Chapter 302: The Maker of the Ultraman Arbitrary Key (Combined Chapter)

Behind the crack lay a barren mountain range, with sparse vegetation and no sign of life, like the Loess Plateau.

Is the other side a desolate mountain on Earth?

Should I go over to check the situation, or just recover fully in this dimension where I'm alone and then figure out how to return?

After regaining a little strength, Qi Ming pulled out the red bean bread and small bottle of mineral water that Hui Mei had given him, his fingers trembling slightly as he tore open the packaging.

The bread Hui Mei had shoved into his pocket was slightly crushed, but its cloying aroma still made his stomach clench—he hadn't eaten since he passed out.

He bit off a large mouthful, swallowing it down with the mineral water; the dry crumbs scraped his throat but became the most delicious salvation in that moment.

As sugar flooded his bloodstream, his blurred vision gradually cleared, and his fingers stopped shaking so badly.

He opened the Arbitrary Key, and the main interface made Qi Ming freeze.

Star Ci: 1.

Manufacture: 27/40.

This made Qi Ming feel something was off.

Even if Gliza, driven by instinct, had devoured all external life energy and its own nutrients, three days should still add one Star Ci —I only passed out for less than six days after turning back from Gliza?

"Crack! Crack!" The next moment, the sky shattered like a mirror—the other dimension where the Kilaieled people lived was collapsing entirely.

This made Qi Ming suspect that the Gliza he had become might have already reached the "Third Form" after devouring tens of thousands of Kilaieled people.

Otherwise, how could it have had such power—shattering an entire dimension outright?

To avoid perishing with this collapsing dimension, Qi Ming forced a final breath and lunged toward the distant space crack, entering the world beyond.

Oxygen levels normal, gravity normal—it must be Earth.

After running for a while, Qi Ming's vision darkened; he quickly pulled out his PDI communicator and sent a distress signal.

【Not in service area】, the message on the screen made Qi Ming pause.

How could it be not in service area? The PDI communicator receives signals via satellite—it's globally connected.

Could it be… that although this place resembles Earth in landscape, oxygen, and gravity, it's not Earth at all?

At that moment, a powerful wave of dizziness hit him; Qi Ming knew he was about to pass out again.

He staggered a few steps, collapsed into a patch of tall, concealing grass, and fainted once more.

………………………………

"Hey, are you okay? Are you from Earth?"

After an unknown length of unconsciousness, Qi Ming was awakened by a voice.

He opened his eyes and was startled by the bizarre creature before him—it looked like something dressed in a costume.

"You're…" Qi Ming jolted upright, instinctively shrinking back, his hand already gripping the Arbitrary Key.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid—I've been to your Earth, studied your science and culture, lived there for a long time, and even became good friends with a girl named 【Hui Mei】." The alien hurriedly said.

This made Qi Ming freeze; he stared closely at the figure: "You're… the 【Milakurian】 from 'Ultraman Taro'?"

The alien blinked: "Who's Taro? Isn't the Ultraman who fights monsters on Earth called Imaginary Saiwen? Did you give it another name—'Taro'?"

Qi Ming immediately realized his mistake: "It's nothing…"

He quietly exhaled in relief—he had encountered a friendly alien at his weakest moment.

The Milakurian asked: "So you're from Earth, right?"

Qi Ming showed him his Victory Team ID card: "Yes, I'm from TPC's Victory Team."

The Milakurian gasped: "TPC's Victory Team! I know you—you're the heroes who protect Earth from invaders!"

After confirming Qi Ming's identity, the Milakurian began talking freely.

He said his homeworld, Milakur, had an environment similar to Earth's, but its cultural and technological level was far behind Earth's.

So he visited Earth to study its science and culture, hoping to return home and help develop his planet.

One day, a monster named 【Gob】 emerged from a wormhole into the city where he was staying; Ultraman Imaginary Saiwen confronted it, and the battle's shockwaves toppled building after building.

A girl named 【Hui Mei】 and her dog were buried under rubble; the Milakurian rushed over and rescued her.

He then accepted Hui Mei's request and returned with her to the collapsed house to save her parents—but found they had stopped breathing.

Afterward, the Milakurian stayed by the side of the orphaned Hui Mei, comforting and caring for her for a long time before returning to his homeworld.

"I wonder how Hui Mei is doing… Brave Victory Team member, have you seen Hui Mei?" The Milakurian described the girl's appearance to Qi Ming.

Qi Ming shook his head—he usually stayed at the base, browsing news to gather intelligence, only leaving for emergencies or monster disasters.

The Milakurian then asked:

"How did you get from Earth to this planet, 'Liu Li'? This star region has been unusually unstable lately."

"A malevolent scientist named 【Caiqi】 is manipulating the cosmic demon 【Balishib】, spreading puppet toxin everywhere."

"Any creature injected with puppet toxin becomes violent and turns into a puppet controlled by Balishib."

Qi Ming: "..."

He was about to ask what planet this was when the Milakurian delivered the horrifying truth.

Caiqi, Balishib, puppet toxin…

He couldn't accept it—he tried again: "Is there also a planet called 【Ganong】 in this star system?"

The Milakurian nodded vigorously: "Yes! I heard Caiqi has concentrated most of the Balishib there. Impressive Victory Team member—you know so much about the cosmos even from Earth."

Qi Ming's eyes slowly lost their luster: "Is there a 'Queen Tianzhao Queen' and a 'Tree of Life' on Ganong?"

The Milakurian: "Yes. Rumor says the Queen Tianzhao Queen possesses ancient sacred bloodline; when she channels the Tree of Life's power to become a 【War God】, she unleashes strength capable of turning the tide of battle."

Qi Ming murmured: "Every time she appears, the battle immediately turns worse—she really can turn the tide."

Though his face appeared calm, his inner world was already pitch black.

Ganong, Queen Tianzhao Queen, Tree of Life, War God…

This is the setting of "Ultraman Orb: The Origin!"

The Origin!

Origin!

How do you rate "The Origin" in the Ultraman universe? —Even fans of "Leo" or "Tegra" can proudly puff out their chests when mentioning "The Origin."

When young Qi Ming finished watching the main "Ultraman Orb" TV series, he thought it was amazing.

When he heard there was a side story called "The Origin," detailing Orb and Gagura's past and featuring the return of Dyna, Gaus, Gaia, and Agul, he knew it was a must-watch.

He rushed to watch it immediately.

Unlike his peers, who only enjoyed the suit battles, young Qi Ming cared deeply about the plot. After watching with his mind fully engaged—two towering pillars of his worldview and values were struck by their own personal airplane.

Caiqi and the Queen Tianzhao Queen, the two central figures, were utterly insane.

One said: "To bring eternal peace to the universe, I'll turn everyone into idiots with puppet virus—then there'll be no more conflict."

The other said: "If I surrender, there'll be no war, no deaths."

The predecessors were equally heavy-hitting—Balishib was slaughtering civilians, yet the kind-hearted Musashi stood by, refusing to transform…

No, I can't think about this anymore—I'll pass out again.

Seeing Qi Ming's face flicker with unease, the Milakurian comforted him: "Don't worry too much. After I finish my business on Ganong, I'll take you back to Earth—I'll get to see Hui Mei too."

Qi Ming's consciousness was growing foggy again; he asked: "You're going to Ganong?"

The Milakurian's tone turned ashamed: "To make up for some of my mistakes."

He said that after completing his Earth research and returning home, he accidentally leaked information.

The green alien 【Tairolistian】 learned he possessed Earth's data and believed he could use it to invade Earth and seize the 【Eternal Core】 to become the universe's master.

So he stole the data; when the Milakurian found out, he panicked and chased after him.

According to his intel, the green alien 【Tairolistian】 is currently on Ganong—the Milakurian must stop his invasion plan.

Qi Ming grabbed his arm: "Don't go alone—you can't beat him."

Qi Ming remembered clearly—in the original plot, the Milakurian was killed by that evil alien while protecting the data on Earth.

As a child, young Qi Ming had felt deep sorrow for this kind-hearted uncle's fate.

He couldn't let the tragedy repeat.

"Wait until I recover—I'll kick that guy's head like a soccer ball." Qi Ming meant for the Milakurian to stay until he regained some combat strength to help eliminate the threat.

The Milakurian shook his head: "Though you're a brave Victory Team member, without powerful weapons, you can't fight him—I won't let you risk your life."

He said he must protect Earth's peace so Hui Mei on Earth could live quietly—that was his duty.

Qi Ming was about to explain, but another wave of dizziness overwhelmed him—the aftereffects of becoming Gliza wouldn't vanish for half a month.

In his final moment of consciousness, he faintly heard the Milakurian's warning:

"I'll take you somewhere safe to recover. By the way, there's something you must remember."

"Besides Balishib, there's another creature in this star region—a white sphere. It can fuse with rocks and turn them into monsters."

…………………………

When Qi Ming awoke again, he found himself inside a tent.

Two adults and a child were bustling around him—the adults cooked, the child stared curiously at him.

They wore woolen sweaters and wind goggles; upon seeing him awake, they quickly brought him water.

"Who are you?" Waking in an unfamiliar place, Qi Ming shrank back toward the head of the bed, wary.

The two adults and child quickly explained in voices tinged with "electronic" modulation that they were caring for him on someone's behalf.

It turned out the previous Milakurian had carried the unconscious Qi Ming to this household.

The Milakurian had called Qi Ming a brave warrior who fought evil, promising great reward for taking care of him.

The Liu Li people, long tormented by Balishib, immediately agreed—they didn't know medicine, but they did their best to create the best recovery environment, providing him with a clean bed and food.

"That guy… still went alone to Ganong to find the alien who stole his data…" Qi Ming sighed after hearing this.

He wanted to chase after them, but his physical discomfort quelled the thought; he chose to stay temporarily and heal.

Two days later, under the family's careful care, his condition gradually stabilized.

Though his mind still struggled to remain alert for long periods, his body had recovered enough to help with chores like chopping wood.

After sensing the family's kindness, Qi Ming slowly lowered his guard and learned their identities through conversation.

"So it's you…"

In the first episode of "Primordial Beginnings," this family was attacked by a ten-meter-tall Baalzebub; their parents were injected with puppet toxin and turned violent, killing each other before dying.

"So the child became an orphan… but with me here, things will be different." Qi Ming glanced at the child beside him and thought silently.

If Baalzebub dared to attack again as in the original plot, he could easily defeat it the moment he transformed.

"No—a ten-meter-tall Baalzebub? Even without transforming, I could fight it if I regained my full strength…" Qi Ming thought.

After eating the local food and sleeping, Qi Ming woke the next day and looked at the main screen of the Any Key—his expression froze.

Star Ci: 1.

Manufacturing: 27/40.

Three days have passed since arriving on this Liuli Star—why is Star Ci still only 1 point?

Was the rule of automatically gaining 1 Star Ci every three days erased?

As Qi Ming grew increasingly anxious, a notification labeled "Letter" appeared on the screen—was someone sending him an email?

Does the Any Key have email functionality? Who directly located the Any Key to send him a message?

He hesitantly tapped to accept, and a clear, melodious female voice sounded: "Good day, Starlight, I am the creator of the Ultraman Any Key."

The first words made Qi Ming's pupils contract sharply.

The creator of the Ultraman Any Key!

And what about this voice—had the speaker used a voice modulator to conceal their identity, or was this an alien with a voice nearly identical to a human woman?

Or… was the speaker actually a woman?

The voice message continued:

"When you receive this message, it means you have left the Solar System and escaped the 'gravity circle' of the Eternal Core."

"But this is not necessarily good—only on Earth, closest to the Eternal Core, can the Ultraman Any Key automatically absorb the energy leaking from the Eternal Core, gaining 1 Star Ci every three days."

"Once you move far from Earth, the source of the Eternal Core, this rate drops drastically—likely only 1 Star Ci every seven days."

"If possible, return to Earth as quickly as you can. The Eternal Core must not be lost."

The next moment, the voice softened, filled with regret:

"I'm truly sorry—these troubles were my doing, yet you must bear them…"

"But please, never give up hope. Hold on as long as you can. I will come to you soon."

Soon? Come to me?

The creator of the Ultraman Any Key is coming to find me?

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Combined chapter: The most thrilling part of "Primordial Beginnings," as outlined, has officially begun!

Tomorrow, I'll reunite with Kai and Gagula.

Requesting monthly votes!

(End of Chapter)