First floor of the restaurant, bedroom.
The wavering candlelight cast shifting shadows across the gray-white walls, giving the room an eerie, end-of-the-world feel.
Several beds were crammed inside, clearly the dormitory for the restaurant staff.
Lucian and the others had all gathered here.
The twins were surprisingly well-behaved. They didn't cry or fuss, just lay quietly on the soft bed, wide-eyed, as if lost in their own little world.
As for Ben and Gwen, no surprise there—they'd started arguing again.
The reason was simple: they were fighting over who got the top bunk.
"Hey, doofus! I'm your cousin. What's wrong with letting me have it?" Gwen snapped, hands on her hips.
"I'm your cousin too! You're supposed to listen to me!" Ben shot back, refusing to give in.
"No way! You've got athlete's foot. If you sleep up there, the smell will kill me!" Gwen said firmly.
"Relax. Grandpa gave me this special powder for athlete's foot. The smell'll be gone in no time."
Grinning, Ben pulled out a bottle and dumped the powder onto his feet like it was free.
"It reeks! I'd rather sleep with Cuz than have you above me!" Gwen looked like she was about to cry from frustration.
"Then go ahead…"
Neither of them would back down, and the stalemate dragged on.
Grandpa Max seemed long since used to this routine. Instead of intervening, he simply turned and headed for the kitchen.
"I'll go find something to eat. Don't run around," Grandpa Max said with a gentle smile.
Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly. A bad feeling crept up on him.
In movies, whenever someone wandered off alone like this, something always happened. Splitting up was practically asking for trouble.
"Grandpa, I'll go with you," Lucian said with a smile, then turned to Ben. "Protect everyone else, got it?"
"Relax, Cuz. The hero's here. What weirdo would dare cause trouble?" Ben waved him off. "Just go."
Lucian nodded and followed Grandpa Max into the kitchen.
Compared to the dining area, the kitchen was relatively intact and far less messy.
Lucian opened the refrigerator, and his eyes lit up.
It was packed to the brim with fresh ingredients.
Nice. Tonight's late-night snack was secured.
Grandpa Max lit a candle and set it in the center of the kitchen for light, then began preparing the food.
"Grandpa Max, I'll help," Lucian said as he stepped forward.
But his outstretched arm stopped halfway.
He'd just remembered—he couldn't cook…
Grandpa Max chuckled. "Heh, Lucian, just sit and watch. Grandpa's got time. I'll make you all a delicious, nutritious feast!"
"Alright…" Lucian said, a little embarrassed.
He moved to the window and started scanning the surroundings.
Outside, darkness pressed in. The wind howled endlessly.
In the distance, the trees swayed wildly, their branches clawing at the air like demons dancing in the night.
For the moment, nothing seemed out of place…
Lucian let out a quiet breath.
Time passed little by little.
About half an hour later, Grandpa Max's nutritious feast was almost ready.
Only one dish remained: "Grilled Centipede."
"Could tonight really be this peaceful?" Lucian frowned.
This was completely off-script. He'd basically stood there on guard for nothing for half an hour.
Rustle… rustle…
A strange sound suddenly came from outside the window, like something crawling.
"It's here!" Lucian's eyes sharpened.
He looked up at the window, his pupils shrinking.
It was… a carnivorous flower!
Its petals were purple, and its gaping mouth was lined with triangular fangs that gleamed with a cold, menacing light.
The massive plant was forcing its way through the window, trying to squeeze into the kitchen to devour the two of them.
Its bulk filled the entire frame as it slowly pushed inward.
Grandpa Max flinched for a split second, then reacted instantly, swinging his spatula down hard.
Bang!
The sturdy spatula slammed into the carnivorous flower. It only paused briefly before growing even more enraged, pushing inside with greater force.
"Let me handle it."
Lucian raised his wrist and pressed the Omnitrix. A burst of green light flared out.
A small black-and-green figure materialized in midair, crackling with green electricity. Behind it floated the symbols "+" and "–," marking positive and negative poles, like a living battery.
Buzzshock let out a playful laugh, lifted a tiny hand, and fired two bolts of lightning straight at the carnivorous flower.
The plant couldn't dodge in time and took the hit head-on.
"Hiss—!"
It shrieked as its purple petals rapidly charred black, thin wisps of white smoke curling into the air.
In just a few seconds, the violent surge of electricity drained every trace of life from it.
Its massive body shriveled visibly, vitality fading fast.
That horrifying mouth stopped opening and closing, then the whole plant toppled backward, crashing onto the ground outside the window.
Grandpa Max wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Didn't expect carnivorous plants out here… and one that big, too."
Buzzshock grinned, about to say something.
Suddenly, a green object shot out from the distant forest at incredible speed.
Bang!
The impact was so powerful it punched straight through Buzzshock's chest.
Buzzshock stared down at the hole in disbelief.
What just happened?
But that level of damage wasn't enough to take him down.
Electricity surged through his body, and the wound sealed up in the blink of an eye.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A barrage of emerald-green spherical pellets, like bullets, poured out of the forest, weaving together into a dense, terrifying net that rained down on them.
Buzzshock thrust out his hand, forming a layer of electric shielding outside the window. The incoming pellets were instantly electrocuted into blackened cinders.
Still, some of them struck the restaurant walls, blasting hole after hole through the structure.
If this kept up, the entire building would fall apart. He couldn't let that happen.
A fierce killing intent flared in Buzzshock's green eyes. In a flash, he shot toward the dark forest.
He was going to see who dared to ambush him.
Brilliant teal lightning lit up the trees as he sped forward.
Green pellets continued to fire from deep within the woods, streaking toward him in a relentless barrage.
But Buzzshock was unbelievably fast, turning into a streak of lightning and weaving effortlessly through every attack.
Before long, he caught sight of the one responsible.
"What? This is actually…"
Buzzshock's eyes widened in disbelief.
The attacker turned out to be… a Peashooter plant!
...
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