Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

When he lost his temper, the other party didn't respond, remaining as calm and unyielding as a stubborn, hard rock. Hiroyuki Misawa stared at them for a long time without saying a word.

“Also,” the person taking notes bent down to pick up the paper, then handed it back, “please explain any other points of doubt…”

……

The Memory Police were thrown into chaos by the review department, while the three members of Night Raid Team A huddled together, heads in hand, seemingly making some arrangements.

"Hey, is it okay for you to just barge into the gateway like this? We're going through the meeting minutes of our boss's boss and other bosses at the same level!" Shiori Hiraki whispered, so that no matter how loudly she spoke, not a single word would escape from the tightly closed door. The Night Raid Team's level of secrecy was among the highest in the entire Third Base.

Mitsuhiko Ishibori, the team's information brain, was typing furiously on his computer, doing something that would really make the higher-ups' brains pound: hacking the gateway and stealing data.

“Don’t you think that’s going too far? Those interrogations,” Mitsuhiko Ishibori said, “we’re not fighting abroad for them to question us, but instead they’re making us explain why the Dark Giants escaped after so many battles…”

Shiori Hiraki slammed her hand on the control panel: "They asked you that too? That's outrageous! What kind of laymen are judging experts? According to their logic, we're all on the side of the Dark Giants and deliberately letting them escape? I don't want to let them go, but I'm afraid they'll have to give up the resistance themselves."

"So you want to see who gave the order?" Kazuki Komon leaned closer, staring curiously at the screen that was constantly refreshing characters. "Knowing who it was won't do any good, it's not like we can make them quit."

“No, I meant… that’s enough!” Mitsuhiko Ishibori pressed the last key, the scrolling characters suddenly stopped, the page refreshed, and the full name of the censorship department was displayed on the screen. Clearly, he had successfully infiltrated the other party’s database.

Chapter 149 True Talent

"Meeting minutes?" Komon Kazuki read out the title of the text he had retrieved.

"Look at their review standards, and when you explain, avoid raising any doubts... so that when you answer, you don't create another doubt. It's like a trap, Shiori, you've definitely been trapped before."

"Shut up!"

The group continued reading down the record.

Mitsuhiko Ishibori's move was really good. Kazuki Komon realized that he had stepped on a lot of landmines when answering the questions. No wonder the other party asked so many questions and the angles of approach were so strange that even he, the newest employee, had a longer questioning session than Shiori Hiraki!

Mitsuhiko Ishibori's review was the fastest; Nagi Saijo was called away and hasn't come out yet, while the captain has another person specifically "taking care" of him.

Komon Kazuki secretly noted down the items from the questioning conversation, planning to do his homework when he got back.

"Wait a minute!" Shiori Hiraki called out to Mitsuhiko Ishibori, stopping his descent. "The investigation target... why are there people from the Second Base? 'Observation mission after the handover of memories with the Second Base'? Why did they need to hand over to the Second Base?"

Mitsuhiko Ishibori rubbed his hands together: "Looks like we've found something new. Wait a minute."

The two waited in silence as he broke into other databases. The entire network inside TLT-J seemed like a sieve in his hands. He swaggered in and out of the sieve's holes, casually picking out whatever interested him.

This time, the page still displays meeting minutes, not from the censorship department, but from the head of the Third Base.

"Ah... 'Make sure to hand over the work to Group C.'"

Mitsuhiko Ishibori leaned back and saw Kazuki Komon's clenched fingers, his fingernails pressed white.

"Isn't this a sign of distrust?!" Shiori Hiraki leaned closer, her already large eyes practically popping out of their sockets, her eyebrows pressed down on them, making her look like a snarling little beast: "They want Group C to take over our territory?!"

“Okay, it’s just an issue. You see, the result is ‘pending’, so they haven’t given up on us yet,” Mitsuhiko Ishibori reassured her.

“Even the agenda items won’t do! If it’s on the agenda, it means that some superiors really think this way! I dare say if the review results aren’t good, they’ll definitely bring it up again to discuss it!” It’s only because this place is well soundproofed, otherwise her voice could pierce through two walls.

Three people were present: one looked helpless, one stood to the side with a heavy heart, and the other paced around, trying to find something to throw up and vent his anger on.

This was the scene that Saijo Nagi saw when she entered.

"you?"

Shiori Hiraki saw her and quickly came over: "Vice-Captain! They didn't ask any inappropriate questions, did they?"

“You’re asking a lot of questions, but this is part of our job,” Saijo Nagi thought she was getting annoyed by the questions, so she tried to comfort her, saying, “All our mission reports can withstand scrutiny.”

"Ah, I was worried about being in Group C..." Shiori Hiraki quickly stopped mid-sentence, while the other two who knew...

People were already staring at her.

"What about Group C?" The vice-captain's ears were as sharp as his eyes.

Shiori Hiraki quickly tried to smooth things over: "Group C...that's great! I was just worried they would beat us to the top!"

"Many of Group C's combat plans are based on our experience in dealing with alien beasts, so we won't lose in terms of combat record."

"Ah, yes, yes, the vice-captain is right!"

……

TLT has made a mess of itself. The "Truth Investigation Team"—no, there's no need for investigation anymore—has officially changed its name to "Genlai Newspaper Outpost Branch and Baolucao Photography Base." Huali, as the only designated person who can eat and drink for free without having to work, is also a complete mess.

"Dad...did you make this?"

She was not tall, and now she was half-lying down, making it seem as if she was hanging on the table, with only half of her face showing on the lacquered surface. Her gaze was fixed on a pile of "glass crafts".

Those things, in her view, could indeed be called "art".

There were fluffy rabbits—really fluffy! The sculptor had carved every single hair with exquisite detail; you could almost see the fur rustle when you blew on it. There were also intricately carved nested balls; she'd only ever seen nested balls made of ivory, never of "glass" in a picture book. And a few hair clips—of course, she couldn't actually wear them. Dad said it was just for looking, but really! Why make them so pretty if they're only for show!

"You really can't wear it?" Huali stared wide-eyed at the shiny thing. The outer shell was transparent, like solidified ice or crystal with excellent luster. Inside, there was golden "quicksand." Her father said it was energy crystals that slowly rotated like a galaxy inside.

She looked at Jun Sakuma with pleading eyes, her head not moving, but her eyes turned to him, wet and as bright and clear as the "crystal" in front of her.

"It's no use begging me! You're only allowed to play with them when I'm watching, and only today. I'm going to take these hair clips out and smash them later... and the rabbit and the carved ball too."

"Why are you showing me how to do it if you won't let me play?" Her pleading eyes narrowed, then turned into a hint of disdain: "Ah... I remember now, because I said that the flowers Dad carved weren't as pretty as the ones 'Dad' made?"

Karin took a half step back, cupped her hands together, and mimicked Aiba Yu's gesture from that day: "'Daddy' throws it like that with a 'whoosh,' flowers made of stars fall from the sky. Can you do that?"

Jun Sakuma was too embarrassed to admit that he had originally wanted to make something similar, but these were as stable as rocks. He pointed to the rabbit with its fine fur: "Isn't it more delicate and adorable than flower petals?"

"Oh, can it move?" Huali leaned back to the table, tiptoed to touch it, and felt its warmth, but the rabbit was indeed just a silly, doll: "Eh, no."

Her little hands touched several "glass objects"—a rabbit, a matryoshka doll, various hair clips… Suddenly, Huali's eyes lit up: "'Daddy!'"

Samuel had somehow taken a seat on the side, and was examining a butterfly hair clip from all angles.

“You want to make ‘fireworks’? But even with the concept of ‘explosion’ added, it’s still very stable,” Little Lightman raised his arm and banged it loudly: “Ordinary impacts can’t shake its structure at all, so it’s completely unqualified as a ‘firework’.”

When Jun Sakuma saw him come out, he wanted to greet him, but he didn't expect to be evaluated like this right away. He didn't hear him praise his increasingly refined control, so he couldn't help but feel down.

That butterfly hair clip was specially designed by Jun Sakuma based on Karin's favorite one. The wings and body were connected by springs, so the wings would sway with her steps. Karin only wore it with her yukata on holidays. When the lantern market came out at night, she ran ahead, holding a small fan. Her wide sleeves and hair clip swayed back and forth. The lanterns on the street reflected her, and a large butterfly and a small butterfly danced in the soft light.

Jun Sakuma made a very meticulous replica. When Samuel picked it up, the little butterfly fluttered its wings. If he waited a little longer, Samuel had no doubt that his human form could also reproduce the tiny scales on the wings of a real butterfly.

“Chun, I’ve realized your talents might not lie here,” Samuel said, putting down his hairpin and walking over to the glass rabbit. He was now about the same height as the crouching rabbit, and he had to stretch his arm out to touch the ears drooping behind its head. “I misled you with ‘Exploding Light Blade.’ You are better suited to defensive techniques.”

"defense?"

Samuel looked up and said, half-jokingly, "'The Cube of Capture,' how about that name?"

Chapter 150 Disordered Notes

"what happened?"

He pondered for a long time, the buzzing sound of the machine surrounding him like flies that had lingered for a long time and couldn't be driven away.

The operating lights illuminated every subtle expression on his face, and every breath, heartbeat, and flow of blood was faithfully reflected in the external instruments.

A tiny syringe was pushed in by the robotic arm. He didn't know what it was, but he felt a chill in his body and the membrane where the medicine was injected hardened.

Perhaps because he had been staring at the shadowless lamp for too long, his vision was gradually eroded by the darkness. The dark spots turned a deep purple. He knew that this was the result of his photoreceptor cells temporarily losing their function due to direct exposure to strong light.

He recognized the people gathered outside the glass; he could name some of the renowned experts inside. He directly voiced his question: "Dr. Takada? What happened? Were the alien beasts in the factory eliminated?"

The white outside

They looked at each other in bewilderment.

Someone who reacted quickly whispered something, and the leader asked him through the microphone, "Gou Lümu... Vice Captain?"

The people inside didn't react to his address at all, seemingly used to it.

"I can barely see anything," said the former vice-captain of the Night Raid Team, unaware that he had been dismissed long ago. "Have the alien beasts at that factory been cleared out? Where's Nagi?"

Dr. Takada remained silent for a moment, then gave the order to his assistant: "Cut off the experiment and have the memory police come and check the situation."

The researcher, now in his fifties, leaned closer to the microphone, this time with his usual warm smile: "Yes, the alien beast has been eliminated. You unfortunately contracted the infection, but it seems you're almost recovered... A specialist will come to assess your physical and mental condition later. Congratulations, Deputy Captain Goulumu."

The latter seemed to genuinely believe his story. Even though he was so restrained that he couldn't turn his neck, he still tried to nod to express his gratitude: "Thank you for your help. Apart from me, have the Night Raid Team and the others returned?"

"of course."

The person lying inside visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike Dr. Takada, who was adept at soothing others with his approachable aura, Mizoroki rarely smiled like that, even though he genuinely cared about his team members, which appeared somewhat gloomy to others.

After confirming that he had quietly accepted the so-called "status quo," Dr. Takada turned around and glanced at his team: "Unexpected, but I like this kind of material."

……

"You find this surprising?"

At the Memory Police Station under the Third Base, two people who had been suspended from duty due to too many suspicious points were sitting at their workstations by the window. The man opened a bottle of Coke, celebrating that he was finally not being isolated for investigation.

He raised his jar to toast the person opposite him, but the other person showed no interest and didn't even open the jar that had been given to him.

"Be content. Anyone with eyes can see how you and Chishu Rei are behaving, even just by looking at the amusement park's unreliable surveillance footage." Misawa Hiroyuki had been working overtime for a long time and finally got the leisure he had been longing for today, although he was under some restrictions, such as his internal access being taken back and waiting to be restored after the review was completed.

He felt only joy. He was now sitting at Sakuma Jun's workstation, muttering about his former colleague who had long since escaped his misery and was now living a carefree life somewhere, while trying to comfort his sullen junior, Nonomiya Mizuki.

She had only been working there a short time and was still a newcomer whose enthusiasm hadn't been dampened. She was also in a relationship, and her life was filled with sweet, bubbly dreams. But the review department poured a bucket of ice water on her, extinguishing those bubbles one by one.

Hiroyuki Misawa understood that he didn't mind Mizuki Nonomiya's silence.

“Indeed, I broke a taboo. How can a monitor be so intimate with the target being monitored?” Nonomiya Mizuki stroked the dolphin pendant, a gift from Chishu Rei. She turned the pendant around, and the pink ball was held in the dolphin’s arms. The silence on her face gradually faded. “But I don’t regret it. It’s just that… apart from this, I actually value this job very much.”

“Well, besides you, no one would erase the target’s memory and then comfort them by saying ‘sorry’.” Hiroyuki Misawa put his feet up on the table, resigned to his fate. Anyway, this was Jun Sakuma’s workstation, so it was none of his business if it got dirty.

Mizuki Nonomiya found her usually serious and earnest senior's sudden relaxed demeanor refreshing. Perhaps infected by the other's leisurely attitude, she also stopped sitting upright, relaxed back in her chair, and looked out the window at the rows of tall buildings in the distance.

“I first heard the story of the ‘One-Eyed Bird’. From then on, saying ‘I’m sorry’ no longer gave me any comfort. I got the job of monitoring Rei… He was such a gentle person. I felt like I was committing a crime. At first, I could refute their insults against the ‘One-Eyed Bird’. Later, I monitored him all day long. He had already discovered me but did not expose me. He treated me with kindness like he would treat anyone else. I always avoided him—not just because of discipline, but also because I felt like I really was the ‘One-Eyed Bird’.”