Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

In the TPC Police Department's conference room, Yoshioka had just put down his monitoring report on the Lightning Man's activities when he heard his subordinates gossiping in the corridor, "The chief slammed his fist on the table again today; he's really a hardliner." He paused, his hand holding the teacup twitching, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips—if these people had met Choi Myung, they would probably redefine the word "hardliner."

The newly delivered documents on the table still smelled of ink, with the words "Lightning Man Problem Handling Plan" prominently displayed on the cover, and the signature "Cui Ming" boldly protruding from the paper. Yoshioka patiently opened them, his brows furrowing more and more as he read, until finally he gasped, his hand unconsciously reaching for the folding fan he always carried at his waist, but he didn't even have the strength to open it.

"The Lightning Man Mass Reduction Plan..." Yoshioka muttered to himself, his fingertips tracing the clauses marked "Precise Elimination of Ionospheric Settlements" and "Suppression of Breeding Zones by Sonic Weapons," his heart already pounding. But when he turned to the next page and saw the words "Extinction-Level Contingency Plan," he almost spat out the tea he had just drunk—the plan not only outlined a scheme to seal off the ionosphere with railguns, but also included Cui Ming's personal annotation: "Backup Plan: Utilize the power of Gaia to purify the entire ionospheric ecosystem."

"Damn it, this isn't solving a problem, it's wiping them all out!" Yoshioka wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his hand trembling slightly as he picked up the document. He considered himself a hawk in TPC, having championed the preservation of the Earth Defense Force's firepower and never wavering when facing monsters. But compared to Choi's plan, his "toughness" was as gentle as a spring breeze.

Staff Officer Nan Yuan leaned over for a glance and his pupils contracted in shock: "This...this is too extreme, isn't it? Chief, should we talk to Captain Cui and leave some room for maneuver?"

"Communication? Do you think Old Cui is the kind of person who listens to advice?" Yoshioka put down the document and sighed. "But then again, only he would dare to write something like that."

That's not wrong. Even the Ultra Warriors have seen Cui Ming's extreme actions, but no one has truly opposed him.

The Ultra Warriors understood better than anyone that Cui Ming's extreme actions were born out of necessity. He had witnessed too many tragedies caused by "compromise," too many officials who obstructed defense deployments for the sake of political achievements, too many alien races who took advantage of the chaos, and too many gloating laughs that echoed as humanity fought a bloody battle.

This experience wore away all his hesitation, leaving only the resolute determination to "cut the weeds and eliminate the roots"—rather than regretting it after the threat has grown, it's better to nip the hidden danger in the bud from the start.

What the Ultra Warriors admire even more is that Cui Ming's extreme approach never involves "relying on external forces." Everyone knows that his transformation device is practically a mini-exhibition hall: it can transform him into Gaia V2, inheriting the light of the earth and doubling his fighting power after fusing with the power of the ocean; it can also summon Agul's blue light, and it has no energy limitations when operating on Earth. Yet, unless he encounters an enemy that human weapons are completely incapable of countering, he will never easily use these powers.

Last time, when fighting the electromagnetic monster Gebalga, even though the entire Flying Swallow fighter was paralyzed by electromagnetic pulses, Choi Myung preferred to fight face-to-face with Saeko Busujima and Miyuki rather than touch the transformation device in his pocket.

Humanity's problems must first be solved by humanity itself.

This was something Cui Ming often said to Seven, and hearing it made Seven's heart ache—Cui Ming's Gaia form, in terms of fighting ability alone, was no less than any Ultra Warrior, not to mention that he could also provide power to other Ultramen and even teach them fighting techniques like Bajiquan. Seven was truly growing to love humanity more and more.
Only a person of such brilliance could love humanity so deeply.
"Pass the order down and coordinate the operation according to Captain Cui's 'mass reduction plan'." Yoshioka finally closed the document, his tone tinged with helplessness but mostly with approval. "As for the extinction-level contingency plan... let's keep it in reserve for now, hopefully we won't need it."

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the signature of "Cui Ming" on the document.

Sawai sat behind his desk, his fingertips gently tracing the edge of the "Lightning Man Mass Reduction Plan" document, the paper rubbing lightly beneath his fingers. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the document, but when his gaze fell upon the clauses marked "Clearing Settlements" and "Sonic Suppression," there was not a trace of hesitation in his eyes.

The assistant, standing beside him, noticed his prolonged silence and couldn't help but ask softly, "Director, should we call a meeting to discuss this? After all, this plan involves a large-scale operation against unknown native creatures; what if it triggers other chain reactions..."

“Discussion? There’s no need.” Sawai raised his hand to interrupt his assistant, gently placing the document on the table and tapping the words “Lightning Man” with his fingertip. “Do you remember those laughs we detected when Gabaruga attacked?”

The assistant paused for a moment, then nodded—at that time, Gabaruga's electromagnetic pulse had paralyzed communications in most of the city. While the Victory Team members were fighting desperately on the front lines, the monitoring station detected a special sound wave coming from the ionosphere. After analysis, it was found to be emitted by the Lightning Man. The malice in that laughter could be felt even through the screen.

"Humanity has already made too many concessions." Sawai's tone was calm, but with an undeniable firmness. "We've made all the compromises we could—adjusting satellite orbits, restricting electromagnetic equipment, and even proactively evacuating residents from their activity areas. But what have we gained in return? We've gained their indifferent indifference when humanity's life or death is at stake, and their covetousness of humans as 'food'."

He recalled the way Professor Mizuno had approached him with the "peace communication plan" before. At that time, he had hesitated, wondering if he should give the Lightning Man one last chance. But now it seemed that Cui Ming's judgment was correct—compromise with creatures that didn't understand "coexistence" and only knew "plunder" would only embolden them.

“I won’t stop this plan.” Sawai finally picked up the pen and signed his name at the end of the document. His handwriting was neat but decisive. “Let Cui Ming do it, but…” He paused and added, “Remind him to leave some room for maneuver. After all, Earth is also their habitat. There’s no need to exterminate them unless they force us to that point.”

The assistant took the signed document, watching Sawai's back as he gazed out the window, and suddenly understood—Sawai wasn't heartless, but rather he knew better than anyone that condoning threats was the greatest irresponsibility towards humanity. The Lightning Man's excessive actions this time had already exhausted the last reason for "forgiveness," and Cui Ming's plan was merely a response to this "excessive" behavior.

The sun gradually set in the west, casting a long shadow of Sawai. He picked up the thermos on the table, took a sip of warm tea, and thought to himself: Hopefully, after this, those creatures hiding in the ionosphere will understand that human kindness is not without limits, and that coexistence on Earth is never a one-sided act of charity. (End of Chapter)