Chapter 483

Thirty minutes ago.

A family of three drove toward Mount Hakone.

The husband looked nearly forty, his face lined with hardship; the wife appeared younger, wearing a yellow dress and glasses; the child sat in the back seat, looking sullen.

At that moment, five young people sat in a speeding open-top jeep, overtaking the family’s car and taunting them.

“Hah, what a slow old clunker.”

“Let’s race—dare you to overtake us!”

The wife was furious, her face flushed with anger: “Always falling behind—drive faster!”

The husband didn’t care: “No way. Speeding’s dangerous.”

The wife was deeply dissatisfied with her husband’s sluggishness: “You’re such a slowpoke.”

Twenty minutes later, they entered the highway and suddenly noticed the five young people had vanished from their jeep—they were now sprinting after them on foot.

“What’s going on?” The wife leaned out the window, watching the youths’ distress: “What happened?”

The young people spoke in panicked tones: “It’s a monster! A monster melted our car—and our phones too! Please, notify Victory Team!”

“Hmph!” The wife snorted, pulling back inside and rolling down her window to yell at her husband: “Drive! What are you waiting for?”

The husband hesitated, staring at the youths seeking help: “But these people said—”

The wife sneered: “They’re just playing a prank. Earlier they mocked our car for being slow—don’t you dare give in to them!”

“It’s because you’re a coward that everyone looks down on you—and me and the child too. I told you to drive faster, drive faster!”

She screamed the last two sentences, like a lioness roaring.

Instantly inflamed, her mind clouded by rage, she didn’t care whether the youths were telling the truth—she only wanted to get revenge.

After being shouted at, the husband dared not speak further and immediately pressed the accelerator.

Watching the youths’ helpless, furious expressions after being ignored, the wife felt a sudden surge of satisfaction.

After driving a distance, the wife smirked triumphantly: “See? Nothing happened.”

Yet two minutes later, a black tornado suddenly appeared, hurtling straight toward them.

“No! There really is a monster!”

The next instant, the black tornado engulfed the car, melting a gaping hole through the roof.

Seeing this, the husband instantly realized the five youths hadn’t lied—there truly was a monster here.

Facing imminent danger, the wife reversed her earlier bravado, trembling violently and screaming uncontrollably.

The child fled the car immediately; the wife in yellow, paralyzed by fear, couldn’t move—within seconds, the entire vehicle melted away, leaving only the couple standing there.

The black whirlwind melted only metal—it harmed no human body.

The child, who had escaped first, saw his parents were unharmed and quickly used his phone to call TPC.

Soon, Qi Ming arrived by car, accompanied by Shinjou Nishi and Megumi, who had followed to help.

As he stepped out wearing his helmet, he witnessed a shocking scene.

The woman in yellow, staring at the melted remains of the car, sobbed: “My car—bought on loan—is gone! I haven’t even finished paying it off!”

The husband stepped forward to comfort her: “At least the whole family is safe—that’s the only good thing.”

The moment he spoke, she snapped to attention, her face hardening, and slapped him hard across the face.

She roared: “It’s all your fault! Your stupid driving caused the car to melt! What are you going to do about it, you bastard!”

“What are we going to do without a car? Answer me, you coward!”

Blaming others at the first sign of trouble had become her automatic reflex.

The husband lowered his head, saying nothing, merely accustomed to silently enduring his wife’s rage.

The child, leading Qi Ming and the others to the scene, saw this and bowed his head, deeply ashamed.

Qi Ming: “...”

Fine. He understood the situation.

A black whirlwind that melts cars but spares humans—and this domineering, foul-tempered woman in yellow...

These are the exact characters from Ultraman Taro Episode 23: “The Gentle Monster Father!”

The monster emitting the black whirlwind, melting metal, is called [Laudra]. It’s got some ability, but not much—barely B-class at best.

In the original episode, the focus was squarely on this family of three.

The writers likely intended to tell viewers: a good husband is one who unconditionally tolerates his wife, who endures her abuse yet still rushes to save her in crisis—model yourself after him.

But times have changed. Qi Ming now thinks: such a man is a bit of a “turtle.”

Shinjou Nishi likely recalled who these three were—her expression subtly shifted.

She’d just been trying to showcase the beauty of love, to stir Qi Ming’s longing for marriage... and now this toxic example appeared.

Megumi pulled the woman in yellow aside: “Alright, can you tell us what happened?”

Qi Ming approached the husband, hesitated, then asked curiously: “How did you two end up together, with personalities like yours?”

The husband understood his meaning: his wife had once been gentle and intelligent; when they first married, they were deeply happy.

But raising a child had piled pressure on her, draining her youth and vitality.

To maintain family stability, as a man, he should yield to her.

Even after being treated this way, the husband instinctively defended his wife, saying difficult people need a patient lover.

These words sent a chill through Qi Ming’s spine.

Difficult people need a patient lover? I need a bank that won’t call the police when I’m broke!

He told the man: “You... take care of yourself.”

Looking at this husband, he felt both pity and fury at his passivity.

But as long as the shrew didn’t harm others, even if she beat her husband into a pulp, it was their private affair.

Though Qi Ming disapproved, he had no right to interfere—maybe this man had grown used to, even fond of, this dynamic.

Shinjou Nishi nudged Qi Ming with her arm, whispering: “Don’t overthink it. This is just an isolated case.”

Qi Ming: “Isolated? Aren’t there too many of these cases?”

He’d seen plenty like this back home.

Shinjou Nishi: “There are still plenty of good girls in life... I’ll help you screen them. Since I brought you into this world, I’ll take responsibility for you!”

Meanwhile, Megumi, speaking with the wife of the family, was rapidly losing patience.

When asked what happened, she only blamed the five youths for not explaining clearly, blamed her husband for driving poorly, blamed Victory Team for missing the monster, and lamented her miserable fate.

Then other victims, seeing Victory Team’s Drumm vehicle, gathered around—and from them, Megumi finally learned what had truly occurred.

“Team Leader Qi Ming, there is indeed a monster underground. Its attacks on passing vehicles appear to be pure malice.”