Gunfire lit up the wilderness with sparks, flashing like tiny stars.
To the planet 'Einstein Star', humans from Earth were nothing more than guests. And Earthlings didn't know the first thing about it—not its customs, not its dangers.
The first lesson came when Landing Ship One landed recklessly. Gravity alone had schooled them hard.
Now came the second lesson. A monster—no, two. One had already burst out of the forest, the other still lurked in the trees.
Their golden pupils glowed with a terrifying light, especially frightening in the dark.
Whoosh—crack!
"Ah!" A soldier's arm was sliced off. Blood sprayed into the sky, staining both moons red.
"Open fire!" Zhang Dong didn't hesitate for a second. His decisiveness was on full display. The six soldiers who came with him all opened fire on the monster at the same time.
Bullets formed a net, blasting toward it.
The monster let out a guttural, screeching sound and began to retreat into the woods. The bullets hurt—really hurt.
What the hell was that thing? Zhang Dong saw with his own eyes the bullets drilling into that terrifying creature's body. So why, why didn't it die?
"Don't stop! Keep firing!" he yelled, then turned to the patrolling soldiers. "Drag the wounded back here, quick!"
Of the two soldiers on patrol, only one was injured. The other one, dragging his comrade with the severed arm, dashed back as fast as he could. Soaked in sweat, horrified—those things were unkillable.
Once they were clear, Zhang Dong shouted, "Throw grenades!"
Killing the monsters was top priority. A few grenades exploded and finally scared the beasts off. Even the second monster, still hiding and watching in the forest, fled as well.
"Cease fire!" Zhang Dong raised his hand. Everyone stopped instantly.
"Ahhh!" The wounded soldier screamed, "My arm!"
"Medic!" Zhang Dong bellowed, running to retrieve the severed limb. His face was grim. He still had no idea what that thing was.
An Rong stood under the lights, watching nervously. The intense gunfire had already woken everyone, and now she saw a blood-covered soldier being carried back. "What happened?"
"I don't know what it was. Some unknown creature attacked us!" a soldier shouted while catching his breath.
The village exploded into noise. After handing the severed arm to the medic, Zhang Dong's face darkened. This planet wasn't safe—they had to get out.
"Captain Zhang, what was it? What did it look like?"
"Dr. An, it's not safe. You'd better stay inside," Zhang Dong said, feeling it was his duty to protect her.
"Tell me, what exactly did the unknown creature look like?"
"Looked like a giant hairless wolf. I didn't see clearly, but it's not dead yet. Get inside, now," Zhang Dong said.
An Rong really wanted to see what the creature looked like, but now wasn't the time. She cooperated and went back inside. Just before entering, she noticed Kid had gone into the surgical room.
"My arm!" The injured American soldier screamed in English, frantic with pain.
"Stop the bleeding. Press down," the medic ordered, pressing gauze to the wound. But blood kept gushing out.
"Hang in there, buddy!" Most of the soldiers here spoke English, though they rarely used it out of stubbornness. Zhang Dong himself gave commands to the American and Russian teams in English.
"Inject morphine!" a young soldier couldn't take the sight of the pain anymore.
"F**k you! I want my arm!" the soldier howled.
But under current conditions, surgery was impossible. Just stopping the bleeding was already lucky. Otherwise, the soldier would die from blood loss.
"Let me do it," said Kid as he walked in. He took the severed arm from the medic and placed it next to the wounded soldier. "Step back."
Liu A'dou aligned the arm with the stump and activated Ripple. The ability of "Withered Tree in Spring" quickly triggered regeneration between the wound and the limb. The process was agonizing—no anesthesia, just raw pain and unbearable itching.
"Ahhhhhh—!"
"It'll be fine in a second. Didn't you say you wanted your arm back?" Liu A'dou's hands weren't gentle, but that's what it took to save the limb.
"F**k!!"
The process only lasted about two minutes, but to the injured soldier, it felt like months or years. That kind of pain—he'd never forget it for the rest of his life.
"Done. The arm's saved. But he needs to rest," Kid said calmly.
Everyone else just stared in shock. Was this one of Kaitou Kid's magic tricks too? He seemed so different from the guy they thought they knew. Maybe this was why he joined the Justice League? Stealing was just for fun—saving the world was the real mission. Either way, the way he reattached the arm was so unreal it seemed faster than actual surgery.
Kid stepped out and immediately saw Zhang Dong craning his neck, peeking inside. He spoke to him, "The American soldier's fine. Take me to the scene."
Zhang Dong trusted Kid.
They arrived at a shadowy area on the eastern side of the village—out of reach of the lights. This was where the monster had suddenly attacked the patrol. Looking around, the forest was already close.
Zhang Dong flicked on the flashlight mounted on his weapon, finger ready on the trigger. "That thing took multiple bullets and still didn't die."
"I saw it. Besides the red blood on the ground, there's also purple fluid. Probably the monster's blood," said Liu A'dou.
Zhang Dong looked closer—sure enough, there was a lot of purple fluid. "What kind of alien creature bleeds purple? An Rong's gonna be thrilled," he muttered, still finding time to poke fun.
"Kid, do you think those skeletons we found on the grasslands were also victims of this monster?" Zhang Dong suddenly asked. "And this strange village—could it have been wiped out by the same thing?"
Kid gave a small nod. "Judging by the wounded soldier's injury, it matches the break marks on those bones. I'd say it's very likely. As for the villagers… they probably didn't make it either."
"Then this planet isn't safe. Kid, I want you to take us back to the 'Caterpillar.' With your power, that shouldn't be a problem, right?" Zhang Dong was ready to call off the mission.
"I can do it. But I won't."
"That non-interference policy again?" Zhang Dong had already heard about Kid's stance from An Rong. "But we clearly weren't prepared this time. And there are dangerous lifeforms on this planet. We need better weapons before we explore again. This mission has already failed. There's no point in continuing it."
Kid looked into Zhang Dong's eyes and suddenly felt like a cold-blooded monster. The truth was, he and the soldiers lived on different levels. These creatures on this planet didn't bother him at all. But for the soldiers, every step was life or death. Today it was a lost arm. Tomorrow someone might die.
Kid could walk around casually, curiously peeking at things left and right. But the soldiers had no reason to die for an underprepared mission. In Zhang Dong's eyes, the expedition should end right here. The soldiers had no more reason to stay, and the best choice now was retreat. Zhang Dong brought his people here and planned to bring them back alive.
"Alright," Kid sighed. He understood Zhang Dong's reasoning. And he felt for these soldiers under immense pressure.
"Thank you. I thank you on behalf of every soldier," Zhang Dong said, finally breathing a little easier. But deep inside, he silently vowed to return one day—next time fully prepared.