What does it mean that the group members have given me back the light?

Under the meticulous planning of Megumi Kijima, the captain of the Victory Team and the current acting commander of TLT, the progress and scope of knowledge of this crucial mission were strictly controlled to a minimum, forming a tight single-line information transmission chain. Even the elusive precognitive within TLT still believed that the plan to upgrade the Wangchuan system was still in the planning stage.

All these careful arrangements are to prevent the presence of an unknown force lurking within the organization, whose whereabouts are unknown.

While it's uncertain whether these preventative measures have truly been effective, at least for now, the upgrade of the Wangchuan system has been successfully completed.

"But then again, it's really beautiful..."

With the mission concluded, Madoka Daigo could no longer relax his tense nerves.

He stared at the equipment before him, so different from what he had seen before. Even though he knew that this system, built with the help of the visitors, was likely part of the scheme of the "unknown hand" hidden in the shadows, he still couldn't help but sigh:

"Is this the original form of the Forgotten River System? With such radiance, no wonder everyone had high hopes for it back then."

"Hiss... Is that so?"

The noise made by Masami Horii surprised Daigo Madoka. The team's best scientist scratched his head, looking at the system core that was gradually becoming crystal clear and holy, his eyes filled with increasing confusion:

"But I clearly saw in the data that even the original Wangchuan System didn't look like this."

Daigo Madoka was slightly taken aback as their eyes met unexpectedly in mid-air.

"Did you...did you break it?"

"Ying, it shouldn't be possible, right?"

In that instant, they both saw the same ominous premonition in each other's eyes.

Horii Masami immediately rushed to the control panel, her fingers flying across the keyboard, bringing up a series of testing programs. Although Madoka Daigo couldn't understand them, he nervously leaned forward, watching the screen intently.

Time slipped away slowly amidst anxiety.

Two hours later, the green light emanating from the control screen illuminated the beads of sweat on Horii Masami's forehead, but the confusion in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

After careful investigation, he found that the system was functioning perfectly normally.

The Wangchuan System has not only successfully completed its upgrade, but the fear component within it has also been completely eliminated, leaving only the memory data of the people when facing the alien beasts.

So what exactly happened?

Somewhat helpless, Horii Masami turned to look at Daigo Madoka beside him, but when he saw those clear yet bewildered eyes that looked like those of a recent college graduate, he realized that his good friend couldn't give him any advice.

"Daigo, could you please stay here and watch over these instruments? I'll be right back."

Horii Masami said with a wry smile, "I have to report this unusual situation to the captain. I might get a few disciplinary actions in the future."

"Eh?"

Madoka was stunned for a moment. He had just turned his gaze away from the core of the River of Oblivion when he saw Horii wave to him from behind and hurriedly leave the control room.

Just as the metal door was about to close, Daigo Madoka suddenly snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said, "Um... I think I saw something..."

However, it was too late. As the metal door slowly closed, the room fell silent once more, with only the soft light pulsating gently from the core of the Wangchuan system remaining.

"...They walked way too fast..."

Looking at the tightly closed metal door, Daigo Madoka sighed helplessly.

His gaze was involuntarily drawn back to the light emanating from the core of the Wangchuan System. What he had just wanted to say was that he saw something hidden within that light, which might be the source of the changes.

The core of the River of Oblivion flickered, its gentle and warm pulse seeming to beckon him.

As if guided by some unseen force, Daigo Madoka slowly walked toward the crystal-clear core and gently touched the glowing crystal surface with his hand.

The moment their fingertips touched, the entire control room suddenly blurred.

His consciousness seemed to be sucked into a vortex, with countless fragments of light and shadow flashing before his eyes, dazzling him. When he regained his vision, he found himself standing on a familiar street.

Daigo looked around in surprise, instinctively gripping the butt of his gun, and quickly recognized the place.

Shinjuku... but it doesn't seem to be the Shinjuku he knows.

The city was in complete chaos. In the sky, a huge figure appeared and disappeared in the dark clouds. People ran frantically in the streets, screams and explosions mingling together.

"Mommy...where is Mommy?" A child's sobbing voice caught Daigo's attention.

He turned around and saw a little girl huddled in a corner of the ruins, her face covered in dust and tears. She looked no more than six or seven years old and was tightly clutching a rag doll in her arms.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

Daigo instinctively wanted to comfort her, but found that his hand had passed right through the girl's body—he was just a bystander.

Just then, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth in the sky, followed by a deafening roar. A giant's body crashed heavily to the ground not far away, its chest timer flashing red. Opposite it, a ferocious monster with wings on its back roared at the giant.

The little girl looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, and saw the red and silver giant struggling to stand up again, fearlessly facing the monster once more. At that moment, the fear in her eyes was gradually replaced by a certain light.

"Go for it..." the little girl whispered, her hands unconsciously clasped together. "Mr. Giant, please keep going..."

This is... the Shinjuku incident five years ago...

Daigo Madoka slightly opened his mouth, and then the scene shifted, with the surrounding scenery changing once again.

Night fell, and this time the scene was in Tokyo, where the surrounding buildings were even more severely damaged, and the air was filled with an atmosphere of anxiety and despair.

It was still that little girl, a little older than I remembered. She was hiding in a corner of a half-collapsed shelter, her tender face covered in dirt and tear stains. The rag doll in her arms was tattered, but she still held it tightly to her chest.

In the distance, a black and silver giant was entangled with a multi-headed monster.

Daigo Madoka recognized the alien beast as Izumiru, the strongest alien beast formed by the fusion of twelve alien beasts. On the day it was born, if it weren't for Ultraman's perseverance, the entire Tokyo would have been destroyed.

The battle had clearly been going on for a very long time. The giant's movements had become noticeably slower, the timer on his chest was flashing red lights frantically, and every block was incredibly difficult.

"Don't lose...please don't lose..." The little girl's voice was already hoarse, but she still persisted in praying for the giant. Around her, the other refugees also watched the battle in the sky with bated breath, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and hope.

Daigo Madoka observed that whenever a Titan was knocked down, suppressed gasps would rise from the crowd, and when the Titan stood up again, faint sobs could be heard—tears of emotion and hope.

Suddenly, all of Izumeru's mandibles emitted crimson lightning, striking the giant's chest. The black giant's body crashed heavily to the ground, and the timer's flashing became weak and slow.

"No!" the little girl cried out, desperately trying to rush out of the shelter.

At this critical moment, the giant lunged forward in front of the shelter, his back to Izumeru, using his body to block Izumeru's energy breath that was being spewed towards them—even at his own limit, he was still protecting humanity.

"Go for it!" the girl finally cried out, tears streaming down her face. "You can do it!"

Go for it, Giants!

"Please don't lose!"

A deafening roar erupted from the shelter. Amidst the tearful shouts of the people, the black giant shakily rose again and charged forward once more…

I don’t know how long it has been...

The scene before them vanished instantly, and the cold metal walls of the control room came back into view, with only the core of the River of Oblivion still quietly emitting a soft light.

Yuan Dagu stared blankly at the crystal-clear core, tears welling up in his eyes.

Those memories... those most authentic emotions and memories belonging to the people, buried deep within the system...

This is... the reason why the River of Oblivion System... has changed...

……

……

At the same time, in the TLT Night Raid Team's operations room, Mitsuhiko Ishibori, who was organizing data on the Alien Beasts on his computer, paused slightly.

He suddenly had a bad feeling.

But how could that be? His new plan is flawless. As long as he accumulates enough power, even the fourth host will be absolutely unable to stop him from seizing another ray of light.

A barely perceptible hint of malice flashed in Mitsuhiko Ishibori's deep eyes, before he quickly regained his usual composure.

"I'm sure to be the winner..." he muttered to himself, a cold smile playing on his lips.

My gaze returned to the computer screen, where Yi Zumai Ru's detailed information was slowly scrolling.

The fusion data and energy reactions of the twelve alien beasts are constantly being arranged and combined to calculate the most superior combat mode.

-----------------

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Chapter Thirty-Two: New Teachers, New Group Members

As dawn broke and the air still carried the chill of the previous night, the rising sun brought a refreshing and crisp feeling.

As April draws to a close, the cherry blossoms have long since fallen, leaving only a patch of new green on the branches, with not a trace of pink or white in sight. The slender branches intertwine and stretch towards the pale blue sky, with sunlight filtering through the gaps and casting clear, clean shadows on the ground.

Gu Nuo walked on the way to school, yawning wearily.

His almost non-existent quality sleep last night left faint dark circles under his eyes.

Hey.

With a sigh of melancholy, Gu Nuo unconsciously rubbed the edge of her pocket with her fingers.

The object that had been relentlessly pursuing him for some reason was now lying quietly in his school uniform pocket, its light shimmering with each breath, like a sleeping heart.

Yes, out of some superfluous emotion, he still didn't throw away the believer in evolution.

Gu Nuo thought he could retire and start a new life, but in the end, he was disappointed and it was all for naught. This setback was a blow to Gu Nuo.

So much so that when he realized that something different seemed to have happened during the process of the light returning, he had no interest in investigating it.

If you make this kind of joke again, I'll really throw it away... This time I'm serious.

Gu Nuo silently made a decision in his heart, and just as he arrived at the school and passed in front of the teaching building's stairs, he suddenly smelled a floral fragrance.

He subconsciously looked up and saw a girl carrying a tall stack of books swaying as she walked down the stairs. The stack of books was about to fall and almost blocked her view.

"Aaaaaah! Excuse me, could you move aside?!"

As soon as the girl exclaimed, the pile of books poured down from her hands like an avalanche.

Gu Nuo subconsciously raised his hand, his movement so fast it was almost a blur. Just as the books were about to scatter on the ground, his arm had already steadily supported the entire stack of books.

However, the crisis is not over yet—

The girl who lost her balance cried out and leaned forward. Just as she was about to fall down the last few steps in an extremely embarrassing manner, Gu Nuo almost instinctively reached out his other hand and accurately grabbed the back of the girl's school uniform collar.

"Well!"

Suddenly her collar was pulled, and the girl froze in mid-air, as if a pause button had been pressed. Her cheek was less than ten centimeters away from the cold wooden floor, and a few strands of pink hair had even brushed against the ground.

Gu Nuo held her arm taut, carefully adjusting the pressure so as not to make her fall, nor to tighten it too much.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, while gently pulling the other person back to a safe position.

The girl steadied herself, still shaken. Her cheeks were flushed from the near-miss and the tugging of her collar. She turned around, her bright eyes still showing lingering panic.

“Thank you…”

She said softly, her fingers unconsciously smoothing the wrinkles in her collar, "These are the new teaching materials that are going to be handed out today. It would be a problem if they got damaged."

...At a time like this, you still care about textbooks?

Gu Nuo gave her a strange look and recognized her identity.

Himegami Karen, his classmate, best friend and deskmate, is a very popular and beautiful girl in the class.

But he didn't have much interaction with the other person... to be precise... he wasn't very familiar with anyone in the class.

Thinking of this, Gu Nuo couldn't help but sigh softly again.

If Haji hadn't run back last night, wouldn't this scene be a pure romantic comedy unfolding?

……

……

"You've really been a great help, Gu Nuo."

Himegami Karen's tone was very sincere. To avoid the classmates walking towards her, she naturally moved closer to Gu Nuo, and the distance between the two of them unconsciously shortened a lot.

"I thought I could carry all these textbooks by myself,"

She sighed somewhat embarrassedly, her ears slightly red as she looked at Gu Nuo: "As expected, being overconfident isn't a good thing."

"What kind of textbook is this? Does our school offer this course?"

Holding the other half of the textbook that Ji Gong Hua Lian had given him, Gu Nuo saw the words "Gentleman's Etiquette" written on the cover of the textbook and couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"Hey, it seems to be a new trial course that the school has started. They'll try it out in our class for a semester first, and then decide whether to add it to the whole course based on how it goes."

Himegami Karen's expression as she bites her lip in reminiscence is quite adorable: