Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

“I’m just worried about feeling unwell,” Director Sawai carefully chose his words, “Are you so sure the Mokujin aliens will appear?”

Aiba Yu nodded: "We detained his companion. Even if he doesn't care about her, for the sake of the so-called 'superior civilization's' dignity, he will choose to deal with us with more drastic means. You and TPC-1 are the biggest targets. This time, you participated in the 5th anniversary celebration of the South American branch. The newspapers have been publicizing it for many days."

"What if he does the opposite and comes to the Far East base?"

“The Victory Team and the Equipment Repair Room won’t be watching,” Aiba Yu said. “Besides, what the New Energy Development Center is doing… isn’t just a simple power source. Someone is pushing it to be used as a weapon, right?”

As the director of TPC, he naturally had early access to a lot of internal information, such as the giant stone statues and monster corpses being studied by the Life Science Research Center, and the Magus Power System that Dr. Yato was developing.

These projects are undoubtedly very dangerous, but they also come with extremely high rewards. Researchers may be curious about them, awe of them, or even fear them, but they will never stop to study them.

"What do you think? If the Max Propulsion System were used as a weapon, the damage it would cause would be at least two orders of magnitude greater than that of a nuclear weapon. TPC has only been established for less than ten years," Director Sawai expressed the concerns of many people: "The more chaotic the times, the more prone we are to radicalization, such as when monsters appear or aliens visit."

"So we are making rules, and the regulations are very good. How weapons are used depends on the person who wields them," Aiba Yu said solemnly. "No matter how dangerous it is, we must not go to extremes and give up the power to protect ourselves."

The only sound in the room was the bubbling of the kettle. Director Sawai knew he was referring to the series of compromises made at the inception of TPC. Those "peace agreements" were no longer appropriate given the infiltration of external forces, but many things couldn't be stopped immediately just by wanting to. The fact that the Victory Team only had signal flares when facing Golza was the most obvious price they had paid.

Even now, the deployment of heavy weapons faces numerous difficulties.

“Hey, we old folks can’t retire yet,” Sawai pushed the cardboard box over, honestly wondering how such a small box could fit a person. “The departure time is 10 a.m., you have two hours…”

Before the words were even finished, the living person in front of them had vanished, replaced by a black thing squatting in the box.

Even someone who always cared about his image couldn't help but crane his neck to look inside, just like any other old man. But before he could see clearly, the cardboard box had already closed by itself, leaving only a crack. Aiba Yu's muffled voice came through: "You can seal it with whatever you like, just don't let it go through the X-ray machine."

Director Sawai thought for a moment: "Actually, I don't need a laptop bag either..."

"Don't go!"

“Okay,” he said, opening the drawer and touching a roll of tape. “This is the ‘secret material.’”

……

TPC-1 cockpit.

After putting on a new teru teru bozu doll, Fujisawa Sousuke felt a bit better and tried to ignore the people around him as he worked.

But there's really nothing special to do in cruise mode.

He then kept his eyes fixed on the radar.

“Hey, even if you think I’m unreliable as captain, you don’t have to be like this,” Yota Watanabe felt like his co-pilot was frozen in place. “You’ve been looking at the radar the whole time we’ve been on cruise! I admit it’s raining right now, so you might be a little…”

"What am I afraid of if the rain doesn't fall on us?" Fujisawa Sosuke muttered. "I'm warning that the Lightning Man is coming to launch another sneak attack!"

Yota Watanabe thought to himself, "Don't be such a jinx. We've survived a great calamity, so we're bound to have good fortune in the future. Besides, isn't Lightning Man getting along pretty well with Dr. Mizuno and the others? I heard they're 'amicably' arguing every day."

Dr. Mizuno's team, immersed in the increasingly sophisticated "lightning-style communication method," has gradually grown into a unique force in the life science research center.

You'd never guess that the polite researchers would greet people with something like, "Good morning! The sooner you die, the sooner you'll be reborn!"

But the Lightning People fall for it; perhaps this is the logic of a species that treats its friends as food. The harsher the insults, the closer the Lightning People feel. People in the neighboring lab say they should move away as soon as possible to avoid being influenced by their surroundings and lowering the overall quality of the TPC.

Sosuke replied, "Dr. Mizuno doesn't get along with all the Lightning People. Who knows how many of their groups are still alive in the ionosphere? If just one or two show up, they'll be in big trouble. They're just too lenient. Why don't we eradicate these dangerous species sooner rather than later? Are we just going to let them cause accidents?"

"Don't spread rumors about the decisions made by higher-ups!" Yang Tai tried to cover his mouth.

“I’m not making this up,” Sosuke asked him, “What were you thinking when you were attacked by the aliens? Were you regretting not living much longer, or were you angry at that woman from Planet Muzhen?”

"Of course... I'm very angry. Anyone would be angry if they were being chased for no reason."

"You saw her kick a fire hydrant and jump up more than ten stories. Didn't you ever think, 'If only I could do that,' when you got back? If something similar happened again, you wouldn't have to run away, pray to the gods, or have to call headquarters and wait for the Victory Team to come and rescue you."

Yang Tai said helplessly, "You're not going to tell me you spent the whole night thinking about this, are you? We're not from Muzhen Star. If you really want to train yourself, you can ask Ralf for special training advice."

"No, I mean... precisely because we are physically inferior to them, we rely more on weapons. We need to mobilize resources and be prepared. We can't escape the Wood-Piercing Star People's 'game,' but we know exactly where the Lightning People's lair is. They are both equally dangerous, so why not eliminate it early?"

TPC-1 flew very steadily, but Yota felt uneasy. He had noticed Sosuke's change in mindset long ago—the Lightning People are an intelligent race, and few people would say "Let's go and wipe them out" when there is a better option. This is different from when he was a child and poured boiling water into an ant hole out of curiosity.

“Sousuke, look,” Yota pointed to the clear blue sky ahead, where everything was crystal clear: “Isn’t there nothing here? The Lightning Men haven’t appeared since they were driven back last time. Once Dr. Mizuno develops the anti-mutation gene drug, they will never come down again.”

"It'll be too late once they show up!" Sosuke suddenly became agitated. "You rarely leave the base, but you promised to go with me to the cemetery to see the old captain. You miss them, don't you? Do I have to repeat how they died countless times?! That beam of light came down without warning, and in less than two seconds, I was the only one left in the entire squad! Not everyone is lucky enough to not have gone out, or to have the chance to parachute and be saved by some unknown monster before freezing to death!"

“Fujisawa Sosuke!” Yota’s tone became flat, and he exhaled heavily: “Sosuke, I don’t want to argue with you. We can chat a bit when we’re flying, but we can’t argue.”

The passenger in the front seat fell silent. He stared at the radar without moving, repeatedly rubbing his fingers against the seat handle. After a while, he finally said, "I'm sorry, I... I thought about a lot of things the night I met the Wood-Tree alien. Actually, actually, what I thought about most was..."

His voice trailed off: “If I could, I wouldn’t want to have this kind of ‘good luck.’ I wish the Sunny Doll Fairy and the Magnet Fairy could have appeared sooner, or that I could be as powerful as those aliens… I wish the old captain and the others were still alive.”

Chapter Sixty-Two Farewell

"How is the situation on Jeep 3? They witnessed the Reicuran alien spaceship being devoured by the monster. What is the mental state of the crew?"

The journey was always a long time, so the two elderly neighbors liked to find topics to talk about. Sometimes they talked about official business, and sometimes they preferred to chat about anything and everything.

Upon hearing Director Sawai's inquiry, Staff Officer Nanbara produced several photos: "These were taken by Jeep No. 3. Dr. Ezaki said, 'It's not a special day, so I'll just use these pictures to wish you a happy weekend of overtime.' The young people in the staff department decided to hang this picture up and 'make them pay' when Jeep No. 3 returns."

“Hahahaha…” Sawai took one of the pictures of the sunrise over Jupiter: “Looks like there’s nothing to worry about.”

Nanbara laughed along. There were quite a few young people in the General Staff, and only there could he feel that full of energy. When TPC was first established, he and Sawai were both in their prime, able to discuss matters on airplanes without feeling tired. They had argued many times during that time, sometimes with Yoshioka Tetsuji on the travel list, which made the arguments even fiercer. The three of them were like three black chickens, surrounded by...

The subordinates dared not even breathe loudly.

As they grew older, they transformed from dashing middle-aged men into frail old folks—Yoshioka, on the other hand, didn't seem to lose any energy, while Nanbara and Sawai went from "spending most of their time talking on business" on airplanes to "spending most of their time resting." Nanbara felt that in a few more years he should retire, go home to enjoy his grandchildren, raise a few cats and dogs, and occasionally check the newspaper for the latest news on TPC, thus spending his remaining years.

Nearly a decade has passed, and TPC has proceeded step by step. The young people have matured, and the older generation has retired year after year. The original team has become smaller and smaller. Some have become just small boxes, and some only appear on holiday greeting lists.

But then the monsters arrived, and the activities of the aliens on Earth were slowly revealed. Nanbara saw that the young people in the General Staff were full of energy, and he felt that he could probably still shine for a few more years. When they argued, they always needed an authority to make a decision. Nanbara had had enough of the days when the three of them could not reach a conclusion. Yoshioka was really stubborn and difficult to communicate with, but he was also full of energy. At his age, he could still go up and down the ocean and down the sea in a great way, and visit the ocean survey team from time to time.

As Nan Yuan pondered this, he glanced out the window. Their position was near the emergency exit, offering a good view, with most of their perspective not obstructed by the wings. But Nan Yuan actually quite liked the view hidden beneath the wings; it was like a grand curtain slowly being drawn back. Seeing the wing skin and the roaring engines reminded him of the work of many departments within TPC.

The engine was running just like the TPC was now. He shared this impression with Sawai, who laughed at him for being obsessed. Nanbara asked him what he thought, and Sawai only said that the blue sky and white clouds made him a little sleepy, and it would be better to get some rest before starting activities.

Nan Yuan followed his example, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, and watching the shadows of the clouds reflected on the ground.

Suddenly, a darker shadow flashed by. Nan Yuan saw nothing but a clump of "white cotton" scattering in all directions, like saplings blown by a strong wind.

"What is that?" Nan Yuan felt that he was indeed a bit obsessed. His first reaction was not that it was a flock of birds, but a monster like Melba.

His intuition was correct. The Wood-Pure Starman looked down and saw a black shadow sweeping across the clouds.

It spread its wings, its slender tail trailing behind, and the shadow of the cross rapidly approached, the sound of the wind gradually approaching—from the tearing sound of silk at the start to a thunderous roar.

"Ancient fossils," the Wood-Dwelling alien concluded, "an excellent tomb keeper."

He pressed a rarely used button, and after three increasingly loud beeps, the spaceship issued its final warning before disintegrating. Unlike the foolish Reicuran aliens, who, not only were they captured, they also left their spaceship for Earthlings to study. After disintegrating, his vehicle, which had been with him for many years, would crash into the sea, and the dense metal would sink into the silt in just a few days.

[Self-destructing in ten seconds. It's a pleasure working with you.] the mechanical voice said.

A phantom tens of meters high appeared behind the Muzhen alien. The spaceship, which was too cramped for him, disintegrated him from every single screw, and in an instant, it shattered into dust with an average size of less than ten square centimeters.

The gigantic Muzhen aliens stood in the clouds, with shimmering silver metal pieces fluttering about.

He had spent a considerable amount of time on Earth but had never seriously observed the scenery here. His companions, on the other hand, loved the beautiful things here, while he found them cumbersome and boring.

But his companion was imprisoned. He saw the metal disc spinning and saying goodbye to him, and inexplicably recalled the streets they had leisurely strolled through during their "hunt," the wind blowing, cherry blossoms scattering, petals like snow. Lyria pointed to her lipstick and said, "This is the MAC cherry blossom series." He didn't know anything about MAC, only that the color of the cherry blossom resembled her lips—not blue, and ugly.

Looking back now, cherry blossom color wasn't so bad, but Lyria won't be coming back. The "hunting game" will become increasingly lonely and boring, and the sense of accomplishment he finds in the weak civilization will soon be worn away by the endless passage of time.

The Muzhen alien stared casually at the monster, its shadow thick and its arrival swift. Just like many years ago when Earth was still a "petri dish," it spared no effort in dismantling aliens.

“I knew I would meet you.” The Wood-Gold Alien’s claws remained tucked in; he did not adopt a fighting stance.

The enemy had locked onto him, from a great distance. A sense of crisis gripped him like a thorn in his back; death stood behind him, its long scythe poised to fall.

The golden pupils looked at him, and wherever they passed, the clouds and mist evaporated. The heat flow pierced the cold air in the sky like a spear, but its gaze was as cold as if it were looking at a dead man. The Wood-Pure Starman could feel the cold reflection of the scythe.

"Chapter Fourteen of the Regulations, Article Five of the Regulations on the Administration of Security for Extraterrestrials, stipulates that those who have not registered or filed for record are prohibited from becoming gigantic!" That monster probably really thought it was human. The Muzhen aliens found it amusing to hear it babbling about Earthling laws.

“What’s the point of telling me all this? I was waiting for you here, and I never intended to live any longer,” he said. “The two of us stayed on Earth for four months, to be exact, one hundred and fifteen days, and you didn’t notice a thing until we got really bored and started hunting Lucia and Zara.”

Samuel disliked listening to the enemy's ramblings and preferred that they say more in the interrogation room so that the TPC could obtain more information.

So he didn't hold back.

The domain opened, enveloping the Wood-Dwelling Starman. Then, taking advantage of the momentum, it smashed several icebergs against the man's shoulder, slamming him into the sea—that was his domain, where the wind and water were his warriors.

When the Juzhen Star People sank to the bottom of the sea, only

Looking at him, she smiled and said, "'The Hunting Game' isn't actually that fun, because we can never hunt more interesting creatures, such as Kirieloids, Nagas, or even the foolish Reicuran aliens."

Samuel tore through the outer shell of his abdomen with a single claw, revealing a network of veins inside that glowed with a faint blue light.

And blue light is becoming increasingly prevalent.

“I didn’t find it boring when my kind were around, but now it really doesn’t seem interesting… That crazy woman is already lying on your testing table, isn’t she?” Not just his blood vessels, the Wood-Zhen alien’s entire body was shrouded in blue light. Samuel used his tail to wrap around his neck and flung him into the deeper sea.

"Fossils should stay in their own strata!" The Wood-Pure aliens laughed loudly. "Your actions are meaningless. The apocalypse destroyed Wood-Pure, and Earth will become a tombstone. As for you... I hope you can live to see that time."

Chapter Sixty-Three: Terrible Consequences

Samuel's deduction about the nature of the Muzhen people was correct; they preferred to retaliate against those who dared to offend them in a more intense manner.

However, the Muzhen alien did not target the TPC; from the beginning, he had his eye on the "monster hidden in the TPC" mentioned in the Kirieloid intelligence.

Knowing that Samuel cared about the lives of the people on TPC-1, he piloted his ship and waited along the route early on. He could buy a lot of information, both good and bad, on Starlink, including the itinerary of TPC-1.

Even without him pressing the disintegration button, the spaceship wouldn't last long, because he took away its most important energy source—swallowing it whole.

The moment the water sliced ​​through his body, he saw a blue light bursting forth from his body, illuminating the deep sea, as clear as the sky, as turbulent as a raging storm. The bursting energy collided with the water, pushing the droplets away, and a brief vacuum appeared around the Wood-Pure Starman.

A deafening roar assaulted his ears, but Samuel didn't flinch. He couldn't let the explosion spill beyond the domain; outside lay thousands of meters in the air, where the radiation could tear apart the cells of creatures below, leaving lasting effects for years. This was the Meta Domain, inherently connected to his body; hiding or not, the outcome would be the same.

"Earth will also become a tombstone," the Wood-Pure Starman said goodbye to him.

The blue light intensified, and the jets of water were accelerated to the extreme. Each jet was like a water jet capable of cutting through steel plates. They formed a giant wall and crashed down. Samuel silently watched himself explode into fireworks amidst this monstrous tide.

“He doesn’t look like a Wood-Dwelling Alien at all,” Samuel thought.