Chapter 7: 7 Terrifying Monster Realm

“After being lost for three days, you finally made it here?”

As Qi Ming stepped into the Victory Team command room, Yamana couldn’t help but sneer.

Qi Ming replied calmly and politely: “If you’re tired of living, you could hang yourself from a ceiling beam and test the tensile limit of your cervical spine—consider it a contribution to medicine.”

“What did you say!” Yamana and Kishida both stood up.

Nami Nishijo, seated beside the circular conference table, frowned slightly, thinking this guy was indeed as troublesome as Yamana had described.

Megumi’s face was blank with shock, as if drowning—what was this sudden escalation?

“Enough, both of you,” Shohachi Dan asked. “What happened?”

Megumi: “Residents near Mount Chaowu reported hearing what sounded like a kaiju’s roar and requested our investigation. At the same time, two college students went missing there.”

Shohachi Dan nodded: “Then go. Nishijo, Yamana, Kishida, Qi Ming—you’re dispatched to investigate Mount Chaowu.”

“Do we really need to deploy the Victory Team for something this vague?” Yamana glanced at Qi Ming, unwilling to be stuck with this infuriating guy.

“If there’s a suspicion, we must investigate thoroughly—that’s our duty,” Nishijo said, standing up. “Prepare for departure.”

Qi Ming asked: “Aren’t you coming, Megumi?”

Am I the only sane person here? Is this a form of workplace bullying?

Megumi, who had been covertly observing him, startled at being directly mentioned: “Huh?”

Shohachi Dan: “Megumi has excellent piloting skills, but she usually stays at base to analyze data and support frontline personnel.”

Kishida, who held a grudge against Qi Ming, seized the chance to strike: “See? Even a girl is more capable than you.”

Megumi waved her hands frantically: “No, no! Qi Ming just joined the team—he’ll catch up quickly after some training.”

Shohachi Dan, fearing another argument, hurriedly said: “No time to waste—depart now.”

…………………………

The yellow Hien-1 flew through the stratosphere; Qi Ming, seated in the rear, listened to the sharp shriek of wings tearing through air, his eyes fixed on Nishijo’s hands pulling the control stick.

Nishijo sensed his gaze and asked: “Do you think you can learn this just by watching?”

Qi Ming replied casually: “I’m just killing time with a glance—it doesn’t seem as hard as I imagined.”

He had shown extraordinary memory and insight since childhood—memorizing steles and reconstructing Go boards effortlessly, grasping one example to infer ten others—and many masters had willingly guided him.

But Nishijo took it as mere boasting, her face icy as she said:

“Stop acting so clever. Do you really believe the flattery of those girls who only admire your looks?”

“Stay grounded. Train seriously. Don’t waste the captain’s expectations.”

Qi Ming countered: “If you’re talking about acting clever, you’ve only just met me—on what basis do you judge I lack this ability?”

Nishijo had no reply. For the rest of the journey, she gave up trying to “reform” this stubborn, disrespectful man.

Soon, Nishijo landed the Hien-1 on a flat area at the foot of Mount Chaowu; the second Hien, piloted by Kishida and Yamana, followed closely behind.

After exiting the cockpit, Qi Ming looked up at Mount Chaowu—the thick mist blocked his view.

The distant rustling of pine winds mingled with the cries of unknown creatures, like wailing ghosts and howling wolves, radiating a gloomy aura.

“Strong electromagnetic interference,” Kishida frowned. Equipment would be severely disrupted under these conditions.

The four strapped on heavy climbing gear and began ascending.

“Hurry up—this is a high-risk area,” Nishijo said. Though she despised Qi Ming’s “arrogance,” as deputy commander, it was her duty to look after new recruits.

“Understood.” Qi Ming climbed while recalling details linked to “Mount Chaowu.”

He asked: “High-risk area… isn’t there a legend that a dragon lives here, eating climbers?”

Megumi, typing rapidly in the command room, replied after checking records: “There is such a tale.”

Her voice crackled intermittently through the communicator due to the intense magnetic fog.

Qi Ming nodded, believing Mount Chaowu was the habitat of the kaiju [Sadora] and [Taidon], featured in Episode 3 of Jack’s series, “The Terrifying Monster Realm.”

These two violent kaiju always fought each other upon meeting and showed absolute hostility toward outsiders.

“Be careful—kaiju do exist here. Those climbers were killed by them,” Qi Ming warned.

Kishida: “Don’t jump to conclusions. We haven’t found any traces of kaiju activity. You’re an amateur when it comes to handling them.”

Qi Ming stopped walking—he heard a strange roar, as if rising from underground: “I heard it. That’s a kaiju’s cry.”

Kishida strained to listen: “I heard nothing.”

Yamana: “I heard nothing either. You’re just paranoid. The original reporter probably was too. There’s no kaiju here.”

Qi Ming fell silent, deciding to prove it with facts later.

But after hours of searching, they found not even a shadow of a kaiju.

The magnetic fog rendered detection devices useless; even visual scanning was blocked by mist—inefficient.

The physical strain of climbing under heavy loads left the other three exhausted, their pace slowing further.

“How is he not tired?” Yamana, lagging behind, gasped as he watched Qi Ming, at the front, waiting for them.

“Maybe the captain had good reason to recruit him—he’s got real strength,” Kishida also thought Qi Ming’s ease wasn’t fake.

“Let me carry your pack,” Qi Ming extended his hand to Nishijo.

“No need,” Nishijo, stubborn and proud, slapped his hand away and gritted her teeth to keep moving forward.

Yamana laughed: “Ha! Your kindness is wasted—deputy commander doesn’t fall for that.”

Qi Ming thought: Isn’t helping each other in a temporary team just basic cooperation? To call it “flattery” from this angle—typical Yamana, typical Kishida.

“We have trackers, so we won’t get lost—but this isn’t working,” Kishida said, unwilling to go further. “This is pointless.”

Qi Ming said: “I agree. Instead of searching for the kaiju, we should stay put and make noise—let the kaiju come to us.”

He made the suggestion only after seeing how close the others were to collapse.

Yamana didn’t catch Qi Ming’s intent to spare their dignity—he sighed: “He’s dreaming again.”

At that moment, Megumi’s voice crackled through the comms: “Everyone, villagers below the mountain have spotted a white-furred creature resembling a snow monster—hurry to the location.”

White fur, snow monster—these traits bore no resemblance to [Sadora] or [Taidon]. Qi Ming believed they hadn’t descended.

Kishida: “Finally, we don’t have to waste time in this hellhole. Deputy commander, let’s withdraw.”

Qi Ming asked: “What about the two missing college students?”

Nishijo: “A professional rescue team will be dispatched. Our duty is to deal with kaiju.”

Rescue teams entering this place to save people were more likely to get trapped themselves.

Qi Ming didn’t want to abandon this mission halfway: “Then split up—you go handle the kaiju below, I’ll handle the one inside the mountain.”

Kishida exploded: “Stop being stubborn! There’s no kaiju here!”

Yamana suspected: “Are you just making excuses to avoid facing a real kaiju?”

Nishijo was blunt: “Obey orders!”

Qi Ming was even more direct: “I refuse.”

Everyone froze—Megumi and Shohachi Dan in the command room included.

Yamana: “Mutiny on the battlefield? Disobeying command? Bastard! Do you want to be stripped of your Victory Team uniform?!”

Can I leave automatically after mutiny? Qi Ming’s face lit up: “Deal! Double blessings!”

(End of Chapter)