Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

Ryosuke Sanada passed his "little test" smoothly. Three days later, after collecting the target samples, Keigo Masaki led his team to report back. How the two "former colleagues" who had worked together at TPC exchanged pleasantries is another story.

TPC Far East Headquarters Base.

Police Chief Tetsuji Yoshioka found a leave request form in front of him.

"That's strange. I've never received a sick leave note from him in all these years since he joined the team," he said, shaking the thin paper the clerk had brought him. "Does Aiba have a fever?"

The clerk nodded: "The application was forwarded by Herbert from the air force. He just finished his rotation in the African branch to support construction and will be in charge of the work as soon as he gets back."

"Hmm... You're in the hospital? I'll try to visit you this afternoon when I have some free time."

"No," the clerk replied, "I took some medicine and went back to the team. I should be sleeping now and haven't woken up yet."

Air Force Captain's Office.

Aiba Yu, his eyes gleaming, was flipping through a report.

The "fever" mentioned on the leave request form is indeed present, but it wasn't caused by a virus; rather, it was caused by the immune system overreacting.

The "burn" was not due to radiation exposure, but rather an abnormal increase in body temperature caused by the digestion of nuclear radiation; the medication given by the medical bureau was merely a placebo.

The doctor advised him to stay in the hospital for an IV drip to speed up his recovery. Aiba Yu didn't have time to escape, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and play the role of a "disobedient and stubborn patient," quickly get his medication, and leave. He was afraid that if he stayed too long, the doctor would say, "Since you're already here, why not get a full checkup?" He skipped his annual checkups precisely because maintaining a normal-looking body and secretly forging reports afterward was exhausting!

Now, unless Aiba Yu stays away from people for several days in a row, anyone within half a meter can feel the "warmth" blowing in their face on a hot day, so he simply gave her a sick note to settle the matter. Herbert Langman returned just in time, and he and Ralph kept an eye on the air force together, one with a stern face and the other with a lenient face, so that the training of the others would not be neglected.

Yu Aiba experienced the joy of slacking off.

Normally, he has to focus on training during the day and compile reports at night, occasionally deal with the psychological issues of some rookie, earn overtime badges, and deal with troublesome aliens. Now, all he needs to do is hang up a sick note and sleep in until he naturally wakes up. All the training and report writing are left to Ralf and Herbert; they have nothing to do with him!

Their workload was instantly halved! Seeing them both looking so determined and ready to live up to their superiors' expectations made me really happy!

In some ways, TPC is more humane than the creditors of "Future Universe" from many years ago.

The creditors don't care if you want a vacation or not. Every planet you go to inevitably has issues caused by the wishing orb, directly or indirectly. They feel guilty if they don't deal with them, and once they start, they can't stop. A vacation? Forget about it. Look at your "Chongming" form—do you really feel good about slacking off?

So when Aiba Yu was sleeping until dawn, he was even a little dazed—why didn’t I go to work?

Soon, the daze was replaced by the joy of being able to legitimately slack off. He leisurely washed up, heated a cup of milk, and cheerfully greeted his newly raised fish.

This fish is named "Reilos," yes, it's the sea monster that Tiga restored to its original form. Its true appearance is a gaudy tropical fish with fins resembling a swallowtail butterfly. No wonder it obeyed Samuel when he saw that Samuel's claws were longer than its own—in Reilos's aesthetic sense, whoever has the best fins is the boss.

Samuel found a rich coral reef and released the restored Reilos back into the wild. However, instead of immediately finding a "house" to hide in the coral reef, the fish waddled behind Samuel.

Samuel thought it wanted to say goodbye, so he patiently said a few words before leaving. But Reilos opened its mouth wide and, with a "crunch," bit the tail that was trailing behind him.

Its bite force was about as strong as a tickle, but it was enough to lock itself firmly to its target, and no matter how much Samuel pleaded, it wouldn't let go. He raised his tail in front of him, and the sea fish also dangled in front of him. The beast and the fish stared at each other for a long time, and in the end, Samuel still took Reilos back to the base.

He suspected that Reilos still hadn't shaken its habit of eating radiation-contaminated food. When he put it in the fish tank, Reilos would either bite its fingers or bounce up and splash in his face. While other fish were slippery, it was like a piece of chewy taffy with teeth.

When Herbert, who came to pick up his leave application, saw him "fighting" with a tropical fish, he put on what Ralph called a "dead face" and said quietly, "They get along very well."

Indeed, if Reilos didn't bite his finger and they only interacted through the glass of the fish tank, the tropical fish would be quite pleasing to the eye, and Aiba Yu would be willing to have a "very good relationship" with it.

"Would you like some hot milk?" Aiba Yu held the cup up to the water tank. Because of her extremely high body temperature, the milk maintained its temperature perfectly, just as it had come out of the microwave.

Reilos's eyes lit up, and it actually retracted its tail as if it was planning to spring up and stuff itself into the cup.

The cup was only in use for a moment before being taken back. Aiba Yu laughed and said, "Don't eat nuclear radiation feed indiscriminately. Do you want to turn into a monster and exhaust Daigo?"

Reilos opened its harmless fish mouth and angrily "gnawed" at the glass tank.

Aiba Yu turned back to his desk, logged into the intranet document forwarding account, and found the newly released "weapon test" report from the TPC South American branch. For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the clicks of the mouse and the scraping sounds of Reilos gnawing on the water tank, oxygen tube, and bottom stone.

The report was very formulaic, simply providing data on the destructive power and radiation effects of the nuclear warheads. The second part was a preliminary investigation into the missing warheads. The South American branch has yet to find the four nuclear warheads that mysteriously disappeared after launch, and has only tentatively offered the conjecture that they were "perhaps eaten by a monster," which is not entirely wrong.

The third part is about the ancient underwater city. In addition to collecting seawater data and biological tissue samples, the deep-sea robot also obtained an unexpected "surprise". The South American branch thought they had found "Atlantis", and the report described R'lyeh as "the sunken mythological era".

They expressed deep interest in the glowing stone pillars and hoped that headquarters could provide some funding to carry out the next deep-sea exploration.

Others might not know what it was, but how could Director Sawai and Staff Officer Nanbara not know? So, one approved and the other countersigned, both playing it safe, only saying things like "tight budget," "new energy development projects are the top priority," and "each branch needs to invest heavily in forming elite teams, similar to the Victory Team," etc., thus politely declining the South American branch's urgent request.

Investigation request.

Aiba Yu felt much more at ease and his mood improved. He looked at the strange tropical fish grinding its teeth in the tank and then remembered that Reilos hadn't eaten since arriving. It hadn't touched the breadcrumbs Aiba Yu had sprinkled on it at all, focusing solely on eating radiation-contaminated food. It was understandable that it was so hungry that it was gnawing on the glass tank and rocks.

He confirmed the time; it was close to noon. He then dialed the number of Dr. Yuecheng, who claimed to be in "seclusion."

Chapter Ninety-Two Suspicion

"What kind of food do tropical fish eat?" Yuki Tsukishiro felt that something must be wrong with her friend from the air force: "There are many kinds of tropical fish, so tell me what category they belong to? Also, what about your spotted goldfish?"

Aiba Yu answered quickly: "The scales couldn't be stopped, and they were flushed down the sewer."

“Another little life that died while being raised, just like our guinea pigs,” Yuki Tsukishiro clicked her tongue. “Take a picture and send it to me later, and I’ll figure out what kind of fish it is before I give you an answer.”

“Okay,” Aiba paused, the grinding of Reilos’ teeth still ringing in the air, and then said, “This fish has a rather unusual hobby, it… gnaws on rocks.”

“Maybe it’s just trying to scrape off some algae. For example, when you see snails climbing onto rocks, it’s definitely not because they want to exercise,” Yuki Tsukishiro said, unfazed by the unwarranted concerns of laymen. “You should put some coral in to simulate the waters it lives in.”

Mentioning Coral, Yuuki Tsukishiro suddenly raised her voice, eagerly boasting to Yuu Aiba about her new discovery: "I have some good news for you. After the low point of my research being interrupted due to the theft of the Ebloon cells, I have ushered in the next turning point on the road to the 'peak'!"

Aiba Yu listened as he first recounted in bits and pieces how honest Sanada Ryosuke had been while working for the team, then mentioned that he had visited him after hearing that he had broken his arm and had brought him some supplements on behalf of the team. He concluded by saying, "You can know a person's face but not their heart." Tsukishiro Yuuki felt deeply disheartened, as the supplements were not cheap and were reimbursed by research funds.

Aiba Yu was used to his habit of rambling on and on, and simply reminded him, "What new thing have you discovered?"

“Ah! It’s a kind of coral!” Yuuki Tsukishiro said. “To be precise, it’s a life form found in frozen coral-like organisms, similar to an amoeba. It’s very rudimentary, but… its functions are unprecedentedly powerful!”

Before Aiba Yu could ask any further questions, Tsukishiro Yuuki eagerly provided the answer: "It can absorb carbon dioxide and metabolize it into oxygen at an extremely fast conversion rate! Its reproduction efficiency is also very high, breaking the record of any species I have ever observed!"

Behind him, the glass box that originally housed the "coral" had been replaced with a large glass jar, more than two people tall, almost reaching the ceiling from the floor. Yuki Tsukishiro's team stuffed some ice into it to maintain its Antarctic living environment when it was dug out. These pinkish-red creatures filled the jar to the brim.

There are four more such jars, placed in the corners of the research room. Following the Ebloon cells, Yuki Tsukishiro's team has entered another busy period. They have divided up their work and are carrying out specialized work on aspects such as "oxygen conversion rate", "proliferation efficiency and habit analysis" and "project application development".

“When it was first discovered, it was only a tiny piece… about the size of two fists,” Yuki Tsukishiro said in a tone as if describing her daughter growing up. “Now it fills all our observation jars, and some of it is in the storage jars. There’s just no room left.”

"Just think about it, once we find the most scientific and safe way to utilize it, and then distribute it to all the branches, will there still be a 'carbon emissions' topic at the next Environmental Protection Conference?" Yuki Tsukishiro excitedly slammed her hand on the table while on the phone: "The Nobel Prize! The Human Progress Award! The TPC's highest honor, the Medal of Honor for Outstanding Representatives! Most importantly, a steady stream of funding! They're beckoning me!"

Based on Aiba Yu's years of experience cleaning up all sorts of messes, this kind of seemingly flawless "good" life form, especially something discovered from some unknown corner, usually has a fatal flaw, and is far more efficient at causing trouble than at making contributions.

Therefore, he poured cold water on the idea, asking, "Have you figured out its origin?"

"The source is very clear. Our Antarctic expedition team dug it out from the ice sheet. It may be some kind of ancient organism, like cyanobacteria and its stromatolites. After they appeared, the earth began to be full of oxygen."

"What I mean is... now that you've determined it's an 'ancient organism,' have you figured out the corresponding evolutionary branch?"

Yuuki Tsukishiro laughed heartily: "We are working on this right now. We haven't discovered its ancestors or descendants yet. I think once we overcome this hurdle, our research on it will reach a new level!"

Explaining it to them wasn't working; it's hard to calm a researcher who's in the midst of excitement. Aiba Yu thought for a moment and said, "Are you free? I'll come over."

“I understand your excitement at receiving such groundbreaking news,” Yuuki Tsukishiro said smugly, “but our lab needs to eliminate as much interference as possible, so you won’t be able to see it even if you come. Wait another month, no, half a month, until we’ve drafted the preliminary research report…”

Yuuki Tsukishiro boasted a few more times before hanging up. Yuu Aiba remained silent for a moment, then opened a drawer and pulled out the half-finished air force badge he was working on.

"The stuff from Dai's team at the Life Sciences Research Center is pretty strange," he thought. "Should I go to Moon City in the middle of the night for something else?"

But what do those people in white coats carry with them? Maybe we should take their...

The communal desk has been "renovated"? And the other party mentioned that "there was really no room left, so we had to put some in storage tanks." He knew about the storage tanks; they were placed in special sealed rooms reinforced with layers of steel and concrete, where underground nuclear explosion tests could supposedly be conducted directly.

The only way to sneak in is through a narrow ventilation duct that opens and closes at set times; there's not even enough room for a cat to squeeze in.

Thinking of this, most of the joy of the holiday flew away, and Aiba Yu felt a headache coming on.

……

At the same time, Sousuke Fujisawa was also staring at the badge in his palm.

The new badge features an air force emblem with wings spread out like wings, and a striking crack running through the middle.

There's absolutely no need to worry about the material of the badge. TPC's logistics have become even stricter since the last inspection campaign launched by the Inspection Office, let alone cutting corners in this kind of matter. The brand-new badge is quite heavy and shines brightly in the sunlight.

So why did it develop such a crack? Fujisawa Sousuke tried hard to recall his experience of encountering the Lebik aliens. At that time, the badge inexplicably heated up, and the light barrier blocked several attacks. He thought it was the "magnet god" appearing.

But if you think about it carefully, when Watanabe Yota was being chased by the crazy woman from Mujinsei, his badge also cracked.

He was clearly grabbed by the collar and slammed against the concrete wall by that woman. The dull thud startled Sosuke, who thought Yota was definitely dead. Bricks shattered on the ground with a clang, and he believed that the impact Yota experienced was no less than falling from a height of more than ten stories.

Is the "magnet god" really that good? Even Yota, who always mocks Sosuke for worshipping dolls instead of building good relationships with the ground staff, does his best to protect him?

But aliens caused so many deaths. How many innocent Earthlings did the Muzhen aliens hunt down? Where is the "Magnet God"? Those people are all dead, most of them in gruesome ways. The investigation team often has to find limbs from several places and piece them back together.

There are some rumors of "monsters repaying kindness," and some survivors say they saw terrifying "monster" figures, which are obviously not the magical stones.

Does the "magnet god" only favor TPC and the air force?

Where did the badge come from?

Fujisawa Sousuke recalled the day he fell asleep while writing his self-criticism, his face covered in drool. He hurriedly took the napkin that Ralph handed him to wipe his face, and someone placed a new badge on the table.

The afternoon air was filled with a smoky aroma, like a faint scent of milk coffee, making one feel drowsy.

"My badge is fine, it's Yang Tai's that's cracked!" he shouted.

"Keep them all. The logistics department gave two to him." Aiba Yu didn't punish him, even though Sousuke's apology letter was smeared with saliva.

Sosuke stared blankly at the object in his palm and whispered, "...Captain?"

Chapter Ninety-Three: Planning Ahead (4k)

If you think about something in a specific direction, it's easy to find it more and more fitting the more you think about it.

Sōsuke Fujisawa is a prime example.

He suspected that the captain had secretly placed the "magnetic fairy" among them. He tossed and turned all night recalling the details, and finally made a decision:

Go and find out if the captain of the first division used to be an exorcist or something. All sorts of strange monsters and aliens with "superpowers" appear, and it doesn't seem like there's any problem telling him that magicians, onmyoji, and Taoist priests are real.

Thinking about it this way, everything makes sense. The air force's badge and the magnet in the doll are both props that have been processed like "drawing talismans." If the captain really is an exorcist, then he must be an exceptionally good one.