Chapter 189: 185 Hikari vs Gouryoku

At this moment, Ji Shi Zhun had already led the trio of reporters straight to Magnea's lair.

In the valley's depths, countless parasites swirled around a massive meteorite.

Villagers controlled by the parasites walked listlessly toward the meteorite, their life energy siphoned away as if in sacrifice.

Over time, they would be drained into withered corpses.

After arriving here, Lun Wen, usually loud and boisterous, dared not even breathe loudly, terrified of drawing the attention of these monsters.

"What do we do, Senior Ji Shi Zhun?" Tian Rui whispered.

Ji Shi Zhun glanced at the energy detonator in his hand, then at the three reporters, and shook his head: "Our current firepower can't destroy them—it'll only make things worse. We need something that can suppress them."

Lingzi: "Do these things have a weakness?"

"Water," Ji Shi Zhun answered directly. "The mist changes direction when it touches a river."

But dousing such a massive meteorite with a few buckets of water would be useless—we need a large-scale water diversion system.

Tian Rui: "There's a large research base nearby called Prolon Karamos, focused on oceanography. They probably have such equipment."

Ji Shi Zhun nodded: "Good. Let's go there."

But just as the four took a few steps, the parasites—whose sense of smell was sharp—immediately detected them and swarmed after them in overwhelming numbers.

Ji Shi Zhun drew his energy detonator and fired, shattering the parasites and carving a path through them by force.

"That's an incredible weapon! Where can I buy one? I want one too!" Lun Wen shouted as he ran.

Ji Shi Zhun said nothing, silently leading the group forward.

His trembling running posture made observant Tian Rui uneasy—Senior Ji Shi Zhun's body looked like it was worn out from overexertion.

On the other side, Qi Ming and Hui Mei Jiang Zhi Qianhe were also running.

"You're so powerful—why not just knock them down again?"

Jiang Zhi Qianhe turned back and saw dozens of people, zombie-like, chasing after them, demanding they answer their phones.

Qi Ming spoke calmly: "I'm not running away. I'm just moving toward my destination."

Helping people possessed by Magnea was simple—just forcibly peel off the parasites.

But to free those controlled by Mezard, you must defeat Mezard's true body directly.

But right now, that's difficult.

Because Mezard is a 【hyperdimensional lifeform】 that moves via quantum displacement in discontinuous fluctuations.

What you observe at any location is merely its low-dimensional projection from a higher dimension—you cannot strike it effectively.

In the original plot, a device called the "Induction Wave" was used to lure out its true form, enabling an effective attack.

Qi Ming majored in law at university—he had no idea how to build such a thing.

Fortunately, he knew someone nearby who could.

"After being defeated by the metallic lifeform, Xiang Tenggong should have gone to Prolon Karamos to replenish his energy."

That genius of the Alchemy Star can definitely create this device.

Thinking this, Qi Ming signaled to Hui Mei and Jiang Zhi Qianhe to quicken their pace.

"I… I can't run anymore," Jiang Zhi Qianhe gasped.

Qi Ming: "If you can't run, rest a bit."

"There are pursuers behind us—how can we rest in this situation!" Jiang Zhi Qianhe snapped, thinking Qi Ming was mocking her.

"Dealing with them is simple." At that moment, the trio passed through a narrow pass.

Qi Ming leapt up, uprooted a towering tree—so massive even an ordinary person couldn't embrace it—and hurled it across the path, forming a barrier.

The villagers controlled by Mezard could no longer pass.

Jiang Zhi Qianhe stared, doubting her eyes. Did I just see a human casually uproot a lush, ancient tree and toss it ten meters away?

Am I awake?

Once she accepted reality, she felt immense gratitude toward Qi Ming.

Thank goodness this godlike man didn't lose his temper when I did—if he'd slapped me then… the thought sent chills down her spine.

Not just her—even Hui Mei, who knew Qi Ming's true identity, couldn't help but be astonished at the sheer power he wielded with a human body.

"You're so powerful—surely you can save my father," Jiang Zhi Qianhe addressed Qi Ming with formal respect.

Her father worked at this universe observation station; she'd searched everywhere and assumed he was dead.

She'd already given up hope—yet here came outside rescuers who were astonishingly capable.

Qi Ming: "Not just your father—I'll save everyone. Once I destroy the villain, the good people will be safe."

…………………………

On the other side, Prolon Karamos—the destination chosen by nearly everyone—had actually been continuously occupied.

She was Xiang Tenggong's partner—Dr. Inamori.

Several years ago, Xiang Tenggong left the Alchemy Star and invited her to begin research here, aiming to use this neutrino observatory to discover new particles and "listen to Earth's true will."

At first, she had no hope for this research—but because the inviter was Xiang Tenggong, whom she secretly admired, she chose to stay.

Eventually, Xiang Tenggong vanished into that blue light, and she remained here ever since.

"Is Xiang Tenggong… alright?" Looking at the hamster Xiang Tenggong had left in its cage, Dr. Inamori's face bore a faint sadness.

This "sacred ground of Agul" seemed to possess an invisible force—both Mezard's mist and Magnea's fog were repelled.

Thus, Dr. Inamori had never sensed anything amiss outside and continued her research in quiet dedication.

But today, an unwelcome guest breached its gates.

"From afar, only this place remained untouched, undisturbed."

"I came to take a look—and found an unexpected discovery."

The door had opened without warning—Gouryoku Shin'ya stood before Dr. Inamori.

"Who are you!" Seeing the man before her, Dr. Inamori's alarm bells rang.

Her instinct told her this was a dangerous, terrifying man.

"You must love him deeply—bound here by something called 'love,'" Gouryoku said, smiling faintly as he approached Dr. Inamori.

He intended to turn this woman into "Dark Faust," to make Xiang Tenggong understand his own power.

"You…" Dr. Inamori felt Gouryoku's unmasked malice.

She retreated step by step until her back hit the wall—with nowhere left to flee.

"Shhh!" The next instant, brilliant golden sword energy erupted, slashing toward Gouryoku.

Hearing that familiar rush of wind, Gouryoku jolted and dodged sharply to the right.

"Shhh!" The golden blade sliced through the nearby lab table, cleaving iron equipment cleanly in half.

"It's you!" Gouryoku froze as he recognized his attacker.

The same man who had attacked Nosferatu.

The newcomer was Hikari.

"I sense immense evil on you—like Bogaaru," Hikari said coldly.

This was the new purpose he'd found after days of confusion—to continue destroying evils like Bogaaru, to prevent tragedies like that of Alber Star from recurring.

"I don't know what connection you have with Ultraman Hikari—but I welcome the challenge."

The Dark Evolution appeared in Gouryoku's hand; he unleashed a Dark Wave Bullet toward Hikari in retaliation.

(End of Chapter)