"Quick, hide!" Deathstalker hissed, pulling the still dumbstruck Bruno toward the closest side of the room that, supposedly, couldn't be seen from above. They curled up into balls as the sound of an engine rumbled closer.
"They're picking up the containers," Bruno whispered. Still crouched, he tried to peek at the situation.
"Can you see any… humans? Creatures?" Deathstalker asked. Facing the wall, he couldn't see anything.
"No creatures. Just a pickup machine," Bruno replied.
Deathstalker shifted slightly to peek for himself.
Bruno was right. A giant iron claw descended from the open ceiling, grasping the top container. One by one, the claw removed the containers from the room.
"Quick! We need to climb on top of that container!" Deathstalker said as the claw picked up the second-to-last one.
The two men ran toward the last container. As Bruno climbed it, Deathstalker cursed, "Shit! The suitcase!"
He sprinted to retrieve the suitcase, slinging it onto his back. It felt ten times heavier than it had on Earth.
"Hurry, man!" Bruno hissed in panic as the claw began lifting the container he was on.
"Here, take it!" Deathstalker shouted, pushing the suitcase up to Bruno. Once Bruno managed to pull it up, Deathstalker leapt and grabbed the container's handle as it rose a few inches off the ground.
"Here, grab my hand," Bruno said, extending his arm. Deathstalker grasped it, using the handle as a foothold to hoist himself onto the container. Finally, he rolled onto the top.
Both men lay flat, barely moving, trying not to attract attention as the container was slowly carried out of the ship and placed on the ground.
"Shit!" Bruno cursed when his grip on the container's edge slipped during the jolt. Fortunately, Deathstalker grabbed his hand and pulled him back up.
"Thanks, man. That was close," Bruno muttered. Deathstalker nodded, his gaze fixed on the ground below.
About 500 feet away, three man-like creatures approached. They were over six feet tall, well-built, and clad in metal attire resembling Roman soldiers, complete with weapons.
The guards stopped at a nearby container—the blue one. One of them hovered his palm over the handle, triggering a mechanical sound.
The door opened, and a guard entered. Screams and cries echoed from within, ceasing only when a harsh, masculine voice commanded silence.
Moments later, a boy around eight years old emerged, followed by a slightly older blonde boy and then a little girl with tears streaming down her face.
More children followed, varying in age, gender, and skin color—about twenty in total. All of them wore chains on their wrists and ankles.
When the guard exited the container, the others pushed the first boy to follow.
"Gen ta kuai! (Quick, follow him!)" one guard barked, shoving a hesitant child forward. The rest hurried to follow, monitored by the two remaining guards.
Once the children had left, the guards started to leave as well, but one paused.
"Ren wei wo wen dao (I smell human scent)," he said, scanning the area suspiciously.
"Ren dou shi tamen (They're all human)," his companion replied, pointing at the children.
"Bu tong zhe shi (It's different)," the first insisted.
"Zhi xiangxiang de (Just your imagination)," the other dismissed him, pulling him along.
"Phew…" Bruno and Deathstalker sighed in relief as the guards finally left.
King Cobra's prediction had been accurate. She hadn't pinpointed it exactly but had suggested the creatures here might use a language adapted from Chinese, Egyptian, or Greek. Given the large Chinese population and some hints about this place, she had leaned toward a Chinese-like language. She was right, as always. While there were minor grammatical differences, Bruno and Deathstalker, both fluent in Chinese, could understand the guards.
"What now?" Bruno asked after a long silence.
"Let's wait until dark," Deathstalker replied.
Bruno looked at the sky. It was bright like daylight, but there was no sun or clouds. "What if it never gets dark? They don't have a sun here," he said.
Deathstalker considered this and finally said, "Let's wait a couple of hours and see."
They lay still. An hour later, a buzzing sound filled the air.
"What's that?" Bruno asked.
"I don't—" Deathstalker's answer was cut off as darkness suddenly enveloped them. The light source above had vanished, leaving pitch blackness.
"Well… I guess it's night now," Deathstalker muttered.
"Don't they have electricity? I can't see anything," Bruno grumbled.
"Then they can't see us either," Deathstalker countered. "Follow me."
He climbed down the container. "Drop the suitcase," he instructed Bruno.
"Which direction?" Bruno asked.
"A bit to your left… more… Okay, now drop it," Deathstalker guided. Catching the suitcase before it hit the ground, he said, "Now come down. I'll catch you."
Bruno slid down cautiously, feeling Deathstalker's hands steady him as he landed.
"Do you know where to go?" Bruno asked.
"Let's follow the children's path," Deathstalker replied.
Holding onto Deathstalker's robe, Bruno followed him in the dark.
"There's light ahead," Deathstalker whispered.
"I can't see it," Bruno said, straining his eyes.
They moved closer. About 1,000 feet ahead, Deathstalker spotted guards—ten of them—stationed by a gate.
"There's a gate with guards," Deathstalker informed Bruno.
"Shit! What do we do? They can smell us."
Their original plan had been to pass the gate as normal passengers, but that assumed they were on a passenger ship. No one had anticipated these creatures or their ability to smell humans.
"Let's find another way," Deathstalker decided, leading Bruno in the opposite direction.
"Ren lei! (Humans!)"
The sudden shout froze them. Within moments, a battalion of guards surrounded them.
Deathstalker fought back but was quickly overpowered by the stronger, faster guards. He and Bruno were dragged toward the gate and confronted by the burliest guard.
"Tamen weidao shi ni wen dao de? (Are they the ones you smelled?)" the burly guard asked another.
"Shi (Yes)," the other confirmed.
"Nimen lai de shangmian shi? (Are you from above?)" the burly guard demanded, his tone menacing.
"Dui… (Yes…)" Deathstalker stammered.
"Ni shei shi? (Who are you?)" the guard asked.
"I… I am Ming Huo. I—"
"Fu qin!! (Father!!)"
A child's excited voice interrupted him from afar.