Ben10: A Romantic Adventure with a Gender-Swapped Class

He took a deep breath, tiptoed, and carefully crawled through the hole.

The warehouse was dimly lit and filled with the smell of dust and rust.

However, the intense battle scene that was expected did not occur.

Before my eyes came several familiar figures—Xiao Ban, Xiao Wen, and Kevin, standing together.

Not far from them, a group of Eternal Warriors, clad in dark armor and exuding a chilling aura, silently and in perfect unison turned and left.

Their footsteps were heavy, the friction of their armor producing a low clanging sound, and their silhouettes appeared particularly somber and... defeated in the dim light.

The air was filled with a quiet stillness after the dust had settled and a faint smell of gunpowder.

Clearly, he was too late; the matter had already been... resolved?

"What's going on?" Mo Bai strode over to Xiao Ban and the others, his gaze sweeping over the departing Eternal Warriors, then around the empty warehouse, and asked in a low voice, "Where's that magical beast? Did it run away?"

Hearing Mo Bai's question, Kevin lazily raised his hand and casually, with a hint of mockery, pointed to his feet with his metallic index finger.

He gave a sly smile and began to speak.

"Just moved into its new dorm, room and board included, indefinitely."

Mo Bai looked down in the direction Kevin pointed.

What they were standing on was not ordinary cement, but a huge, strange pattern deeply imprinted on the warehouse floor.

The pattern was composed of countless twisted, intricate lines that emitted a faint, eerie glow. At its center appeared to be an ancient compass-shaped rune, covered with completely incomprehensible, unfamiliar characters.

The entire seal pattern exudes a heavy, unsettling ancient aura and a sense of confinement.

Mo Bai looked at the huge sealing compass at his feet and nodded knowingly.

Since they're already "locked up," there's really nothing to worry about.

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Xiao Ban seemed to finally relax from her tense state. She naturally leaned closer to Mo Bai, her body slightly tilted, her arm gently touching his arm, her voice carrying the fatigue of a battle and a hint of coquetry.

“Now that the Eternal Warriors have all packed up and left, the trouble is over…” She rubbed her slightly sore shoulders, her eyes sparkling as she looked at everyone. “Shouldn’t we go to the Snow Mud King’s place and treat ourselves?! I’m dying of thirst!”

"Why are we going to Snow Mud King for lunch?" Xiaowen, who was following behind, frowned in confusion.

"Can't we just find a place to have a proper meal?"

The little boy immediately frowned, exaggeratedly rubbed his flat little belly, and retorted.

"It's so hot outside, like a steamer! How can we eat without a refreshing, ice-cold slushie first! This is the appetizer!"

However, no sooner had she finished speaking than Kevin strode over to Coco, grinned, and offered "constructive" advice.

"I propose," he said loudly, "that we go straight for ice-cold soda. Anyone agree?"

Swish!

Almost simultaneously and without hesitation, everyone except those in the small class raised their hands.

Kindergarten class: "..."

She turned her head sharply, looked at Mo Bai, then at Kevin and Xiao Wen, her lips slightly pouting, her face instantly filled with shock, grievance, and resentment, as if asking, "Are the three of you conspiring to bully me?"

That look in his eyes was full of accusation.

Seeing Xiao Ban's adorable, embarrassed look, Mo Bai, Xiao Wen, and Kevin couldn't help but laugh.

Laughter echoed through the empty, dilapidated warehouse, dispelling the last trace of tension.

"Alright, alright, let's go get some soda first, then go eat and grab a slushie on the way, okay?" Mo Bai smiled and smoothed things over, reaching out to ruffle Xiao Ban's messy hair.

"That's more like it..." Xiao Ban muttered softly, barely accepting this compromise.

The four of them stopped and turned to walk towards the broken hole in the warehouse door.

The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the cave entrance, outlining their youthful figures.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, chatting and laughing, their figures casting long shadows behind them. They were full of energy and tacit understanding, like the brightest stroke in the painting of youth, heading towards the brilliant sunshine and their afternoon full of infinite possibilities.

........

Meanwhile, deep underground, far from the hustle and bustle, in dim light, where the air is thick with the smell of disinfectant and stale dust.

An elderly man in a blue and white striped hospital gown was walking unsteadily on the cold, damp stone road, his back hunched over.

His hospital gown was a bit too big, making him look even thinner and thinner. A faded strip of cloth was sewn onto the lapel, on which a name was printed in blurry ink: Old George.

He walked slowly, and finally stopped in front of a huge stone wall covered with complex, dizzying glowing runes.

The runes were ancient and sinister, radiating unsettling energy fluctuations, as if imprisoning some extremely terrifying being behind the stone wall.

Old George's cloudy eyes were fixed on the sealed wall, his withered lips moving silently, as if he were chanting something, or perhaps silently cursing.