Simultaneous Time Travel: What Villain? I'm the Protagonist!

In the open space in front of the factory, seven or eight people were gathered. There were middle-aged men in work clothes, thugs smoking cigarettes, and a few women watching the commotion. From the center of the crowd came dull thuds and suppressed groans.

"Kill this alien!"

"They're digging holes here every day; they definitely have bad intentions!"

"Speak! Are you a spy sent by aliens?"

Sheng Ren stopped in his tracks.

Through the gaps in the crowd, he saw a thin boy curled up on the ground, his hands covering his head. His clothes were tattered, and his face was covered in mud and blood, but his eyes were fixed on the ground, and he didn't utter a sound.

Several young men stood nearby, taking turns kicking him. One of them, a blond-haired man, raised his foot and stomped hard on the boy's back, burying him in the ground.

"You won't talk, huh? Fine, then we'll bury you right here today!"

A burst of laughter came from the surrounding area.

At the edge of the crowd stood a young man in an orange team uniform.

Hideki Go.

MAT's team uniform stood out against the setting sun. He stood there, his hands hanging at his sides, his face expressionless.

He knew this boy.

A few days earlier, he had rescued the boy from several high school students—they had buried him in the ground, leaving only his head above water, and were about to run him over with their bicycles. After saving the boy, he investigated his background and learned that he was an orphan from Hokkaido, his mother had passed away, and his father was missing.

He also knew who lived upstairs.

That frail old man, the one who stood by the window every day watching the boy dig the hole—a Metz alien. He came to Earth to investigate its climate, but environmental pollution had weakened him, making it impossible for him to summon his spaceship to return home. The boy was digging the hole to help him find his spaceship buried underground.

Hideki Go knew everything.

But now, he stands here, unable to take a single step.

Because he saw that among those wielding sticks were office workers in suits, chefs in aprons, and police officers in uniform—the police officer had even nodded at him earlier. Hideki Go was a member of the MAT team and had carried out missions in this area; many people knew him.

They come from different industries and different social classes, but they share a common name—

Humanity.

They didn't believe the boy's explanation, nor did they believe MAT's investigation. They only believed what they wanted to believe—"That child is an alien, a threat."

Hideki opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He recalled the boy's words: "There is too much indifference between people. I have wanted to leave Earth for a long time."

He didn't know how to answer then. He knows even less now.

Just then, a weak but firm voice rang out.

"stop."

At the edge of the crowd, a ragged old man walked out unsteadily. He was so thin he was skin and bones, his face was sallow, and he would pant after taking a few steps, but his eyes were unusually clear.

"He...he dug it for me...If you want to fight, fight me instead."

As the old man spoke, he stood in front of the boy.

"Hey? Old man, where did you come from?" The blond-haired man spat out his cigarette butt, sizing up the old man. "Oh—I know, you're that 'alien,' right? Two of you digging holes here every day, there's definitely something fishy going on!"

He waved to the crowd: "Brothers, these two are definitely aliens! Kill them!"

The crowd stirred; some picked up bricks from the ground, while others clenched their fists.

The old man closed his eyes, but did not move away. He simply used his frail body to protect the boy behind him.

The boy gripped the old man's clothes tightly, his voice trembling, "Uncle..."

Hideki Go took a step forward.

But then he stopped.

Because those people had already raised their sticks, and those sticks would hit the old man in the next moment.

and then?

He transforms into Ultraman and drives these people away?

and then?

What about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow?

Hideki stood rooted to the spot, unable to take another step.

And just as the stick was about to fall—

"stop."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a bucket of cold water being poured on a fire.

Everyone turned their heads at the same time.

Sheng Ren walked out of the alley, his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless. Behind him followed the thin man in the cheap suit, whose legs were already trembling at the sight of the throng.

"Who are you?" the blond-haired man asked, squinting as he approached. "Mind your own business. These two are aliens; we're just doing justice for God—"

"Acting on behalf of Heaven?"

Sheng Ren stopped and glanced at him.

With just that one glance, the blond-haired man felt a chill run down his spine, and the words stuck in his throat.

Sheng Ren ignored him and walked straight to the boy and the old man lying on the ground. He squatted down, looking at the boy who was covered in wounds but still stubborn, and then at the old man who was so thin he was emaciated.

The old man looked at him warily, his clear eyes filled with vigilance—the instinctive reaction of an alien visitor facing the unknown.

Sheng Ren didn't say anything, stood up, took a document out of his pocket, and casually handed it to the thin man who walked over.

The man paused for a moment, then immediately understood, unfolded the document, and cleared his throat:

"Listen up, everyone! This industrial zone, including this land, is now owned by Mr. Sheng! According to Article 206 of the Japanese Civil Code, the owner has the right to freely use, profit from, and dispose of their property within the limits of the law! In other words—"

He smugly surveyed the area: "This is private property! You're assaulting people here; that's trespassing and violent assault! I can call the police to arrest you!"

The crowd was silent for a second, then erupted in chaos.

"What? The land has been sold?"

"We've been here for years, why—"

"Don't give me that! What contract? It's fake, isn't it?"

The blond-haired man walked straight up and reached for the document, saying, "Let me see it!"

Sheng Ren reached out and gently placed his hand on Sheng Ren's shoulder.

The blond-haired man stood frozen in place, unable to move. He hadn't used much force with that hand, but he simply couldn't take a single step.

"You want to see?" Sheng Ren's voice was calm. "Sure. When the police arrive, let them show you."

He looked at the thin man.

The man immediately took out his phone and skillfully pressed the following buttons:

"Hello, is this the police station? I need to report a crime. In the Kawasaki Industrial Park, Factory Area 3, someone has illegally trespassed on private property and violently assaulted a minor. Yes, they're still fighting. Please come as soon as possible."

After hanging up the phone, he winked at Sheng Ren: "Don't worry, Mr. Sheng, I know the police in this area well, they'll be here in ten minutes."

The blond-haired man's expression changed.

Those around them exchanged bewildered glances, their arrogance visibly diminishing. In Japan, trespassing is a serious crime, let alone assaulting someone on their property.

"You...you just wait!" The blond-haired man broke free from Sheng Ren's grasp, took two steps back, and pointed at Sheng Ren with a fierce but ultimately weak expression. "This isn't over!"

Sheng Ren ignored him and just looked down at the boy curled up on the ground.

The boy slowly raised his head, his eyes unusually bright against his dirty face. He didn't look at Sheng Ren, but stared intently at the frail old man, his lips trembling, finally managing to squeeze out a single word:

"uncle……"

The old man reached out and tremblingly touched his head.

"It's alright now," the old man said softly.

The boy's tears finally flowed down, leaving two deep lines on his mud-covered face.

On the periphery of the crowd, Hideki Go, wearing his orange MAT team uniform, stood motionless.

He watched the young man who suddenly appeared, watched him take out a contract and call the police—using human rules to protect these two "outcasts" who were being hunted by humans.

Is this person also an alien? Hideki Go suddenly felt a bit ironic.

One alien is using human rules to protect another alien.

And he, wearing the MAT team uniform, stood here, unable to do anything.

The sound of sirens grew louder as they approached.

A police car pulled up in front of the factory, and two policemen got out. The thin man immediately went up to them, handed over the contract, and explained the situation in a few words.

The policeman glanced at the group of blond-haired men, then at the injured teenager, and his expression immediately turned serious.

"You lot, come with us."

The blond-haired man tried to argue, "Officer, these two guys dig holes here every day, they must be aliens."

"An alien?" the policeman interrupted him, pointing at Sheng Ren. "This is someone's private property. They're already being lenient by not calling the police to arrest you for trespassing. As for digging the hole..."

The policeman glanced at Sheng Ren.

Sheng Ren said calmly, "I had them dig it. There are aging pipes underground in the industrial area. I'm planning to redevelop it, so I had them do some preliminary exploration."

A perfect explanation.

The policeman nodded, his gaze towards the blond-haired man becoming even more hostile: "Did you hear that? Aren't you leaving?"

The group of blond-haired men were led away in a sorry state. Before leaving, the blond-haired man glanced back at Sheng Ren, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.

Sheng Ren didn't take it to heart.

The crowd dispersed, leaving only Sheng Ren, the thin man, the old man, and the boy in the open space.

And there's Hideki Go, standing not far away.

Hideki walked over and stood in front of Seijin. The orange MAT team uniform was particularly eye-catching in the setting sun, and the MAT logo on the chest reflected the afterglow.

He looked at Sheng Ren for a long time, feeling somewhat puzzled, and finally spoke up:

"I'm Hideki Go from MAT," he said. "And you...who are you?"

Sheng Ren looked at him and suddenly smiled:

"A passing captain," he said to the village with ill intent, "came to see his younger brother who's staying here."

Hideki Go suddenly froze.

It wasn't that he froze; it was another entity within his body that, in the next second, exploded with an unbelievable sound in his consciousness:

"Brother Shengren?"

"Stop," Sheng Ren raised his hand, making a stop gesture.

He glanced around—the thin man was staring at him with wide eyes, and the old man, supporting the boy, stood not far away, also looking in his direction.

Shengren sighed and said to Xiang Xiuqi, "Let's talk somewhere else."

He turned and walked deeper into the factory.

Hideki Go paused for a second, then quickly followed.

Deep inside the factory, the last rays of the setting sun were fragmented by the towering chimneys, and the wind swirled waste paper through the ruins, making a rustling sound.

Shengren stopped and turned around. Xiang Xiuqi caught up and stood in front of him, his orange team uniform stained with dust.

Jack stepped out of Hideki Go and solidified into a form beside him.

He did not manifest a physical form, but stood as a semi-transparent consciousness.

"Brother Shengren," Jack said, his voice filled with disbelief, "what brings you here?"

"Just passing by," Sheng Ren said, "I'm just taking care of something."

Jack was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke, his voice low: "Just now...you saw it all?"

Sheng Ren looked at him without saying a word.

"I stood there, watching them beat the child, watching the old man step forward, watching those sticks raised, and I couldn't move an inch," Jack's voice was calm, but it concealed an overwhelming sense of confusion.

"Xiang too. He wanted to rush in, but he didn't know what to do after he did. Drive them away? And then what? They'll come back tomorrow, and the day after. As long as that child and the old man are still here, as long as they're still seen as outcasts by others, this kind of thing won't stop."

"So I stood there and did nothing."

The setting sun sank a little deeper, and the factory's shadow stretched even longer.

"Do you think humanity is dark?" Sheng Ren asked.

Jack didn't answer immediately.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that a crow cawed twice in the distance, and the evening wind swept dust across the ruins.

"I don't know," he finally spoke. "All I know is that those who were hitting people, stirring up trouble, shouting to kill aliens—they weren't monsters, they weren't alien invaders, they were ordinary people. Office workers, cooks, police officers, housewives. They had children, families, and their own lives. They weren't born evil."

"But what they did, more so than what many monsters did, made me..."

Jack didn't finish his sentence.

Hideki stepped forward and stood beside Jack, looking at Seijin with a hoarse voice: "That kid told me that people are too indifferent to each other, and he's wanted to leave Earth for a long time. I don't know how to answer him. Because when I look at those people, I even wonder if they have their reasons for doing what they do? After all, they don't know the truth; they're just afraid."

"But does fear justify harming the innocent?" Hideki Go's voice suddenly rose a little. "What did that child do wrong? What did that old man do wrong? They just wanted to go home."

Sheng Ren listened quietly without interrupting.

After they had both finished speaking, and all emotions had settled into silence, he finally spoke: "You both think these people did something wrong, right?"

Jack and Hideki Go nodded at the same time.

"Wrong is wrong," Jack said. "No matter the reason, violence against the innocent is wrong. Fear or self-preservation are not excuses."

Sheng Ren nodded, agreeing with the statement.

"If it were me, I would have already made my move." He said it casually, as if he were commenting on the nice weather. "One punch, one kill, no need to transform, no need to even warm up."

Jack was stunned.

Hideki Go was also stunned.

Looking at their expressions, Sheng Ren suddenly smiled: "But I didn't do that. Not because I was afraid, nor because I agreed with them. It's because—"

He paused, his gaze passing over the two men and landing on the distant residential area, where a few lights had already been lit.

"As Ultraman, you know for sure that the old man is a good person, a Metz alien trapped on Earth. You know the whole truth, so you think these people are unreasonable, stupid, cruel, and dark."

"But they don't know."

Sheng Ren withdrew his gaze and looked at Jack:

"What they saw were two people of unknown origin, digging holes in the industrial area every day, refusing to say anything when asked. What they heard were the 'alien beings' repeatedly appearing in the news and rumors, and the fear brought by repeated monster attacks. They had only one thought in their minds: What if they really are spies? What if they are going to destroy the Earth?"

"I'm not trying to excuse them," Sheng Ren said. "I'm just stating a fact: from their perspective, they see themselves as heroes."

"Heroes who fought against foreign invaders."

These words were like a stone thrown into the silence, sinking so deep that no echo could be heard.

Jack fell silent.

Hideki Go also fell silent.

After a long silence, Jack finally spoke, his voice soft but firm: "But... wrong is wrong."

"That's right." Sheng Ren nodded. "Wrong is wrong. That won't change because of their perspective."

He looked at Jack:

"I'm not saying this to make you forgive them. I'm telling you that if you despair of humanity because of this, you don't have to."

Jack looked up at him.

"The real question has never been whether humanity is light or darkness," Sheng Ren said. "It's whether they have the potential to become better."

Why did that child help the old man dig the hole? Because he felt warmth. Why did the old man stand up to protect the child at the last moment? Because he had someone he wanted to protect.

"Darkness has always been there, but so has light."

Sheng Ren reached out and patted Jack on the shoulder. Although Jack was now in a conscious state, the pat still made him sway slightly.

"You just said you didn't know what to do. Actually, the answer is simple—do what you're supposed to do."

"What needs to be done?" Jack repeated.

"You are Ultraman," Sheng Ren said. "You protect humanity not because humans are perfect, but because you care about them. You stand here not because you believe humanity will always be good, but because you believe they can become better."

He withdrew his hand and took a step back.

"As for those people, they will pay the price. The price of the law, the price of their conscience, or something else. But that's their own path, and it's none of your business."

Jack remained silent for a long time.

When he looked up again, the confusion in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by a calm determination.

"Thank you, Brother Shengren."

Sheng Ren waved his hand and looked outside. The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and the sky was getting dark.

"That old man won't live much longer. The pollution of the Earth is fatal to him, so I'll take him with me later. That child..."

He paused:

"If that child stays, he'll definitely keep digging until he finds the spaceship, until the day he can leave this place. But if we take him with us..."

Sheng Ren couldn't help but feel troubled. If Earthlings were like this, wouldn't the Metzians be the same?

Suddenly, Jack asked, "You just said you came to Earth on business. What business?"

Sheng Ren turned around, his back to the deepening twilight.

"Establish diplomatic relations".

"What?" Jack was stunned.

"I am here on behalf of the Kingdom of Light to formally establish diplomatic relations with Earth."

Jack stood there, speechless, while Xiang was completely bewildered.

Sheng Ren smiled:

"I've just become the captain of the Space Garrison, so I need to make a fresh start. Besides, there are a lot of troubles on Earth coming up, so hiding like this isn't a solution."