Chapter 10: 10 The Active Seven Toy

Zhu Xingtuan, stationed in the command room, gave orders: “Take this seriously. Do not be careless.”

What if the two college students’ words are true? Does that mean there are two monsters in Wuchui Mountain?

Add to that the [Wu] in the snow mountain… Is this another triple attack?

Only after realizing the gravity of the situation did the members of Victory Team grasp its seriousness.

There are monsters inside the mountain, and monsters outside it—this time, they are likely to face a pincer attack from multiple monsters.

Xitiao Ning, as commander, immediately devised a plan: “Take them on one by one.”

Ando: “Deal with the [Wu] first. Fly the Feiyan-1 around the snow mountain several times—I don’t believe it can escape radar scanning.”

Everyone agreed. On their way to the Feiyan-1’s docking point, they encountered Xiao Xue.

She had fallen into a pit dug by other children, who pelted her with snow and shouted:

“Get out of here! You monster’s child!”

“It’s all your fault! Tourists have stopped coming here. My mom’s shop isn’t making money anymore, and my allowance’s been cut!”

Hui Mei immediately drove the bullying children away, pulled Xiao Xue out of the pit, and brushed the snow off her cotton coat.

“You—you’re going to fight the [Wu], right?” Xiao Xue asked, her eyes red.

Xitiao Ning knelt down, looked into her eyes, and said seriously: “A monster is a monster. It must be destroyed.”

Xiao Xue snatched her hand away and ran back to the small cabin left to her by the charcoal-burning old man.

On the bed lay a plastic Seven toy—the same toy the charcoal-burning old man had once bought her.

“Seven, why does everyone treat us like this? We haven’t done anything wrong. I just want to live here in peace!”

Xiao Xue picked up the Seven toy and, unable to bear the injustice any longer, burst into tears.

A single tear fell onto the Seven toy, and it trembled slightly.

…………………………

On the other side, two Feiyan-1s took off and began scanning for traces of the [Wu] with radar.

Sitting in the co-pilot’s seat behind Xitiao Ning, Hui Mei felt uneasy. She hesitated before speaking:

“The [Wu] might be the reincarnation of Xiao Xue’s mother, who died fifteen years ago.”

“Perhaps the mother’s spirit still lingers beside Xiao Xue, watching her grow, wanting to protect her.”

Shan Zhong immediately snapped: “Stop imagining things. Victory Team operates on science. Souls have no basis in reality.”

Xitiao Ning also said: “Monsters have no place in the human world.”

Hui Mei said nothing. She gazed out the window at the snowflakes dancing like blades, thinking of her father, her thoughts drifting far away.

At that moment, Ando’s surprised voice came through: “What’s going on? The snow mountain is fogging up!”

Deep within the mysterious snow mountain, mist spread like a ghost, silently engulfing everything in haze and chaos.

A cold wind swept through, emitting a low, eerie howl that stirred unease.

Instruments began malfunctioning. Shan Zhong: “Radar is offline—it’s the magnetic fog of Wuchui Mountain!”

Damn it, this thing actually came looking for them!

Ando: “Wait—I think I just heard the monster’s cry that Qi Ming mentioned.”

Xitiao Ning’s tone changed: “Something’s moving in the fog!”

The next instant, a giant claw shot out of the mist like a hook, lashing toward the Feiyan-1 piloted by Xitiao Ning.

That’s Sadora’s [Extendable Claw]!

Xitiao Ning yanked the control stick upward, dodging the strike.

“Another monster!” Taidun burst from the fog, snarling and thrashing wildly.

Xitiao Ning: “Claw-like limbs, a flat, rounded head… So both college students were telling the truth—they saw different monsters!”

Ando operated the barely functional instruments to scan the two monsters’ exteriors: “They bear burn marks. Who did this?”

“Me, of course—not Zhuge Liang?” Qi Ming’s voice came through the comm channel: “Interacting with monsters isn’t bad. At least monsters are always monsters—but sometimes, humans aren’t human.”

Ando and Shan Zhong instantly recognized the voice but held their tongues.

Xitiao Ning noticed the monsters’ wounds clustered around the eyes and abdomen—vital points—and realized Qi Ming was no ordinary soldier: “Report your status.”

Qi Ming’s report was brief: “I harassed them for hours. They couldn’t touch me, so they fled their territory and headed to the other side of the mountain range.”

At these words, everyone else fell silent on the channel.

What did Qi Ming’s words really mean?

A mosquito flies into your room, buzzing loudly and sucking your blood.

Two adults use every trick they have—and still can’t kill the mosquito—so they abandon the house.

Who would believe that? Is this even humanly possible? This has to be exaggerated!

Hui Mei believed a little. Judging by the monsters’ frantic behavior, they’d clearly endured cruel torment.

Qi Ming: “Unfortunately, my firepower was insufficient. I used up all my Victory Hyper Gun rounds and still couldn’t eliminate them. It’s your turn now.”

He didn’t transform, hoping the two Feiyan-1s could destroy the two severely weakened monsters and save his transformation energy.

When Shan Zhong and the others aren’t acting insane, their combat effectiveness is reliable—and Xitiao Ning is the top pilot.

“This is reckless! You should’ve reported this first!” Xitiao Ning was both shocked and furious.

Qi Ming drove the two monsters of Wuchui Mountain toward what may be the [Wu]’s nest—this could ruin their “pick them off one by one” plan.

Zhu Xingtuan, who had been listening in on the team channel, immediately ordered Hui Mei to issue an emergency alert, evacuating nearby villagers.

Qi Ming: “Sadora is the source of the magnetic fog. That environment can’t connect with you.”

In his view, this was a good thing—communicating with their bizarre minds was more complicated than fighting monsters.

He added: “I checked the locator earlier. The nearest human village isn’t close. Firing here won’t endanger civilians.”

Even if they fail, I can still transform into Ultraman to cover them.

But Xitiao Ning didn’t know this. She deeply resented Qi Ming’s unilateral action, which disrupted her rhythm.

Shan Zhong and Ando also realized the gravity of the situation—but with the enemy at hand, they’d settle accounts with him later.

At that moment, Qi Ming, rushing toward the battlefield, asked: “Hui Mei, has anyone else entered Wuchui Mountain recently?”

Hui Mei: “No.”

Qi Ming rubbed his chin: “That’s strange.”

He felt a prickling sensation on his back—as if something was watching him from the shadows.

Qi Ming scanned his surroundings. Aside from mottled tree shadows and occasional, unidentifiable bird calls, all was silent.

But the moment he stepped forward, the feeling of being watched returned—like icy tentacles reaching for his soul.

The commotion he’d caused didn’t just draw out Taidun—it had awakened something sinister.

(End of Chapter)