Chapter 56: 55 The Jeep Will Be Smashed for You

After reading through the comments, Qi Ming said:

“I understand and sympathize with those who lost their property in the disaster.”

“But even if it happened again, I’d fight the same way.”

“If I held back out of concern for these concrete shells and lost the battle, the situation would only grow worse.”

Shuxing Tuan: “But didn’t you just run away without fighting?”

He opened another video, showing Aihara Ryu’s roar.

“Damn it! What kind of third-rate fighting technique is this? You actually ran away!”

“Look at what you’ve protected! Are you even an Ultraman?!”

Qi Ming sighed:

“I never thought I’d get this treatment—this crazy dog bites anyone he sees.”

“Still, when I checked the news, I saw his squad got wiped out trying to stop the monster—I can understand him a bit now.”

“By the way, this video has a lot of comments too. Let me take a look.”

He opened the video; beneath it were the same torrent of heated remarks.

“I think those useless bastards are the real bastards—how dare they blame Ultraman? Isn’t protecting the city the military’s job?!”

“Exactly! We don’t pay taxes to Ultraman!”

“What if he drives Ultraman away? Who’ll protect us when the next monster shows up?”

“Why don’t we start a religion worshipping Ultraman? Then when trouble hits, we just pray—it might be more useful than counting on these guys.”

“But Ultraman isn’t some all-knowing, all-powerful god—he failed to defeat the monster and ran away. I’m constantly on edge, afraid that giant shark will return and destroy the city again.”

“...”

Qi Ming muttered in disbelief: “It’s hard to say if these people are even sane. Sure, the Defense Force is useless, but those soldiers are risking their lives to protect them.”

Shuxing Tuan also watched the comments: “See, Qi Ming? Everyone’s counting on you to defeat that shark and preserve peace.”

Qi Ming: “?”

He sighed deeply and explained the full story to Shuxing Tuan again.

First, Masaki Keigo isn’t insane—he wants to be a savior, not someone who manipulates the subterranean shark to destroy the city.

Second, Kenzo the strategist already knows there are statues remaining in Kumamoto City; Masaki Keigo will soon be too occupied to care about anything else.

Let evil fight evil—I’ll sit back and watch the storms rise.

Shuxing Tuan thought for a moment, still believing Qi Ming’s combat power needed improvement, and prepared to train him personally.

Training...

Qi Ming thought for a moment and said: “Fine. I’m not good at aerial combat—can you help me learn quickly?”

During the battle with Giliador, when Giliador fled into the air, Qi Ming didn’t chase him—he refused to enter an unfamiliar domain.

If I could fly proficiently, I could keep distant aerial attacks on ground-based monsters later.

Shuxing Tuan nodded outwardly, but inwardly wondered: Is Qi Ming learning this just so he can escape more smoothly from the air later?

Just as Qi Ming thought this commander might use his experience to fill his gaps...

The next day, when he arrived at the agreed location, he saw a Jeep.

A strong sense of dread rose in Qi Ming’s chest.

Beach. Jeep. Shuxing Tuan.

Ha. Commander, you don’t really think I’m some noble soul like Feng Yuan, do you?

Shuxing Tuan stepped out of the Jeep and said flight training could wait—right now, he’d train Qi Ming’s “toughness.”

Though Qi Ming had always performed well, Shuxing Tuan believed more “motivation” would make him stronger and better.

“To meet people’s expectations and solidify their trust in Ultraman, don’t let them down.”

Then Shuxing Tuan launched into a long speech on “a man’s sense of duty”—the exact same lecture he once gave Feng Yuan in the original Ultraman Leo series.

Qi Ming stared blankly at Shuxing Tuan, saying nothing.

“Those houses carried the sweat of construction workers—they held families’ memories.”

“Didn’t you yourself say Ultraman isn’t just a monster-killing machine? You should pay attention to that in battle.”

Shuxing Tuan planned to use the moving Jeep to simulate the subterranean shark’s charge, forcing Qi Ming to take the impact head-on.

He said this wasn’t just training against the shark—it was to teach him to consider the bigger picture in future battles.

Qi Ming finally spoke, his voice weary:

“Ultraman isn’t just a monster-killing machine, but I’m not a pure Ultraman either.”

“Commander Shuxing Tuan, treat me like a human—a human with human weaknesses, someone who fears death.”

Shuxing Tuan froze: “You say you fear death?”

Qi Ming, matter-of-factly: “Of course. I’m young—how could I not fear death?”

“I could overpower the subterranean shark by exploiting its weakness, and I could easily use my body to block attacks and protect buildings.”

“But I won’t—because it would injure me, far beyond what’s ‘within my capacity.’”

“Earth is teeming with danger now—I don’t know how many evils are watching me as this ‘obstacle in their path.’”

“I must stay alert. I must win with the least cost possible—don’t give those bastards a chance to strike.”

Here, Qi Ming’s eyes flickered with mockery:

“Aren’t the city’s concrete roads also the workers’ sweat? What if they’re crushed? Should we just stop fighting altogether?”

“Indeed, the more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes; do nothing, and you make no mistakes.”

“This...” Shuxing Tuan fell silent, stunned that his casual words had triggered such a fierce rebuttal from Qi Ming.

He asked: “You say you’re being watched—any clues?”

Qi Ming: “No. Just a hunch.”

Shuxing Tuan: “So you’re saying you’re afraid to fight at full strength just because of a guess?”

Qi Ming thought: Unless I say it louder, Shuxing Tuan won’t listen.

“Yes. I must survive and go home—my strength is needed there.”

“To me, the lives of everyone else in this world combined mean less than mine. Do you understand now?”

Shuxing Tuan paled: “You’re too extreme!”

Qi Ming stepped forward and slapped the Jeep’s hood.

“Also, I fight to answer my own conscience—not to please you.”

“Save this nonsense.”

With that, he slammed his palm down hard, denting the hood deeply, then walked away without looking back as Shuxing Tuan stared in shock.

“Wasted a trip.” On the way home, Qi Ming’s face was grim.

External enemies surround us; internal scheming festers. Talking with Commander Shuxing Tuan either brings pressure or feels like talking to a wall.

If all else fails, I might as well follow the few “escape routes” I already found.

Wait—where’s the road?

Didn’t I just walk this path? Why is there no one else around?

Qi Ming snapped back to awareness—he’d been circling the same spot repeatedly, like caught in a ghostly loop.

At that moment, a low voice, carried by a chilling wind, came from behind: “Have you grown disillusioned with this world?”

Qi Ming spun around—the towering figure before him made his pupils contract.

A body of black and red, rib-like exoskeleton, black eyes and a colored timer.

Indeed, my instinct was right—something in the darkness has been watching me.

This guy is—Dark Mefist!

(End of Chapter)