Chapter 101: The Shadow of Heaven, the Light of Earth

Qi Ming, who knew the original plot’s trajectory, was not as optimistic as others; he remained vigilant.

In the original plot, besides the alien Metron, the missile launch was also targeted by the moth ultra-beast [Doraguri] and the fish monster [Muruchi].

The alien was dead, but the monsters and ultra-beasts remained calm.

“That Abnormal Man acts like he has ‘full-map vision’—he sees nearly every human move clearly; luring him out won’t work.”

“When the real missile is about to launch, he’ll definitely send an ultra-beast.”

“And ‘Muruchi’—this thing is brutal; it’s probably not under Renlong’s command. Just kill it outright when it shows up.”

“Now that his fiancée in the mountains is alive, he won’t go insane, right?”

Qi Ming remembered that in Episode 8, “The Sun’s Fate, Ace’s Fate,” Ace Ultra-Man released the Ultra Barrier at the cost of nearly draining Nanshixizi’s life force, imprisoning the ultra-beast and Metron.

And Yamada, seeking revenge, ignored his commander’s orders and fired, blasting Metron out of the barrier…

“This time there’s a planet-destroying threat—this is too critical. It’s safer to exclude Yamada.”

Thinking this, Qi Ming went to Shu Xingtuan and suggested giving Yamada leave so he could spend time with his fiancée.

Yamada refused to desert his post; he was baffled—Qi Ming had just saved his fiancée, so why was he now targeting him?

Yamada: “Qi Ming, why are you excluding me? What have I done to you?!”

Qi Ming: “Everything about you.”

Yamada: “What?!”

He Zhi, witnessing this, whispered: “What’s going on? Is Qi Ming bullying another team member?”

Minister Yin beside him: “It’s reasonable. The strong should humiliate the weak.”

…………………………

Shu Xingtuan did not agree with Qi Ming’s suggestion; he said Qi Ming should trust his teammates, think more of others, and consider Yamada’s reputation.

At that moment, Hui Mei, seated before the main computer, said: “Delta Space Station has sent a message—new celestial data has arrived.”

Kishida examined it and said: “The gas composition is hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, helium. The core has a mass comparable to an asteroid; the exact elemental makeup is currently unknown.”

Nishijo Nagi: “Asteroid-scale mass? Sounds similar to the demon star Koura. What’s its trajectory?”

Hui Mei: “If it continues on this path, it will cross Earth’s orbital path within thirty-six hours.”

Qi Ming, alert: “Similar timing to the demon star Koura approaching Earth?”

Hui Mei: “It will only cross Earth’s orbital path—it won’t collide with Earth like Koura. Currently, no direct threat.”

Yamada: “Seems no special vigilance is needed.”

Qi Ming still frowned.

Seeing this, Kishida reassured him: “Relax, Qi Ming. It’s just a coincidence.”

“Many planets cross Earth’s orbit—the most famous is Halley’s Comet, surely you’ve heard of it.”

“Right now, we must focus all efforts on confronting the demon star Koura. This thing doesn’t warrant attention.”

Qi Ming: “A coincidence… something feels off.”

Yamada: “Come on, I think you’re paranoid.”

After long thought, Qi Ming suddenly asked: “Hui Mei, why have you been staring at me so much? Is there something on my face?”

Since joining the team, Hui Mei had always subtly glanced at him—but recently, the frequency had increased sharply.

She’s probably sensed my identity… this won’t do.

“Oh oh… no, I was just lost in thought,” Hui Mei waved her hands quickly.

Yamada: “Staring at Qi Ming’s face? What were you thinking about?”

At that moment, Hui Mei desperately wished Qi Ming would punch Yamada.

She cleared her throat: “No, I was thinking about rumors from the Defense Force.”

Hui Mei said the Defense Force had been developing a “subterranean-piercing missile” to strike first against monsters sleeping underground.

Qi Ming: “I’ve heard this rumor too—I don’t know how far along they are; maybe they’ve only just created a folder.”

In the original “Gaia” plot, this weapon was infamous.

In this world, he would never allow such internal waste.

Once he received confirmation the Defense Force planned to launch the missile, he would alert Ai Ran Cheng in advance, instructing him to retrieve the innocent subterranean monsters to Dishi Island while causing chaos.

He wouldn’t be trapped like Yumemiru between the dying Tigulis and humans—the Defense Force’s losses would only make him pop champagne.

Hui Mei: “No, the Defense Force has been using anomalies to detect potential monster locations within Japan.”

“Those data are classified within the Defense Force—only a handful of personnel are authorized to access them.”

“But in the past few days, a hacker breached the Defense Force’s computers and accessed this data.”

Nishijo Nagi: “Could it be you?”

Hui Mei had a history of this.

Hui Mei: “Not me. I only heard this rumor.”

Yamada: “Sounds like gossip. Is there some monster fanboy hacker breaking into the Defense Force’s mainframe just to find sleeping monsters to play with?”

Find sleeping monsters…

Hearing this, Qi Ming grew increasingly convinced the situation was more complex.

“Should I warn Renlong in advance? But Earth’s monsters, due to the dragon vein’s decline, must conserve energy and can’t strike lightly…”

Qi Ming paused, then said: “Why not kill Yamada as a sacrifice to the gods and pray for safety?”

Hui Mei: “I agree.”

Yamada nearly wet himself: “Hey, you two!”

…………………………

Soon, the day of the missile launch arrived.

The super missile delivered by TLT was placed on the launch pad—less than half an hour remained until launch.

“Boom!” At that moment, the earth cracked again, and a massive creature emerged from underground.

Qi Ming, standing alert on-site, snapped to attention and spun his dial, preparing to deploy.

He knew the launch wouldn’t go smoothly—who would come first, the moth ultra-beast or the giant fish monster?

Soon, the dust cleared, revealing a stout figure that left Qi Ming stunned.

It wasn’t the moth ultra-beast or the giant fish monster—it was [Chunairu], appearing in Episode 17 of “Gaia”!

Its carapace stored immense energy resembling a “miniature sun”—the [Earth’s Light] from that episode’s title, “The Shadow of Heaven, the Light of Earth.”

Wait…

If the Earth’s Light has appeared, then the Heaven’s Shadow must be…

At that moment, the Victory Team’s command room received an emergency transmission.

“Delta Space Station sends urgent message: the second celestial body beyond the demon star Koura has altered its orbit—it’s heading straight for Earth!”

This was the [Heaven’s Shadow]!

Upon hearing this, Advisor He Zhi was stunned: “Two celestial bodies, each asteroid-sized, are simultaneously heading for Earth? But we only have one super missile!”

(End of Chapter)