"This is... a peculiar-looking ball," said Kongking.

"Well, definitely," Fumiko replied.

Kongking then picked up the object, clicked a small switch under the cart, and the cart extended, releasing lab equipment. Kongking cut the object in half, placed one half into a test tube, and put it into a piece of equipment. The monitor suddenly appeared and started analyzing the sample.

--- Analyzing Sample..... ---

I and others started looking at the monitor and waited.

--- Analyzing Complete... ---

Kongking seemed surprised by the result.

-- "This is a cell?" Hiro asked, confused.

Kongking then explained, "-- This object seems alive. It appears to have a cell membrane and nucleus like a regular cell."

-- "But where did it come from?" Fumiko asked.

-- "I don't know. This cell is distinct from a singular cell organism and might belong to some huge host, as it is quite large," Kongking explained.

-- "It seems dangerous. We should throw it out," Dory said.

-- "The woman said she will return tomorrow to know my decision," Hiro said.

-- "Then we should wait and ask her out before we throw it away," Kongking said.

Hiro gave the rest of the cell to Kongking, but unfortunately, the box slipped from Hiro's hand, and the cell dropped on the ground. The munchies then approached and suddenly ate the cell.

-- "Don't eat that!" Hiro shouted, but it was too late. The three of them were shocked.

The munchies froze for a moment.

Hiro tried to shake their bodies. Suddenly, the munchies started to move again, licking Hiro's face.

--- "It seems like it's not as dangerous as we thought," Fumiko said.

-- "I think so," Hiro replied.

Hiro stood up from the ground, and they started packing up things.

-- "It's been quite a tiring day," Fumiko said.

Dory and Kongking agreed, and they started helping Hiro.

The next day...

Hiro woke up early as usual, and suddenly someone knocked on their door. Before he opened the door, the munchies suddenly woke up and transformed into beast-like creatures. Hiro looked at the munchies and decided not to open the door. He then woke the others.

The knocking became louder and louder. The three woke up and were confused about who was knocking early in the morning. Dory decided to open the door, and suddenly, a monster with tentacles attacked Dory. Dory's big body was unphased by the attack, and Dory then flung out its tentacle, slamming it toward the ground. Kongking held the monster to prevent it from moving, and suddenly, another monster tried to attack Hiro.

Fumiko's quick reflexes blocked the attack with her sharp claws, and the munchies then bit the monster. The monster looked like a gelatin with both human arms and feet.

As they carried the monster inside their unit, the tentacle monster shouted out with a low-frequency sound. Suddenly, a large burst on the window occurred, and another monster appeared, this time a humanoid with four arms, each holding four pistols and a head of an infant.

--- "Don't be afraid," the monster spoke in such a deep voice.

--- "I am from the Monster Association. We're here to know your decision," he looked at Hiro.

Hiro was a little confused but had an idea of what the monster was talking about.

Hiro then asked, "- What does the Monster Association need from me? -"

--- "I see Ms. Psykos didn't explain it to you. Well, let me explain. The Monster Association wants you to join us. We've been observing you since you tamed most of our members. Some of them quit and decided to blend into human society, which is a threat to the Monster Association. Since you've become a threat, there are only two things we can do: invite you to join us as an addition to our force, considering your unique skills. It would be a waste to let you die with humans as we conquer the world, or... die right here," the monster explained.

Hiro looked at the monster fearlessly. Having been in multiple near-death scenarios, he became unfazed by death itself. He was not afraid of dying or being hurt anymore; he became indifferent to death itself.

The monster suddenly was shocked by what he saw—a fearless young boy staring at him. His body froze for a moment, thinking Hiro was preparing something. He couldn't move his finger on the pistol trigger.

Hiro moved towards the monster. The monster felt threatened but still couldn't move. He became delirious and saw Hiro as an omnipotent being.

Hiro then placed his hand on the monster's head and patted it. The monster dropped his weapon and weirdly felt fulfilled. A touch of a warm hand of a human, like a parent to their child. The monster's eyes filled with tears, and he fell to his knees.

Hiro then hugged the monster as if he was a long-lost friend. The monster then remembered vague memories when he was still human—a sunny field, laughter, and a woman's hands holding his.

The monster's thoughts were now in chaos. He then saw his gun and wondered what would happen to him if he disobeyed the Monster Association. He pushed Hiro away, aimed the gun at him, and tears flowing uncontrollably. His hand was shaking as he pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit Hiro's shoulder. Kongking, Fumiko, and Dory were in shock, immediately helping Hiro. Then Hiro smiled at the monster who shot him. The monster trembled, pointed the gun at his head, pulled the trigger, and killed himself.

Everyone was shocked, and the other monster escaped. As Kongking tended to Hiro's wounds, the munchies followed the monsters and immediately killed them.

The blood scattered through the room. Dory picked up the remains of the monsters and buried them outside, while Fumiko cleaned up the room.

After Kongking tended to Hiro's wounds, he immediately stood up, watching Dory finish burying. Hiro felt unease but also indifference.

He was confused and thought to himself that he might have become cold-blooded.

He looked at Kongking and mumbled, "-- We're going to City-Z --"