Ben10: A Romantic Adventure with a Gender-Swapped Class

The sound of an engine broke the stillness of the night as it rang out on the quiet street.

Mo Bai drove his car, carrying Xiao Ban, along the empty, deserted streets.

The car window was open, and a cool night breeze flowed into the carriage, ruffling the wisps of hair on Xiao Ban's forehead.

The atmosphere inside the car was as heavy as solidified lead, making it hard to breathe.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xiao Ban secretly observed Mo Bai's profile, which appeared particularly cold and hard under the dim streetlights.

She pursed her lips, then suddenly nudged Mo Bai's arm with her elbow, her voice deliberately light and even carrying a hint of barely perceptible expectation.

"Aren't you going to... give me another one?" She was referring to the white rose that had been placed in front of the protective shield.

Mo Bai paused slightly on the steering wheel.

He glanced at Xiao Ban out of the corner of his eye; in the dim light, her eyes sparkled.

He remained silent for a few seconds, his voice still steady, carrying a hint of helplessness and a subtle degree of compromise.

"The flower shop is closed now, what about tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this answer, Xiao Ban's lips finally couldn't help but curve upwards into a slight smile.

She relaxed completely, leaning softly against the back of the passenger seat. Turning her head to look at Mo Bai, she gave a relieved, slightly mischievous smile.

"I was just trying to ease the tension..." she said softly, as if explaining.

A brief silence fell over the car again, but the suffocating heaviness seemed to have been broken somewhat.

The streetlights outside the window, like flowing golden ribbons, cast flickering shadows across the car window.

Xiao Ban's smile slowly faded. She turned her head and looked intently at Mo Bai's profile as he focused on driving. After hesitating for a moment, she asked softly.

"Speaking of which... are you still thinking about that matter?" She was referring to Elena's final choice, and... the knot in Mo Bai's own heart that she seemed to have been hiding all along.

Mo Bai's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the steering wheel.

His expression remained calm amidst the interplay of light and shadow, but deep within his profound eyes surged complex emotions.

He drove in silence, seemingly lost in thought, struggling with something.

After a long while, he finally let out a soft breath, as if he had made up his mind to no longer carry certain heavy thoughts alone.

He looked straight ahead, his voice deep and clear.

"Um"

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts or gathering his courage, before finally uttering the words that had been weighing on his heart.

"I wonder, would the world be better without me?" This sentence is very light, but it is like a boulder thrown into a calm water.

However, he didn't finish his sentence.

A small, cool hand, yet with undeniable strength, suddenly covered his mouth.

Xiao Ban practically lunged forward, her body leaning forward in her haste, her beautiful green eyes filled with an unprecedented seriousness and a hint of panic.

"Don't say things like that!" Her voice was firm, almost commanding, as she pressed her fingers firmly against his lips. "Absolutely not!"

She seemed afraid he wouldn't believe her, or that he would continue to dwell on that idea, so her tone became more urgent and firm, trying to dispel the gloom in his heart with the most straightforward language.

"Actually, I think your existence is like air! You can't see it or touch it, but no one can do without you! It's definitely inevitable! The earth wouldn't turn without you!" Her analogy was a bit exaggerated, but her feelings were incredibly sincere.

"No... little class, could you... first?"

"No!" Xiao Ban immediately interrupted him, tightening his grip on his mouth, even with a hint of unreasonable domineering force, trying to change the subject with a "threat".

"If you say anything more discouraging like that, I'll... I'll make you drink a huge cup of cod-flavored slush! A super-sized cup! You can't stop until you finish it!"

Cod-flavored slush... Just imagining the taste makes Mo Bai feel a churning in her stomach and a chill run down her spine.

He swallowed subconsciously, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He struggled to move his eyes, his voice muffled by his mouth being covered, carrying a hint of helpless urgency.

"More importantly, if you don't let go soon... we might have to start the feast right away."

"Huh?" The little boy was taken aback by his abrupt words and instinctively followed his gaze to look ahead—

Under the dim streetlights, a huge municipal cleaning truck loaded with trash cans was slowly parked across the middle of the intersection ahead.

Their car was hurtling straight toward it at a considerable speed! The distance was so close that the mottled stains on the car body were clearly visible!

And her hands were now completely covering Mo Bai's eyes!

The little boy recoiled as if he'd been electrocuted!

Vision suddenly returned! Before Mo Bai could even reprimand him, his pupils instantly contracted to the size of pinpoints!

Almost instinctively, he slammed on the brakes! At the same time, he unleashed incredible force with both hands, turning the steering wheel sharply to the left!

The ear-piercing sound of tires screeching, almost tearing eardrums, instantly shattered the silent night sky!

The rubber left two long, charred marks on the road surface.

The car body twisted and spun violently due to the enormous inertia.

The front of the car narrowly missed the edge of the huge rear wheel of the slow-moving cleaning truck, and barely slid past it at a dangerous angle, almost like a drift!

The car finally came to a stop crookedly on the other side of the intersection, the hood still trembling slightly from the sudden braking and emitting a wisp of white smoke.

There was dead silence inside the car.

The little boy was still in shock, gripping the seatbelt tightly with both hands, his face pale, breathing heavily, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as if it would jump out.

Mo Bai leaned back in his seat, letting out a long, silent breath. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel too hard, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

Several seconds later, Mo Bai turned her head and looked at Xiao Ban's pale face, which was still filled with fear, and her green eyes.

His tightly clenched lips twitched upwards very slowly and with extreme helplessness.

In the end, all the complex emotions turned into a long sigh, filled with deep exhaustion and a hint of relief at surviving a disaster.

"Ugh....."

The silence inside the car lasted only a brief moment, like the last breath before a storm.

Just as the two were still in shock and their cold sweat had not yet completely dried, a new, sharper, and more piercing sound suddenly tore apart the fragile silence.

Beep—! Beep—! Beep—!

The sound did not come from the outside world, but rather emanated directly from the Ultimatrix watch faces worn on the wrists of the two individuals.

The sound was extremely high-frequency, like countless cold steel needles piercing deep into the eardrum, carrying a sense of force and warning that penetrated the soul.

The intense sound waves made Mo Bai and Xiao Ban's scalps tingle instantly. They grimaced in pain and almost instinctively raised their hands to cover their ears.

Fortunately, the ear-piercing sound, like a horn from hell, did not last long.

A few seconds later, the sharp "beep" sound gradually weakened and decreased in frequency, eventually turning into a deep, continuous, but still strongly present hum, like the low growl of some giant beast deep in its chest, continuously emanating from the core of the dial.

Xiao Ban let go of his hands covering his ears, rubbed his still-ringing earlobes, and complained irritably to the still-ringing Ultimatrix on his wrist.

"What is Ultimatrix up to now? It's terrifying!"

Mo Bai also frowned. He raised his wrist and carefully examined the watch face that was constantly humming and glowing red.

At this moment, the core of the dial is flashing an ominous, dark red light, like congealed blood, and the intensity of the light is pulsating rhythmically, like an uneasy heart.

He tried gently shaking his wrist, and the red light at the center of the dial seemed to shift slightly as well.

“Something’s not right,” Mo Bai’s voice carried a hint of seriousness as he stared at the pulsating red light. “It doesn’t seem to be warning us of danger; it’s more like it’s guiding us, telling us to find something.” He pondered the functions of the Ultimatrix. “Perhaps it has sensed some unknown DNA signal source?”

Just then, as if to confirm his guess, the pulsating red light on the Ultimatrix on his wrist suddenly intensified.

The dial, like a magnetized compass needle, pointed sharply and clearly to the right side of Mo Bai's body—a direction outside the car window.

The red light penetrated the dial case, casting a clear and persistent beam of light in the dimly lit carriage, pointing straight into the distance.

Mo Bai immediately determined the direction; the red light pointed to a path away from the city center, leading to a more secluded area.

He sighed wearily and rubbed his temples.

Having just experienced a life-or-death struggle in the laboratory and a terrifying moment on the road, I was already exhausted, both physically and mentally.

He glanced at Xiao Ban beside him, who also looked tired, and quickly made a decision.

"Xiao Ban, use your Ultimatrix to locate the position and lock onto the signal source. I'll drive and follow your instructions." Rather than having two people blindly follow, it's better to have a clear division of labor.

Xiao Ban nodded and raised his wrist as well.

Her Ultimatrix dial also shimmered with the same pulsating green light.

She concentrated, and the green light on the watch face immediately stabilized, pointing in the same direction as the beam of light on Mo Bai's wrist, even more condensed.

The engine roared again, and the car turned around on the quiet street, as if pulled by an invisible green rope, heading towards the unknown signal source.

The city lights gradually thinned out behind us, and the buildings on both sides of the road became low and old.

Finally, guided by the unwavering arm of the little boy, the car stopped in front of a huge building that looked particularly lonely and silent under the moonlight.

A museum that looks quite old.

It was already late at night, and the museum had long since closed.

The tall stone pillars cast long shadows under the cool moonlight, like silent guardians.

The main gate was tightly shut, the massive bronze lock gleaming coldly in the moonlight. A deathly silence reigned all around; not even the chirping of insects could be heard.

The entire building exudes a sense of desolation, as if it has been neglected for many years and forgotten. Perhaps it is due to poor business or the imminent relocation, which gives it the feel of an abandoned building.

The two got out of the car, and the night wind, carrying a cool and dusty scent, rushed towards them.

Xiao Ban looked up at the tightly closed, seemingly heavy door, then looked down at the green beam of light on his wrist that was still stubbornly pointing into the museum, and pouted: "Looks like I'll have to 'knock' first."

Without hesitation, she raised her hand and patted the Ultimatrix watch face on her wrist.

After transforming into a powerful Tyrannosaurus Rex, its massive body cast a huge shadow under the moonlight.

The enormous fist was swung high, carrying enough force to shake mountains, and slammed hard into the museum's tightly closed, heavy solid wood door without any fancy moves.

A deafening roar echoed through the silent night sky, and wood chips and shattered metal hinges scattered like fireworks.

The seemingly sturdy door was as fragile as paper in the face of absolute power, collapsing inwards instantly to reveal a pitch-black entrance behind it, resembling the mouth of a giant beast.

A flash of green light appeared again, and Xiao Ban deactivated his transformation. He dusted off non-existent dust from his hands, gestured with his chin towards Mo Bai, and said, "Done! Let's go!"