Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

After returning to the surface with the Kiras brothers, Cui Ming immediately contacted Director Sawai at TPC headquarters to report the traces of the illegal nuclear experiment found in the deep sea, as well as the complete details of the mutation of Reilos due to nuclear contamination. On the other end of the phone, Director Sawai's tone gradually shifted from initial surprise to seriousness.

After hanging up the call, in his office at TPC headquarters, Director Sawai leaned back in his chair and spoke softly into the communicator that had just been disconnected: "Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work, Lao Cui. Leave the rest to me." As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but sigh heavily, rubbing his throbbing temples with his fingertips, his face full of helplessness and exhaustion.

"Even at a time like this, how can there still be such reckless individuals?" Sawai thought to himself. Humanity has long since entered the era of Titrum energy; clean, efficient, and stable new energy sources are sufficient to support global operations, and we have safer weapon systems to deal with monster crises. Yet, someone is still defying the ban and secretly conducting underground nuclear tests—undoubtedly adding to the danger to all of humanity.

He pressed the internal communication button on his desk and said in a deep voice, "Yoshioka, could you please come to my office?"

A moment later, the office door opened, and Staff Officer Yoshioka strode in, his posture upright, though a hint of barely perceptible irritation lingered between his brows. "Director, you wanted to see me?"

“I just received a report from Cui Ming: traces of illegal nuclear testing have been discovered in the deep sea, and a mutated monster has been spawned.” Sawai stated the matter directly, pushing the relevant documents in front of Yoshioka. “The follow-up investigation and handling are now in your hands.”

Yoshioka picked up the documents and quickly skimmed through them, his brows furrowing more and more as he read. After finishing, he slammed the documents on the table and gritted his teeth, saying, "Don't worry! I'll handle this cleanly!" His tone was filled with barely suppressed rage, and he had already cursed those guys who conducted illegal nuclear tests a thousand times over in his mind—there were just too many damn idiots!

Stepping out of Sawai's office, Yoshioka rubbed his aching temples, feeling utterly overwhelmed. He was truly in a bind! Why were there so many clueless idiots these days? It had already been clearly stated that with the pure, pollution-free energy source of Titrim available, there was absolutely no need to rely on nuclear weapons—weapons with extremely high pollution and risks.

While everyone understands that we might still need to use weapons of mass destruction like nuclear weapons to deal with more powerful enemies in the universe in the future, that's a matter for the future. Why cling to dangerous old methods when there are safer options available now? Do you really think everyone enjoys conducting experiments on such destructive devices right on their "doorstep"? A single misstep could lead to utter catastrophe.

Although Yoshioka himself is a well-known hawk within the TPC, advocating for a tough approach to all threats, his toughness is always measured and measured, never reckless. But these guys conducting illegal nuclear tests are acting foolishly without regard for the consequences, and they don't deserve to be called "tough" at all; they are gambling with the safety of all humanity.

Of course, whenever he thought of this, Yoshioka would subconsciously recall the EDF organization from his original world, which Cui Ming occasionally mentioned. Compared to that organization, Yoshioka felt like a conservative among conservatives. He still couldn't forget the scenes Cui Ming described, and couldn't help but mentally scoff: What the hell does "humanity must nuke all threats" even mean?!
He acknowledged that, given the backdrop of a monster that had nearly conquered half the world and humanity on the verge of extinction, the EDF's extreme measures might be understandable, as survival was the primary objective. But even so, the willingness to resort to nuclear bombardment at any cost was simply terrifying.
In particular, Choi Myung's mention of "using contamination bombs to blow up Mars" left Yoshioka utterly astonished.

Putting aside the question of whether Mars poses a threat, the mere act of using contaminating weapons to damage the environment of other planets is beyond his comprehension. This is truly... utterly insane.

"Forget it, it's a war of annihilation after all. Different stances lead to different choices." Yoshioka shook his head, banishing these thoughts from his mind. The most urgent task now is to find out who is behind these illegal nuclear tests as soon as possible and eliminate the hidden dangers completely.

While Yoshioka was leading his team in a frantic operation to investigate the illegal nuclear tests, and undercurrents were swirling at TPC headquarters, the atmosphere at the zoo remained relaxed and pleasant. Cui Ming temporarily put the investigation into the nuclear tests aside and accompanied Camilla as they continued to explore the remaining exhibits; the hostility he felt in the deep sea earlier had long since dissipated.

Camilla, holding Choi Ming's hand, stood excitedly outside the penguin enclosure, watching a group of little penguins waddle across the ice, occasionally letting out clear calls, her eyes filled with joy. "Look at that little one, it walks so clumsily," she said to Choi Ming with a childlike smile. Choi Ming looked in the direction she was pointing, a faint smile unconsciously curving his lips. He softly hummed in agreement, patiently standing with her as they watched.

Near the tiger enclosure, Daigo and Rena were also having a great time on their date. Rena held a panda-shaped cotton candy she had just bought, broke off a small piece, and offered it to Daigo's mouth. Daigo opened his mouth and took it, the sweetness instantly spreading throughout his mouth. The two walked side by side, chatting about interesting things that happened at work, occasionally stopping to take cute photos of the animals, a warm atmosphere surrounding them.

To outsiders, Daigo, a member of the GUTS team, might seem to lead a life full of tension and busyness. And that's certainly true; he's often transformed into Ultraman Tiga and rushed to various battlefields, always being called upon in times of crisis to deal with monsters that conventional human weapons couldn't handle—monsters that were enormous, incredibly destructive, and even possessed special abilities, often requiring Tiga's power to suppress or eliminate them.

But aside from these urgent combat moments, most of their lives aren't actually that thrilling. The GUTS team's daily routine consists mostly of patrolling, monitoring abnormal energy reactions, or dealing with small-scale disasters. It's precisely because of this that Daigo is able to have time to go on dates with Rena and enjoy a moment of peace.

These peaceful daily routines instilled in Daigo a steadfast belief: most of the time, humanity can rely on itself! He had witnessed the GUTS team members repeatedly piloting fighter jets into danger to protect the city; he had seen researchers working day and night to develop new weapons to support the fight against monsters; he had seen ordinary people helping each other and protecting their homes during disasters. All of this convinced him that humanity did not have to rely solely on Ultraman's power. (End of Chapter)