Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

After discussing the matter of Princess Comet's upcoming visit to Earth, the Seth team unanimously agreed that there wouldn't be any major problems—after all, it was just an alien princess coming to visit, and as long as security was arranged in advance to prevent her from encountering any troublesome aliens, it would be fine.

For the team members, the only thing they need to be extra careful about is to send more people to keep an eye on her, so that this comet princess from afar doesn't get hurt on Earth, or cause any misunderstandings due to her unfamiliarity with the Earth's environment.

Looking at Piccolo, who was still engrossed in eating his cake, Cui Ming recalled the "Hertz Comet" he had mentioned earlier and couldn't help but ask, "Piccolo, what about that comet that followed you? We can't just let it drift in near-Earth orbit forever. If it deviates from its trajectory, it could easily cause panic."

With his mouth full of cake, Pico looked up and mumbled, "Oh, actually I can bring it down. I can guide it with my superpowers and get the comet closer to Earth."

"Believe it or not, we'll just blow it up." Cui Ming raised an eyebrow, his tone somewhat teasing, but he was actually testing Picoru's attitude—after all, if the comet really "came down directly," even without malice, it could still cause considerable damage to Earth.

Upon hearing this, Pikachu panicked instantly, forgetting to swallow the cake in his mouth. He quickly waved his hand, "No! Big brother! You've misunderstood! The comet won't crash directly into us! I can control its speed and trajectory, making it slowly reach the Earth's surface, just like a spaceship landing. There really won't be any danger!" He was afraid that Cui Ming would really order an attack on the comet, after all, Hertz's Comet was his best friend in the universe.

Seeing his flustered state, Cui Ming already had a plan in mind. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I'll ask around and see if we can apply for a special passage to ensure your comet lands safely." After all, Picoru was an alien prince and hadn't shown any malice, so helping him with this small favor was perfectly reasonable.

Since he's a prince, even if he's just here for tourism, the Set team has to give him some face and it's no big deal to ask the relevant departments for their opinions.

No one knew that Cui Ming had a hidden agenda—after witnessing the power of the "Picoru's Hammer," he had been eyeing its technology. If he could help Picoru solve the comet problem, he might be able to build a good relationship with the prince and then subtly inquire about the hammer's manufacturing process. Obtaining the relevant technology would greatly benefit the Set team's equipment upgrades.

Pico, unaware of Cui Ming's ulterior motives, only heard "ask for help" and immediately showed a happy expression, eating the cake in her mouth even more happily: "Thank you, big brother! You're such a good person! When the comet comes down, I'll have it bring you some space specialties!"

Cui Ming smiled and didn't say much, but he was already thinking about how to communicate with his superiors later so that he could ensure the comet landed safely and also get closer to Pi Kelu in order to get the Hammer's technical data as soon as possible.

After multiple rounds of communication between Cui Ming and Earth Defense Headquarters, an agreement was finally reached—the Hertz Comet was allowed to land safely in a designated area, but with one strict rule: the comet was absolutely not allowed to carry any monsters or aggressive cosmic creatures, and it would need to undergo a comprehensive inspection by the Set team before landing to ensure there were no potential threats.

When Cui Ming returned to the operations room with the coordination documents, Pico had just finished the last piece of cake and was rubbing his stomach and burping. Hearing the news, Pico instantly perked up, his eyes sparkling: "Great! I knew you could handle this, big brother! Don't worry, there aren't any monsters on the comet except for me and some cosmic plants. I don't want to bring those fierce-looking guys with me!"

Fearing that Cui Ming wouldn't believe him, he even took out the special telescope he had used before and pulled up a real-time image of the comet's interior—the screen showed patches of crystalline plants and several boxes filled with cosmic specialties, but there was indeed no trace of any monster.

Cui Ming looked at the screen and nodded in satisfaction: "That's good. As long as there are no monsters, the subsequent landing process will be much simpler. I have already asked the team to demarcate the landing area, which is in the uninhabited area on the outskirts of the city. We will arrange for someone to pick you up. You can just go with Spike and Kotaro."

"No problem!" Pikachu nodded vigorously, then remembered something and asked expectantly, "By the way, when the comet lands, can I share the cosmic fruits on it with everyone? Those fruits are so sweet, even better than strawberries on Earth!"

Seeing his enthusiastic attitude, Cui Ming couldn't help but smile: "Of course, but the premise is that it must be tested first to confirm that it is harmless to the human body." He also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was originally worried that Pikachu would not cooperate with the rules, but he did not expect that this prince was not only easy to talk to, but also so generous. It seems that there should not be any major problems with the subsequent connection with Princess Comet.

Aragaki leaned closer and whispered to Cui Ming, "Captain, should we prepare some Earth specialties in advance as a return gift for the Comet Princess when she arrives?"

Cui Ming thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, go to the logistics department and do some research. Choose some items that are unique to Earth and easy to carry, like chocolate or tea. Don't make them too expensive; the thought is what counts." He was still thinking about the "Picolus mallet" technique and figured that once he got closer to Piccolo, he might be able to ask him about it. Right now, building a good relationship was the key.

Pico didn't notice the two whispering amongst themselves. He was still excitedly planning what would happen after the comet landed. One minute he was saying he would take everyone to see the crystal waterfall on the comet, and the next he was saying he would teach everyone to identify constellations. He had no idea that the comet he called "harmless" would bring many unexpected and interesting things to Earth later.

As Cui Ming watched Piccolo excitedly planning the comet landing, his mind drifted back to the technology of the "Picolo Hammer"—especially when he thought about how that giant hammer could easily generate 500 megatons of force and even smash through alloy armor. His gaze unconsciously drifted to the "Twisted Hammer" that he had placed on the corner of the table.

The Twisted Hammer is Cui Ming's signature weapon, with a somewhat mechanical appearance. It's usually used to destroy enemy fortifications or for close-range defense. Although its power is considerable, it's still far inferior to the "earth-shattering" power of the Piccolo Wooden Hammer. Previously, he simply admired the hardness and explosive power of the wooden hammer, but now the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that these two technologies could be perfectly combined.

"If I could apply the metal forging technology and power transmission principle of the wooden mallet to my Twisting Hammer," Cui Ming tapped his fingers lightly on the table, already starting to plan in his mind, "Even if I could only achieve half of the 500 megatons of power, the Twisting Hammer's armor-piercing ability would be several times greater. Then, when dealing with those heavily armored spaceships or troublesome monsters, we wouldn't have to rely on the team members to fight them head-on anymore."

He even began to sketch out the appearance of the modified Twisted Hammer in his mind—retaining the original easy-to-grip mechanical handle, replacing the hammerhead with a rare metal unique to the Pigra Nebula, and adding a power transmission device inside that mimics a wooden mallet. Perhaps it could even be like the Pigra mallet, adjusting the power by swinging it, so as to severely injure the enemy while avoiding damaging too many surrounding buildings.

Thinking of this, Cui Ming couldn't help but stroke his chin, his eyes full of anticipation: "After we finish dealing with the comet landing, I need to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Piccolo. I don't need to ask for everything; even just getting the basic metal formula and power regulation principle would be enough to transform the Twisted Hammer."

He had even begun to envision the scene after the successful modification—next time he encountered aliens stealing things or monsters destroying the city, he could simply swing the upgraded twisted hammer and solve the problem with a single blow, both impressive and efficient, while also reducing the risk to his team members. However, Cui Ming wasn't in a hurry to speak immediately. After all, the most important thing right now was to ensure the comet's safe landing and to welcome the comet princess. He planned to wait until he was more familiar with Picoru before slowly extracting information from him under the guise of "exchanging weapons technology." In any case, this prince seemed simple and easy to talk to. As long as he was sincere and offered some Earth specialties as a "stepping stone," he might actually achieve his goal.

Spike, seemingly sensing Cui Ming's thoughts, nuzzled his hand with his head, as if asking a question. Cui Ming lowered his head and patted Spike's head, smiling softly as he whispered, "Nothing, just thinking about how to make our equipment even better, so you won't have to work so hard on missions." Spike nodded, seemingly understanding, his tail swaying gently before turning to stare at Pikachu, afraid the prince might cause some trouble again.

You can always trust Spike!

Cui Ming was still figuring out how to get the mallet technique from Pikelu when the twisted hammer on the corner of the table suddenly made a mechanical sound, breaking his thoughts: "Boss, I think you should make another hammer."

The sudden sound startled Cui Ming. He looked down at his personal weapon, the Twisted Hammer, for the first time ever to offer a "suggestion."

Before Cui Ming could respond, Twisted Hammer continued, "You should make a mother hammer, then I'll have a companion."

"And then you guys started chatting?" Cui Ming's lips twitched, his eyes full of helplessness. "Are you hammers or meteor hammers that have come to life? What kind of weapon needs to find a companion?" He really didn't expect that the voice module could make the weapon have such strange thoughts.

The mechanical voice of the twisted hammer paused, as if it were "thinking," before speaking again after a few seconds: "Oh right, it seems a bit strange for a hammer to chat with another hammer. Well then, boss, men understand men better. I'll go with you on this mission."

"..." Cui Ming was completely speechless at this bizarre train of thought. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find a suitable response. Sen Shan, a team member who was passing by, heard this conversation and couldn't help but cover his mouth, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably, clearly struggling to hold back his laughter.

Cui Ming took a deep breath, picked up the twisted hammer, and gently tapped the table: "Your voice module has upgraded a bit too quickly. Not only can it talk, but it has also learned to 'chat'? If you make any more strange suggestions next time, I will turn off your voice module."

"No, boss!" The mechanical voice of the twisted hammer actually carried a hint of "grievance." "I just think that if we had a new hammer, we might be able to help you research mallet technology. Look how powerful Piccolo's hammer is, I want to become powerful too!"

These words struck a chord with Cui Ming. He weighed the twisted hammer in his hand and softened his tone: "It's good to want to become stronger, but don't worry about those unnecessary things. Once I get the mallet technique, I'll definitely upgrade you first, and then you'll be stronger than you are now."

"Really?!" The mechanical voice of the twisted hammer instantly rose, filled with excitement. "Then I'll be waiting for you, boss! I'll definitely help you beat those evil aliens! I'll make those guys a blood sacrifice!"

Cui Ming looked at the "excited" twisted hammer and shook his head helplessly, but secretly thought that although the upgraded voice module was a bit "talkative", it did add some fun to the boring task.

He put the twisted hammer back on the table and looked at Piccolo again—it seemed he needed to get the comet landing sorted out quickly so he could "discuss" the mallet technique with the prince as soon as possible, not only to upgrade the weapon, but also to keep this "talkative hammer" by his side quiet.

Just as Cui Ming and Ningba Chui were bickering, the door to the operations room was gently pushed open, and Miri walked in carrying a silver tray with several cups of steaming coffee and a plate of cookies on it. The aroma instantly filled the room.

"Everyone's been working so hard, have some coffee to perk you up." Miri smiled as she placed the tray on the table and handed a cup to Choi Myung. "Captain, this is your favorite black coffee, no sugar or milk."

Choi Myung took the coffee and habitually brought it closer to smell it first—not that he was picky, but Misato was a notorious alcoholic at home, and Choi Myung was worried that she might accidentally buy the kind with alcohol. Although he didn't know if they even sold it.
However, this time the coffee only had a rich bean aroma, without a trace of alcohol. Cui Ming breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself: No alcohol, that's good. It seems she's not so foolish as to treat the workplace like her own personal liquor cabinet.

"Hey, that's a sign that you don't trust me!"

Choi Myung put down his coffee cup, raised an eyebrow, and said with a hint of teasing, "Tsk, what do you think? Who doesn't know that the drinks in your house might contain alcohol? Last time Asuka went to your house, she accidentally drank the 'juice' you kept in the refrigerator, and ended up singing in the living room all afternoon, feeling dizzy. In the end, we had to go and pick her up."

"Is it possible that Asuka didn't drink it by mistake?" Misato said speechlessly.

"Wow, that's true."

It's obvious that Asuka didn't drink it by accident; it was for a reason.
Forget it
Anyway, I'm quite comfortable with it. (End of Chapter)