Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

With Halloween a week away, pumpkin lanterns were already hanging in the corridors of TPC headquarters. Employees were chatting in small groups about what costumes to wear and where to go to parties. Even the members of the Victory Team were planning a small gathering. Only Choi Myung watched the lively scene with a furrowed brow, flipping through several pages of the documents in his hand without managing to read them.

"What's so great about celebrating Halloween?" Choi Myung complained to Moroboshi Dan as he passed by, his tone full of confusion. "Isn't it just wearing a mask and asking for candy? Why are you so excited?"

Dan Moroboshi followed his gaze to the pumpkin lanterns in the corridor, and shook his head with a smile: "Humans like excitement, and festivals are just an excuse to relax. But you seem particularly averse to this festival?"

Cui Ming sighed and lowered his voice: "It's not that I'm against it, it's that I know some 'insider information'. I only found out after talking to the Eight-Foot Woman and the Crow that there might be real 'things' mixed in with this festival - not humans dressed as ghosts, but real supernatural beings that are wandering around the city under the cover of the festival."

These words made Dan Moroboshi's smile fade slightly: "You mean, there are non-human beings disguised as humans participating in festival activities?"

“It’s more than just a disguise.” Cui Ming leaned against the wall, his eyes becoming more serious. “Ruya said that some ‘things’ that exist in the gaps between dimensions like to come out during festivals when humans gather and the atmosphere is lively. On the one hand, they can hide themselves under the guise of ‘dressing up,’ and on the other hand, they can absorb human emotional energy. Once, during Halloween, a series of ‘tourist disappearances’ occurred in a certain city. In the end, it was found that it was this kind of ‘thing’ that was behind it, dragging people into another dimension and telling the public that they were ‘lost.’”

Dan Moroboshi was silent for a few seconds: "Didn't you warn the humans to be careful?"

“What’s the point of reminding them?” Cui Ming gave a wry smile. “I talked to Sawai about this before, hoping that TPC would secretly increase patrols during the holidays and subtly remind the public to be careful. But Sawai told me there was no way.”

He recalled his conversation with Sawai at the time—

“Captain Cui, I know you’re doing this for everyone’s good, but this can’t be made public.” Ze Jing sat behind his desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface, his tone helpless. “Humans are still very unacceptable about the supernatural. If you suddenly tell them that there are real ghosts and monsters on Halloween, won’t you scare them to death? It might even cause panic, and then the situation will be even harder to control.”

"But what if something goes wrong if we leave it unattended?" Cui Ming was so anxious that he almost slammed his fist on the table.

“We can only arrange for EDF personnel to increase patrols privately, and deal with any abnormalities immediately, trying to keep it quiet.” Sawai sighed. “It’s a holiday, everyone’s just trying to have fun. If the ‘truth’ is revealed, the holiday will be ruined. Besides, who knows if something will sneak in every year? Maybe it’s just once in a while. There’s no need to spoil everyone’s fun because of unknown risks.”

Although Cui Ming was unconvinced at the time, he knew that Sawai was telling the truth. Humans need the joy of festivals to relieve the pressure of life and battles, and he couldn't just destroy this rare celebration because of "potential dangers."

“But don’t worry too much.” Dan Moroboshi patted Choi Myung on the shoulder. “With me and you here, if any ‘thing’ dares to cause trouble, we’ll take care of it and not let it have a chance to harm humans.”

Cui Ming nodded, his gaze returning to the pumpkin lanterns in the corridor. He didn't actually dislike holidays, but he couldn't enjoy them as freely as others—especially when he thought of the Ghost Festival, which made him feel that Halloween's "joy" concealed hidden dangers. For him, the Ghost Festival was a day to remember the dead and hold reverence; everyone remained solemn, there was no "pretending to be ghosts," and naturally, no opportunity for the "real things" to take advantage. But Halloween was different; beneath the lively surface, no one knew what was lurking.

"I hope things will be peaceful this year," Cui Ming murmured to himself, having already made a silent decision—on Halloween, he would personally lead the EDF to patrol the city. Even if he couldn't publicly remind people, he would protect this "superficial joy" in his own way, preventing those "things" hiding in the shadows from ruining this precious human holiday.

At the end of the corridor, Ye Rui waved at him, holding up a pumpkin head mask: "Captain Cui! Want to come to the Halloween party? I'm going to dress up as an alien!" Cui Ming looked at Ye Rui's excited expression, twitched the corners of his mouth, and forced a smile: "We'll see, we'll see how it goes." He knew in his heart that he would probably be watching those "too realistic" costumes warily amidst other people's laughter and joy again.

Ye Rui had just loudly agreed to Cui Ming's instructions when his gaze inadvertently swept over Cui Ming's side. He froze instantly, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared, leaving only silence.

Standing to Cui Ming's left was an eight-foot-tall woman, wearing a dark long dress that trailed on the ground. Her figure was so tall that she almost touched the chandelier at the top of the corridor. Her long hair gently fell over her shoulders. Although her features were exquisitely beautiful, she exuded a kind of oppressive aura that made people afraid to look directly at her. Ye Rui had heard about her from the other team members. She was a legendary supernatural being. The name "eight-foot-tall woman" alone was enough to inspire awe.

On the right, Ruya was even more striking. A gentle breeze seemed to swirl around him, his eyes calm yet filled with an indescribable mystery. He lightly twirled a strand of hair between his fingers, a seemingly casual gesture that made the air feel heavy. Ye Rui remembered the last time he had accidentally bumped into Ruya standing by the lake. The scene was as beautiful as a painting, but just as he was about to go up and greet him, he was stopped by a look from Ruya—there was no malice in that look, but it carried a sense of "keep away" aloofness, causing him to instinctively retreat.

Now, with these two "big shots" standing on either side of Cui Ming, their aura was overwhelming. Ye Rui felt that even breathing became cautious, and the thought of chatting with Cui Ming a few more times vanished instantly.

He muttered to himself: Well, I'd better leave quickly and not linger here. After all, Instructor Cui Ming is a man with "powerful charisma," able to keep someone like the eight-foot-tall woman by his side. He doesn't have that ability. If he accidentally offends either of them, the consequences will be no laughing matter.

Cui Ming noticed Ye Rui's nervousness and couldn't help but smile: "Don't be so tense, they're not like that, they don't eat people."

Upon hearing this, the eight-foot-tall woman gently raised her eyes, her gaze towards Ye Rui softening; Ruya also nodded slightly, as if to greet her.

Ye Rui breathed a sigh of relief and quickly waved his hand, "No, I wasn't nervous! I just suddenly remembered that I have something to take care of. Instructor Cui, Lady Bachi, Lady Ruya, I'll take my leave now!" After saying that, he practically fled, his steps even faster than usual.

Watching Ye Rui's hurried departure, Ru Ya couldn't help but say, "Your teammate is quite timid."

"It's mainly because you two have such a strong presence," Cui Ming explained with a smile. "Ordinary people would inevitably feel a little reserved when they see you two."

The eight-foot-tall woman gave a soft "hmm," her gaze following the direction where Ye Rui disappeared, her tone tinged with worry: "During Halloween, young people like him will definitely go out to join in the fun, so we need to remind them to be careful."

Cui Ming nodded: "Don't worry, I've already instructed the EDF to increase patrols. If anything unusual happens, they'll handle it immediately."

(End of this chapter)