As the light faded, a burly, muscular man suddenly appeared where the little boy had been standing. With four arms and four eyes, his skin a blood-red hue, his body covered in bulging muscles like a fierce wild bull, he was incredibly robust.
The sight made Slick's eyelids twitch violently, nearly causing him to drop his weapon. But battle-hardened, he suppressed his fear and shouted hoarsely,
"Quick! Shoot! Kill this monster!"
Click-click-click... At their leader's command, the poachers raised their guns, all aimed at the Four Arms.
"Seems you won't back down until I show you what I'm made of."
The Four Arms clenched his fists, then thrust his legs forward, charging fiercely toward the poachers.
In the nearby grass, Gwen watched anxiously, her eyes fixed on the commotion outside.
"I wonder if that doofus can handle those people..."
Grandpa ruffled Gwen's hair reassuringly.
"Don't worry. Ben isn't as fragile as you think. He'll handle this just fine."
"Poachers are weak fighters. Ben has transformed into Four Arms. Dealing with them won't take much effort," Lucian stated calmly.
Since the opponents were merely ordinary men with guns, he felt confident letting Ben handle it—especially since this was Ben's first real combat experience.
Meanwhile, the sound of gunfire and angry shouts echoed from ahead. Slick gripped his high-caliber AK-47, his finger locked on the trigger as he unleashed torrential bursts of bullets. Carried by immense kinetic energy, the bullets screamed toward the Four Arms.
The others followed suit, unleashing their most intense firepower. A terrifying hail of bullets instantly enveloped the Four Arms' form.
Rat-a-tat-tat... Dense clusters of bullets struck the Four Arms' body with frenzied force, producing a sound like popping beans. Yet they were deflected back, scattering onto the ground.
Ordinary firearms couldn't pierce the skin of Four Arms. Even certain powerful alien technologies inflicted only limited damage.
"You losers are in for a world of trouble!"
Shouldering the fierce firepower, Four Arms rushed forward in a single stride, closing in on Chunk. He snatched the machine gun from Chunk's hands and slammed it hard against his knee.
With a loud snap, the weapon shattered into two useless pieces of scrap metal under the brute force.
Four Arms lifted the 200-pound Chunk with effortless ease, as if carrying a small chicken, his eyes blazing with savage intent.
"Four Arms Monster, please... please spare me!" Chunk wept in terror, nearly wetting himself. How could such a terrifying monster appear in the Great Forest!!
"I am not a Four Arms Monster, I am Four Arms!"
With that, Four Arms hurled Chunk far away, slamming him into a thicket of bushes. Coincidentally, he landed not far from Lucian and the others.
Watching the fat man sprawled on his back, Gwen smiled bitterly.
"If only he hadn't called him wrong... this doofus is really particular about his name..."
After sending Chunk flying, Four Arms' fury showed no sign of abating. He plunged headlong into the crowd of poachers, charging wildly and instantly knocking over numerous men. The weapons in their hands were utterly destroyed by the Four Arms, trampled into a heap of scrap metal, completely rendered useless for combat.
Terrified, the poachers knelt, begging for mercy, pleading with the Four Arms to spare them.
"Please let us go! We'll never do it again!"
"Monster Bro, I have elderly parents and young children to support! Please be magnanimous and don't hold this against us!"
"It was the boss who ordered us to do this! Go after him instead!"
…
Four Arms let out a cold snort. He pulled a tough steel cable from one of the poachers and tied them all up tightly before tossing them onto the ground.
Suddenly, the poacher behind him, Slick, raised his rifle and aimed at the black-and-blue tiger inside the iron cage.
"If I can't have it, then neither can you, freak!"
He pulled the trigger, sending a barrage of bullets straight toward the sleeping tiger.
Furious, Four Arms pushed off the ground like a cannonball, trying to shield the cage. But it was too late—no matter how fast he was, he couldn't outrun bullets.
At that critical moment, a blue streak flashed in front of the cage. Dark claws sliced through the air, leaving behind blinding afterimages.
Under Slick's horrified gaze, the figure took every bullet head-on!
XLR8 retracted his X-mask, his voice hoarse.
"All clean in two or three hits."
In the next instant, his figure blurred and appeared right in front of the poacher. A lightning-fast punch sent the stunned Slick crashing unconscious to the ground.
Four Arms ran over just then. Seeing the black-and-blue tiger unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Good thing you got here in time, Cuz," he said in a deep voice, tearing open the iron cage and carefully lifting the sleeping tiger out.
XLR8 nodded.
"Remember—think before you act. Protect the target first, then deal with the enemy."
Four Arms lowered his head, guilt creeping in. He'd been too focused on beating up the poachers, thinking their attacks couldn't hurt him. He hadn't expected their leader to choose to go down with them.
Seeing his dejected look, XLR8 waved a hand.
"Alright, Ben. It was your first real mission, and you did great. Don't beat yourself up."
Though things nearly went wrong, Ben had still taken down the poaching team—a success worth praising.
Hearing that, Four Arms relaxed, a small, pleased smile appearing on his face.
Soon, Grandpa Max and Gwen emerged from the bushes.
"In the end, my Cuz always comes through," Gwen said, eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Lucian.
Grandpa Max laughed heartily.
"You both did an amazing job. In a few days, we'll head to New York Plaza—Grandpa's treating you to some fun."
"Oh yeah! The new Sumo Slammers arcade launch is happening there!" Four Arms jumped with excitement, making the ground quake.
XLR8 smiled faintly, saying nothing. Lucian, however, didn't yet know that this trip to New York wouldn't include him...
After Grandpa Max's report, the poachers were soon arrested by the local police, handcuffed and awaiting their sentences behind bars. The black-and-blue tiger, brimming with a mystical aura, was handed over to the National Endangered Species Protection Association for safe care. With their protection, its future was secure.
Afterward, Lucian and the others received the Brave Citizen Award and were made honorary members of the National Endangered Species Protection Association, free to visit their headquarters anytime.
"Guess sometimes luck's on your side," Lucian said with a wry smile.
"What does that even mean?" Ben asked, looking puzzled.
Lucian just shrugged and didn't reply.
...
That night, the Rustbucket stayed parked in the forest. Under the hazy moonlight, Lucian continued sparring with Ben, helping him get used to the ten original heroes.
Diamondhead raised his arm, transforming it into a cluster of sharp crystal spikes that whistled toward Humungousaur.
Humungousaur shifted to the side, dodging the attack.
Clang! Clang!
The green spikes slammed into a nearby tree, piercing its bark with a crisp crack.
Then Humungousaur's body swelled, rising more than ten meters tall in an instant. Under the bright moonlight, his mighty presence left Diamondhead frozen in awe.
"So this is Humungousaur's Gigantification!"
As he spoke, Humungousaur lifted his massive foot, ready to stomp down.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his body. He clutched his head and rapidly shrank back to normal size.
"Cuz, what's wrong?"
Diamondhead's eyes narrowed as he rushed over.
Humungousaur shook his head, about to answer—But in the next second, his small green eyes turned an eerie shade of purple...