Earth Is Dangerous

‘Beep beep—’

The communicator on Yutong suddenly sounded. Under Luna’s anxious gaze, she swiftly pulled it out and connected the call.

A faint blue light unfolded into a clear projection, displaying a small robot in the air. It grinned and said, "Good morning, ladies."

"Good morning, my ass. Where’s the boss? Are you with him? If you don’t tell us right now, I’ll dismantle every last one of your parts next time." Luna raised her cool, heroic brows slightly.

Vis coughed. Its original body was made of iron and Vibranium Metal, and Luna, who possessed Magnetism Control, happened to be its natural nemesis.

It did not dare hide anything. Its mechanical face showed a hint of helplessness as it said, "I am indeed with the master, but we’ve already left New York."

Yutong parted her lips slightly and pondered, "The boss left so suddenly, and he even had you relay the message. What urgent matter came up?"

Vis replied, "I’m not entirely sure of the exact reason. The master decided to head out on short notice this morning. Venom and I were both caught off guard."

"Where are you? I’ll come over now." Luna was eager to move. She had wanted Kyle to go out before, but he had ignored her. Now that he had finally taken the initiative to leave, she naturally did not want to miss the opportunity.

"We’ve already arrived at our destination. It’s in Mexico." Vis said gravely, "The master asked me to tell you not to make a special trip here. Stay in New York City and keep watch for the next couple of days. Something might happen."

"How boring." Luna crossed her arms and gave a dissatisfied snort.

"Something might happen? Didn’t Hydra get taken care of half a year ago?" Yutong was meticulous by nature and caught the key implication in Vis’s words.

"This time, I’m afraid it isn’t coming from within Earth."

Vis spoke in a serious tone and pointed one mechanical finger overhead, toward the unobstructed expanse of blue sky.

Yutong’s beautiful eyes widened. She murmured, "Are those enemies the boss talked about before finally coming?"

"Perfect. I’ve been bored out of my mind anyway. Over the past six months, my proficiency with my abilities has improved by leaps and bounds!"

Luna excitedly licked her lips, making the chips inside Vis’s body go cold. It silently mourned for the soon-to-arrive extraterrestrial invaders for three seconds.

The beings beyond the cosmos probably had no idea just how dangerous Earth had become…

Elsewhere.

North America, Mexico, near Old Bridge Town.

Under the blazing direct sunlight, the land for several kilometers in every direction was barren desert, devoid of even weeds. The slightest breeze stirred up rolling clouds of irritating sand and dust.

There were not only no cities of any size in this area, but even towns and villages were few and far between. The town’s buildings were crude and somewhat modern in style, as though a cowboy might ride out on horseback at any moment.

A bus-like camper was parked at the town entrance, packed with camping gear, detection instruments, clothes, food, and other supplies. Two young women in fashionable jeans and casual leather jackets sat in the driver’s and passenger’s seats.

They looked to be only in their early twenties, having graduated from university not long ago.

The girl in the driver’s seat had a cute, pretty face, yet she maintained a serious, staid expression as she carefully adjusted the equipment and examined the detection data recorded on her laptop.

The girl in the passenger seat wore red glasses. Her mature, intellectual face was full of casual ease. With a lollipop in her mouth, she rested her feet on the dashboard in boredom.

Even in a bustling metropolis, the two would have stood out as rare beauties. Yet here, they looked dusty and bedraggled, huddled in the vehicle like workaholics.

"Dear Jane, is your advisor really coming?" The girl with glasses looked at the endless wilderness outside the window and asked listlessly.

"Daisy, this is the eighth time I’ve answered you."

The girl called Jane helplessly looked up, set down her laptop, and said with certainty, "After I sent my advisor the data we gathered last night, he said he was willing to help. He’ll arrive in town before tonight and join us for a second survey out in the field."

"Then let’s keep waiting." Daisy adjusted her glasses and sighed softly. "You’re the one doing an astronomy research project. I’m an economics major—I should be lying in a hotel getting a sauna. Why did I have to come to this godforsaken place and eat dust with you?"

Jane comforted her, "I’ll treat you to a big meal when we get back. Hang in there for a few more days. If we get the data we want tonight, we can probably head back tomorrow or the day after."

"Here’s hoping." As Daisy spoke, she suddenly heard an engine. She stuck her cap-covered head out the window and saw an old Ford driving toward the town entrance, kicking up dust all along the way.

"Jane, is that your advisor?" Daisy asked.

"Maybe. Let’s get out and take a look."

Jane called Daisy over, and the two got out of the camper. Just as they reached the front of the vehicle, the Ford pulled up beside them.

"Little Foster, you really know how to run people ragged."

The car door opened, and a white-haired middle-aged man with his hair combed back stepped out of the driver’s seat with a smile. He wore simple, dark-toned clothes.

"Professor, thank you so much for coming." Jane smiled slightly and quickly walked up to him. Pointing behind her at Daisy, she said, "This is my good friend, Daisy."

"Hello, Professor." Daisy stepped forward, removed the lollipop from her mouth, and politely nodded with a small bow.

"This is my university advisor, Professor Erik Selvig," Jane said as she introduced the middle-aged man to Daisy.

"Hello, Daisy. Just call me Erik. We’re out here, so don’t keep calling me Professor." Erik was very approachable, and his wrinkled face carried a youthful energy.

Jane said briskly, "Now that everyone’s here, let’s head into town first. After dinner, we can prepare to go to the survey site."

Erik raised a hand to stop her. "Jane, don’t rush. There’s another guest in my car."

"A guest?" Jane and Daisy were both stunned.

"That’s right." Erik nodded, walked back to the Ford, and asked through the slightly lowered rear window, "Mr. Karr, would it be convenient for you to get out? I’d like to introduce you to the two students joining us on this trip."

The person in the car did not answer, but before long, the door abruptly opened.

A tall young man with silver hair streaked with red stepped out in boots. He wore oversized sunglasses and a black trench coat that reached his calves.

It was Kyle.

"This is a friend of mine, the head of a high-tech company. He and…" Erik paused, nearly letting something slip. He gave an awkward smile and continued, "He and I met at a research conference. He happened to see the data you sent yesterday and became interested, so he wanted to come take a look in person."

Kyle glanced at the two young women through his sunglasses and smiled gently. "You can call me Karr. I hope this trip goes well."