Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

With a wave of his hand, he lit the hospital bed, the simple table and chairs, and the pale white light on the wall, making it seem as if this was a newly built house, that was a freshly turned field, and the sun and sky of the plateau were overhead.

Nasiri doesn't resemble a specialist in researching thermal insulation materials at all.

At home, he sang loudly in his hometown dialect, which no one could understand, but they could feel his joy—the joy that his dream brought him.

Kinoshita Kei couldn't understand his Mosaic language, but could roughly guess what he was singing.

Nasiri had talked to him about his dream: that his hometown would be free from slavery, turmoil, hunger, and human trafficking. If the Geo base no longer wanted him to work for the GUARD, he would return to his hometown to teach, first and foremost to enable more people to read and write, and to prevent them from signing unethical contracts when they go abroad to work.

Seeing him so engrossed in his illusions, Kinoshita Kei suddenly felt a pang of shame.

Naxili's thoughts were disturbed by the unknown creature, and he was thinking about building his hometown. If it were him, he might show off things like "I got first place" or "I trampled those geniuses with cheat codes under my feet".

Even when he is sober, he cannot get rid of these thoughts, such as when he just handed over his research results.

These common human thoughts always seem decadent and petty in the face of truly noble people.

Thinking of the Alchemy Star, and then looking at Naxili before him, Kinoshita Kei suddenly felt a sense of absurdity, as if detached from reality:

That group of geniuses that GUARD valued developed quantum communication equipment in a short period of time. They had also previously created an anti-gravity device, which could rapidly develop antidotes for monsters on a daily basis. With Takayama Gamu's vision, they produced one achievement after another as if possessed by Doraemon.

But in Naxi's hometown, some people still go hungry. The biggest dream of insulation material experts is peace and tranquility that is readily available to them.

Aren't they Earthlings who fight monsters and aliens, and who can step into the space age with a little more effort?

He had met Gaia and Agul, and the Earth consciousness had chatted and laughed with him. He carried the high hopes of Uranus on his shoulders. Just looking at these things, he seemed like the protagonist of a shonen manga, and he should be walking on the glorious road to becoming a hero.

But Nasiri, and everything he witnessed at the Geo base, was like a sharp knife, slicing through the comic book pages with a "whoosh." Like a bunny girl removing her makeup, telling him, "I can pick my toes and nose, and I also need to poop and fart."

"I should do something," he thought.

The influence of the unknown creature has already spread into the base. Kinoshita Kei, as an ordinary person, was outsmarted by the genius of the Alchemy Star, but as a human host, well... a quasi-human host, perhaps he can do something.

Uranus entrusted him with power; he should do more.

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Answer Seeked

The KCB Monster Disaster Live Report program has recently become very popular, and Kinoshita Kei has a habit of waking up the TV and turning on it directly while washing up in the morning.

The anchor was probably the most steadfast Ultraman supporter. He really liked the arguments she made. When Kinoshita Kei listened to her comfort and encouragement of the citizens, it was like seeing Bingbing on a sweltering summer day.

But this morning's live broadcast was different; the short-haired anchor was nowhere to be seen, and a man in a suit with slicked-back hair took his place, speaking in a serious and formal manner as if he were reading the evening news.

A large number of fish have died in the waters near Chiba Prefecture; the fisheries department is investigating the cause.

Kinoshita Kei pulled up Pito, who was still lazing around: "Do me a favor, and when you come back, you can have three bags of spicy dried fish or cold-cooked rabbit, your choice."

The muscular man immediately perked up: "It's my duty! Don't be shy, just tell me what you need help with! Also, I'm not feeling well, so I'd like to request a change to the five-spice flavor."

[While waiting for the connection to be established, a text message arrived: Chemical industrial products leaked in Chengyan City; access to and from the area has been temporarily closed.]

"Regarding Hitomi Onodera," Kinoshita Kei said, "judging from Nasiri's behavior, the hallucinations caused by 'sleepwalking' are more severe than I thought. The intelligence department isn't just sitting idly by; she's probably been coerced into revealing quite a bit of information. Help me see what the intelligence department has gathered."

"That sounds so complicated..."

"No trouble at all. No one can see you, making it incredibly convenient to spy and eavesdrop. Just flip through the paper files when they leave, and of course, remember to put them back in their original positions."

Pito scratched his face and corrected him: "Earth Father's eavesdropping is called openly listening to the children's voices. Similarly, it's not spying, but rather observing the children's lives openly and honestly."

"Yes, yes, yes." Kinoshita Kei laughed as he rummaged through his drawers and found the booklet that Nakai Ryoya had given him when he joined the company.

We have successfully connected with Professor Tanaka of the Marine Research Institute. Professor, could you please tell us about the cause of the fish deaths in Chiba Prefecture...?

Kinoshita Kei opened the thin booklet, inside which was a miniature map of the Geo base. The detailed version was classified and they couldn't get their hands on it. But the simplified version was fine and sufficient for their needs.

"Pito, also confirm the arrangements of the biological research department. If there are any heinous decisions to dissect her or conduct human experiments, be sure to let me know in advance."

Pito looked at him kindly.

Kinoshita Kei clicked his tongue: "Five packs, that's the most I can get."

As is well known, the recent storms altered the oxygen levels in the regional atmosphere, which is one of the contributing factors.

Furthermore, I believe... the ocean is dying.

……

The Prono Karamos Institute.

As usual, Kyoko Inamori continued her unfinished exploration alone in her studio.

Logically, from the day the research's initiator, Hiroya Fujimiya, disappeared, she should have no need to spend time searching for unknown particles underground. Most research institutes considered such searches to be of very low value.

We will dedicate ourselves to this matter again.

But perhaps it's just a habit? Every day when she opens her eyes, she unconsciously finds herself in this studio, while away the entire day amidst the creaking of the printer and the rustling of her hamster, Lily, as she eats.

The screen monitors a tranquil body of water, a pure water reservoir specially built by the research institute, on which the vast majority of its budget has been spent.

The water's purity rivals that of the SuperKamiokande's reserves, and it is surrounded by photomultiplier tubes capable of detecting single photons. This makes it an excellent aid in both the search for proton decay and the discovery of neutrinos.

Fujimiya Hiroya disappeared one day after routinely checking the equipment at the water's edge.

"Where did you go?" With that thought, the screen brightness suddenly increased!

Kyoko Inamori was drawn to the light. Thinking there was something wrong with the photomultiplier tube, she ran to the screen, only to find a dark shadow in the water!

"Fujimiya...is that Fujimiya?" She could only vaguely make out the dark figure submerged in the water. She zoomed in on the monitor and finally saw the person's hair floating in the water.

Fujimiya Hiroya seemed to have just jumped off the covered bridge, one hand outstretched above his head as if something underwater was attracting him.

Kyoko Inamori had never known there could be such a bright light source underwater, so much so that the image was almost overexposed. When that light touched the shadow, a sudden chill ran through her body, quickly spreading like an icy hand that passed through her skin without hindrance, reaching in along her muscles and bones, and grabbing her heart.

"Fujimiya!" she called out, rushing out the door without even turning off the device that was still printing data.

……

I saw the "future".

Fujimiya Hiroya jumped into the water, where he had received a response from Agul.

He was nearly overwhelmed by the crowds in Shiroiwa City when a reporter from KCB TV saved him. The reporters, apparently having received some inside information, went to Shiroiwa City to conduct an interview, only to stumble upon a "zombie parade." On their hurried return journey, they encountered Fujimiya Hiroya, who had been attacked.

Fujimiya Hiroya knew he hadn't been unconscious for long; when he woke up, he was still in the KCB reporter's car, and a woman in the passenger seat was looking in the mirror. He identified the location by the surrounding landmarks and got out of the car to head directly to the Prono Karamos Institute.

Although his physical condition had improved and he no longer broke out in a cold sweat after walking a short distance like before, he felt that his mind was working more difficult. All he knew was that he needed to get back to the research institute quickly and find Agul.

He kept seeing visions, images he had seen in his dreams while he was in a coma, visions of the "future".

"Is this a warning from Earth?" He saw a desolate planet, with fierce winds sweeping across the sky and dust swirling on the ground.

The rocks were jagged, and the riverbed exposed itself in the dim light of the day. On a high mountain, a blue giant sat silently amidst the dust.

A voice told him that it was "the sky".

But is there a sky there? Fujimiya Hiroya looked up and saw only a dense storm of sand and air.

The voice didn't tell him where the "earth" and the "ocean" had gone, but after seeing the water as thick as asphalt, Fujimiya Hiroya already knew the answer.

If that's our future...

He reached his hand into the water, the current rushing past his ears, the rushing sound like pulsating blood, as if life itself was responding to him.

What if Earth turned into that...?

He turned his research underground in order to explore the "defense mechanism" he had imagined. He didn't know if what he saw behind the sea of ​​fireflies was real or not, but after seeing the blue giant, a feeling as if he were connected by threads surged into his heart—just like when he first met Gaia.

Hiroya Fujimiya was convinced that he was also an executor of the Earth's will.

Is showing him the "future" now meant to warn him of something?

Tell me the answer, Agul!

"Fujimiya—!"

Kyoko Inamori burst through the half-closed door, and the light from the bottom of the water illuminated the entire space as bright as day. She leaned over the railing and looked down, feeling as if she could fall with the slightest push.

But she couldn't see anything clearly; the excessively bright light left a brief shadow on her retina.

She had to squint, trying hard not to close her eyes as instinctively as possible. In the blurry light, she seemed to really see a dark shadow.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Different Fates

Samuel also saw a dark shadow.

Like an insatiable glutton, it laughed maniacally as it devoured life along Saturn's defenses. The war dragged on for so long that both sides almost forgot their original purpose, as if driven by a hand from hell, willing to do anything to turn the other into cosmic dust.

Samuel heard the question emanating from the "resentment" within him. The ethereal voice carried a hint of amusement, clearly indicating that both he and Samuel knew that force could end the war, but it could not untie the knot of hatred that had been formed.

The simplest solution would be to kill one party completely, both physically and mentally, but neither Earthlings nor extraterrestrials, who are equally exhausted and almost drained of blood, can do that.

So they turned their attention to the "past." Some Earthlings wanted to resolve the beginning of everything directly, while the aliens took the opportunity to enter the "past" time, aiming to destroy their hated adversaries at their root.

But as Samuel had previously speculated, just as the world of Kinoshita Kei and "Tatsumi" had...

They share a common history, yet the two worlds flowed together from the primordial nest, each falling into a completely different riverbed.

Perhaps when the so-called "future people" turn their gaze to the past, the spacetime belonging to the past has already been changed, pointing to a completely different "future".

The world that was once on a single line was torn apart by the force of cause and effect, becoming two rivers that were once one but are now separated.

In other words...

"Don't apply the things of another universe to the people of this universe." Samuel shifted his gaze from Saturn's rings, no longer looking at the distant, skeleton-like "planetary-level" warships, nor paying attention to the busy crowds at the Titan base. He turned his attention to Earth in the present.

The ethereal voice said, "Your biggest mistake was thinking you could resolve things with us and recklessly allowing us to come in as 'guests'."

"You're only seeing what we want you to see, which means we can already influence your vision," He said slowly. "Now try flying forward and see if you go back to your Earth, or fly straight into the Sun, or fly back out of the solar system?"