They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 257 The battle begins

Just as Daigo was about to press for more information...

The door to the operations command room slid open with a "whoosh," and Ye Rui walked in carrying two steaming plates of curry rice.

"Hey Daigo, what are you doing? You're talking to yourself, like you're talking to someone."

Seeing Daigo's posture, Nori asked with some curiosity.

"N-nothing. I was just lost in thought."

Thank you, Ye Rui. I'm hungry too.

Daigo forced down the turmoil in his heart, managed a fairly natural smile, and accepted the curry rice that Nori handed him.

Then pick up the spoon and stuff a big mouthful of rice into your mouth.

However, his heart was not at peace.

Who exactly is that white giant?
……

Several hours later
After tireless emergency modifications by the technical department, the weapon systems of Victory Flying Swallow No. 1 and No. 2 were finally upgraded.

"Victory Team, move out!"

At the command of Vice Captain Munakata, Daigo, Shinjo, Rena, and Horii quickly boarded the plane.

Two fighter jets, towed by a tractor, slowly slid onto the catapult track and shot into the sky like arrows, flying rapidly towards Kurarajima Island.

At the cruising speed of the Flying Swallow series, it only took half an hour to reach Kura Island.

Finally, the plane landed smoothly on the makeshift runway next to the temporary command center. The cabin door opened, and Masaki Keigo, who had been waiting there, came to greet it.

"Dr. Masaki, how is the situation?"

When Zongfang saw the visitor, he did not exchange pleasantries but went straight to the point.

"follow me."

Masaki Keigo turned around and led everyone into the makeshift command tent.

Inside the tent, several screens flickered with complex data streams.
"Jakuma, a petrifying behemoth in ancient mythology, feeds on rocks."

Masaki Keigo pointed to the monster simulation image displayed on the main screen and explained succinctly,

"Its outer layer is composed of high-density silicate compounds, making it extremely strong. Conventional laser weapons and missiles have difficulty in causing effective damage to it."

"What about our new weapons?"

Shin-chan asked impatiently, his gaze fixed on the simulation diagram of the Flying Swallow II.

"According to my calculations, the Texas Cannon carried by the Flying Swallow II has a high-energy particle stream that is enough to penetrate its defenses."

Masaki Keigo replied.

"Do we... really have to destroy it?"

Lina's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of reluctance appearing in her clear eyes.
"Since it is only protecting its own territory and feeds on stones, isn't there a way to coexist peacefully with it?"

For example... establishing a protected area for it, or something like that..."

Her words caused a momentary pause in the atmosphere inside the tent.

"Lina, your kindness is respectable. But we must face reality."

The real problem is not the stones that serve as food for Gakuma, but the uncontrollable and powerful destructive force they possess.

Exceeding the size and weight of an aircraft carrier, even mere movement could cause damage.

"We currently have no means to effectively communicate with such a creature, let alone control its behavior."

Today it appears because of a quarry, tomorrow it may appear in a densely populated city for other reasons.

We cannot entrust the lives of millions of people to the 'goodwill' of a monster.

Until a completely reliable method of coexistence is found, eliminating the threat is TPC's only option.

Upon hearing this, Masaki Keigo explained.

Humanity's current capabilities do not allow it to coexist with such creatures.

Lina fell silent. She understood the logic behind it, but she still couldn't completely let it go.

But in the end, she nodded heavily. As a pilot for the Victory Team, she had a responsibility to protect everyone.

"Besides that, there is one more thing you must pay special attention to."

"This is Gakuma's petrification ray."

Seeing this, Masaki Keigo nodded, then swiped across the screen and brought up the video.

On the screen, a video shot by an exploration robot began to play.

A silent beam of light shot out from the depths of the cave and struck a huge rock. The rock instantly changed from its original dark brown to a deathly gray-white, as if all its life force had been drained away.

"Does this...directly alter the molecular structure of the object?"

"My God... this energy conversion method... it's amazing! Isn't this almost like alchemy from mythology?!"

Seeing this, Horii came closer, looked at the complex molecular formulas and energy spectrum diagrams on the screen, and expressed his sincere admiration.

"That's right, so you must be extremely careful when you're fighting in the air."

Even the Flying Swallow's special alloy armor, if struck by this beam, would instantly crystallize, losing all mobility.

Masaki Keigo agreed, then offered a reminder.

"clear."

Zong Fang nodded solemnly; a meticulous battle plan had already taken shape.

He turned to face his teammates and gave them instructions:

"In that case, the battle plan is as follows! Lina and I will pilot the Flying Swallow No. 1 to attract the monster's attention from the front and act as bait!"
Daigo and Shinjo, pilot the Flying Swallow II, use its maneuverability to flank the enemy, find the best opportunity to attack, and deliver a fatal blow with the Texas Cannon!
Horii, you stay on the surface and continue your research on methods to remove the petrification with Dr. Masaki.

"Yes!"

……

Then, the battle began.

First, ground troops set up several high-powered ultrasonic jamming devices at the entrance to the cave where the monster was lurking.

A piercing buzzing sound rang out, and invisible sound waves pierced deep into the mountain like sharp swords.

"Rumble--"

The earth began to tremble violently, rocks tumbled down, and dust filled the air.

With a deafening roar, a monster with a huge horn on its head and a rock-like body—Gakuma α—burst out of the cave!
It was clearly enraged, its crimson eyes filled with ferocity, and it launched an attack on the ground troops' positions as soon as it appeared.

"call out--"

A pale white beam of light shot out from the single horn atop its head, sweeping across...
An armored vehicle that couldn't be evacuated in time was touched by the light and instantly froze into a gray-white stone sculpture.

"All ground units retreat! Maintain safe distances!"

Zongfang's voice rang in everyone's ears through the communicator.

This also marks the start of the combat operation.

……

On the other side, in another corner of the command tent, the atmosphere was equally tense.

The research team, led by Keigo Masaki, was intently watching the instrument screen, which was analyzing the petrification light parameters they had just captured in real time.

"I see... I see!"

Horii suddenly slapped his thigh excitedly.
"I understand! This is not petrification formed through a long period of displacement reaction like dinosaur fossils."

Its light contains some kind of microscopic mineral that is highly compressed in a way we don't know!

“When these microstructures come into contact with an object, they invade its molecular gaps at an astonishing speed, forcibly changing its arrangement and triggering a chain of crystallization reactions. For Gakuma, this is more like a weapon it uses to defend itself than a tool for making food.”

Masaki Keigo nodded, then added, "Once the principle is understood, reversing this process is not impossible!"

"If only we could design a reverse energy field that could break down these micro-minerals..."

Horii said somewhat excitedly.

However, his excitement was quickly dampened by reality.

The monitors next to the three miners, tracking their vital signs, beeped in alarm. On the screen, the already weak brainwave waveforms had fallen below the critical threshold.

"No...it's too late..."

"At this rate of decay, they can only hold on for a maximum of... a maximum of half an hour!"

A researcher reported, his face pale.

Manufacturing the necessary instruments takes time, and debugging takes time, but the lives of the three people in the tent cannot wait any longer.

Horii's brows furrowed tightly, and he was at a loss for what to do.

"We'll just do our best."

Masaki Keigo's voice was unusually calm. He seemed oblivious to the death-defying alarm, his gaze fixed on the screen in front of him, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he began reverse engineering the parameters of the Gakuma ray.

"Let's begin, Horii, time is of the essence."

……

High in the air, the Victory Team's operation was progressing quite smoothly.

Lina displayed the amazing skills of an ace pilot. Her Flying Swallow 1 was just like a nimble swallow, drawing graceful arcs in the air, sometimes diving and sometimes climbing, dodging all the petrifying rays fired by Gakuma α.

The giant beast on the ground was being toyed with by this annoying "little bug," roaring angrily but unable to hit its target.

"Well done, Lina!"

"Now! Daigo, Shinjo!"

Zong Fang seized an opportunity and decisively gave the order.

"Roger that!"

Inside the Flying Swallow II, Shinjo had already adjusted his posture. He gripped the control stick tightly, turned the fuselage to the side, and aimed the huge Texas cannon at the Jakuma α below, which had exposed its weakness due to anger.

"Target locked! Texas artillery, prepare to fire!"

Energy began to gather at the muzzle, emitting a heart-pounding hum.

But at this critical moment, the radar of Feiyan-2 suddenly emitted a piercing shriek!

"what?!"

Before Xincheng could react, the ground directly beneath them suddenly cracked open!
Amidst the rising dust, the second Gakuma—Gakuma β—emerged from the ground! It was larger than α, had two horns on its head, and exuded a more ferocious aura.

It raised its head, and both horns lit up at the same time. A petrifying beam of light, several times thicker than before, shot straight towards the Flying Swallow II in the air with lightning speed!

"Get out of the way!"

Daigo exclaimed in surprise.

"It's too late!"

But the distance was too close! Xincheng jerked the joystick, but it was too late.

"boom--!"

The petrifying beam struck the right wing of the Flying Swallow II with pinpoint accuracy. With a sickening cracking sound, the sturdy alloy wing instantly turned into grayish-white rock. Its immense weight caused the fighter jet to lose balance, billowing black smoke, and spiraling towards the ground like a kite with a broken string!

"Daigo?! Shinjo!!!"

Inside Flying Swallow No. 1, Zong Fang and Lina let out horrified screams.

In that life-or-death moment, a resolute glint flashed in Daigo's eyes. He unbuckled his seatbelt and, amidst the violent tumbling, pulled the radiant Spark Lens from his pocket!

Amidst the light, a gigantic figure appeared, stretching out its arms and firmly embracing the burning aircraft at the last moment before the Flying Swallow II was about to crash into the mountain!

It's Ultraman Tiga!

"call……"

Seeing this, Zongfang and Lina breathed a sigh of relief.

Tiga carefully placed the damaged Flying Swallow II on a flat surface, then slowly straightened up, turned to face the two menacing Gakuma, and assumed a fighting stance.

The battle is about to break out.

The situation of fighting two opponents is far more difficult than imagined.

After a fierce battle, Tiga was caught off guard and his left leg was struck by Gakuma α's beam, instantly turning him into stone.

Immediately afterwards, the beam of Gakuma β struck him squarely in the chest!
The grayish-white stone color spread rapidly like a plague, from his legs to his chest, and then to his arms; most of his body turned into cold rock in just a few seconds.

Ultraman Tiga's movements froze completely, turning him into a giant stone statue.

"This……"

Inside the command tent, everyone held their breath for a moment.

While everyone's attention was drawn to Ultraman Tiga, Masaki Keigo quietly walked to the corner behind the tent, a blind spot for the surveillance cameras.

He pulled out a transformation device that resembled a sparkler from his inner suit pocket.

Light bursts out!

The white giant has descended once more!

As soon as he appeared, he attracted everyone's attention.

Instead of attacking the monster immediately, he turned his gaze to the petrified Tiga.

Based on his previous calculations, he slowly extended his arm, aiming it at Tiga. A soft, warm white light emanated from his palm, enveloping the stone statue of Tiga.

A magical scene happened.

Under that light, the gray rock covering Tiga began to crack, then shattered into light spots and disappeared.

In just a few seconds, Tiga returned to normal, only the timer on his chest was flashing more rapidly.

Tiga, now free, stared in astonishment at the white giant before him, who merely nodded slightly before turning to face the two Gakuma.

The next second, the two giants of light stood side by side and launched a counterattack against the monster!
With the arrival of the White Giant, the tide of battle turned instantly.

Finally, the two giants gathered their energy and fired beams of light at an angle, accurately hitting Gakuma α and β.

Amidst the violent explosion and mournful cries of despair, the two colossal beasts were reduced to dust.

After doing all this, Tiga turned around and looked at the white giant beside him.

According to Youlian, the person in front of him should be a modern person living in this era, just like him. He had too many questions to ask.

However, the white giant seemed not to see his gaze, but turned around and slowly stretched out his hand towards the TPC command tent in the distance.

Another soft, healing ray of light shone out, passing through the tent's canvas and landing precisely on the three miner statues.

Inside the command tent, Horii and all the researchers watched in astonishment at the miracle unfolding before them.

Bathed in light, the three gray stone statues were rapidly shedding their stone quality, reverting to their original human flesh and blood forms.

"Cough cough..."

The three miners regained consciousness almost simultaneously and began coughing violently.

"This……"

Horii stared wide-eyed at the sight, his face filled with disbelief.

That giant can actually directly alter the composition of matter?!
After resolving all of this, the white giant did not linger at all. He transformed into a beam of white light and flew straight into the sky, disappearing into the depths of the clouds.

Tiga stood there for a moment, staring blankly in the direction the white giant had gone, his expression quite complicated.

In the end, he could only shake his head, then took to the air and left the island, which had returned to peace...

(End of this chapter)