Chapter 43: 42

The two aliens revealed their ferocious expressions and simultaneously attacked the Victory Team's encirclement, applying pressure.

Though each fought their own battle, it still counted as a kind of “alliance.”

Qi Ming held off both aliens alone, standing firm against their combined assault.

The three men behind the line had it easy—trigger fingers never stopped firing.

“Shh!” The Muzhen alien rolled sideways, trying to bypass Qi Ming and “cut the backline shooters.”

“I gave you a chance,” Qi Ming said, delivering a right roundhouse kick that sent him spinning like a top; Akita fired a shot straight into his abdomen.

Hit in a vital spot, the Muzhen alien dared not linger—he broke off combat decisively and fled to find a place to heal.

The isolated Kaiter alien also tried to escape, but the Victory Team members chased him relentlessly, determined to correct the mistake of letting him slip away.

He was badly wounded, barely able to even activate his giant form.

“Over here, over here!” someone called out in cosmic language.

The Kaiter alien seized this lifeline without hesitation and charged toward the voice.

The one coming to rescue him was the Tantan alien—light flashed, and the two vanished from the spot.

“Damn it, he got away again!” Shan Zhong slammed his fist into a nearby tree in fury.

“This teleportation device… it looks suspiciously like the one on Ababas’s spaceship,” Qi Ming muttered, eyes flickering.

Though the aliens escaped, they had rescued Lucia—already a major victory.

“Come with us,” Akita said to Lucia. “At the TPC base, you’ll receive the best protection.”

But she looked as if she didn’t understand Earth’s language—her face blank with confusion.

Qi Ming stepped forward: “If you’re willing to assist us, we’ll protect you and your companions.”

He gestured to Lucia’s handcuffs at the end; she immediately nodded frantically, willing to follow Qi Ming and the others.

“Nice guy talks, works wonders,” Shan Zhong muttered.

When it came to Chris Maya, Qi Ming said: “You’re a Japanese citizen. We’ll honor the taxes you pay—we’ll take care of the Tantan alien when we see him, and guarantee your safety.”

Chris Maya: “The Tantan alien is strong.”

To Maya and his sister, the Tantan alien was a brutal cosmic invader who had eradicated their planet and murdered their parents—powerless to resist his terror, they had no choice but to submit.

But in Qi Ming’s eyes… the Tantan alien was trash.

Qi Ming: “As for you, don’t let yourself come into the TPC staff’s line of sight. We’ll keep you secret.”

If Tuqiao Zuo and He Zhi—the terrorists—learned Chris Maya’s identity, who knew what schemes they’d hatch? Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Shan Zhong asked: “What if the news leaks?”

Qi Ming: “I’ll castrate you.”

Shan Zhong gasped: “What?!”

Qi Ming: “You’re the most likely to leak it.”

With that, Qi Ming took Lucia back to the TPC base.

As for which body Chris Maya’s brother now inhabited, he had zero interest—and didn’t expect to cross paths with them again.

…………………………

Light flashed—the Kaiter alien, carried by the Tantan alien, escaped to an abandoned factory.

Located in a desolate suburb, black crows circled endlessly; even in broad daylight, the place felt sinister.

“This is our base. Once our cosmic forces unite, nothing can stop us.”

The Tantan alien explained—before the Kaiter alien, he no longer wore the arrogant demeanor he’d shown Chris Maya; his posture was humble.

At that moment, a bluish-green figure stepped forward—it was Ababas.

“Huh? The person you brought…?”

After locking eyes with the Kaiter alien, both froze.

Ababas: “I thought all those slaves were gone. Didn’t expect you to come back on your own.”

Enemies meeting, blood boils—the Kaiter alien had been defeated and captured by Ababas at night; they already had a bitter grudge.

As the two were about to clash, the Tantan alien stepped between them, pleading for face, asking them to set aside past grievances—the priority was eliminating those troublesome pests.

You’ve got no face to speak of.

Both Ababas and the Kaiter alien thought the same thing simultaneously.

But it was daytime—Ababas couldn’t summon full strength, and the Kaiter alien was severely wounded, barely able to fight; neither wanted to engage now.

“Bang.” The factory door swung open—a familiar figure walked in.

The Kaiter alien stared blankly: You’re back again?

The newcomer was the Muzhen alien.

After being blocked by Qi Ming, he decided he couldn’t take Lucia right now—he’d switch targets.

He’d located another target, [Zala], and came to eliminate him.

He’d followed the trail here—and opened the door to find his recent “comrade-in-arms” already inside.

The Kaiter alien snapped: “What are you doing here?”

He resented the Muzhen alien for abandoning him and fleeing earlier—but had the Muzhen alien delayed a few more steps, he’d have sold him out himself.

The Muzhen alien didn’t care: “None of your business.”

He was confident that once he entered giant form, he could easily crush this guy.

“Friend, you’re here for this, right?” A crow-man with blood-red eyes stepped forward.

He was the leader of the crow-people, holding a miniaturization device.

Inside the device, bound to a platform, was the shrunken Zala.

He stared at the towering Muzhen alien, face twisted in terror.

The Muzhen alien reached out: “Give me this, and I’ll leave immediately.”

The crow-man leader: “No problem. But what about the other one? The Victory Team gave you trouble, didn’t they? On Muzhen, there’s no tradition of giving up halfway, is there?”

The Muzhen alien’s eyes flickered—he didn’t answer.

The Tantan alien stepped forward then: All cosmic beings should unite to eliminate these pests—once they’re gone, we’ll rule Earth freely.

For him, as long as the Maya siblings lived, he could never rest easy.

Among cosmic civilizations, exchanges were common, conflicts inevitable—but the annihilation of entire planets through invasion and massacre was considered abhorrent, intolerable by “Cosmic Justice.”

If any party testified against them in “court,” Cosmic Justice might strike without mercy, erasing every Tantan alien in an instant.

That’s why he pushed so hard for cosmic unity—he hoped to use other aliens’ strength to kill the Maya siblings.

Eventually, the wary aliens agreed to form a temporary alliance.

(End of Chapter)