"That sounds pretty creepy." Gwen rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
Logically, even if a mummy really did exist, it ought to be in an ancient Egyptian tomb.
How could one show up in a remote place like this?
Unless it wasn't from Earth at all, but some kind of alien mummy.
Or maybe Todd was lying?
A faint glint passed through Lucian's eyes. So this guy had finally shown up after all.
A mummy. A Thep Khufan from Anur Khufos, resembling an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, wrapped all over in bandages, with rapid healing abilities.
And it was no weakling in a fight, either.
In the original series, this was the place where Ben's Omnitrix recorded the mummy's DNA.
But Lucian had already unlocked the mummy's genetic data through the System, so there was no need to collect it again.
"Awesome! Looks like this place isn't that boring after all!" Ben said excitedly.
As they talked, the group arrived at a crude triangular wooden hut.
Todd led Lucian and the others straight up to the loft.
There were four little beds, each with a thin sheet and a battered pillow. It was shabby, but at least it was somewhere to sleep.
"Alright, this is your sweet home for the next week," Todd said.
Suddenly, Ben twitched his nose and clapped a hand over it. "Ew. What is that smell?!"
"Oh, this is also our chicken coop," Todd said blankly, clearly long since used to it.
"Oh my God, I have to get out of here!!!" Ben cried in agony.
"Grandpa, I don't want to live with chickens, boo-hoo..." Gwen started wiping away tears.
To their surprise, Grandpa Max took a deep breath. "Ah, this is what nature smells like!"
Lucian's mouth twitched slightly. Grandpa really had been through it all.
"Phew. I'm beat!"
After working all day, Ben felt sore all over and flopped onto the bed.
Suddenly, a hen shrieked from under the pillow, followed by frantic flapping.
Startled, Ben quickly lifted the pillow.
Underneath it was a yellow-brown hen brooding over her eggs, her little head drooping as she looked Ben up and down.
"Oh, man..." Ben felt like his life had turned completely bleak.
Before long, Todd left.
One by one, everyone climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep.
...
The night was dark, and the wind was fierce.
The cold wind howled like an invisible giant hand sweeping over the withered grassland, making it rustle softly.
Grandpa Max was already fast asleep, hugging his pillow.
But at that moment, some people were wide awake and full of energy.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Ben and Gwen quietly slipped out of the chicken coop and headed outside.
In the dim loft, Lucian slowly opened his eyes...
...
After leaving the chicken coop, Ben and Gwen walked through the dark grass. It was so black around them they could barely see a thing, enough to make their scalps tingle.
The cold wind kept slipping into their sleeves, mercilessly draining away their body heat.
Hugging themselves, the two shivered nonstop and didn't dare stop for even a moment.
"Hey, doofus, do you think Todd was lying this afternoon?" Gwen asked, her hair a mess, her voice carried off by the cold wind.
"Probably, maybe, I don't think so..." Ben's nose was running from the cold, and his teeth were chattering. "Anyway, we'll know once we check out Old Man Jason's ranch."
Old Man Jason's ranch wasn't far from Todd's house.
It was only about a ten-minute walk.
Ben suddenly let out a small sound of surprise. Not far ahead, on the grass, was a line of purple footprints glowing with an eerie light.
The trail of purple footprints led straight to a huge crater.
The two exchanged a look and immediately ran over to check it out.
Standing at the edge of the crater, Ben looked down, but there was nothing there.
"That's weird. Did the mummy go back underground?" Ben couldn't help asking.
Did it crawl out, only to bury itself again?
Gwen looked puzzled and shook her head. "An ancient Egyptian tomb in South Carolina? That makes no sense..."
"Moo!"
Suddenly, two purple... cows appeared on the distant hillside.
Their faces were twisted, their fangs bared, and their entire bodies gave off an eerie purple glow. They were bigger, more deformed, like monsters mutated by some kind of radiation.
The two mutant cows had clearly spotted Ben and Gwen as well. They immediately charged over on purple claws, gouging deep, terrifying marks into the ground as they rushed toward them with violent ferocity.
"Transform already!" Gwen's face went deathly pale.
"I'm trying to..." Ben pressed the Omnitrix, but nothing happened.
"Oh, man. This stupid watch is glitching again!!"
Seeing that, Gwen immediately began chanting a spell and thrust out her hand.
"Metal Wall!"
Boom.
A golden wall of energy burst out of the ground, blocking the mutant cows from reaching Gwen.
Bang!
One mutant cow slammed into the metal wall, instantly covering it in cracks.
The next mutant cow followed right behind it and completely shattered the wall.
Countless golden fragments of energy scattered across the grassland, then gradually faded into the darkness.
The mutated cows were far stronger than normal ones.
After smashing through the energy wall, the two mutant cows opened their sharp fangs, let out horrifying roars, and lunged at Gwen.
"Fasttrack!"
A pale blue gust streaked past Gwen's side.
The next second, Gwen was gone.
Ben froze. Before he could react, a furry hand grabbed him and dragged him into the rushing wind.
Ben was just about to struggle when he heard a hoarse voice.
"Don't be scared, Ben. It's your Cuz." The tone was instantly familiar.
Only then did Ben stop resisting.
A few seconds later, the wind died down.
Ben's feet touched the ground as the "gust of wind" set him down, and only then did he get a clear look at what it was.
It had a lean, muscular build and looked like a blue cat standing upright. It wore black shades, with two green eyes visible behind them. The Omnitrix was on its chest, and its body was covered in blue fur. The marking on its chest formed a V-shape, like an elegant scarf.
"Cool! Cuz, is this your new hero? What's it called?" Ben asked in surprise and delight.
"Wow, what a cute kitty. I want to pet it..." Gwen said, her cheeks turning pink.
"It's called Fasttrack."
As he spoke, Fasttrack turned his head toward the mutant cows charging at them again. "I'll deal with them. You two stay safe."
"Okay."
"Roar!"
At that point, the mutant cows had gone completely berserk, as if they wanted to rip Fasttrack apart alive.
Fasttrack was unbelievably fast. In an instant, he was right in front of one of the mutant cows. Then he leaped into the air, his explosive speed and agility letting him dodge the bull's charge with ease.
Bang!
He brought one foot down hard on the mutant cow's waist.
The force of that kick instantly crushed its spine.
Without the support of its spine, the mutant cow couldn't stand no matter how crazed it was.
It could only collapse onto the grass, letting out beast-like roars again and again.
The other mutant cow showed no fear at all. If anything, it grew even more frenzied and charged straight at Fasttrack.
Fasttrack blurred aside and dodged the cow's attack.
Boom!
The mutant cow missed, but the force of the impact snapped a thick tree clean in half, sending leaves flying and dirt spraying everywhere.
Fasttrack chopped the mutant cow across the neck with one hand, knocking it unconscious.
Compared to XLR8, Fasttrack was a little stronger.
After that, Fasttrack found two sturdy iron chains and tied the mutant cows up securely so they couldn't hurt anyone else.
Fasttrack tapped his chest and changed back.
"Awesome! Fasttrack is incredible!" Ben ran over excitedly, his head still full of Fasttrack's dazzling performance.
"Yeah, but why did those two cows turn into that?" Gwen asked, frowning.
Lucian swept his gaze over the area and spotted a line of purple footprints leading deeper into the darkness.
"The answer... should be over there."