Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

Cui Ming's schedule has been almost completely filled lately. On one hand, he has to study tactics to deal with Zetton, which represents despair—a formidable enemy that even Ultra Warriors have to be wary of, and he must make thorough preparations in advance. On the other hand, he also has to find time to ponder the events of Misato and Asuka's original world. It is said that that world is affected by some kind of time force, causing time reversal. If one is not careful, it may trigger a chain of chaos. Just thinking about the complexity of it makes one's scalp tingle.

On this rare day when he had a moment of free time, Cui Ming found Asuka in the rest area of ​​the operations room. Seeing her staring blankly out the window, he went over and sat down, casually asking, "Asuka, what do you think of your world?"

Hearing the question, Asuka turned her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. After thinking for a moment, she slowly spoke: "Ah, well, actually I don't have any attachment to our original world. Anyway, Mom is with me. As for Dad, well, I have you now."

Cui Ming paused for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled helplessly and gently patted her shoulder: "You really are a filial child."

"Hahaha. It's mainly because my relationship with my dad isn't particularly good," Asuka scratched her head, her tone carrying a hint of relief. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have lived with my mom. I used to feel that home was cold and impersonal, but after a major disaster, being able to survive with my mom made me realize that nothing else mattered."

"Oh, I see. You must have had a tough time." Cui Ming's voice softened a bit. He could imagine how difficult it must have been for a child to survive with his mother in such a disaster-stricken environment, while also carrying the burden of a rift with his father.

"No, actually I think it's alright. After all, it's already great that we were able to survive with Mom in such a disaster," Asuka said, looking up at the sky with a slightly unfocused gaze, as if recalling fragments of the past. "Actually, I initially hoped that Choi would become my father, but now I can only apologize to Mom."

Choi Myung fell completely silent. He looked at Asuka's slightly shy yet extremely serious profile and felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

He knew the weight of Asuka's words—it was a child's longing for warmth and support after experiencing hardship, and also an unconditional trust in him. After a long silence, he sighed softly, his voice full of tenderness: "Silly girl, you don't need to say 'sorry' to your mother. Your mother's greatest wish is for you to be happy."

Upon hearing this, Asuka's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded vigorously: "Yes! I know! That's why I'm happy every day now, with Mom and Choi, it's much better than in the old world!"

Seeing her radiant smile, Cui Ming smiled too, secretly resolving that no matter what, he would protect this simple happiness. Whether dealing with Zetton or handling the trouble of time travel, he would not let Asuka and her mother fall into danger again.

As Choi Myung watched Asuka, he gradually understood the reason for her special dependence—she might really have a bit of an Oedipus complex, but more than that, she had grasped a sense of security in a turbulent world.

In that other world, every time I appeared before Asuka and Zeppelin, it was during their most vulnerable and helpless moments. At those times, their eyes were filled with fear of the unknown, and my presence was like a ray of light dispelling that fear. Looking back now, it wasn't just Asuka; many people I met in that world seemed to possess a special sense of security, a truly magical feeling.

But thinking about it carefully, it's no wonder they relied on themselves. The world Asuka and Zeppelin traveled to was far more devastating than the world the sergeant and his men lived in—at least the sergeant's side had a well-established resistance force and could occasionally organize an effective counterattack, but Asuka's side relied almost entirely on herself to sustain the damage.

Cui Ming still vividly remembers the scene from his first time traveling through time: the EDF's defenses had completely collapsed, wreckage of fighter jets burned in the ruins, wounded soldiers fled in all directions, and the roars of monsters echoed everywhere. He had barely landed when he saw Asuka pulling Zeppelin behind a broken wall, their eyes filled with despair. From then on, every time he traveled through time, he saw the devastation of the EDF's defeat, with no support, no reinforcements, and he had to carry the load alone. "Tsk, thinking about it now, I was really a bit of a lone hero back then," Cui Ming chuckled self-deprecatingly, but then his smile vanished—although it might sound like he was just putting on a brave face, he was genuinely fighting for his life back then.

After all, there were so many people waiting to be protected behind him: Asuka, Zeppelin, and ordinary people struggling to survive in the ruins. If he retreated, those people would truly have no hope.

He leaned against the wall, gazing at the distant sunset, his heart filled with emotion. Perhaps it was that experience of desperately protecting someone in a cruel world that made Asuka see him as a reliable "father figure," and made him a symbol of security in her heart. Now that he could let her and Zeppelin live peacefully in this world, without having to face those desperate scenes again, all the previous struggles were worth it.

As Cui Ming gazed at the setting sun, his fingertips unconsciously traced the outline of the old gun at his waist. The feelings of nostalgia for the past slowly settled into the word "worth it."

Yes, no matter how tired we were in that brutal world, no matter how many times we faced defeat alone or confronted the fangs of monsters, looking back now, it was all worth it.

He suddenly remembered the Yapools—the guys who always brought their extradimensional legions to Earth to cause trouble. Although they were on opposing sides, Cui Ming could inexplicably understand their obsession.

The Yapool fought against Earth with all their might, and after being driven away, they fought back desperately. Behind them were the lights of countless homes of the extradimensional beings, the people and homes they wanted to protect; and wasn't it the same when I fought desperately in that world?
At that time, he carried the hopes of countless people behind him: the longing for a peaceful life in Asuka and Zeppelin's eyes, the yearning for survival among the survivors in the ruins, and the "lights of thousands of homes" hidden behind the broken walls and rubble of countless ordinary families. Those lights were his reason for not giving up in desperate situations, and the motivation for him to carry his gun and charge towards the monster time and time again.

I still feel a little regretful when I think about it occasionally—back then, all I had were various kinds of guns, and none of them had the ability to transform into a giant warrior. Every time I faced a huge monster, I had to rely on agile movement and accurate shooting to find the monster's weakness bit by bit. A slight mistake could cost me my life.

Unlike now, with Ultra Warriors fighting alongside her, teammates from the Set Team providing support, and main ship girls like Musashi and Friedrich helping her, she is much more at ease when dealing with threats.

Even so, Cui Ming never regretted his choice.

So what if he doesn't have the ability to transform? With just a gun, he still protected those he wanted to protect, and he still safeguarded the "lights of thousands of homes" behind him.

Noah: Guess why I chose him? He doesn't even need to transform before he starts risking his life! (End of Chapter)