When Four Arms arrived at the electronics department, Dr. Animo was no longer there. Only a few frightened employees remained, sitting motionless on the floor after being frightened by the towering alien warrior.
Four Arms tried to give what he hoped would be a reassuring smile.
Instead, one of the employees immediately fainted from fear.
"Okay, tell me," Four Arms said, trying to keep his deep voice soft, "that weird guy with the pale skin and the helmet, where did he go?"
"He... he went to the pet section," the remaining employee stammered, raising a shaking finger to point to the nearby pet area.
"Pet section... Oh no, Grandpa!" Four Arms' four eyes widened in alarm.
The Tetramand warrior quickened his pace, his heavy footsteps causing small tremors as he rushed toward the pet area. The moment he reached the entrance, he was shocked by the sight before him.
Grandpa Max was hand-to-hand with Dr. Animo on the floor!
Actually, Max had the upper hand, pinning the mad scientist down while issuing stern warnings, "If you cause any more trouble, I'll get serious!"
"Damn it, old man, let me go!" Dr. Animo struggled under Max's surprisingly strong grip, his voice filled with indignant anger. "How can a random senior citizen overpower me?"
"Grandpa really is still a plumber," Four Arms muttered in amazement as he watched his grandfather display his fighting skills. "With fighting skills like that, he completely dominates Dr. Animo."
"The world will go to hell if an old geezer can pin me down," Dr. Animo cursed inwardly as he desperately reached for the chest control of his transmodulator. The gear-shaped device began to glow with electrical energy as his helmet crackled with power!
Whoosh!
A burst of red energy waves shot out of the device and hit a nearby cage containing a golden hamster, a small, fluffy creature with innocent black eyes.
Wrapped in the crimson light, the hamster began to expand like a balloon, bursting through its wire cage in seconds and transforming into a monster the size of a compact car!
Its teeth had become razor-sharp like the tips of knives, and its formerly gentle eyes now glowed blood-red with artificial aggression, resembling the gaze of a poisonous snake.
"What the," Max stared at the giant golden hamster before him, his expression stunned by the sudden transformation.
"Get off me!" Taking advantage of Max's momentary distraction, Dr. Animo rolled away and scrambled to his feet beside the giant mutant hamster.
At the same time, he spotted Four Arms standing behind him.
"Grandpa, I'm here, let me handle this!" Four Arms stepped forward to stand beside Max, his intimidating gaze fixed on the massive rodent. His voice carried a calm authority despite the threat.
"All right," Max acknowledged, recognizing his grandson's abilities. He deliberately took a few steps back, putting distance between himself and the danger zone.
"Grandpa? Does this monster have any connection to this decrepit old man?" Dr. Animo squinted at the exchange, suspicious of the relationship between the powerful alien and the human. His fingers moved to manipulate the transmodulator's controls again, releasing another wave of energy!
Whoosh!
The red beam struck a second cage, hitting a black hamster inside.
The dark-furred rodent underwent the same dramatic transformation, swelling to enormous size. Like the golden hamster, its fur became needle-sharp like a massive hedgehog, and its eyes blazed with unnatural hostility.
"Two of them now," Four Arms noted, his expression growing a little more serious. All four of his muscular arms spread wide as he lowered his stance, ready to face both giant hamsters head on.
"One monster couldn't handle you, so two should be much safer," Dr. Animo declared smugly, his confidence restored by his numerical advantage. "Attack! Remember to knock out that four-eyed freak and bring him to me!"
He intended to use Four Arms as his next experimental subject!
"Knock me out?" Four Arms asked with genuine amusement, a slight smile playing across his features.
Ding!
"Login target detected: Genetically mutated golden hamster!"
"Defeat the golden hamster to complete registration!"
Ding!
"Login target detected: Genetically mutated black hamster!"
"Defeat the black hamster to complete the login!"
What Four Arms hadn't expected was that Dr. Animo had just triggered two separate registration opportunities for him at the same time!
His mood immediately brightened with anticipation!
Even if these were only ordinary White Tier rewards, the cumulative benefits of the strength enhancements and transformation improvements would greatly increase his overall combat effectiveness. Every advantage counted in the face of the cosmic threats that lay ahead.
"This guy's about to die, and he's happy about it?" Dr. Animo watched Four Arms' suddenly cheerful expression with confusion. The alien's reaction made no sense given the overwhelming odds he faced.
Then Four Arms turned to Dr. Animo with an expectant look. "By the way, is your name really Animo?"
"That's right, I'm Dr. Animo, a brilliant scientist!" the pale man replied proudly, pleased that even this alien creature recognized his reputation.
"Could you do me a favor?" Four Arms asked, genuine anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
"What kind of favor?" Dr. Animo's mouth twitched with cruel amusement as he held his mutant hamsters in check, a mocking expression crossing his features. "I see what you're getting at. You want to beg for mercy, don't you? Well, it's too late for that now! But if you're willing to get down on your knees and grovel, I might consider showing you some mercy."
To look at such a massive alien warrior, and he's really just a coward after all! Animo thought with sadistic satisfaction. First I will humiliate this four-armed fool, then I will make him my personal slave!
"No, you've completely misunderstood my request," Four Arms replied earnestly, scratching his head with one hand while maintaining his friendly demeanor. "What I'm asking is, could you please create some more mutant animals to fight me? These two aren't nearly enough."
The air seemed to freeze for a moment as Dr. Animo processed what he'd just heard.
His confident grin slowly faded to an expression of pure confusion.