slammed his hand down on the dial.
Just trust the Carnitrix and it'll be fine!
Bang bang bang!
The Forever Knight and the others all raised their laser rifles, aiming at the Rustbucket as red light flared inside.
Then the door swung open, and a terrifying figure stepped out.
The Eternal Warrior and his men… forgot to even pull the trigger. They froze, staring in absolute horror at the monster that emerged.
A massive, muscular alien, with four colossal arms bulging with power, his sheer size tearing through what little fabric covered him.
Carnitrix Variant: Four Arms!
"The Four-Arms transformation is stronger and bigger than before!" Gwen's eyes widened in shock. "He'll definitely be able to save Ben!"
"I hope so…"
Grandpa Max took a deep breath.
Sigh.Why were Azmuth's watches like this?Ben's watch malfunctioned constantly.
And Zack's watch made him so terrifying..
If both watches were stable… maybe things wouldn't always end up so chaotic. It's good that Zack is such a reliable child!
"Hey, you guys."
Zack stepped forward, his massive frame rippling with muscle. "I only have one question: Where is Ben?"
"Fire!!"
At the Forever Knight's command, every soldier frantically raised their laser rifles and unleashed a storm of blasts.
Countless beams struck Zack, exploding into a cloud of smoke…
The next second, he walked out of the haze completely unharmed, not even blinking.
His sheer physical strength had reached a level beyond imagination.
Ordinary weapons couldn't even scratch him.
"I just asked a simple question. Well, you guys fucked up!"
As Zack advanced on the soldiers, he raised all four arms and clapped his hands together with a casual motion.
Rumble!!
The shockwave of compressed air tore forward like a hurricane, instantly flattening the squad of Warriors and hurling them across the ground.
The entrance of the Fortress itself cracked and collapsed under the impact.
"Done." Zack's deep voice echoed in the silence. He flexed his fists and scanned the halls ahead. "Next, I need to find Ben."
Zack rubbed his hands together, preparing to step into the Fortress.
Ding!The host has defeated the Warriors of the Organization and significantly altered the plot, giving Zs'Skayr, the Ectonurite whose DNA was stored, an early chance to appear. Progress +1!
Template progress is now 22/100. Advanced Plumber abilities unlocked!
Damn… Had he really changed the plot again, forcing the self-aware Ghostfreak to appear early?
But since things had already developed this way, Zack didn't waste time dwelling on it.
He only had one goal now:
Deliver a crushing blow and take down Ghostfreak!!
It was still the same belief as always—use absolute power to deal with every variable!
...
[Note: In the original series, Ben's Omnitrix malfunctioned only after he actively smashed it, which caused him to transform into Grey Matter and later get captured. In this retelling, Ben hesitated to press it, the Omnitrix malfunctioned on its own, and he passively transformed into Ghostfreak—leading to the self-aware Ectonurite's premature appearance!]