Chapter 417: 412 He Zhi: Is Qi Ming the One? | Lei Ao vs Imaginary Saiwen

After eliminating Zetaburo, the evolved bipedal Bizumo staggered toward Aihara Ryū, who was on the verge of suffocation.

Kill them all!

But the next moment, a purple beam shot from the shadows behind and struck it.

The next instant, the evolved Bizumo dissolved into "a puddle" and died instantly.

A creature, entirely deep yellow with crimson eyes and razor-sharp claws, flew out from the shadows.

This was the monster hatched from the meteorite recovered from Laboratory Three—【Beetle Dallas】.

The moment it left the meteorite, it emitted a purple beam that drained most of the life energy from the surrounding researchers, then fled the lab to seek new targets.

A normal human of about one meter seventy in height, when exposed to the beam, would fall into severe physical exhaustion and high fever.

But a one-meter-tall Bizumo, when struck by the purple beam, was instantly drained dry.

"Shhh!" 【Beetle Dallas】 released another purple beam, striking Aihara Ryū's neck and the clump of Bizumo covering his face.

That clump of Bizumo was also drained dry, and after death, it dissolved into a puddle of water.

The two 【Bizumo】 that killed Zetaburo in "Ultrazeta" were killed by 【Beetle Dallas】 from "Ultramax".

Weak monsters are killed by stronger ones; stronger ones are killed by even stronger ones—the cruelty of survival of the fittest was laid bare in this world.

After absorbing the life energy of the two Bizumo and the unconscious Aihara Ryū, 【Beetle Dallas】 grew larger by a full size and departed, continuing its search for the next target.

……………………………………

While the Defense Force headquarters descended into chaos, their mainframe received a third "foreign force."

With Galuga infiltrating the server room as an intermediary, Hikari and Agamus successfully connected and began seizing control of the system.

Qi Ming in the operations command room also understood the Defense Force's predicament through the surveillance system, his face filled with shock.

He knew well how the Defense Force had absorbed its own power to spawn dozens of Bizumo.

This thing originated from Episode 31 of "Ultraman Tiga," "The Victory Team Base Is Attacked"—its repulsive appearance had been his childhood nightmare.

"It was because of its uncontrolled reproduction that the Bizumo Star was destroyed."

"We must eliminate every single Bizumo here—no letting them escape into the outside world!"

He also recognized 【Labumos】, which controlled Mechanical Seven—it came from Episode 32 of "Ultraman Dyna," "The Robot That Detected Songs."

In the original series, Labumos wandered into an "ancient ruin" while detecting extraterrestrials, heard a mysterious instrument's sound, and immediately went berserk, aiming to destroy all mechanical civilization on Earth.

It absorbed all computer-controlled main weapons from TPC headquarters, including Victory Eagle and Atides, and built itself into a colossal battle machine that overwhelmed Dyna with firepower.

But fortunately, in this world it targeted the Defense Force, whose weaponry was extremely mediocre—it could only seize Mechanical Seven for use.

And that yellow beetle came from Episode 8 of "Ultramax," "Dash's Destruction."

It continuously emitted purple beams to drain the life energy of living beings, slowly growing larger, and was always ready to lay countless eggs inside its body to bring calamity to Earth.

The Bizumo from "Tiga," the Labumos from "Dyna," the Beetle Dallas from "Max."

How could the Defense Force possibly summon all three of these living gods into their headquarters—intentionally or by accident?

He didn't understand. He was utterly stunned.

He Zhi immediately said: "We must kill that Bizumo and Beetle Dallas, or the consequences will be endless… cough, cough, this is unbearable."

He clutched his chest, wracked with discomfort.

Shenshan's subordinates also turned pale: "What's happening? What's going on with me…"

Qi Ming frowned: "It's the Bizumo using pure oxygen to attack living beings!"

Bizumo absorbs carbon dioxide and exhales pure oxygen—excess oxygen concentration in the air kills people!

Father Pucci, who killed Jotaro Kujo in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," was killed by pure oxygen.

"I need to get out—I need to leave…" Shenshan's subordinates pounded desperately on the door, trying to escape the sealed room into the ventilated outside world.

But the computer-controlled door was locked by the Bizumo and wouldn't open.

"Move aside. I'll handle it." Qi Ming shoved the men aside, held his breath, and kicked hard.

"Boom!" The thunderous crash shook their skulls—the indestructible mechanical door crashed heavily to the ground.

After "physical opening," Qi Ming commented: "Weak as paper. Compared to the door of the Victory Team commander's room, it's nothing."

Shenshan's subordinates, witnessing this, sprinted out of the command room to breathe the normal air in the corridor, relieved yet filled with complex emotions.

Qi Ming had killed two of their senior officers, yet he had also saved them…

Should they hate and fear him—or thank and admire him?

At that moment, a gasping researcher said: "Thanks to Commander Shenshan and Commander Nishijo for bringing this ultimate warrior here—otherwise we'd be dead."

What a considerate superior—may good fortune follow him!

Another researcher said: "Then what about everyone else? Won't they be trapped to death?"

Through the surveillance feed, Qi Ming saw soldiers trapped in various zones, suffering from rising oxygen levels as the Bizumo sealed all mechanical doors.

He Zhi, watching this, sighed: "The Defense Force is finished."

Previously, many TPC high-ranking officers—including himself—had believed the Defense Force and TPC would engage in a fierce total war to determine Japan's fate, and had prepared accordingly.

But who could have imagined… they'd be killed by their own doing.

This chaotic, cruel world had too many unexpected turns.

Looking at Qi Ming, who wore a thoughtful expression, He Zhi suddenly recalled how months ago Qi Ming had ordered him to arrest "Agamus" in advance.

Could Qi Ming, the precognitive team member, have unknowingly helped TPC avoid countless "accidents"?

The next moment, Qi Ming said: "We must save them."

He Zhi froze: "Save them? They were ordered to kill you."

Qi Ming: "They were ordered to kill me. But they can also be ordered to fight invaders and protect Earth."

He Zhi: "Are you planning to recruit them?"

【Shō】, listening nearby, looked at Qi Ming with new eyes—he had formed a new impression of him.

No wonder Earth granted him Gaia's power—he may be ruthless, but he has broad vision and thinks of the greater good.

Under Hikari and Agamus's manipulation, the communication system was fully restored, and all speakers in the Defense Force headquarters blared Qi Ming's voice:

"Defense Force friends, hello. I'm Qi Ming—the man you wanted to kill. The enemy is at the door; this ridiculous infighting must end."

"There are two monsters in the base that will kill you—if they escape into the outside world and multiply, more people will die."

"Now, reduce your breathing rate to avoid inhaling too much pure oxygen. Wait for my and my allies' rescue."

"Of course, if you still try to attack me when you see me, I won't pretend it didn't happen."

After briefly explaining the traits of 【Bizumo】 and 【Beetle Dallas】, Qi Ming, He Zhi, and 【Shō】 split up to rescue survivors.

"Boom!" He reached the end of the corridor and kicked open another thick mechanical door.

"Cough! Cough!" Inside was a squad—over a dozen fully armed soldiers burst out of the oxygen-saturated sealed space, gasping desperately for air. A moment longer and they'd all be dead.

"Thank you for coming to save us." After recovering, the squad leader looked at Qi Ming solemnly and bowed deeply.

He dared to come in under our guns to save us—doesn't he fear we'll shoot him in the back?

To unite surviving forces, he risked his own life—this courage moved them deeply—they had always upheld the spirit of bravery and willingness to die.

Qi Ming had no time for pleasantries: "Rest up, then go hunt down the Bizumo—not one must escape."

The squad leader nodded: "Yes."

Then Qi Ming moved forward, kicked open another sealed mechanical door, and rescued soldiers nearly killed by the Bizumo's pure oxygen.

Witnessing this firsthand, the squad leader's eyes changed: "He's practically a superhero."

One soldier asked: "Sir, what about the orders from above?"

The squad leader: "If we betray a savior, are we even human? And with this chaos in headquarters, the higher-ups are probably barely holding on themselves."

He was right—the Defense Force's commander, Sōhara, was suffering terribly.

They had just promised the public they'd protect them with Mechanical Seven—and now, controlled by Labumos, Mechanical Seven was about to rampage through densely populated areas…

If that happened, he could only commit suicide to atone.

"Commander, our communication port is restored—you can now mobilize troops!" his aide exclaimed joyfully.

Commander Sōhara nodded and broadcast: "I am Commander Sōhara. I hereby rescind all previous orders."

"From now on, cooperate with TPC's allies to eliminate all monsters in every zone—no monster must escape this base."

……………………………………

After kicking open over a dozen doors, Hikari and Agamus successfully reclaimed the Defense Force headquarters' power system and cut it off.

The Bizumo could no longer absorb electricity to reproduce—they would no longer multiply as they were fought.

At the same time, Qi Ming received new information.

Mechanical Seven had landed in Tokyo Area B and appeared ready to attack.

Moroboshi: "The rest of the Victory Team will arrive at the Defense Force headquarters soon—they'll do their best to contain the situation."

He Zhi beside him said: "Good. I'll lead the team personally."

Qi Ming had also sent a message to Xiang Tenggong, urging him to hurry here.

The Defense Force headquarters remained tense—Bizumo weren't fully eradicated, and might still "save a big surprise"; Beetle Dallas was about to evolve to fifty meters tall.

But Qi Ming trusted his allies—Victory and Agulah, standing guard, wouldn't let anything go wrong.

He had to stop Mechanical Seven from destroying the city.

He glanced at He Zhi beside him and pressed the arbitrary key button:

"We're about to recruit the Defense Force—the scope is expanding. It's time you knew some things."

"Besides, you're more reliable than Yamakuchi—you won't blab…" Use this to fight Seven.

Seeing the Ultraman arbitrary key raised by the core, He Zhi froze: "What are you planning to do?"

"To transform and strike." Qi Ming slapped the dial.

The next moment, a brilliant light burst forth, and He Zhi instinctively closed his eyes.

When the light faded, He Zhi opened his eyes.

Qi Ming was gone; in his place stood a giant fifty meters tall, with three sharp horns on its head and a glowing blue-and-colorful timer on its chest, nodding at him.

Ultraman Lei Ou appears!

The next instant, Lei Ou kicked off with both legs and flew toward Mechanical Seven.

He Zhi, a strategist who had weathered countless storms to become the hawkish leader, was stunned into uncharacteristic disarray.

Ultraman—that's Ultraman!

Qi Ming became Ultraman!

Though he had long witnessed Qi Ming's extraordinary feats, the sight of a human transformed into a fifty-meter giant struck him with unprecedented shock.

Is this a dream?

"No… I'm fully awake." He Zhi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

No wonder, no wonder!

Now all those inexplicable things made sense.

No wonder Qi Ming's physique was astonishing—he was Ultraman!

No wonder he could communicate with Black Ubro—he was one of them.

The He Zhi who had once fretted over the Defense Force's Mechanical Seven now wore a face beaming with wild joy.

Long before the Defense Force, TPC already had Ultraman!

Ultraman has been beside us all along, watching over us, blessing us!

————————————————

Tokyo B District.

Residents, seeing Mechanical Seven descend from the sky, screamed in alarm.

"Look! It's Ultraman Seven!"

"No, that's the Defense Force's Mechanical Seven from TV—has it come here to fight a monster?"

"But we don't have any monsters here—maybe it's just an exercise?"

As citizens chattered among themselves, Mechanical Seven formed its hands into an L-shape, preparing to unleash a beam across the city.

At that critical moment, a crimson figure plummeted from the sky and delivered a powerful kick to Mechanical Seven.

Labomos, with its immense computational power, detected the enemy instantly and activated an energy shield—but still could not withstand Lei Ou's flying kick.

"Boom!" Mechanical Seven was flung backward, crashing onto the street and crushing a parked Jeep.

Under Labomos's control, Mechanical Seven leapt to its feet like a leaping carp and charged toward Ultraman Lei Ou.

"My god, what's that? Another Ultraman!"

"Wow, look! Another Ultraman is fighting the Defense Force's Mechanical Seven!"

"They're going all out—is there a grudge between them?"

(End of Chapter)