Chapter 176: 172 Lu Mu: I Turned Into Guliza

Zhu Zhu Xingtuan looked at Qi Ming, who was unconscious:

"When this child first met me, he said he was willing to help others within his means."

"In the recent series of monster incidents, he took on responsibilities that originally belonged to me, protected the peaceful lives of good people, and performed exceptionally well."

"Though young, he sometimes acts on impulse, but he has tried his hardest—I am proud of him."

"If humans have pushed themselves to this extreme, then shouldn't we Ultramen also fight for justice within our means?"

Hikari gazed deeply at Qi Ming, then fell silent for a long while: "We'll see."

After saying this, he turned and left.

Zhu Zhu Xingtuan did not try to stop him; he felt Hikari needed time to step out of that shadow.

He checked Qi Ming's pulse and found it faint, his physical condition terrible.

Zhu Zhu Xingtuan was not surprised; for a human to become nothingness and return, the process would have killed most people hundreds of times over—Qi Ming still alive was already incredible.

"He must be treated immediately."

Soon, the Ultraseven returned to the marine base; when Zhu Zhu Xingtuan carried the dying Qi Ming out, everyone stared in shock.

Yamaguchi: "Where did Qi Ming just go? How did he end up like this?"

Kishida: "Wasn't he just going to the bathroom? How did he pass out from overexertion?"

Zhu Zhu Xingtuan said nothing, quickly carrying Qi Ming to the infirmary.

On the way, Counselor Kento was equally stunned upon learning Qi Ming had suffered severe injuries.

He personally arranged a VIP room meant only for counselors, and assigned the best doctors and nurses.

Mayumi, seeing Qi Ming's shrunken body, could hardly believe it: "Has he been fasting? He's turning into a mummy!"

The experienced attending physician said to administer five bags of glucose to stabilize his vital signs.

Kishida: "No way—I see him at the cafeteria every day."

The doctor continued his examination: "His brainwaves are extremely weak, but…"

He told them that under normal circumstances, this man would have been beyond saving; even if he survived, he'd be a vegetable.

But the tenacity of Qi Ming's life force surprised even this veteran doctor with decades of experience:

"No surgery needed—he's just extremely weak, all nutrients completely drained."

"If nutrition is restored, he might regain consciousness within a month."

A month…

Zhu Zhu Xingtuan frowned, hoping no exceptionally powerful monsters would appear during this time.

The doctor: "Everyone, please leave. Let the patient rest."

On the way back from the ward, the group remained puzzled.

Kishida: "What happened? He was fine before going to the bathroom—how did he suddenly end up like this?"

"This belongs in the TPC Top Ten Unsolved Mysteries."

Saegusa Nagi "rationally" deduced: "Could he have been masturbating repeatedly for over a dozen times in the bathroom, draining his body dry?"

Yamaguchi shook his head firmly: "Impossible. If Qi Ming were a lust monster, our base, Tokyo, even all of Japan would already be in chaos!"

Saegusa Nagi: "That exaggerated? But his looks and physique should appeal to young girls."

Kishida thought: The deputy commander clearly had no grasp of emotions: "'Appeal' is too mild a word… but now that this absurd theory is ruled out, how did he really end up like this?"

This matter was indeed hard to explain; Zhu Zhu Xingtuan was desperately searching for a plausible excuse.

Upon seeing the unconscious Qi Ming, Hime, who had been emotionally down, suddenly spoke:

"Everyone has their own secrets—I have mine, and so does Qi Ming."

"But I believe he stands on our side, a trustworthy partner."

Kishida: "Of course, no one doubts that—he's always been reliable and provided accurate intelligence."

Yamaguchi boldly speculated: "Could he have used some blood-draining 'forbidden technique'? There are such things in Yin-Yang mysticism, right?"

Kishida: "Or maybe a water monster emerged from the toilet, sucking out his life essence—he fought it there and ended up like this?"

Hime's words calmed their suspicions; though the conversation continued, the tone had become bizarre.

For the next full week, Earth remained peaceful.

No rampaging monsters, no alien invaders, no natural disasters—it felt alien to the Victory Team.

The reason was simple—Guliza.

Bgaju was killed, the Chaos Virus fled, and the ambitious invaders were terrified.

Whether the Kiraioderians hiding among humans or the Dark Adapter Lu Mu Zhenye, all fell silent after learning the details of the Wurendao operation through their own channels.

"A monster that can't be hit? Better not oppose such power," Lu Mu muttered after obtaining the intelligence.

He felt that if he faced Guliza, he'd likely meet the same fate.

So his entire evil plan, once prepared, had to remain dormant—lest he become the first target of Guliza.

Other evil aliens thought the same, waiting for another faction to step forward and test whether Guliza still existed.

Meanwhile, Qi Ming finally regained consciousness.

The doctor had optimistically estimated he'd need a month to wake up—he awoke in a week. His head spun, his limbs felt weak, and his body felt hollowed out—that was his body's immediate feedback.

In his twenty-one years of life, Qi Ming had never experienced anything this terrible.

"Thank heaven, you're finally awake," Zhu Zhu Xingtuan said, sitting beside him.

"Captain, what happened to me?" Qi Ming struggled to sit up.

"Lie down—you need rest," Zhu Zhu Xingtuan asked. "Don't you remember what happened?"

Dizzy and foggy, Qi Ming strained to recall: "Mebius disintegrated, Bgaju was about to explode—I had no choice but to keep slamming this damn watch, trying to save myself, then everything went blank."

His last memory was before becoming Guliza—his guess matched Zhu Zhu Xingtuan's.

He said directly: "You became Guliza."

"What!" Qi Ming was startled.

Wasn't Guliza pure nothingness? How could he transform into that?

"It's true," Zhu Zhu Xingtuan recounted the events of that day in full detail.

After hearing it, Qi Ming had no choice but to accept the truth.

"Slamming the watch turned me into Guliza… Could it have been then?"

Even in his foggy state, he immediately recalled that previous "Star Gathering" that yielded nothing and still haunted him.

Had Guliza come then?

If so, everything made sense.

Because it was nothingness, the watch face showed nothing, and normal transformation methods couldn't select it.

But when my Star-Cast value hit zero and normal transformation became impossible, the heavy strike triggered random mode—and selected Guliza.

Because only Guliza required no energy; under these conditions, even if it was random, with all other options eliminated, it was inevitable.

"I actually… actually turned into Guliza—and came back! I love this damn watch!"

Thinking of this, Qi Ming felt a surge of excitement.

Since arriving in this world, Qi Ming had always appeared calm and composed.

But alone in private, he often worried about the future.

This world was too dangerous—attacks often came in triple or quadruple waves; even he might not survive to return home.

But now, he was no longer afraid.

With Guliza as this overpowered safety net, he no longer needed fear!

In any future dead end, he could simply transform into Guliza again.

Any enemy trying to harm him would be dealt with immediately by Guliza.

Whether Sphaira or ancient evil gods, they'd either die like Bgaju or flee like the Chaos Virus.

Apeman? Even if your master, the Emperor, showed up himself—what could he do against Guliza?

And Dark Mefist—a mere pawn dares to boast? Let Dark Zaki come himself!

But this ability must remain a last resort—never use it unless absolutely necessary.

For example: if a monster appeared in the city center and he transformed into Guliza to fight it.

The moment Guliza devoured the monster, it would immediately begin devouring the city's humans.

"At the moment of the heavy strike, was it me becoming Guliza—or was Guliza assimilating me?"

Qi Ming suddenly had this thought.

But his throbbing head sent black spots before his eyes—he stopped pondering such philosophical questions, closed his eyes, and let his mind go blank to rest.

"No wonder nothingness—it devours monsters, and also drains my body's nutrients, turning me into this." That was his last thought before sleep.

Soon, news of Qi Ming's regained consciousness spread, and a crowd immediately came to visit.

The first to arrive were, of course, the Victory Team members.

"Can you take care of yourself now? Do you need us to feed you?" Yamaguchi asked kindly.

"Get lost…" Qi Ming replied weakly.

Kishida glanced at Qi Ming's test results: "Don't worry—Qi Ming's like a phoenix; he's recovering well. He'll be up and walking in a few days."

Saegusa Nagi looked seriously at Qi Ming: "Let us know if you need anything. I'm off patrol—Hime, stay and look after Qi Ming."

The group left in a rush; Hime pulled up a chair and sat beside Qi Ming.

"Those guys are overreacting—I just need more rest," Qi Ming reassured the worried Hime.

Suddenly he remembered: "By the way, Hime, during my coma, did any monsters appear?"

Hui Mei: "No, everything is safe and sound."

Qi Ming nodded: "The big bastards are either dead or fled—I can finally rest easy. Actually, lying in bed isn't so bad."

Hui Mei nodded, then suddenly said: "By the way, Team Member Qi Ming, there's something I hope you'll tell me—your true identity, is it really…?"

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(End of Chapter)