Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

“You should have obtained Lizard’s investigation on me. I’ve been on Earth for over a decade, during which I’ve contacted my companions many times, but I haven’t received any response. So I guess I’m the only one left,” Hitomi Onodera lowered her eyes. “Later, my signal transmitter was shut down. Maybe it was because the old chairman’s reforms failed… It’s a two-way communication device. If I still had access, it would pose a threat to them.”

Kinoshita Kei leaned closer: "If you still have the authority, will you give us the coordinates of the people from the future so we can send them back?"

“I don’t know,” Onodera Hitomi narrowed her eyes. “It’s really rude of you to ask such a question! Lord Uranus would never do that. Since you’ve inherited his power, you should at least pay attention to your manners!”

"This is an important matter of stance," Kinoshita Kei stubbornly insisted.

"My signal transmitter is now just a metal shell souvenir. You should be glad its permissions were disabled, otherwise they could have found our coordinates when I contacted them, and a single space-based particle cannon shot would have wiped us all out!"

She was aggressive, but Kinoshita Kei suddenly realized and changed the subject: "That's dangerous. He was able to infiltrate the command base in the Pacific Rim... Blitzbloc found the key building so quickly, was it his pinpoint target?"

Takayama Gamu had long speculated about this: "Although Commander Hiiragi is radical, he is also an undisputed hawk. Eliminating forces that would definitely resist them would certainly be beneficial. Perhaps that's why the Rim of the Pacific Forces have been targeted."

"I was wondering why he didn't do it himself and carry out the entire assassination operation?" Kinoshita Kei felt something was off: "If he could carry a signal transmitter and such a big iron box in there, he could probably carry a high explosive or something in the same way."

“This is the commander’s prestige,” Fujimiya Hiroya, who had been silently typing on his keyboard, suddenly said. His calm gaze swept over Kinoshita Kei, who felt as if he were saying something like, “You don’t even know this?” “Hiroyuki Hiiragi is the core of the Pacific Rim Force, the person who infuses the entire force with soul—some forces fall apart after the commander’s death, while others turn grief into strength. Hiiragi’s forces are the latter. If you really assassinate him, it will probably drive that force mad.”

Kinoshita Kei pondered for a moment upon hearing this, when Renlong, carrying a sake jug, jumped down from the roof. His lazy voice belied his words, which sent chills down everyone's spines: "What if this is their purpose?"

“The metal lifeform ran away in the end, right? It can simulate the image of Ultraman or subterranean monsters,” Renlong said. “It can simulate one of our sides and kill their commander in front of the troops. Simulating subterranean monsters is actually the simplest—they can’t communicate with humans, and there’s the subterranean penetrating bomb incident before.”

"The reason is simple: the battle the day before yesterday caused extensive damage. If a subterranean monster emerges at this time, it is easy to steer public opinion towards the idea that 'the monster was disturbed and vented its anger on visible buildings.'"

Kinoshita Kei squatted down, pulling at his hair, feeling his head buzzing: "Wow... can't you make the plan simpler? Everyone just set up and fight, isn't 'Bite the Dust' better?"

Renlong watched him scratch his spiky hair with amusement, and bowed, saying, "You still have a lot to learn, you're the kid with the lowest education level here."

"Hmm? I'm a top student from Chengnan University!"

Takayama Gamu smiled without saying a word, Fujimiya Hiroya was focused on his work, and Onodera Hitomi adjusted his glasses with a reserved air: "'Vanguard' basic educational requirement is a doctorate, and I'm in the field of Earth Biology." Renlong shook his fan: "Human education is irrelevant to me."

Kinoshita Kei looked around and decided to turn his angry gaze toward the old mudfish who had revealed the difficult truth.

After a few jokes, Renlong said seriously, "Regarding your question about 'just having a fight'..."

I'm wondering... are they trying to exterminate the 'past' humanity, or are they trying to incite chaos and war?

"Isn't it strange? He has the ability to launch monsters through wormholes, a technological advantage that is many years ahead, and he infiltrated the core of our key forces' command center to seize the secrets of the quantum computer—you could say he has seen everything inside and out."

"They have the ability to launch an attack, but what have they been doing all along? Provoking conflict between humans and underground monsters, inducing misunderstandings about giants among humans, and exacerbating the conflict between humans and space monsters. It's as if they wish for humans to go to war with the entire universe."

Having observed the world for many years, the old and truly "demon" Renlong slowly said, "If we're talking about warmongers, the commander of the Rim of the Pacific Forces is simply no match for this promoter."

Chapter 166 Infinite Possibilities

Based on speculation about the enemy's movements, Renlong decided to set off to communicate with the underground monsters in various locations.

"You're not going to take care of the ley lines anymore?" Pito, who had been sprawled on the table like a mascot, finally found a topic he could chime in on, raising his short hamster paw.

Renlong lowered his head in disgust: "Even if you turned into a hamster, I still wouldn't feel any affection for you... Old liar, Gaia is here with the ley lines, it responded to Gaia's will, didn't it? I can get away now."

“In addition,” he added, “it’s all because you can’t contact the underground monsters, so I have to do it for you.”

Pito tapped his face repeatedly with his short paws: "Because they can't see or hear me, waaaaah..."

He began to wail, and Fujimiya Hiroya glanced at the strange creature in the planetary consciousness that resembled "Lily," and moved his computer away from him.

Kinoshita Kei stretched, his bones cracking: "Then I have to get back to base before six. It's all because of what happened in the monster research department; we even have to clock in at night now!"

Before leaving, he suddenly turned to Onodera Hitomi and said, "There's something I have to worry about... What exactly is this 'space-based weapon' you mentioned?"

Since Hitomi Onodera didn't study the relevant field, she knew nothing about the detailed structure of space-based weapons. Her answer was based on common knowledge known to Earthlings in the future universe: "It's a new weapon developed based on railgun technology. It no longer relies on physical support, but is suspended in a synchronous orbit as a component. Researchers have solved the problems of recoil and the inability to accurately maintain the landing point during launch."

“I was just using it as an analogy,” Hitomi Onodera said. “Space-based railguns are indeed terrifying, but the real threat is machines that can reshape the environment… the heavens, the fiery mountains, and the deep green.”

"Is Yanshan still standing?" Gaoshan Womeng remembers that the Heavenly Realm and Deep Green have already been destroyed.

Hitomi Onodera shook her head: "Actually... those were machines used to terraform other planets during the colonization period. Later, they were used to terraform inner planets to build bases in the solar system battlefield. If we want to use them, there are actually backups."

……

Pacific Rim Command Post.

This unit's style is always associated with words like "serious" and "ruthless," especially after Agul awakened the underground monsters, leading to heavy casualties before the arrival of support troops and Gaia.

The GUARD was built suddenly, and the geniuses of the Alchemy Star began to emerge. Even the earliest records of the prophecy of "Destruction" are only a little over ten years old. The United Army of Mankind was hastily established against this backdrop, as was the Pacific Rim Force.

It could be said that those who were willing to join this team back then were all good young men who harbored dreams of "world peace"—dreams that sounded like floating in the clouds and seemed to have little to do with reality. Hiroyuki Hiiragi admired them; in fact, despite his stern exterior, he cared about every passionate young man under his command.

On the day they perished at the monster's feet, Hiiragi Hiroyuki was somewhat prepared—since they were a team tasked with dealing with "annihilation," they were already prepared to sacrifice themselves. But even now, when he thinks of those young men, their sweat-drenched faces after training, and the way they shouted and yelled as they rushed to the cafeteria for food, he tosses and turns, unable to fall asleep. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees them; in his dreams, they salute Hiiragi Hiroyuki, standing as straight as pine trees.

"You're dawdling again." The young man in the plaid shirt turned on the light, and sure enough, someone was sitting on the desk. The person wasn't looking at documents; he was just leaning back in his chair, looking out the window.

The commander's office is located high up, with a view of the distant launch site from the window. The underground penetrating missiles used to be stationed there, but the launch silos are now empty because the plan was rejected.

His subordinates assumed he was still brooding over the underground penetrating missile, but his focus was not actually on the launch silo.

He looked at the familiar cement road, watched the regular patrol teams pass by, watched the slowly drifting clouds, the faint shadows following the clouds, and his good buddies running and disappearing into the distant sunset.

Although the young man in the plaid shirt had only known him for a short time, he already knew Hiiragi Hiroyuki very well. What his subordinates were unaware of was like an open, unguarded doorway in his eyes.

“A huge change has happened in the ‘future,’” said the young man in the plaid shirt, who gently placed a box on the desk. “A change that could drive them crazy… We can’t keep playing house like this.”

"An unexpected turn of events?" Hiiragi Hiroyuki turned his head, his eyes, as calm as still water, fixed on him.

"Perhaps there will be internal strife? Who knows?" The young man laughed indifferently. "The aliens have finally made progress; a crucial technological achievement for Earth's future has been destroyed."

This one we have is the last one.

Hiiragi Hiroyuki followed his arm and looked at the dark box: "You said that what you stole was damaged."

The young man clicked open the clasp, revealing the perfectly round ruby ​​before him: "To be precise, it was so shattered that it could only be swept together, but I've fixed it. Want to try it? The pinnacle of material civilization, the 'ruby' that can grant any wish."

Hiroyuki saw the crack beneath the jade. Just as the young man had described, it had been broken and repaired, yet even so, the dark red light flowing across it possessed a strange beauty. Like an abyss clearly marked as dangerous, it irresistibly drew one closer, to peer down and see what lay beneath, or to reach out and feel the stench blowing from the depths.

“The ‘time traveler’ knows you stole it,” Hiroyuki Hiiragi said.

The young man looked worried: "When the intact Crimson Jade was still effective, they wouldn't have thought of this damaged one, but now... no matter how clean I am, there will still be clues."

“But don’t worry,” he smiled, tapping himself with the thumb of a veteran mechanic who had completed a monumental project. “They probably think it’s just scrap metal; they’d never guess I can repair it on my own! The ‘future humans’ fleet and monster weapons are formidable, but with its support… we absolutely cannot lose!”

He smiled confidently and brightly, but Hiroyuki Hiiragi frowned deeply: "You...you are a 'person from the future,' and you're here to help us get rid of our own people?"

The young man waved his hand, and the setting sun shone through the window into his eyes, its warm color casting only a icy lake on Hiiragi Hiroyuki's retina.

“'Future people' no longer have a 'future,' but you still have infinite possibilities.”

The young man reached out and pushed the wishing ball, which seemed to be filled with red sand, forward: "As long as you pass through it, as long as you want... even the subordinates who called for your sacrifice, they are all good young men, it's really a pity."

Chapter 167 Heart and Reality

"Is this your purpose?"

The calm voice and the smile of the young man in the plaid shirt suddenly froze.

Hiroyuki raised his hand, and the lights suddenly turned on, as if the overhead lighting had been replaced by searchlights, followed by dozens of thin laser lines.

One end was connected to the modified gun that Kinoshita Kei described as "blowing a person in two with a single shot," while the other end was tied to the young man's back. Dense, bright red, flower petals clustered together, seemingly about to burst open.

The elite troops of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) were highly trained; they locked onto the target from the outer sentries, behind the walls of the annex, and even through the floor of this building. The sound of a helicopter approached, and Hiiragi Hiroyuki's subordinates stood at the cabin door and saluted their superior.

"What are you doing? This is no joke..." The young man's words were cut off by the gun barrel pointed at his forehead.

Hirai Hiroyuki had already stood up with his sidearm raised, slowly distancing himself from him until he reached the window. The setting sun stained his white uniform with a touch of blood.

The commander of the Rim of the Pacific Forces was undoubtedly a "hawk," possessing both radical traits and the keenness and vigilance of a hawk.

A "time traveler" who suddenly appears has countless ways to bypass surveillance and perimeter security. He claims to be evading pursuit and carries important technological equipment. He is single-mindedly focused on helping the "past" Earthlings kill their own compatriots.

No matter how logically consistent his reasons sounded, Hiiragi Hiroyuki couldn't possibly be completely unguarded. His ever-present sidearm and the bulletproof vest under his uniform kept him firmly on guard.

After much maneuvering, and even concealing the existence of the young man before him from Lizard to prevent any unforeseen complications, he finally got the answer.

"Wishing ball?" Hiroyuki looked down at what he was holding in his left hand, but only glanced at it before looking away: "I haven't played this kind of game since I was six years old."

Without further ado, he decisively pulled the trigger, igniting the primer. His men received the order and opened fire simultaneously.

Gunfire erupted, and the smoke and flickering flames instantly engulfed the young man standing in the middle.

"Hahahaha—!" Incredibly, the young man laughed loudly amidst the smoke as if nothing had happened. Even though the kinetic energy carried by each bullet was enough to knock an adult to the ground, and the spinning bullets that pierced flesh could mercilessly tear apart muscles and bones.

The young man stood still, seemingly enjoying the gentle breeze and drizzle.

“How ruthless,” he said. “Killing me so soon? Putting aside whether these things can even take care of me, the ‘future people’s’ forces might arrive tomorrow. You want to fight them head-on with things that are so far behind... like propeller planes for beyond-visual-range combat?”

Hiroyuki Hiiragi sneered, “Don’t try to threaten me with this. Does this ‘wishing ball’ house God? Or a monster? There is no God in the world, so it can only be sealing away a monster.”

He spoke while observing the target's situation and signaled his men to increase firepower. The specially reinforced floorboards groaned under the strain. The helicopter lowered a rope ladder—if this barrage of ammunition had no effect, they would blow up the floor. The moment the order to fire was given, the floor was emptied, leaving only Hiiragi Hirokazu inside.

"This isn't a threat, it's advice, and it's reality. Faced with such a technological gap, you're like trying to use a javelin against a missile, like... now trying to kill me," the young man said. "I've gone to great lengths to create this opportunity for you to turn the tide, Hiiragi Hiroyuki, you..."

Should we let the citizens and the future of this planet pay the price for a trivial act of 'insistence'?

Smoke enveloped everyone, leaving only blurry silhouettes. Orange-red flames obscured the color of the setting sun. Hiiragi Hiroyuki, his face grim, remained silent. The wind blowing from the helicopter wing lifted the hem of his crisp coat, revealing the bulletproof vest underneath.

"Here's a hint: when using the 'Crimson Jewel,' it's best to prepare plenty of materials, otherwise it might tear the wisher apart first, using your body as material, leaving no trace," the young man's voice gradually faded until it almost disappeared: "By the way, if you're really as determined as you say, why are you holding onto it so tightly?"

The young man escaped without anyone knowing how, just as mysteriously as when he appeared before Hiiragi Hiroyuki.

As the smoke cleared, the choking air quickly dissipated through the shattered walls, and the person the entire guard unit had been watching vanished into thin air, leaving not even a scrap of clothing behind.

No one believed he was torn to shreds by bullets fired from modified firearms. Everyone, including Hiiragi Hiroyuki, stared silently at the red ball in the commander's hand.

Light pierced through its translucent edges, casting a dark red shadow on the ravaged ground. The human-shaped shadow cradled it, like a fruit in a demon's hand, scarlet and tempting, inviting one to fall into depravity.

……

Meanwhile, in another universe, Samuel, searching for insiders, finally discovered the scavenger's cargo ship.