Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

That's right, this enemy operation actually involved more than one force.

Grosto from the Cat Tongue Universe has also arrived. This guy always harbors ambitions to conquer Earth. Unfortunately, his method of infiltration was far too direct. One night, as he sneaked into the basement of an apartment building under construction, he was spotted by a little boy selling sweet potatoes. The boy stared wide-eyed at the figure radiating an eerie blue light, too terrified to breathe. Only after Grosto disappeared underground did he frantically pull out a public phone and dial the Seth team's number.

At that moment, Misato was sitting in the command room of the Seth team, flipping through information on recent monster and alien activities.

The phone rang abruptly. She answered quickly, and a child's tearful voice came through the receiver, haltingly describing the strange creature the child had just seen. Misato's expression hardened. While gently comforting the child, she rapidly typed on the keyboard, retrieving surveillance footage from the vicinity of the apartment building. But the screen only showed empty streets and the occasional passerby; the alien the child had described was nowhere to be seen.

Misato frowned, speaking gently yet firmly into the phone, "Little one, you did a fantastic job. Don't make any rash moves now. We'll send someone to pick you up right away. Just stay put and wait for us, okay?" After hanging up, she immediately dispatched her team to the child's location and safely brought him back to the Seto team base. After a series of rigorous physical examinations to confirm that the child hadn't been controlled by aliens or implanted with any abnormal devices, Misato personally sat beside the child, handed him a cup of warm milk, and began to gently inquire about the situation.

The little boy, holding his milk cup, his hands trembling slightly, described in detail his encounter with Grosto, including its blue-white body, its strange head shape, and the peculiar light it emitted when it burrowed underground. Misato listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes in her notebook, a feeling creeping into her heart that the appearance of this alien would likely bring considerable trouble.

After all, these stealthy enemies are the most annoying kind! Unlike aliens who rush out and cause destruction, making them easy to spot, they lurk stealthily in the shadows, and no one knows when they'll suddenly appear and cause trouble, making them impossible to guard against. Fortunately, a child discovered Grosto's trail in time; otherwise, if he had gone even deeper into hiding, who knows what kind of trouble he might have caused.

As for whether this is just a child's joke, there's absolutely no need to worry. You can always trust Storm One, Cui Ming, in this matter! He always takes these situations seriously. Whether it's a prank or not, if you say you saw an infiltrated alien, Cui Ming guarantees he'll find you while you're still alive. His sharp eyes seem to see through any disguise; no clue escapes his notice.

Even if you get captured, it's okay. Storm One's combat power is no joke. He can break through enemy encirclements and rescue you from the aliens. There have been similar cases before. A child was kidnapped by infiltrating aliens after just explaining that he had discovered them. Cui Ming single-handedly broke in and fought his way through with a shotgun, bringing the child back safely.

Of course, if you lie, the consequences will be severe. Storm One will show up at your doorstep with seven wolves and a mountain of homework, letting you experience the price of lying. The seven wolves won't leave you feeling good, and the mountain of homework will keep you incredibly busy for the next few days. Therefore, no one dares to joke about these kinds of things; after all, nobody wants to mess with this reliable yet terrifying Storm One.

Just like this time when the child reported Grosto's whereabouts, even though no evidence was found in the surveillance footage yet, the Set team did not dare to be negligent. Behind this was their fear of Cui Ming's style of doing things—if they really missed it, they would be in big trouble when Cui Ming came.

Now that the target has been identified, things are much simpler! Cui Ming spoke into the communicator in a deep voice, "Sergeant, target confirmed, Grosto of the Cat Tongue Universe, in the area where an apartment building is under construction. You are to move out immediately!"

"Roger!" The sergeant's response was crisp and efficient, and the gunfire in the background seemed to pause for a moment. Hostages? No problem, the EDF's suppression rifles were specifically designed for this situation; they would only temporarily incapacitate someone, not cause fatal damage. However, Cui Ming never liked using such "restrained" weapons; he preferred the decisiveness of resolving the issue with a single shot. But the sergeant and his men were different. When the safety of hostages needed to be considered, the suppression rifle was undoubtedly the more appropriate choice.

And then there's the scene we see now—

The apartment building under construction was temporarily converted into an alien stronghold. Grosto trapped a dozen workers on the steel frame on the top floor, while he and a few of his men guarded the stairwell, engaging in a battle of wits with the Storm Force.

"Bang!" An energy blast grazed past the sergeant's ear, striking a concrete pillar behind him and exploding into a shower of sparks. The sergeant cursed, pulled back, and yelled into the walkie-talkie, "Suppressive fire! Take out the firing positions on the right!"

"Damn, these aliens are really daring!" The sergeant frowned deeply as he looked at the workers tied to the steel frame upstairs. The workers were pale with fear, but they were bound by energy ropes, and any movement could make them be used as human shields.

"Squad Two, flank through the ventilation duct! Avoid the surveillance cameras!" The sergeant gritted his teeth and gave the order, firing a shot at the alien upstairs with his suppression rifle. The blue beam grazed the alien's arm, and the guy screamed and took two steps back, but immediately grabbed a worker to shield himself.

If it weren't for the safety of the hostages, the sergeant would have already ordered Cui to call in planes to blow up the building. He looked at the time on his watch, the veins on his forehead throbbing—the stalemate had lasted for half an hour, and if it dragged on any longer, who knew if these aliens would resort to desperate measures and harm the hostages.

"Death Squad, prepare! Once Squad Two is in position, we'll launch a frontal assault!" The sergeant took a deep breath and gripped his suppressor pistol tightly. "Remember, use suppressor rounds as much as possible. Don't start killing unless absolutely necessary!"

A creaking sound came from the ventilation ducts, a signal that Squad Two was moving rapidly. The sergeant looked up at the roof, where Grosto was peering down with a smug grin.

"Just you wait, you bastard," the sergeant muttered, his finger tightening on the trigger. "You'll soon learn that hostage-taking doesn't work here."

Gunfire intensified in the stairwell once more, blue suppressive beams and red energy blasts intertwining in the darkness, illuminating the tense faces of both sides—this battle, with hostages holding them captive, was destined to be more grueling than anticipated. (End of Chapter)