Chapter 48

The atmosphere around them was still calm as Jhonny, Alice, Fredy, Denada and Rian were busy extracting more purple rocks containing Frigia Sanguinis. They all thought the mission would be over soon, and the hope of returning to Earth with success began to fill their minds.

Alice, who had already examined and sampled some of the rocks, stood beside the pile of rocks they had collected. She felt relieved that the mission had gone smoothly so far. However, that feeling was only momentary.

Suddenly, something big and fast crashed into Alice from the side. Before anyone could react, grayish tentacles quickly wrapped around Alice's body and pulled her away with tremendous force. Alice didn't even have time to scream. Her body was dragged so fast that only her shadow was left behind.

"Alice!" shouted Jhonny in panic, his eyes wide with shock.

Fredy, Denada, and Rian reacted immediately, but they weren't fast enough to catch up with the tentacles carrying Alice. The tentacles moved at lightning speed, disappearing into the dense forest filled with strange plants and Gronion's signature spiral trees.

Jhonny ran towards where Alice was last seen, but there was no trail to follow. "Alice!" he shouted again, but only silence answered.

Jhonny's face turned pale, and his eyes were filled with anger and fear. "What just happened?" he muttered, trying to digest the events that had just unfolded so quickly.

Fredy rushed over to him, his breath coming in short gasps. "She... she's been kidnapped. We have to do something. We can't let this happen!"

Denada also looked worried, but she tried to think clearly. "Whatever just dragged Alice, it must be a creature from this planet. We don't know anything about them."

Jhonny clenched his fists, his anger almost overflowing. Alice, the wife he loved so much, was being kidnapped before his eyes, and he felt helpless. "I won't let this happen! We have to find her!" he said firmly, filled with determination.

Rian, who had been the calmest among them, stared at the dense forest where the tentacles had disappeared. "We don't know what's in there, but I agree with Jhonny. We can't leave Alice in danger. We have to explore that forest and find out who or what kidnapped her."

Jhonny nodded, his face still full of pent-up anger. "We're going to save Alice. I don't care how dangerous this place is."

Agreeing to act immediately, they began to move towards the dense forest. Gronion's purplish-blue sky seemed to be getting darker, giving it an increasingly tense atmosphere. The faint glow of the sky was now almost invisible, making the atmosphere around them feel even more gloomy. The vegetation around them grew thicker and weirder, with creeping plants and spiral trees that seemed to move like they were alive.

They moved cautiously, following the faint trail left by the movement of the tentacles that kidnapped Alice. Fredy led at the front, with a tracking device that could detect the creature's heat trails. Denada and Rian stood guard at the back, making sure no other threats were approaching.

"Jhonny, you have to stay calm," Fredy said as he walked, trying to calm his obviously devastated friend. "We'll find it. We have to focus."

Jhonny looked at Fredy with determined eyes. "I won't rest until I see Alice safe beside me. Whatever took her, I'll make sure they regret doing it."

They continued to walk through the deepening and darkening forest. Strange plants seemed to twitch, as if following them from the shadows. However, none of them relaxed their resolve. They knew that Alice could not be left alone for too long in a dangerous place like this.

After what felt like hours, Fredy stopped his steps. "Wait, there's something up ahead."

They stopped at the edge of the valley, where a large headquarters could be seen hidden among the trees and rocks. The building was made of rough and sturdy-looking metal, with walls that glittered under the faint light. It was shaped like a large dome that integrated into the surrounding nature, barely visible from a distance.

Rian watched the building closely. "This isn't man-made. This must be an alien base."

Jhonny felt his heart beating faster. "Alice must be in there," he said with full conviction.

Denada, who had been the most pragmatic, looked at the building with concern. "We have to be careful. We don't know what's in there, and who lives in this place."

Jhonny clenched his fists again, this time with even more determination. "I don't care who or what is in there. Alice is in there, and we're going to save her."

He gave his team a stern look. "We have to infiltrate. But we have to do it carefully. One mistake, and they could escape with Alice."

Fredy nodded in agreement. "We need a strategy. There might be more of those tentacle-like creatures in there. We can't just walk in."

Denada added, "Maybe we can use the rocks and vegetation around us to disguise ourselves. This could help us enter undetected."

Jhonny looked at them one by one, his eyes shining with determination. "I don't care how difficult it is. I just want Alice back safely. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it."

Rian, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "I agree. We've come this far, and we can't back out now. Alice is depending on us."

With a plan starting to form in their heads, Jhonny and his team prepare to infiltrate the alien base. Pressure and tension are in the air, but their determination to save Alice is greater than the fear that haunts them.

They will do whatever it takes. Jhonny, especially, won't stop until he sees Alice safe beside him. And whoever or whatever was behind this kidnapping, would soon feel his wrath.

Under the darkening Gronion sky, Jhonny and his team prepare to enter the alien base. The base holds a mystery that has yet to be revealed, but inside. Although it is still uncertain about where Alice is now, what is certain is that Alice must be rescued immediately or she will be in danger. Jhonny wouldn't be able to forgive himself if Alice couldn't be brought back to Earth.

"Are you ready?" asked Jhonny to his three teammates.

"Yes, we're ready," said Rian on behalf of the others and nodded.