"Sleeping outside tonight… It's probably going to be really cold."
Lumber collapsed to his knees, crying and complaining.
Alba looked around for a moment before turning back.
"Hey, we might run into demons out here. How about we head back into the mist instead?"
Lumber sat curled up, being patted on the shoulder by Gumber as he replied:
"No way! I'd rather fight demons…"
The horrifying scene inside the white mist flashed through his mind.
"…than run into those bizarre monsters again!"
In the distance, the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon. The sky had now turned a mystical shade of purple.
Shinji, with Beast and Ceasar on his shoulders, pointed toward a large tree in the distance. A stream flowed beside it.
"Hey, let's go rest over there."
They had no idea where to go, and the sky was growing darker.
"Sure. It's not like we're not already lost."
Alba said as he slowly made his way toward it.
"Lie down here. It'll be more comfortable."
Alba gently placed Akidou and Omelet on the ground.
"These two… I wonder when they'll wake up."
Zoe said, touching Akidou's forehead.
Alba sat down, leaning his large body against the tree trunk and closing his eyes.
"I'll sleep for a bit. Wake me up if there's any danger."
Shinji walked over as well. Beast and Ceasar jumped down, ran to Zoe, grabbed her hands, and bounced around cheerfully.
"I wonder if the Commander-in-Chief will really come rescue us."
Shinji muttered.
"Don't worry. He cares about us a lot."
Alba replied with his eyes still closed.
In the distance, Gumber and Lio were still trying to comfort Lumber.
Akidou's leg continued bleeding nonstop.
"That's strange… Is that creature really not letting go of his leg?"
Shinji asked as he stepped closer.
"It's not that it won't let go. It's that it can't."
Zoe said, pointing at its sharp fang.
"It pierced straight through. And look closely—there are backward-facing barbs on it too."
Lio stepped in to take a look.
Shinji glanced at him.
"Hey Lio, where's the medicine pouch Olivia gave us?"
Lio quickly reached into his bag and handed it to Shinji.
"I don't even know how to use any of this…"
Shinji took out a handful of herbs. It was a cluster of leaves with a long central stem and smaller green leaves branching off it.
"That's Duong Si leaf."
Zoe said from a short distance away.
"Duong Si? Will it help at all, Zoe?"
Zoe looked uncertain, scratching her head before answering:
"I'm not sure. I've read about it before, but I don't remember what it's used for."
Shinji looked at the leaves and clenched them tightly.
"Whatever. We don't have any other choice right now."
He crushed them in his hand, green juice dripping out.
"Try putting it on Akidou's wound, Shinji."
Zoe knelt beside Akidou's leg. The bug clamped onto him was still alive, firmly latched in place.
"Alright, I'll try."
Shinji pressed the crushed leaves onto the wound, stuffing them into the gap between the sharp fang and Akidou's bleeding leg.
"It's working!"
After applying the leaves, the bleeding slowed down significantly.
"Good. Now we just have to wait for rescue."
Gumber's voice called out. He was sitting behind the tree, shivering from the cold.
"Hey, it's freezing. How about we light a fire to warm up?"
Lumber immediately refused.
"If you light a fire, demons will come bite your head off, little brother."
No one knew how much time had passed. The sky was completely dark now, with only faint moonlight shining down.
"Alright, your turn, Lio."
Alba said before drifting off to sleep.
They took turns keeping watch so the others could rest.
Lio struggled to stay awake, staring intensely into the darkness.
After a few minutes, exhaustion overtook him, and he woke Shinji up.
"Ah… it's my turn already?"
Shinji rubbed his eyes and sat up. Lio nodded and leaned against the tree to sleep.
Shinji yawned and looked behind him. Alba, Lio, Lumber, and Gumber were huddled together to keep warm. Akidou and Omelet were sleeping beside Zoe, Beast, and Ceasar.
"So sleepy… I'm so sleepy…"
Shinji forced himself to stay alert, staring into the distance.
Suddenly, a loud noise rumbled from underground.
"What was that? Is someone swimming down there?"
Shinji muttered, his eyes drooping.
Boom!
The ground shook violently. Shinji was thrown into the air from where he sat.
"What the hell was that?!"
Lumber and Gumber slammed their heads against the ground painfully. Lio jolted upright. Only Alba remained fast asleep.
A ferocious roar echoed from beneath the earth, as if a massive creature was clawing its way upward.
"Hey! Wake up!"
Gumber pulled Alba's eyelids open, forcing him awake.
Alba sat up, confused to see everyone preparing for battle.
"What's going on?"
Before he could fully process it, Lumber pointed at a tree branch above.
"Break off two branches for us. Get ready to fight!"
Alba jumped to his feet.
"Another monster? Now that's exciting!"
He snapped off two branches for Lumber and Gumber to use as weapons, then stepped forward.
"Finally! I haven't crushed anyone all day!"
Alba's eyes gleamed with excitement, in stark contrast to everyone else's tense and fearful expressions.
Ahead of them, the ground trembled violently.
"It's coming!"
Gumber shouted.
"Annabella, get ready! When we stab it, you charge in!"
Alba blinked in confusion.
"What? My name's Alba!"
The earth cracked open. Dirt and rocks exploded outward.
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed:
"Super Mole Excavator — Upgraded Model 3000DX!"
Back in Heavenfield, Commander Tetsutaro sat inside his dark control room filled with glowing blue monitors.
"Excellent. This is going to be fun!"
Tetsutaro stood up. His chair automatically compressed and transformed into a solid metal block fused to the floor.
With each step he took, the room began to transform.
The floor split apart, and a large iron box rose from beneath. Tetsutaro slowly stepped inside.
The room separated into multiple segments. Mechanical arms extended from all directions, gripping the steel box and gradually lifting it upward.
At a massive white hangar, engineers were busy repairing something.
Tetsutaro's box emerged from the floor and opened. He stepped out calmly.
"Is it finished, Wonton?"
An elderly man wearing large black goggles, his body covered in oil stains and soot, turned around.
"It's ready. You can activate it anytime."
A rail track lay beneath a long trench, leading straight toward a massive door that was slowly opening.
"I'll leave it to you, Wonton."
Tetsutaro said, handing him a large metal box.
"Wrat will be activated in five minutes!"
A man in an upper control room announced over the intercom.
"Head straight there, Wonton. Once you arrive, activate this box."