Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

"Should we confirm?" The expeditionary force comrade turned off the interpreter and whispered, "Communications on Earth here have been cut off, but our ships are unaffected. It's a generational gap, really. We can contact him. The migrating group wouldn't send a 'zombie' as the front-line commander. Maybe he's only been subjected to a little... superficial interference."

“I don’t know.” Pastor’s gaze swept over the members of XIG, over the group of orange-clad support staff, over the white-coated men in white coats squatting on the ground pulling up bandages, and finally settled on their spaceship.

The standard equipment of the cruiser-class, things that seem commonplace to "future humans," appears to be products of science fiction to Earthlings today. With its streamlined silver-gray shell, the power unit emits a low, long beep when it is turned on. Apart from its particle defense barrier, which can only block space debris, its other functions are almost identical to those of the garrison-class, making it a case of "small but perfectly formed."

The people from Alchemy Star have arrived, led by young researchers. They boarded the ship with their assistants to retrieve the data on the "future human" equipment and monsters controlled by Samuel.

Pastor's statement, "He saved us, so we have no reason to hold onto the data," was merely an excuse he was trying to use to convince himself. As a soldier, what sense did it make to provide critical data to the enemy? He called the migration a rebellion, but he himself was also doing the work of undermining the enemy.

Chiba Tatsumi couldn't understand what they were saying, but he could sense the atmosphere between them. Combined with the appearance of the people on the TV and the way he kept looking at the members of Alchemy Star, he was able to guess Pastor's thoughts pretty accurately.

A full-time staff officer may not be good at technical analysis, but he can certainly complement his superior's abilities.

“Once an order is given, it must be carried out without fail and discipline must be observed. This is the code of conduct for soldiers,” said Tatsumi Chiba. “Providing decision-making references and making orders more reasonable is the duty of staff officers.”

"Pastor...Pastor, you are a lieutenant colonel in the expeditionary force. When you receive an unjust order to wage war, do you carry it out like a soldier, or do you, as an officer, raise objections at the war council?"

“Of course, we’re going to fuck them.” another member of the expeditionary force muttered.

They were able to seize a cargo ship and break away from the group, so they weren't the type to knowingly obey orders against them; they simply stole the ship and then abandoned it.

With his hands no longer working, Pastor was now truly facing his own compatriots and didn't know how to conduct himself.

Chiba Tatsumi and Ishimuro Akio whispered to each other for a while, then Ishimuro Akio cleared his throat and suddenly announced loudly, "Then I declare that you are now prisoners of XIG!"

Upon hearing this, the non-combat logistics personnel stared at each other blankly, while the patrolling guards were unsure whether they should rush forward and pretend to shove these "future people" who had just been chatting and laughing into the detention cell.

Chiba Tatsumi raised his hand to calm the guards down. He stepped forward and said to Pastor and the others, "If what you say is true, the current invasion is carried by a migrating fleet with 70 million people, and many more have been abandoned elsewhere. The Centaur... Centaur Arm New District alone has at least 3 billion people."

He was a bit older after all, and his voice wasn't as loud as Ishimuro Akio's, but it sounded powerful and clear to Pastor's ears.

"You must now fight for those who have been abandoned! Stop this 'rout' of the solar system's main base, then return to your own universe, end the war and bloodshed, and end the era hijacked by the 'Red Jewel'!"

Seeing the stunned look on their faces, Chiba Tatsumi revealed the smile of an old strategist: "You will remain here as prisoners until this crisis is over."

The cruiser-class ship landed inside the Ariel base.

The Alchemy Star members were divided into three groups: one group analyzed the data of the migrating fleet, another group analyzed the characteristics of the monsters, and the communications researchers were responsible for repairing the jammed radios. The instruments on board the ship provided them with references.

“We don’t yet understand the operational details, but its underlying logic is indeed an extension of the development of quantum communication,” the young scientist exclaimed. “It really is a continuation of the same lineage.”

“Stop lamenting about inheritance,” another person said, stumbling as they started the AI ​​up with guidance. “Our radio communications have been jammed so badly that only a few TV stations are still working. Only quantum communication is still functional. Our own technology is not mature enough, and it fails over long distances… But this one, should we try using it to contact the Geo base?”

"Where would the Geo base get the equipment to receive signals? Let's try to figure out their methods of jamming radios and see if we can recover a small area. At the very least, we need to contact the Falcon Team in the Northwest Pacific. Otherwise, we might crash and we won't even know where to look for them."

"You jinx! You should have said, 'Don't wait until they return victorious and we still won't know.'"

Behind them, the people responsible for analyzing the migration fleet data were shouting and yelling. The members of Alchemy Star were young after all, and they were eager to see what they were doing, so they all stuck their heads out and turned the cabin into a marketplace.

"A particle defense barrier? I do have that idea, but I can't create a stable architecture for it. How did they manage to do it? Let me see!"

"Bullshit, I don't have time to show you. Just figure out where the weakness is, and I'll let you study it slowly after we fight!"

"This plasma cannon is amazing! A range of 40,000 kilometers? I want to see the design!"

"What the hell! Remember, it needs to stand still for 300 seconds to charge up; it's the shipborne version of the Damocles! Now think about how to shoot it down before it launches!"

"...At this distance, we can only fight from space. Even our longest-range weapon can only reach half this distance, and 300 seconds is hardly enough time to fly into the attack range and intercept them."

"Regarding this," said the "future human" expeditionary member who was guiding them in operating the spaceship's storage equipment, "it has the same problem as the Damocles: the coverage angle is very small, not exceeding 25°, and the angle cannot be adjusted after 120 seconds of charging."

The others stared at him with strange looks.

"What? What does Pastor's fussing have to do with me? Can't I just be annoyed by a bunch of 'defeated soldiers' who only know how to beat up kindergarteners?"

“That’s a good idea,” the others nodded in agreement, adding, “We’re not a kindergarten.”

"That nursing home."

His comments about the launch angle sparked some ideas, with one person saying, "If the angle is small, the landing point can be calculated, and the mobile unit can escape on its own. But if it's aimed at a city, should we use a wormhole generator? If we can't stop it, we can move it to another location!"

“That works.” Speaker Daniel gave the order: “Then let’s move on to the next one.”

Further away, a group of people engrossed in the monster data huddled together, pointing and whispering: "Demon King Gipbu? His weakness is..."

……

Gio base.

Lizard accepted Onodera Hitomi's "confession" with a bewildered look. The "high-tech black box" that they had been eagerly anticipating was finally recovered. Although the transmitter was violently damaged, the data stored in it was already extremely valuable to Alchemy Star.

Under the suspicious gaze of Yorinama, who seemed to be asking, "Why are you suddenly being so cooperative? Is there some kind of conspiracy?", Onodera Hitomi spilled the beans: "You took my bracelet, didn't you? That's the key to unlock it! The operating manual for the 'Vanguard' environmental modification machine is in here! And there's a contingency plan on how to forcibly shut it down!"

Lai Numa, with some skepticism, took the heavy iron box and gave it to the researchers to work on, while he and his subordinates kept an eye on the movements of this "suspicious person."

Hitomi Onodera shouted to them through the glass window, "You have to win!"

The members of Lizard looked at each other in bewilderment: "Did she damage her brain? Is that why she suddenly turned herself in and said such things?"

Just then, the long-silent radio at the Geo base suddenly crackled with a thunderous sound.

"Hello? This is Ariel Base, 103rd call test."

Can you hear me?

How could I not hear it!

The sound was so loud it was like someone was playing a suona horn right next to your ear. Calling for a test? Everyone who was truly shocked stared at the broadcast. A heart test, perhaps?!

"No reply, let's try a different frequency," the voice on the radio muttered.

The communications team at the Geo base, who nearly suffered a perforated eardrum on the spot, quickly went to reply. Then, another thunderous roar came. People always unconsciously raise their voices when they are happy.

Throughout the entire Geo base, the idiots in the sky could be heard high-fiving each other and shouting, "We've found the right anti-wave," "The deployed troops have connected," "Brothers on the ground, get ready to dock, we have important intelligence," and so on.

Rainuma was in a daze. He glanced at Onodera Hitomi, who also seemed to have a mental problem, and for a moment he didn't know if he was the one who was not normal.

The meeting at the base, which was still debating the use of the wishing ball, was silenced for a moment by these thunderous greetings, and the remote communication, which had gone dark, began to flicker with blurry color blocks again.

The video feed hadn't been restored yet, but sound was already coming from inside. The voice from the Ariel base quickly explained the enemy's origin and said that a large disk containing the analyzed data would be delivered, so be prepared.

Silence fell over the room once again.

After a long while, someone said, "Did I just hear 'Red Jewel' and 'Wishing Ball'?"

"Want to continue the discussion?" The speaker had already packed up his pen and notebook, intending to end the meeting. Communication was restored; there was no longer a need for human messengers to relay orders. He could return to his South Pacific base to find his commander.

"How about we discuss the destruction of the wishing balls?"

The old man sitting at the head of the table wiped his reading glasses: "I am pleased with your fighting spirit, but let's talk about winning first. The destruction should at least be arranged after the war. In the meantime, keep it with me."

"It's far too dangerous! You just heard the consequences of making a wish upon it!"

“So it will be the last ‘weapon’.” The old man put his glasses back on, his gaze sweeping over the temporary liaison officers from various branches of GUARD. They were people on the front lines, and few of them had hair as white as his own.

At that moment, he no longer viewed his subordinates as superiors, but as elders.

“You all have to live well. If I’m the only old man left,” he said half-jokingly, “I’ll use this wishing ball to fight them to the death, no matter what happens to me.”

"...Please don't say such things."

“Hey,” he waved his hand, “So you guys do your best! Even without the giants, we still have the strength to fight! The GUARD was founded for this moment.”

He looked at the wishing ball, which was tightly sealed in an iron box: "We are now in an 'invincible' position. As for how to win, that depends on you all!"

……

Tokyo.

Underground, the rerouted underground structure finally failed to cut into an aquifer about 400 meters below the surface.

A hundred meters below the aquifer lies a cavity where a massive creature lies dormant.

Its eyes, like candlelight, were half-closed, and its eight tails were firmly pressed down by its body, regardless of what shape the dragon's head at the tip of the tail was pressed into.

Some creatures sleep soundly with their tails following their bodies, while others wriggle and twist their tails as if they are about to suffocate.

As a moon-white figure stepped through the rock strata, one of its tails cried out, "Quick, quick! Lift your claws, I'm about to be crushed!"

"If you don't talk nonsense this time, I won't punish you again." Renlong doesn't use his true form, but instead spends his days wandering around in human form because of these tails with different personalities. The tails that can argue with themselves and get tangled together are really... embarrassing.

"I promise to keep my mouth shut and not utter a single word. If I utter even half a word, may I be struck by lightning!" That tail immediately swore a solemn oath.

“Hey, you’re unlucky to get struck by lightning, but it might affect us too,” the other tails yelled. “You should just tie your own knot and strangle yourself.”

Renlong tapped his head with his folding fan in frustration: "Anyway, you guys keep quiet. The enemy has sent three machines that are destroying the habitat of our Earth's monsters. Many of the guys I contacted this time, although they are unhappy with humans, will probably come out to fight as well—don't embarrass me, cough, embarrass me, embarrass me, dragon!"

"If they hadn't tried to strangle me last time, Tiguris would have laughed at me!" The tail, which had been the main target of the main body's claws, was limp like a snake: "I'm hungry, I want to eat."

"...And you're not allowed to lie on the ground and twist the whole time!" Renlong stepped forward and gently kicked him, then his human form floated up and drifted to the jade in front of his true form, the dragon's head.

As if snowflakes were merging into the sea, he stepped in.

The jade on the dragon's head shone like the bright moon, and its candle-like eyes were fully open. This guardian of the earth's veins, who had silently protected this land for many years, raised his head, his gaze piercing through layers of rock and landing on the fleet that was slowly approaching the atmosphere.

Those who had left Earth proposed "requisitioning" it, which enraged Renlong, who laughed in response.

"Let's go. Let them know that the Earth doesn't belong to anyone!"

Chapter 186 A Dream of Yellow Millet

[Offensive unit confirmed: Earth-native monster.]

Inside the wormhole, the command ship at the rear emitted a mechanical notification sound.

The expression on the "future person" inside, who seemed confident of victory, changed.

Lucifer taps on the armrest of the seat: