Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

Daigo subconsciously looked at Aiba Yu, wondering if the other party had some hidden skills, such as karate, judo, taekwondo, or even kung fu learned from the other side of the strait.

“Ralph came from the Army before joining TPC, and his unit was formerly Delta Force,” Aiba Yu said. “You might wonder why I had you intensify your combat training… because of this.”

Aiba Yu pointed to the memory, a TPC-style casing, heavy and several times larger than normal devices. He lowered his voice: "This is a record of TPC's discoveries of extraterrestrial civilizations and even its negotiations with them since its inception."

Daigo almost threw it away; why give him such a sensitive and troublesome matter!

“I’ve specifically screened these, so even if the security department checks, it won’t be considered a violation—these are all things that the Victory Team can find if they want to, it just takes a little time.” Aiba Yu said it casually, but Daigo knew how much work was behind those words.

Thinking of this, the memory card felt quite heavy. According to the custom of reciprocity, he should give something in return, but after thinking it over, he still didn't know what to give back.

“Actually, many extraterrestrial civilizations have discovered Earth,” Aiba Yu suddenly said.

"Huh?" Daigo recalled many terrifying scenarios from science fiction novels, such as aliens discovering Earth like Europeans discovering North America, and at best, they would enslave humans.

"If you specifically look through the archives, you'll find that the Asian air force base from many years ago was not destroyed by an accident due to maintenance negligence, but by a direct attack from extraterrestrial civilization—because the local research institute obtained an important 'corpse'."

Daigo certainly remembered the news of the air force base being scrapped, which caused a huge uproar around the world at the time. Some people on the website seriously analyzed how much logistical support those aircraft that "exploded due to malfunctions and oil leaks" had, especially the fact that some factories that produced certain parts had cut corners.

It was an attack by an extraterrestrial civilization?!

Aiba Yu continued, "In addition to the weapons of the Flying Swallow, your personal firearms and equipment will also be in place soon, but do not use the same mindset you use to deal with extraterrestrial life as you would with humans, no matter how similar they may look to Earthlings."

"The captain specifically told us that the 'anomalies' we'll encounter in the future might erupt in rapid succession. Now everyone in the Victory Team is intensifying their combat training. The commander also said we should be prepared to fire our entire ammunition load and still have extraterrestrial life thriving..."

At this point, Daigo couldn't help but look at the Flying Swallow No. 1, which was being hoisted with weapons.

What was originally just a highly maneuverable machine has been fitted with "fangs" and is now to become a frontline force against danger. As for how dangerous it is... just look at the sour faces and furrowed brows of the ground crew.

When Daigo came to help out as punishment, he was greeted not with warm greetings, but with complaints from the ground staff.

"Even if it can perform unimaginable maneuvers, it doesn't mean you have to do it all the time!" "Do you even understand how dangerous stunts are? For both the pilots and the aircraft!"

"The Flying Swallow No. 1 has been manufactured for less than a year! Look at this glossy paint, what a lovely little thing... Instead of taking care of it, you let it fly right into the monster's face! To improve its maneuverability, you didn't thicken its outer shell!"

"It almost crashed! Do you know how much the budget was? Shredders and fire are too slow, that's like sucking money from a black hole!"

The above rambling words poured down like a torrential rain the moment Daigo opened the door.

He didn't even have time to say, "This is Xincheng's restaurant!" before he had already passively and loyally taken on everything for his teammates!

“Being lively and energetic is a good thing, and some aliens can even ‘come back to life’,” Aiba Yu suddenly said, “Also, there’s the difference in thinking.”

Daigo was initially puzzled, but after a brief moment of thought, he immediately understood: "Are there any records of communication with extraterrestrial life?"

"The most obvious difference doesn't actually come from extraterrestrial civilizations," Aiba Yu said. "It comes from the lightning people in the ionosphere, as described in Dr. Mizuno's team's 'Second Investigation into the Lightning People.'"

The notification should reach the Victory team's desk soon.

His serious attitude put immense pressure on those standing opposite him, even more so than when he was first selected for the Victory Team and pressured by the captain to catch up with his teammates "within six months".

Daigo couldn't help but ask, "Why are you helping me like this?" If giving me flight notes was already showing consideration for a junior, then considering even combat operations was really going a bit too far...

“Because,” Aiba paused, hearing hurried footsteps approaching from the entrance, “he admires those who gain power but do not lose themselves.”

Daigo assumed he was referring to his performance after joining the GUTS team, which he had mentioned many times before. He gripped the spine of the book tightly and said sincerely, "Because there's no arrogant atmosphere in the team, everyone is very humble about areas they're not good at, especially Horii. Don't let his unassuming appearance fool you, he's extremely dedicated to research..."

……

When Fujisawa Sousuke rushed to the workshop of the Flying Swallow, he overheard his captain openly expressing his admiration for the despicable GUTS team.

Ah, of course he admires him! He's praised the other person's diligence and determination more than once during training!

That ordinary adjective... Fujisawa Sousuke was also very diligent, and determined to fly the most advanced fighter jet and become the most awesome pilot!

"Me, Captain!" His mouth and brain worked in perfect harmony this time: "What about me? I want to fly Alpha. Where are my special courses?"

He glanced at the several large books in Daigo's arms, and there was ample evidence that the captain was giving special treatment to people in other departments again!

"You can't side with outsiders, Captain!"

Chapter Nineteen: The River of Time

At Fujisawa Sousuke's insistence, Aiba Yu provided him with special training services, which Executive Supervisor Ralf said he had never seen such a strange request in his life.

When Fujisawa Sousuke got off the simulator, he also felt that he shouldn't have made such a strange request—a real 4D driving simulator, complete with turning and rolling. Aiba Yu set up a stall spin recovery training and left, leaving Ralf staring at the metal shell that had spun into a top, with heart-wrenching screams coming from inside.

"I'm on the ground?" Fujisawa Sosuke was in a daze when he came out. He saw Ralf curled up like a polar bear next to him, leaned over and shakily held up four fingers: "Forty times, I fell forty times in the simulator."

“You get used to it after a while,” Ralph said with deep sympathy for his plight. “Did you manage to get it right even once?”

After hesitating for a while, Ralf understood and opened his arms to give him a loving hug: "Just don't throw up on me."

"...Your words make me want to vomit even more." Fujisawa Sousuke waved his hands repeatedly as he headed towards the restroom.

Meanwhile, Aiba Yu, following Yoshioka Tetsuji's instructions, went to the Life Science Research Center.

This is one of TPC's most mysterious research departments. Rumors suggest it might contain many alien specimens, accumulated over the years. After the monster appeared, the rumors changed to: there were many monster limb specimens inside, and researchers were using chainsaws to dismember them.

"That's utter nonsense!" A researcher at the Life Sciences Research Center pointed and said, "How could we possibly dismember a monster with a chainsaw by hand!"

Aiba Yu nodded in agreement.

"Of course, we use a machine saw!" The researcher expressed indignation at this highly unprofessional rumor: "Only with the most precise calculations and the most appropriate and efficient machine sawing method can we avoid overlooking any details that are difficult to detect with the naked eye!"

Aiba Yu's neck stiffened for a moment, then he continued to nod in agreement.

“But now there are no monsters for us to saw off,” the researcher’s energy dissipated, his domineering expression vanished, and he regained the serene demeanor that comes with many sleepless nights: “In short, we’ll have to trouble you to escort us this time. The transport plane is from the Department of Transportation, and we’ve already coordinated it. The time is 9 a.m. tomorrow.”

"Transporting these boxes?" Xiangye You saw several people in white coats carefully packing things behind him. Several large white boxes were neatly stacked together, and one box was open. People in white coats were around it and pouring grayish-white "soil" into it.

It must be a very important item; otherwise, the Department of Transportation could have handled it directly, and there would have been no need for the air force to provide escort.

The researcher turned to the side, half with emotion, and said, "Yes, these are all items from the giant pyramids... We can't leave them all at this Far East base. We need to arrange for some backup samples to be sent elsewhere. You can't put all your eggs in one basket."

Aiba Yu remembered that on that day, the Solka statue turned to dust, the Ultraman Tiga statue revived, and only the Daya statue remained. Perhaps the "soil" these white-coated workers were transporting was the remains of the Solka statue, and the Daya statue…

"It's already at the port?" The researcher walked away while still on the phone, saying, "Tell them to be careful when loading and unloading. Nobody knows what the statue is made of, so handle it with extreme care! What? The ship's hold isn't big enough? Get the transport department to send their biggest ship! Seriously, so stingy."

……

That night.

Equipment Development Center.

The time machine has been moved here from the GUTS team, and Reiko Kashiwamura has become the undisputed research leader. She will likely be able to publish countless papers through it and make a strong impression in the industry.

But her ambitions lay elsewhere. Rather than making her thesis look good, she preferred to seize the time to carry out all the experiments that had been brewing in her mind. It wasn't until the middle of the night that Xiangye You seized the opportunity when the whole team had stopped their cultivation and paused their work.

Researchers left one after another

The lights in the bustling room were turned off, plunging into silent darkness.

The monitoring was briefly shut down by an unseen force. The time machine, which Reiko Kashiwamura's team had been unable to restart for two days, slowly started up on its own. A faint blue light emanated from it, and white shadows were cast above the cables that the researchers had not retracted, but had only shut off.

"Who are you?" You Lian looked at the figure standing at the entrance. Although it was an unfamiliar face, it had a bright aura that made people feel close to it unconsciously.

“Soruka’s friend,” Aiba Yu stepped into the room. He didn’t want to waste time explaining and only asked about the topic he cared about most: “After that, after the Titans’ comrades also fell, what happened?”

“If you’re referring to ‘the last day’,” Yu Lian composed herself and said calmly, “of course it’s destruction. The ancient civilization was destroyed by Gatanothor’s claws, and we never even got close to the sea again—the civilization was extinguished, and it wasn’t until 30 million years later that it was reborn.”

“But humans now carry the genes of human beings, the so-called ‘bringing back the ancient blood’,” Aiba Yu narrowed his eyes: “You’re lying. Where are your descendants?”

“You’re very vigilant,” Yu Lian said. “No matter where we are, we don’t want those days to repeat themselves.”

"So, by leaving behind the legacy of human beings, even if the giants never return, humanity can still have the power to protect itself..." Aiba Yu walked closer step by step, bypassing Yuzare's projection, and came to the central control panel, just inches away from the time machine.

The internal structure was clearly visible to him. Aiba Yu was very curious. If this time machine was made by ancient humans, then their technology was so abnormal that it was beyond imagination. How could this machine cross time and space, accurately track the signs of monster activity, and fall into the Far East like a real meteorite?

He didn't think it was a coincidence that the crash site was in Japan. Since Yuzare could accurately pronounce Daigo's name, this self-aware projection must be concerned about human society.

Sometimes the answer to a question is quite simple: remnants of an ancient civilization still exist, silently observing everything happening on this planet with their "abnormal" technology, and the so-called time machine may have been guided and deployed by them.

"Time is a terrible thing; it can cool passion, ferment it, and make warriors unrecognizable to themselves," Aiba Yu asked softly. "Do you want to come back?"

He did indeed seem to be an old friend, and the white figure smiled: "Of course I want to, but what's gone will never come back. Now we only wish not to repeat the regrets."

"Why would the Naga, the Kirieloids, and the Desis Galaxy people, who were suppressed by the giants and the Earth Guard 30 million years ago, allow a new civilization to emerge? In such a long time, they would have had countless opportunities to turn the entire Earth upside down and destroy the giants' statues—I don't believe they still don't have a weapon capable of destroying a planet."

Aiba Yu stared at her through the flickering light of the time machine. Thirty million years ago, they were close comrades-in-arms, but now they were separated by an excessively long river of time.

Many things can change under the scouring of this river.

Aiba Yu wouldn't look at them with old eyes. The humans living on this planet now are a different species from the humans of the ancient civilization, just like modern Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

The time he spent living in the ancient civilization was very important to him, filled with many fond memories, but the past is the past. As Yuzare just said: what's gone will never return.

He spent a considerable amount of time with the Defense Force and TPC. Aside from the days he was dispatched to the Carlo base, he only occasionally discovered some hidden "different species" during breaks in his work. They were well-behaved, so Aiba Yu didn't bother with them.

But the appearance of the time machine reminded him that besides Gatanothor, there might be even more "dangerous" undercurrents on this planet that he had not yet noticed.

This makes it even more impossible for him to simply view the projection in front of him as an "old friend".

Yu Lian's expression remained unchanged, only her friendly demeanor in front of the GUTS team was restrained. She finally revealed the demeanor befitting the leader of the Earth Defense Force—even if it was just a projection.

“I understand your doubts. Indeed, a division arose within us after that. The guard force was almost completely depleted on the front lines fighting the monsters, so we could no longer control them,” she said seriously, pursing her lips.

"But please believe that the Guard Regiment is still the Guard Regiment. We are the warriors who fought alongside the giants to protect this planet."

Chapter Twenty: Administrative Act

"Captain, we can fly fighter jets again!" Ever since boarding TPC-β, Fujisawa Sousuke has been grinning like an idiot.

He heard about the mission to transport experimental materials from the Life Science Research Center. He thought he would have to fly a heavy, large plane, be safe and steady, and follow the predetermined route. He was carrying a heavy responsibility, but it was indeed incredibly boring.

Unexpectedly, the heroes of the transportation department took on the most difficult and boring job. They could fly small planes from here to there, and as long as they didn't go too far, they had a high degree of autonomy!

He happily sat in the back seat, stroking the missile launch button—although he was unlikely to use it, just touching it was enough to make the thrill-seeking novice happy all the way!