At midnight, under a moonless sky, the wind howled cold and sharp. The desolate street lay empty and silent. A chilling gust swept through, lifting scraps of old newspapers from the ground and scattering them in the air.
In the small town, nearly all the residents had gathered at the Circus of Laughs. Only a few who weren't interested had long since drifted into deep, peaceful sleep.
Bang!
A sudden crash shattered the stillness.
A burly man, powerful and brutal, kicked open the iron door of a jewelry shop. He barged inside, greedily sweeping up gold and silver treasures.
Had Lucian been there, he would've recognized the man at once—one of the trio, Thumbskull!
Not far away, the scrawny, foul-smelling Acid Breath walked up to a Ferrari. He let out a disgusting breath that instantly melted the car door into a puddle of ooze. He grinned, showing his filthy yellow teeth that looked like they hadn't been brushed in centuries. The stench was so vile it seemed to rot the very air.
After ruining the car door, Acid Breath looted the wallet and a pile of expensive goods inside, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind.
Meanwhile, the slender Frightwig stood before an ATM. She smiled slyly, then whipped her red, snake-like hair, driving it into the wall behind the machine. With a sharp pull, she tore the entire ATM out of the wall.
Crash!
Stacks of green bills spilled out, fluttering down like a rain of money—enough to drive anyone mad.
"We're rich now!" Frightwig laughed loudly.
Most of the townsfolk had already lost their joy to Zombozo's powers, left dazed and hollow, too far gone to notice what was happening around them. Taking advantage of that, the trio planned to make a fortune and live easy from now on...
As one of the circus freaks, Frightwig was already imagining how she'd blow the cash. Because of her strange hair, people had always called her a monster. They said she was cursed by a demon, and everyone kept their distance. Finding love was impossible; even her family wanted nothing to do with her.
So she decided she'd hire a dozen male models to serve her—bringing tea, pouring water, worshiping her until she was satisfied... and then she'd slap them across the face with money.
That night, under the dark sky, the circus trio kept robbing the townspeople blind.
After looting the jewelry store, Thumbskull turned his sights on a nearby mansion. But just as he climbed over the wall into the yard, a sudden bark startled him so badly he almost fell.
"Woof! Woof!"
A little black dog spotted the intruder and bared its teeth, glaring fiercely at Thumbskull.
The mansion's owner, however, was already lost in the haze of Zombozo's spell, too deep in false joy to wake.
Thumbskull snapped out of his fright, his face twisting into a cruel sneer.
"Stupid mutt. You picked the wrong guy to bark at."
He cracked his knuckles, ready to deal with it.
The moonlight cast his massive shadow over the tiny dog. The poor thing whimpered, stepping backward on its short legs, but the iron chain around its neck held tight. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Thumbskull gave a cold snort and grabbed the dog by the neck. He squeezed hard, ready to snap its life away—
"ROAR!"
At that instant, a blinding yellow blur crashed into him, sending him flying. Thumbskull slammed into a large tree, shaking loose a rain of leaves.
The creature that landed before him was covered in yellow fur, bristling like steel needles. It had no eyes, only a mouth filled with sharp fangs that jutted outward. A black-and-white emblem gleamed on its forearm.
Wildmutt!
The rescued little black dog trembled before the beast but still wagged its tail slightly, tilting its head as it stared curiously at Wildmutt.
Wildmutt growled twice, signaling it to move aside, then turned its attention to Thumbskull lying beneath the tree...