Chapter 499

Adhering to the principle of leaving no suspicious lead unexplored, Nishijo Nagi earnestly asked the elderly man, who turned out to be Dr. Kuri.

Nishijo Nagi: “What is Uni-Jin?”

Dr. Kuri: “Uni-Jin, like Halley’s Comet, moves along a vast elliptical orbit, active near the Sun every twelve years.”

“It traces an elliptical path spanning past and future, its trajectory dividing time into past and future…”

“On the night of December 24th, it will pass through ‘the present’ in a matter of seconds and appear on Earth.”

Upon hearing this, Nishijo Nagi looked incredulous.

If she understood correctly, this creature called Uni-Jin was a crucial component used to anchor time and sustain its flow.

Realizing she was speaking to a doctor who likely wouldn’t lie, she didn’t take it lightly and immediately contacted everyone in Victory Team to inform them.

On the communication channel, Yamakuchi laughed incredulously: “Dr. Kuri? I’ve heard of him—he’s known in academia as the ‘Con Artist Doctor.’”

Akita, as a scientist, also knew Dr. Kuri: “He published a paper on Uni-Jin long ago, claiming he encountered the mythical phantom beast Uni-Jin in reality—but that’s certainly a lie.”

Megumi curiously asked: “Why?”

Akita: “If Uni-Jin truly existed, the moment it appeared, everything nearby would fall into a spacetime rift. If Dr. Kuri had really encountered it, he’d be dead long ago—how could he still be wandering around deceiving people?”

Akita said there were countless urban legends and rural ghost stories—like the ‘Inu-Naki Village,’ the ‘Cannibal Toilet,’ the ‘Kisaragi Station’…”

Victory Team was grounded in science; they didn’t believe in things lacking theoretical basis.

Qi Ming suddenly spoke up: “No, Dr. Kuri is telling the truth. Uni-Jin does exist.”

The mythical phantom beast Uni-Jin originates from Episode 26 of *Max Ultraman*, titled “Eli of Christmas.”

Like the legendary sacred beast Gularfan from Episode 57 of *Cosmo* titled “The Snowy Pages,” it belongs to the U-type category of [Mythical Beings].

Qi Ming: “Don’t treat Uni-Jin like Golza—it’s not just a bigger beast. It’s part of the universe’s fundamental rules.”

Shintou Aki certainly knew Uni-Jin: “Think carefully—Uni-Jin is quite similar to Glerza.”

Glerza is fundamentally a [Cosmic Void], while Uni-Jin is composed of [Spacetime Distortion].

Glerza instinctively devours life, making it a ‘naturally evil’ entity to sentient beings.

But Uni-Jin is a benevolent divine beast—that’s why Dr. Kuri survived his encounter with it; Uni-Jin carefully held back its power.

Akita was stunned: “Wait, he’s not a fraud?”

Yamakuchi: “This myth is real!”

Hohara began to ponder: Could Earth, which attracts so many divine beings, actually be the center of the universe?

The Star Group immediately decided that this year’s Christmas team-building activity would be to witness the mythical phantom beast Uni-Jin with their own eyes.

After learning the news in the group chat, Aizumi Makoto immediately exclaimed excitedly: “I want to come too! I want to come too!”

Qi Ming: “No problem—the more, the merrier.”

The Star Group suggested that since there’d be so many people, they should invite his other idle teammates as well.

Except for Captain Tongshan, whom Qi Ming had appointed as Prime Minister and who was too busy to come, his former teammates Guqiao, Tiancheng, Soga, and Annu should all be able to join the gathering.

Qi Ming: “Everyone is welcome.”

He figured since there were already so many, he might as well invite Ji Shi Zhun and Fujimiya too, and have a proper reunion.

Thus, everyone changed into casual clothes and followed Dr. Kuri to a forest.

After confirming Annu would come, the Star Group specifically changed into a dashing white suit and tied an “Eleking”-style tie.

The doctor, seeing a crowd gather around him, was bewildered.

After learning the situation, he was delighted: “You all believe me?”

Yamakuchi: “We mainly believe Qi Ming. So why are you certain Uni-Jin will appear in this forest?”

Dr. Kuri: “Because Uni-Jin once appeared here before—I met it right here. I was only twelve years old then.”

“That day, my mother and sister and I were decorating the Christmas tree. After we finished, my sister said it would be beautiful if we hung a red fruit on top.”

“That night, I went into the forest to find a red Ban-dou tree fruit to surprise my mother and sister.”

“But no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find any Ban-dou fruit. Just as I was frantic, Uni-Jin appeared.”

“I stood in the moonlight, holding my breath, staring at it without blinking… but it vanished soon after.”

Recalling this, Dr. Kuri’s weathered face wore a look of deep emotion:

“Though it lasted only seconds, I will never forget Uni-Jin.”

“As I grew up and became a research scholar, I never gave up searching for Uni-Jin. I wanted to capture it, so everyone could see what it looked like.”

“But Uni-Jin always vanished instantly. Sometimes I wondered if all I’d spent my life chasing was just an illusion.”

With that, Dr. Kuri offered a faint, self-deprecating smile.

Tokaregia, listening, felt moved: “Isn’t research exactly like this? You may spend your whole life making mistakes.”

Shintou Aki softly recited: “Unaware it’s a dream, the wanderer chases phantoms…”

The Star Group and Hohara also felt the doctor had endured great hardship, holding on for so many years amid public skepticism.

Akita: “But I have a question—how can you be certain Uni-Jin will appear in the exact same spot? Can you confirm this is a ‘Uni-Jin spawn point’?”

At these words, everyone turned to look.

Dr. Kuri hesitated: “Well… I think it should come.”

Clearly, he couldn’t explain why—he was relying purely on instinct.

Aizumi Makoto, who arrived first, was thrilled: “So, Doctor, how do you plan to capture Uni-Jin? After you catch it, will you consider selling it to me?”

The doctor: “If the myth is true, then when Uni-Jin appears, if you plant white wax tree branches around it, Uni-Jin won’t be able to escape this space.”

“Then, I can trap Uni-Jin inside this crystal!”

“As for selling it—no thanks. What use would money be to an old man like me? I only want to prove to everyone that what I’ve chased isn’t fake.”

Two hours remained until Dr. Kuri’s predicted arrival of Uni-Jin. Aside from Ji Shi Zhun, who was too far away to arrive in time, everyone else had come.

At this moment, the Star Group and his former teammates gathered together, reminiscing about their past days protecting Earth as a team and exchanging updates on recent changes.

They lamented how darkness had grown increasingly fierce, with powerful enemies emerging one after another.

TPC had changed drastically too—Director Tsuchibashi was dead, and no one had yet taken his place.

Hohara casually glanced toward the other group and asked Nishijo Nagi: “Deputy Captain, it seems the Captain keeps staring at that lady.”

Nishijo Nagi: “That’s Senior Annu. She used to frequently operate alongside the Captain. They share deep bonds.”

Annu was already thirty, yet time had left little mark on her; instead, it had granted her a refined, composed elegance.

She wore a kimono, her eyes shimmering as she laughed and chatted with the Star Group.

Qi Ming watched the Star Group and Annu and asked: “Do you think they’ll end up together?”

Shintou Aki: “The Taija radio drama mentioned that in *Ultraman Mebius*, the GUYS members recorded their voices into a single GUYS gun, then sent it to the Land of Light using Meteor Technology.”

“But it took a very long time. When Mebius received the message from his comrades across light-years, his teammates had long since passed away.”

She found it heartbreaking—after all, the [Lifespan Theory] was devastating.