"These really are human bones. Only the right hand and left leg are missing—looks like they were chewed off by some wild animal." Zhang Dong had seen his share of corpses before, so bones didn't scare him. But it felt strange. After all, they were supposed to be the first humans to set foot on Core.
"There's more over here."
Scattered bones—about seven or eight sets—were found, but none of them were complete.
"At least this proves that besides us, there are other creatures on this planet. Maybe even humans."
Kid thought, 'These bones all look like they were torn apart. There's probably something here that eats people.' He said, "Alright, everyone back in. Let's keep moving."
Another ten minutes of flight, and they finally saw different terrain—forest. Even better, Kid spotted a small village on the forest's edge. A good place to rest. There were even crops growing nearby.
The small, rough village seemed to hold only about twenty people at most. There were only nine wooden houses, all built from local materials. The insides were pitch dark—no windows.
"On guard!" Those still able to stand took charge of securing the area.
"Report: no one here."
"No one?"
The soldier corrected himself, maybe realizing he'd spoken oddly. "No signs of aliens."
"Then we'll stay here," Kid said. "There's a well, a vegetable patch. Let's cook something, get people healthy, then plan the next move."
"Guess we don't have much choice."
The furniture inside the houses was all made of wood—plain and basic, but perfectly suitable for humans.
"Feels like I'm in a medieval movie. These things look ancient," Zhang Dong said, looking around.
Kid agreed. "Maybe this planet's civilization is still at the medieval stage."
Soon, An Rong came back after testing the water. She said the well water was safe to drink.
"I'll go boil some water and start cooking," Zhang Dong said with relief. "Dr. An Rong, can you check those vegetables outside—make sure they're not poisonous?"
Before An Rong could answer, Kid said, "They're fine. You can eat them. I just don't know if they'll taste any good."
"Don't care. As long as it's edible, I'll cook it."
Zhang Dong left. An Rong didn't question Kid's judgment. She was just confused—if he was that capable, why'd he ask her to test the water in the first place?
"You're wondering why I had you test the well, thinking it was unnecessary?"
An Rong nodded.
"I may be part of the Justice League, but I can't protect everyone. What you need isn't dependence on me—it's vigilance and self-reliance. I'm not going to drop everything just because someone needs rescuing. In the end, the only people you can count on are yourselves."
"You don't think that's too cold? With your power, you could've helped us sooner. Then we wouldn't have so many sick and wounded. Aren't you supposed to be a hero?" An Rong couldn't help but feel Kid hadn't done enough. "Or are you one of those halfway heroes—not like Superman?"
That's just how people are. Even a highly educated scientist like her could fall into that mindset. When a hero steps up, people always think it's not enough. And when they receive help, they treat it like it's deserved. Because the other person is a hero—because they're powerful—so of course they should help.
"I'm definitely not Superman. Not because I'm halfway in, but because every hero is different. But there's one thing we all have in common—watchfulness."
"Watchfulness?"
"That's right. We don't need your respect. We're not afraid of your rejection. What you think doesn't change us. We're here to watch over humanity, to protect Earth, to make sure humankind can survive and grow. As for individuals—your gains or losses—we can't take care of everyone. So unless it's a life-or-death moment, I won't step in. Like before, when you still had energy, I just walked with you. It wasn't until you were really on the brink of collapse that I flew you here."
In truth, Liu A'dou had already helped earlier, but that wasn't something Kid could mention. He had to keep his stance clear.
"Tch!" It all sounded noble, but to An Rong, it just felt like shirking responsibility. She couldn't even be bothered to respond.
But Kid didn't care whether he was liked or hated anymore. Ever since landing on 'Einstein Star', he'd had the feeling something was off everywhere.
The sun was still high, but inside the houses it was dark. Luckily, they had solar-powered flashlights.
The sick and wounded were settled, they'd eaten, and after some rest, they'd be okay. As for the uninjured soldiers, Zhang Dong got them up for training—both the Americans and Russians. They had to adapt to the double gravity as soon as possible and regain combat strength. Clearly, Zhang Dong had the same uneasy feeling Kid did.
So they kept their weapons close.
The long daylight finally passed, and the two moons of Core—Seed One and Seed Two—rose into the sky. Night had fully fallen.
In the forest behind the small village, two shadowy figures crept closer to the houses.
"Night's already fallen. Why haven't the villagers shown up?" Zhang Dong was feeling increasingly uneasy.
An Rong was nervous too, though she distracted herself by tinkering with her research equipment. The American and Russian captains were both sick, and their soldiers, now split into patrol groups, were tense and scared. Each group walked their rounds armed and on edge.
They had spent a night out on the plains before, but nothing had ever made them feel this unsettled. Those strange human bones still lingered in their minds. Who knew what kind of things lived on this planet? The patrolling soldiers kept feeling like countless eyes were watching them from the shadows. Alone on an alien world, a sense of danger was inevitable.
That unease built up a growing fear. Fear chipped away at reason. It had only been 70 hours since landing, but their nerves had been stretched tight from the start. Just one little scare could push them over the edge.
Clack. Clack!
"What was that?" Two soldiers on patrol froze when one of them suddenly heard a strange sound.
"What?"
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The sound from the forest became clearer—it was like bones knocking together.
"Who's there? Come out!" One of them raised his rifle toward the woods.
It also sounded like a hollow, raspy voice vibrating in someone's throat. Sharp and bone-chilling.
The patrolling soldiers swallowed nervously. Cold sweat ran down their backs. They were guests on this alien planet, completely in the dark about what threats might lurk nearby. The tension was crushing.
That eerie sound kept getting closer—clack. clack.
The soldiers couldn't take it anymore. One of them racked his rifle—round chambered. "Come out, now! Or we'll open fire!" Even trained elite troops could lose their cool on an alien planet. Who knew what kind of monstrosity might leap out? Just standing their ground already showed courage. You couldn't expect them to stay calm.
Because whatever this was—it clearly defied human logic. A blur of shadow burst from the trees like a ghost, darting across the ground like a demon. They couldn't even see the enemy clearly. It glided side to side in a ghostly sprint, heading straight at them.
Ratatat—ratatat!
The soldiers opened fire. They'd been briefed before the mission that when safety was at risk, they had permission to shoot first.
The gunfire jolted everyone awake. Zhang Dong shot up like a spring, grabbed the rifle beside his sleeping bag, and dashed outside. "What's going on?"
One of the soldiers on guard shouted, "The patrol fired! East side!"
"Follow me!" No time to think—Zhang Dong led a group of soldiers toward the east. They couldn't afford to let anyone else get hurt.