Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

"Sigh..." He skillfully shook out a scale that had just been peeled off from his sleeve, examined it with heartache for a while, and stuffed it into the box that already had a small stack of scales, while recalling his conversation with Sato in the interrogation room.

That guy did give him a "surprise".

“The Lebik aliens’ goal is to make humans ‘slaves’, which sounds reasonable, but it’s actually the most absurd answer,” Sato said. “They’re either lying, or their leaders haven’t told the civilians their true purpose, and the Lebik aliens themselves don’t know the truth.”

Absurd? Even the GUTS team hadn't noticed anything, so why would he find it absurd? Aiba Yu asked, "Then what's your theory about the truth?"

"The Shrink Ray Gun is not a simple thing. It can shrink living organisms proportionally at the cellular level without affecting their functions. Horii of the GUTS team is also researching ways to restore the captured citizens. Those citizens have become 'thumb people', but they are still alive and can eat and drink."

Sato shifted his posture, crossing his legs again: "You'd say that with this kind of technology, intelligent robots are the only ones worthy of the term 'slaves,' wouldn't you say? Keeping Earthlings as slaves means taking care of their food, drink, and bodily functions, and their lifespans are short, their physical constitutions vary, and besides, how could Earthlings understand the life of the Lebikians? Could those random people grabbed off the street know how to use Lebikian tools? The advantage of living people over robots is their intelligence..."

"A living, thinking brain, but do you think the Lebikians need a human mindset and knowledge system?"

"Therefore, the reason of 'needing living people to perform complex labor' is basically invalidated. From all angles, the cost-effectiveness of coming all the way to Earth to capture people is far less than that of manufacturing robots on the home planet. If it were really for the so-called 'capture of slaves,' then the Lebik aliens must be financial idiots, comparable to taking a taxi ten kilometers to buy a cheap nail."

Aiba Yu nodded: "The slave theory doesn't hold water, at least not for the Lebik aliens. So what do you think they really need?"

Sato suddenly asked, "Do you like barbecue?"

Aiba Yu shook his head. He still remembered the first dumpling he ate while eating smoky barbecue with a bunch of people including Sakuma Jun... Horokusa's vegetable juice natto combo. That was the second time he felt that his senses were better off being a little dull; the first time was hellish lava curry.

“How can junk food be complete without barbecue, and you absolutely have to order lamb skewers and beef skewers,” Sato changed the subject: “The Lebik aliens see us the way we see animals. They keep pets or livestock. The former because they’re cute, and the latter for their fur, bones, meat, and blood.”

"Of course, the Lebik aliens wouldn't capture people to grill or keep them as pets. If they didn't have a perverted hobby of skin art, they wouldn't capture people to skin them either. So it must be for the bones, flesh, and blood..." Sato said, "Remember the report about the time machine? It was a joint production of the GUTS team and the Equipment Repair Room."

As he spoke, he opened a drawer, pulled out a piece of scrap paper covered in scribbles and drawings, and finally drew a large circle on the "prophecy of the time machine".

Let the ancient blood return, return to the slumbering body—they will don the cloak of giants.

Sato lowered his voice, controlling the volume even in the well-soundproof interrogation room: "The Reicuran aliens said they wanted to acquire 'resources' from Earth. The word is commonplace, but when I asked them what resources they wanted, they never answered a single word."

"What's the harm in telling us if it's just about minerals? It shows that this 'resource' is of great importance. Combined with the behavior of the Crow People, I speculate that the so-called 'resource' is actually Earthlings themselves. As for what exactly it is, I thought about it for a whole day and night, and finally traced it back to the source of everything, to the records when Golza appeared. That's when I thought of the 'prophecy' of the time machine."

Aiba Yu's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was already racing. He knew what Sato was going to say. This old fox in the interrogation room was really... This was the first time he had encountered someone who could guess the truth based solely on speculation, rather than by directly observing the human host and the Titan's behavior.

Sato continued, “At first, no one took the so-called ‘ancient blood’ seriously. Most people thought he was talking about giants. Who would associate a creature that is tens of meters tall and looks like a mobile nuclear fusion furnace with humans? But now it seems that this ‘prophecy’ is very obvious.”

"What aliens covet is the blood, or rather, the genes, of Earthlings. This is what is called 'ancient blood.' The 'sleeping body' is just a stone statue. Do I need to analyze the 'giant's cloak'?"

Aiba Yu didn't answer. Sato assumed that Aiba Yu was too shocked to speak because of his own speculation. Little did he know that Aiba Yu was not surprised by the content of his speculation, but by his cunning and sharp mind.

“I’m just curious about who woke up Tiga,” Sato said, rubbing his chin. “At the time, only the GUTS team was near the pyramids… no, according to their report, Daigo ran near the pyramids while chasing a reckless tourist, and was then saved by the giant.”

"So it was that tourist?" Aiba Yu followed up on his question.

Sato looked at Aiba Yu, who still stared at him with a seemingly blank and ignorant face, as if urging him to continue.

Without a good straight man, Sato suddenly felt there was no fun left. He slammed his fist on the table in annoyance: "I'm done! There's nothing good to hear! Just let it go in one ear and out the other. Pretend you didn't hear this 'boring speculation'... What did you come here for today?"

Aiba Yu was quick to respond: "I brought you some junk food."

“Oh, right,” Sato shifted his leg from one leg to the other, “remember to bring your own skewers next time you come, from the shopping street outside. Don’t try to fool me with the cafeteria stuff; the cook there is obsessed with ‘nutritional ratios’ and the junk food he makes is soulless.”

Are you soliciting a bribe?

Sato nodded frankly: "What else? If you're too lazy to go to the confidential office for approval, you can use grilled skewers instead—what did I just say?"

Aiba Yu smiled and said, "I only brought you some French fries, and you didn't say anything."

"If only my vice-captain were this quick-witted."

Chapter Eighty: The Dancer's Invitation

If the interrogation room focuses on detailed observation, then the winning team's advantage lies in its execution.

Izumi gave the order to go to the newly developed area for further exploration, and an hour and a half later, the Sherlock car and the Flying Swallow appeared on the beach.

The Flying Swallow II arrived first, and Munakata, Rena, and Horii, who were aboard it, entered the observatory. They negotiated with the observatory director for a more detailed investigation, hoping to open up classified areas so that Horii could conduct a thorough search of the equipment.

Daigo and Shinjo traveled to the seaside town of Sanchuan Street in the Sherlock car. With the monster's shadow incident over, the two witnesses' homes were no longer besieged by reporters' cameras. Having ruled out misleading leads about the abandoned factory, the Crow People's lair, they could now take more targeted statements.

"Ryosuke has already left?" Horii had originally planned to meet his old classmate one last time. He was an outstanding researcher and would surely have made some discoveries about the "monster shadow" that were different from those of ordinary people.

But man proposes, God disposes. The person in charge replied, "He left three days ago. He said he was very interested in the crow people for Halloween and wanted to go to his friends at the Life Science Research Center to ask if there were any related projects."

“Oh, what a coincidence,” Sanada Ryosuke was finally willing to get back to work, but Horii was both happy and regretful that he was missing a source of information: “So, during the time the monster’s shadow appeared, did you notice anything unusual?”

“Anomaly? If there were, I would have reported it to the Space Development Center long ago,” the person in charge said without thinking. After a while, he suddenly remembered: “If I had to say what’s wrong… a mouse got into our telescope maintenance room. It shouldn’t be able to get in since the door is always closed. I don’t know where the gap is.”

The person in charge was slow to realize what was happening, but the Victory Team was extremely wary of such matters. Lina said, "You should have said so sooner!"

"Just one rat..." The person in charge saw Horii suddenly run away, probably to the maintenance room, and Lina followed with the equipment. She could only say to Munakata, "I've already chased it out with a mop."

Half an hour later.

Daigo and Shinjo, who were arguing with witnesses on Sanchuan Street, received a message from their teammates asking them to come to the observatory and pointing out the small door in the maintenance room.

The two did as instructed.

The side door of the maintenance room was wide open, and several thin cables ran along the corner of the wall from outside the door to the core area where the telescopes were placed. Three teammates were standing under the semi-circular dome, discussing something.

"What are you all doing..." Daigo saw that Munakata and the other two were frowning, especially Horii, who was rubbing his head and squatting down, holding a scanning device in his arms. The cables extending outside were auxiliary equipment installed to improve accuracy, with a small node every meter.

In most cases, there is no need to increase the precision to this extent, unless Horii is very certain that there is something important in this observatory that cannot be touched.

“A cavity,” Horii finally spoke, “200 to 430 meters above the ground, extending from the underground maintenance room to Highway A764, which is the edge of the town, specifically bypassing municipal engineering projects. The entire observatory… no, the entire observatory, along with the nearby swimming pool and hotel, is built on this cavity!”

"A cavity? Is it a sinkhole?" Zongfang asked. If it were caused by years of groundwater or seawater erosion, it wouldn't be surprising to find sinkholes. However, the cavity that Horii discovered was too large, which also indicated that the observatory and the hotel had not chosen their locations properly in the past.

"Have you ever seen a cave that's been meticulously prepared, with perfectly square and regular edges?" Horii asked quietly, looking up and showing them the images he had captured.

The blue area marking the cavity was right beneath their feet, and a "pipe" extended upwards from the top of the cavity. Horii continued, "Perhaps this is the entrance/exit, located at..."

He pointed to the base of the telescope: "It's right there."

……

Ryosuke Sanada did not "seek out friends at the Center for Life Sciences Research".

He had told Horii that he hoped to lead the research project, so it was impossible for him to join someone else's group midway through. He used a flimsy excuse to fool the head of the observatory, hoping that Horii would discover the flaw when he returned to investigate.

He was unaware that Horii had discovered the underground cavity, but if he had known, he would have been overjoyed.

Kagoshima.

Kagoshima Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture on Kyushu Island, is most famous for Sakurajima Volcano, an active volcano. Every year after Halloween, Kagoshima hosts the Ohara Yoshi Festival. When Sanada Ryosuke arrived, he happened to be there just as the festival was ending. The parade of thousands of dancers and the influx of tourists filled the area around the planetarium.

Ryosuke Sanada didn't come for sightseeing; he bypassed the noisy crowd and went straight to the hall where the dancers were resting.

He gave the name "Tiaoyue Xuansha," and the little girl guarding the gate covered her mouth and laughed, calling inside, "Sister Xuansha, someone else is asking for your autograph!"

“I didn’t ask her for an autograph,” said Ryosuke Sanada.

He was so engrossed in his studies that he had no idea of ​​the dancer's name, "Tiaoyue Xuansha".

"She invited me here."

"Hey? Guest, this isn't a place for jokes. Even when others invite Sister Xuan Sha, it might not work out, let alone her inviting someone else on her own initiative." The girl put her hands on her hips: "If you're here to cause trouble or are a reporter... well, I'm not playing along!"

As they were talking, the backstage door opened.

The place, which had been converted into a temporary dressing room, was bustling with activity. Dancers in kimonos were applying makeup to each other with their robes half-open, revealing their slender necks and shoulders.

But no matter how many beautiful women there are, none can compare to the dazzling presence of someone who walks out gracefully.

“You’re right on time,” Tsuneyasu Ayaka patted the bewildered girl’s head and leaned down to whisper, “He’s my guest. I asked you to arrange a Japanese-style room at Asaba’s place, didn’t I?”

"I thought he was some rich sir..." The girl looked Sanada Ryosuke up and down. His shirt and trousers looked cheap, and the edges were even pilling. He hadn't bothered to dress properly for coming to see Sister Ayasa. His hair wasn't dry either, and he probably hadn't washed it for days.

Tsukigami, a revered figure among the dancers, was unknown to all; her age and origins were simply described as hailing from the snowy land of Hokkaido. Suddenly, she appeared on a recruitment notice at a pub. The owner was holding an anniversary celebration and wanted to hire geisha to join the festivities. If no geisha were available...

No problem, the tavern welcomes anyone who can liven up the atmosphere, anything goes.

When Tsukigami Ayaka arrived, the previously unknown pub became famous throughout Hokkaido.

No one knows which theater or company she belongs to; perhaps someone like her doesn't need to run a business at all. Sometimes she appears at the opening of grand theaters, and as soon as a sign says "Miss Xuan Sha," tickets are sold out. She also appears in small shops in back alleys, where drunken office workers, seeing that the dancer on stage who was just a background figure has changed, find no enjoyment in watching anyone else dance.

Some say she'll celebrate the birthdays of complete strangers, simply because a single sentence from them makes her happy. You might think it's just a fleeting glimpse, but little do you know that this "fleeting beauty" remembers your birthday and sends you a note infused with the fragrance of white plum blossoms the following year. You could easily resell this note, which symbolizes an invitation, to someone else; it's worth a fortune. But few would be willing to miss such an encounter.

Some say she comes from a wealthy family and is probably just a bored young lady from a privileged background experiencing life. Others say she earns more and spends even more, because even ordinary students will receive "weapons" from her, perhaps a limited-edition handmade fountain pen, or a well-tailored dress mailed to them a few days later, all for the price of a meal of oden.

Today, the one who receives the favor is Sanada Ryosuke, who has no interest in singing and dancing and has never heard of her.

She led them to the Japanese-style room at Asaba Studio, a place supposedly reserved for "foolish people with too much money to burn." All the women in the dressing room stared curiously at Sanada Ryosuke, the researcher who had "escaped" from the observation post in the newly developed area three days earlier and looked rather disheveled.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation." Tsukishiro Ayase's tea ceremony also had a beautiful rhythm, but unfortunately the person sitting in front of her didn't understand the hobbies of these leisurely people.

Tiaoyue Xuansha held up a delicate porcelain cup, smiling sweetly: "You really didn't transplant Ebron cells into yourself."

Chapter 81 The Escaped "Victim"

"What the hell is this!"

Daigo and the others descended into the cavity one after another, each gripping their Hyper guns. But the moment the lights were turned on, they exchanged a glance and simultaneously lowered their weapons.

"This is a research lab?!" Horii couldn't believe his eyes: "Ryosuke... could it be Ryosuke?!"

What came into view was a mess of waste paper, broken glassware, and some liquid of unknown origin that had not yet evaporated, which was overflowing from half a test tube and sticking to the ground. The ground was scorched with small, mottled pits. It turned out to be something even more corrosive than aqua regia.

"Is this place abandoned?" Lina carefully jumped over a piece of broken glass, her footsteps echoing three times before returning.

The research room was so empty it echoed; there was nothing there but scraps of paper and broken instruments.

It's like someone packed up their belongings and fled overnight, or it's like they encountered an invasion where everything they could take was looted and everything they couldn't take was smashed.

Horii picked up a scrap of paper with writing still visible: "It's Ryosuke's handwriting, it really is him! He's not on vacation, he's doing some research here?"

"Why is there a research lab here?" Munakata's attention wasn't on Horii's old classmate; he was concerned about whether TPC knew about this place, built below the observatory of the Space Development Center: "This isn't a project that can be completed in a short time. Was it part of the observatory's initial plan, or did TPC simply not know about it?"