The next day.
The Rustbucket rolled slowly down the middle of a desert highway.
On both sides of the road stretched golden sand. A vulture perched on a withered cactus, but the moment it noticed the approaching vehicle, it spread its wings and vanished into the horizon.
The blazing sun hung high overhead, pouring down relentless heat. Waves of hot air rolled across the desert, scorching every inch of land.
Buried in this wasteland were countless bleached bones, some human, some animal, left behind by heat or thirst.
Of course, there were also some who had disappeared into a frozen world...
Inside the Rustbucket.
Everyone was on the verge of passing out from the heat. The desert temperature was so high it felt like they were trapped inside a giant furnace.
"Grandpa, crank the AC up a little more, okay? I'm dying here!" Ben said, tongue hanging out, looking utterly miserable.
"Sorry, it's probably already at full blast."
Grandpa Max kept both hands on the wheel, his forehead slick with sweat.
Even with the fan helping, he still couldn't take it. That was enough to show just how brutal the heat was.
"Let me handle it." Lucian pressed the Omnitrix, and a faint green glow flared around him.
The next second, he transformed into Big Chill.
"Whew~"
A sharp wave of cold instantly swept through the entire RV. Everyone felt refreshed at once, the heat in both body and mind disappearing in a single stroke.
After the temperature dropped, Big Chill nodded in satisfaction, then tapped the Omnitrix on his chest and changed back.
"But even so, we've still got a long way to go before we're out of this desert. At this rate, the cold won't last forever," Grandpa Max said with a bitter smile.
They couldn't exactly have Lucian stay as Big Chill the whole time.
The Omnitrix had limited energy. Once it ran out, it needed time to recharge. If something unexpected happened then, that would be trouble.
"Hehe, time for the great hero to make his entrance!!"
Ben grinned slyly, pressed the Omnitrix, switched aliens, and slammed it down.
Thunk.
"Grey Matter!"
A little blue frog-like alien appeared on the couch, then bounced straight into the air conditioner.
Soon, a series of bangs and clatters came from inside, like someone was tearing the whole thing apart.
"First, I need to readjust the cooling system's circulation function, boost the output valve power, and reconnect all these tangled coils..." Grey Matter's voice came from inside the unit as he muttered to himself while tinkering away.
"Hey, doofus, don't break it!" Gwen said worriedly.
"Hehe, pretty soon you'll all be freezing!" Grey Matter said confidently.
The very next moment, thick black smoke burst out of the AC.
The Rustbucket, which had been driving along the road, suddenly lurched violently, like an old man coughing, then staggered off to the side and scraped up a shower of sparks.
Lucian was the first one out the door, quickly helping Gwen and the others out after him.
"Look what you did!!" Gwen glared furiously at Grey Matter, looking like she wanted to eat him alive.
"That was just an accident." Grey Matter pursed his lips guiltily.
Grandpa Max looked helpless and scratched his head. "Alright, kids, stop arguing. Right now we need to think about how to get out of here."
After losing control just now, the Rustbucket had charged straight into the desert. They were now about fifty meters from the highway.
And the engine was damaged too, which meant it needed repairs.
"Huh? What's that over there?" Ben suddenly said, pointing ahead into the desert.
Everyone followed his gaze.
In the distance stood a massive building, like some forgotten ancient relic left behind by time, still standing there alone after countless years.
"Grandpa, let's go check it out!" Gwen said, drenched in sweat as she grabbed his hand.
Now that the Rustbucket was broken down, if they had to stand under the blazing sun waiting for it to be fixed, they would all be roasted dry.
What could be in the middle of the desert? Ben wondered, growing more excited by the second.
"Alright, let's go take a look." Grandpa gave in with a sigh, though he himself could barely stand the heat and needed a break.
When they reached the building, surprise spread across everyone's faces.
"Oh my gosh, giant toy soldiers!" Gwen exclaimed.
Standing on either side of the castle were enormous soldiers.
They were bulky, dressed in red uniforms with tall hats on their heads. Their expressions were blank, with little mustaches and white beards hanging from their chins. They stood perfectly straight and motionless.
They looked exactly like British soldiers.
The castle doors were tightly shut.
Whoooosh.
A cold gust seeped out through the crack in the door and brushed across everyone's bodies.
"Wow, that feels amazing!!" Gwen cried out happily. "There has to be a snow machine inside."
"Hehe, let me see what's in there."
Ben couldn't wait any longer and pushed the door open.
It was pitch-black inside.
One by one, the group stepped in.
The corridor was narrow and completely dark. Aside from their heavy breathing, there was no sound at all.
After a few minutes of walking, a patch of white light gradually appeared ahead, like a beacon in the darkness guiding them onward.
"The exit's up ahead." Lucian's eyes shifted slightly.
Everyone quickened their pace and soon passed through the white light, leaving the darkness behind.
"Whooo."
An icy wind instantly washed over them. Compared to the scorching heat from moments ago, it was like passing from fire to ice.
They all stood there, stunned, staring at the sight in front of them.
A world of ice and snow.
All around them were Christmas-style buildings, with distinctive triangular rooftops, red brick chimneys, and bright colorful lights everywhere.
Countless snowflakes drifted down onto the Christmas trees, layering them one coat of white after another.
There were chocolate dolls, giant red candies, and candy canes as tall as trees, striped red and white and giving off a sweet smell.
"Wow, this place is literally paradise!!" Ben was already ecstatic, hugging a giant puff of cotton candy and gnawing on it like crazy.
"Hahaha, we really came to the right place!" Gwen shouted as she jumped into a giant ice cream, enjoying the cool refreshing sensation.
But while everyone was happily enjoying themselves, none of them noticed a pair of eyes fixed on Grandpa Max's back.
One of the toy soldiers' eyes slowly turned, staring at him without blinking.
"Oh my God, you've finally appeared..."
...
After playing around for a while, the group arrived at an open snowy field.
Ben packed a snowball and threw it at Grandpa, instantly dusting his broad back with snow.
Gwen copied him and did the same.
"I'm warning you..." Grandpa Max said with his back still to them, making Ben and Gwen go pale as they thought he was angry.
"You've made the snowball battle master mad, hehe!" Grandpa suddenly turned around with several large snowballs in his hands and hurled them at Ben with a hearty laugh.
Ben and Gwen immediately realized what was happening and jumped right into the snowball fight with Grandpa.
Even Lucian joined the battle.
"Hey, look, there's a little dwarf over there!!" Ben suddenly shouted...