Chapter 18: 17 An Anomaly During the Interview

Saeki Rika nodded: “I see. I thought you were afraid that going in now might get you beaten too.”

Kento: “…”

He cleared his throat: “No ordinary person could have that kind of skill. He needs a thorough investigation.”

…………………………

In the days that followed, the atmosphere in the Victory Team’s command room dropped to freezing.

Whenever Qi Ming arrived, the others in the room fell silent.

For instance, now, Qi Ming walked in with afternoon tea; Nishijō Nagi glanced at him and said nothing.

She had fought with all her strength and still been defeated in three moves by Qi Ming—a heavy blow to someone as proud as she was.

The last person who had beaten her was… she refused to recall it; these days she had been asking others to gather information.

Moroboshi Dan was away, attending a television talk show.

This is the age of self-media; everyone has a smartphone, and villagers had filmed the scene of Ultraseven standing by as the monster attacked.

After posting it online, public outrage erupted; sensational headlines appeared across major newspapers, and negative sentiments spread rapidly.

A villain who puts down his knife can instantly become a Buddha, but a good man who makes one mistake will be criticized for life—Qi Ming was not at all surprised.

TPC had Tongshan as its strategist, keeping things relatively objective on this matter.

But the Defense Force had been shouting, “Use every means to protect the people’s lives—even against Ultraman’s demonic hand,” and “We must not allow an unknown giant to become an obstacle to Earth’s defense.”

Inviting Moroboshi Dan to this show was meant to hear the Victory Team commander’s view on the matter.

Facing the questions, Moroboshi Dan said:

“In the past, Ultraman has always fought alongside us, punishing evil and upholding justice.”

“I believe he, like us humans, has his own sense of right and wrong, and may despise or even hate evil deeds.”

Host: “Evil deeds?”

Moroboshi Dan had prepared in advance on the way here:

“According to our information, the local villagers held a very poor opinion of the five deceased.”

“They terrorized the countryside, gathered crowds to cause trouble, and many suffered greatly under their rule.”

“When the monster appeared, they were dragging a young girl on their motorcycles. I imagine even Ultraman, who always fights for justice, would not have liked them.”

Host: “So you mean Ultraman can decide who lives or dies based on his personal preferences?”

Moroboshi Dan froze: “That… no, that’s not what I meant.”

The command room staff watched the live broadcast on the big screen; Kishida was displeased: “They’re deliberately setting a trap for the captain.”

Qi Ming: “The captain was acting normally today. His earlier remarks were fine, but he lacks experience dealing with tricky media people—he doesn’t even know the basic formulas.”

Emi asked curiously: “Formulas?”

Qi Ming recounted the advice a British knight had given him:

“If you have nothing to say, say ‘No comment.’ Say the matter is still under investigation and that, due to confidentiality, you cannot release any opinion yet.”

“It’s better to have something to say, but don’t let them lead you by the nose. No matter what they say, ignore it—just state your own viewpoint.”

“If the host asks again, say ‘The issue isn’t here’ or ‘I believe the real issue is…,’ then state your viewpoint.”

Emi nodded repeatedly, murmuring in admiration: “Oh…”

Yamana couldn’t help muttering: “You’re surprisingly good at these underhanded tricks.”

Unlike Nishijō Nagi, who admitted “lost is lost,” Yamana and Kishida always believed Qi Ming had won by luck.

He hadn’t been in good condition that day, he’d been careless, hadn’t dodged, hadn’t prepared mentally, and the floor had been slippery… next time, he might not lose.

So yesterday he couldn’t resist snapping back at Qi Ming—and naturally received a fierce verbal counterattack that left him pale and flushed.

But Qi Ming hadn’t laid a hand on him, leaving Kishida and Yamana, who had mentally rehearsed countless “counterattacks,” disappointed.

This also revealed Qi Ming’s “code of conduct”—if others spoke, he spoke back; if others struck, he struck back.

He was petty, unwilling to suffer even the slightest loss.

As Qi Ming paused for two seconds, preparing to retort, Nishijō Nagi suddenly spoke: “Something’s wrong!”

On screen, the female host suddenly fell silent, her face darkened, her eyes turned eerie, and she began floating in midair.

“This…” Qi Ming immediately recalled episode three of Daitokai, “The Demon’s Judgment,” where the host had done the same.

“I tell you, the Earth will soon be reborn,” the host’s voice dripped with malice.

“Watch out!” Moroboshi Dan immediately rose on his cane, facing her. He ordered other staff to retreat immediately, his Ultraman psychic energy building.

“The sacred flame will burn all impurity clean. The Gilaieledians will rule the Earth—I’ll prove it to you right now!”

With that, the host slowly collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness; other staff scrambled to rush to her aid.

Moroboshi Dan went backstage and pulled out his PDI communicator: “Something remotely controlled that host’s mind. Everyone, go to full alert!”

As he stepped outside the door, he felt an unusual disturbance.

“Boom!” The next moment, a building before him exploded violently, engulfed in flames, reduced to ashes.

This… was the proof!

…………………………

Faced with the challenge of the Gilaieledians, TPC took it extremely seriously.

The entire Victory Team went out to search for clues—except Qi Ming.

But this time, Nishijō Nagi said nothing, and Kishida and Yamana only complained a few times.

Qi Ming pulled Emi and the captain into his room:

“Let me tell you what I know about the Gilaieledians. It may not be accurate, but it’s just a reference for you.”

“This race lives in a special space between parallel universes. They visited Earth in the Middle Ages, seeking to enslave humans and gain human worship.”

“Now they’ve returned. Be cautious—they can mimic human form and hide among people, and their giant-sized combat power is not to be underestimated.”

Most importantly, no one knows how many Gilaieledians lie behind the Gate of Hell.

Moroboshi Dan and Emi stared in disbelief. We’ve just started investigating—how do you know so much?

Qi Ming made up a friend: “A friend told me.”

Emi grew even more suspicious—her own intelligence network knew nothing of these details. What kind of friend could Qi Ming have who knew so much?

Moroboshi Dan asked: “How did the Gilaieledians destroy the building?”

Qi Ming thought for a moment: “It seems the attack came from underground.”

Moroboshi Dan: “You can’t guess at this.”

Qi Ming: “I said it’s just a reference. You’ll need to verify the details yourselves.”

After hearing this, Emi went half-skeptical to prepare ground-wave detectors, but TPC’s strategists had already lost patience—they had summoned from Antarctica a scientist known as “Earth’s Brain,” Dr. Tangdao.

The strategists planned to install his “Tangdao Rectifier” onto an ultra-long-range radar to expand the search area and locate the Gilaieledians for a counterattack.

Additionally, the upgraded radar could also be used to track the Zuluks, the escaped Golzam and Melba… and all manner of monsters.

Upon hearing this, Qi Ming’s eyes flickered—he had an idea: “Dr. Tangdao… perfect timing.”

(End of Chapter)