Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

"Leave the professional stuff to the Victory Team, we're just an investigation team!" Sato yelled. "You guys have probably all seen the files, you Mujin aliens. Can your reaction speed keep up with them, or can you see through their disguise and point your pathetic gun barrel at an ordinary-looking, well-meaning citizen before they launch their attack? You think you have a good chance of winning a shootout with a police baton against a warlord?"

"Identify suspicious individuals, record intelligence, and collect data! Don't assume you can catch someone just because they look harmless! You never know what kind of monster lies beneath the surface!"

The people, who were excited about receiving their new weapons, fell silent. Sato scolded, "During the investigation, no one is allowed to wear uniforms. Disguise yourself and blend into the crowd, just like you're on vacation! As long as you don't expose yourself, you'll be safe even if you're surrounded by aliens disguised as Earthlings. But once you reveal your identity as an 'investigator,' all the aliens, whether gentle or not, could become your enemies!"

If Sato's request provided the first layer of insurance for the investigation team, which, despite being equipped with new weapons, was essentially still composed of ordinary people, then Aiba Yu's covert following provided the team with a second layer of safety.

To this end, he worked overtime overnight to carve two dozen square, thin iron sheets, which he then placed inside the work permits of the investigation team. When they were issued, some people wondered why these permits were so much heavier than the usual ones.

With preparations complete, the investigation proceeded according to plan—the Victory Team secretly mobilized massive amounts of electrical energy and computing power under the guise of power maintenance, enabling the query system to become a monster system capable of conducting a large-scale, comprehensive identity verification.

Combined with the information accumulated by the Information Department in its early years, which overlaps with the risk areas where suspected signs of alien activity had been reported, the main direction of the special investigation team can be determined.

Unlike the GUTS team, whose mere presence on the street would immediately draw shouts of "The GUTS are here, there must be another monster!", the investigation team could blend into a crowd and remain unrecognized. They might even find themselves sitting at a street stall selling pancakes, where they might just encounter an alien who has perfectly integrated into Earth and comes to pay for their food.

Besides, the investigation team has more people... Their investigation efficiency is much higher than that of the seven members of the Victory Team. It is more appropriate for them to narrow down the target area and then send out specialists to eliminate the aliens' strongholds.

In a sense, Ralph's assessment wasn't wrong: this so-called "senior cadre training program" was indeed training special agents.

As for Aiba Yu's role—it is well known that secret agents in movies often have methods such as "calling in an entire squadron of vehicles to smash the enemy with a single phone call," "calling in long-range artillery fire," or "tactical nuclear strike."

Sato said mysteriously, "Now that you've confirmed the alien's identity, just find an excuse to slip away. We have someone else to handle this."

All the members assumed he was referring to the GUTS team, so the GUTS members, who were currently spinning around assisting Nozuru, inexplicably became much more impressive without their knowledge.

……

Toshima Ward, Ikebukuro.

It is a fashion capital in the hearts of young people in Japan, on par with Ginza, Shinjuku and Shibuya, and is famous for its bustling urban landscape.

Naturally, there are many shops of all sizes here, a gathering place for trendsetters, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre is also located in the same area, so there is never a lack of creativity.

Ralph and his fellow Californians were drawn in by the "human-shaped sign" standing outside the coffee shop.

"Why would a place like this be marked as a 'high-risk' area?" The Californian local called him "Neurotic Flea Hart" because he only became as lively as a flea when he encountered something that interested him—such as cool and violent weapons, and long-legged, beautiful girls.

“This shop has a lot of customers and a lot of abnormal incident reports, but it’s probably because the staff’s attire has caused a misunderstanding, right? I don’t think there’s any risk of aliens, but rather… no, there definitely is a risk, we need to investigate!” Hart and Ralf were dressed up to look presentable, but when they encountered a maid café, they couldn’t tear themselves away and their true colors were revealed.

But they didn't forget their mission. While playing dice and telling jokes with the maid with fox ears, making her laugh so hard she was scrambling to the ground, Ralf casually joked, "Where are you from? You've copied her habits so well, even twitching your ears. Besides catgirls and foxgirls, do you imitate monster girls?"

The fox-eared creature rolled on the ground, got up, and gathered the dice, saying, "Yes, yes, sir! You can have Ultraman Tiga if you need anything. As long as the prop master can make it, we'll dress you up however we want, and we'll definitely give you the best experience!"

"Wow, so professional... You guys must earn a lot, right? What are the benefits like?" No wonder people misunderstand that they have a strange and wonderful universe.

As people appeared, Ralph thought to himself that the shop assistants either had animal ears or tails stuck to their backs, and some even had buckets on their heads pretending to be self-propelled robots. There was also the guy at the door who had stuffed himself into a standee. It was a complete mess.

"Oh dear, are you trying to steal our business, sir?" Fox Ears smiled charmingly. "It's not impossible, you know. We often have customers who like to invite guys to play...you guys..." Fox Ears thought for a moment, "Ah, a strong and safe older man accompanying you through the haunted house, with the NPCs dressed as ghosts shouting 'Young Master has returned!' and escorting the customer to ascend to the throne of the Lord of Hell is a new project!"

“You guys have quite a few new projects.” Ralf was shocked by the “new projects” that the fox-eared man blurted out. Of course, what shocked him the most was the word “uncle”.

Fox Ears, a master of the art of treating lukewarm customer reviews as compliments, twitched her furry ears and chuckled, "The industry is small, but the competition is no less intense than elsewhere. Our shop is the most up-to-date! Whatever's trending, we jump on the bandwagon! Would you like to be our colleague? We're looking for ten tough guys to carry monster costumes as bodyguards, letting you experience a real-life monster Pokémon adventure in Devil's Castle!"

"Because the staff haven't practiced, they can only rely on cuteness, but customers will get tired of it in the long run!" Fox ears give those in the industry a sense of crisis.

“No, I’m afraid you’ll delay paying wages.” Hart, the flea-loving fellow Californian, decided to end the conversation. He needed to ask something else, such as whether Fox Ears had encountered any strange guests.

Extraterrestrials have different lifestyles than Earthlings, and in such a relaxing setting, they are more likely to reveal subtle clues.

The fox-eared man waved his hand: "Don't worry, we might fall behind on electricity, water, and even rent, but we'll never fall behind on our employees' wages!"

……

"I've been running this shop for ten years. I have a dilapidated spaceship that's in dire need of repair above me and a half-buried piece of old equipment below me. I never delay paying wages to Earthlings, except when I'm really short of cash and have to pay rent and utility bills... You know, it's very, very difficult to repair a spaceship after it crashes."

Inside the ornately decorated shop, a veritable "insect man" trembled, clutching his head. His human appearance was gone, replaced by a bee-like head on his neck, its compound eyes, which occupied half of the head, reflecting the figure that had appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

"The Tomb Keeper"!

Was he finally going to stand up for his landlord because he was behind on rent again last month?!

"I...I...I pay my taxes on time, provide 23 stable jobs, and support industries such as catering, clothing, prop making, leather suits...no, I mean, the craft shops for cosplay enthusiasts. I can't say I've made outstanding contributions, but I'm law-abiding!"

Aiba Yu remained silent, while the "Insect Man" confessed tremblingly: "Except for Halloween when I couldn't resist going out in my true form to parade around, I really didn't cause any trouble! I was scared back when the birdmen from Lebik came out, I didn't see anything!"

"..." Aiba Yu followed Ralf in, and decided to ask a few questions because the alien owner of this shop was strangely honest. Unexpectedly, the "insect man" took the lead in revealing his entire family history, almost explaining which nebula his ancestors came from and how many generations of his descendants he was.

The "Insect Man" huddled in a corner, his tongue tied in knots: "I'm only staying here because the spaceship isn't repaired. The raw materials are too expensive and I can't make them myself, so I have to open a shop to make money to cover the repair costs. Earthlings' money has been devalued to less than toilet paper in the hands of those vampires. I admit that I actually secretly bought a lot of contraband from the black market with cash and resold it to them so that I wouldn't be squeezed too much... I promise I'll leave as soon as it's repaired!"

“If you want to fix it and leave, I can even help you,” Aiba Yu squatted down. “I’m very interested in the ‘vampires’ you mentioned. Do you have their contact information?”

Chapter 118 Pursuit

TPC Far East Headquarters

Ground guard station.

"Based on the known clues about the Kamimura siblings, we followed the trail and investigated the registration, management, employees, and personnel changes of partners under Kamimura's name over the past five years. We discovered several areas that overlapped with the 'suspected location of the alien incident'—these areas were marked as key areas, and the special investigation team was divided into eleven groups to conduct covert investigations."

Sato Takuma spoke eloquently. Because his position was not yet publicly announced, he was still known as the "Chief of the Interrogation Room." However, the people in the room, whose positions were several levels higher than his, all listened to his analysis with their heads bowed, each of them deep in thought.

Sato Takuma felt extremely good.

It would be even better if someone who plays the straight man (or clown) could come and applaud.

“Very good,” he said to Sato Takuma, without applause but with the affirmation of Commander Yoshioka. “Since you called us here, you must have already had preliminary results.”

“Of course,” Sato said, looking at the Victory Team who had come with him. “The first ‘breakthrough’ we found was in the new development zone that you’ve been to countless times.”

……

three days ago.

Ralf and the others, who were greatly shocked by the maid café, stepped out of the store and suddenly heard Captain Aiba's voice in their ears.

"No. 167, Sanchuan Street, New Development Zone, next location." The team leader's words were always concise and to the point.

Ralph looked around, up at the sky, down at the ground—he had no other acquaintances around him except for his flea-riding fellow countryman.

He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating, but he was shocked again.

Because he clearly set off westward towards Ikebukuro according to the initial plan.

The next suspicious shop, but the leg that stepped out seemed to have its own mind, and even his neck disobeyed his command, heading eastward with no return under the restraint of an invisible force.

The lecherous fellow villager followed him onto the tram heading out of the city, and said in a serious tone, "That's right, plans are fixed, but people are flexible. You plan to reverse the order of the investigation so that no one can figure you out, right?"

Ralph nodded almost unconsciously. He felt as if a heavy hand was pressing down on his head, and if he dared to shake his head from side to side, he would probably hear his cervical vertebrae groaning.

“Perhaps it is God’s will,” Ralph thought.

Just as a real man must face the storm, a female ghost likes to tease a scholar, and a tadpole always wants to find its mother.

It's normal for members of the special investigation team to encounter things like being "possessed," isn't it?

At least for now, this "ghost" is only using Captain Aiba's voice to force him to run towards the new development area. It hasn't made him give up his soul, nor has it robbed him of his money or sexually assaulted him. It's really a "good ghost".

Aiba Yu had no idea how many mental blocks his team members had been working on along the way. He just felt that hitchhiking was really comfortable and he could catch up on some sleep. After finishing the work ID card overnight, Sato was shocked and asked him, "This thing isn't the legendary thing that burns your lifespan, is it?"

Aiba Yu said he had read too many supernatural novels, so he just randomly found a group to be a driver and found a place to catch up on sleep.

Ralph felt someone pressing on his head, and it was true; the shrunken "big monster" was dozing off on his baseball cap.

Ralph's pockets were filled with lighters, cigarette cases, and small flasks, the smells of which were enough to give anyone a headache. What was most unpleasant was the men's cologne he sprayed on his clothes, which he thought was just for show. In comparison, the smell of his hair was not so noticeable.

……

“We have found a shop that is connected to the alien black market. Most of their goods are sold to the newly developed area. As you all probably know, there is a Lebik alien stronghold and underground research institute in the newly developed area.”

In Sato Takuma's hand was the report that Ralf had painstakingly written, barely logical and not too verbose: "A warehouse full of contraband was hidden at 167 Sanchuan Street, and most of these contraband items were equipment and reagents used in biological research."

Whenever the new development zone was mentioned, Horii would think of his old classmate, who had been missing ever since. He guessed that the reagents and equipment Sato mentioned were probably intended for Sanada Ryosuke to support his underground research.

“Ryosuke Sanada, I have specifically investigated his background. A proud and arrogant researcher would rarely take the initiative to contact the black market, which is like a ‘sneak rat’. In other words… such an underground supply line may have come to him on its own initiative.”

Sato showed the people present the part of the report that he had circled several times: "But strangely enough, the alien who sold him the contraband happened to be a very cautious guy, and his only sales channel was the newly developed area."

For fear of causing trouble, the insect-headed aliens never dare to delay paying their employees' wages, and even provide them with full insurance and pension benefits, just to prevent any unforeseen complications caused by their resentful employees.

His credit record was more than one percentage point better than that of ordinary business owners. He thought that being a few days behind on rent would lead to being robbed, but in fact, the landlord considered him a good tenant because he could always pay it back within two weeks.

“If we ignore his involvement in reselling contraband and only look at his outward actions, he is… a trustworthy, employee-loving, and exemplary shop owner,” Sato concluded. “So where did such an ‘honest’ guy get his supplies?”

Aiba Yu yawned.

Daigo gave his "colleague" a strange look, who was taking advantage of being unseen to sleep in openly and using his mousepad as a pillow. They, too, wanted to rest after being forced to work by Nori for several days, but with pairs of eyes watching them from the room, the GUTS team had to maintain their image.

After keeping everyone in suspense, Sato continued, "So the special investigation team changed its approach, starting with the 'guests' with whom they had close contact, and identified sixteen key individuals for investigation. They are the main targets for our next attack."

“Now that we have so much information, the shop owner who sells contraband should be under our control, right?” Someone raised their hand: “Why not just secretly take him to the interrogation room? It would be easy to find some excuse like ‘going out to buy goods’.”

“Because he’s too ‘honest and simple,’ he didn’t even know he’d been skinned alive twice.” Sato gestured for his clerk to step forward, who then unfolded two stacks of receipts.

Sato turned around and went back to his seat to drink tea, taking the opportunity to retrieve his mousepad. Aiba Yu shook his wings and settled down in the warm computer case.

The clerk took over the explanation: "The downstream sales are to the underground research institute where Sanada Ryosuke works. The person who came forward was identified by the shop owner as Kamimura Zao. According to the testimony of the Lebik aliens, the Kirieloids are associated with the underground research institute in the newly developed area. Coincidentally, the shop owner admitted that the company that sold the goods to him... was also once owned by Kamimura Zao."

"In other words, the Kirieloids resell the controlled goods produced in their factories to extraterrestrials in need through the black market, then assign their research institutes or storage bases across the globe to purchase them locally. They avoid the step of manually transferring goods between locations, thus shifting the risk to the controlled Earthlings and other extraterrestrials. And they..."

He never shows up.

In this way, they ensured their secrecy and security. Daigo pondered; this clue was very clear, yet also very strange—what were the aliens doing, absorbing Earthlings' circulating currency?

The shopkeeper ultimately sold equipment and reagents, and the Kirieloids paid him in kind for materials and services to repair the spaceship. The Kirieloids pocketed a huge amount of Earth currency in the process.

Would aliens who control the upstream and downstream industries need Earthlings' currency?

It wasn't just Daigo who thought of this suspicious point; everyone in the room was intelligent, and someone had already astutely raised this issue.