Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

"Captain Kei," Choi Myung said, his tone calm, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible hesitation.

"Uh, yes, senior, is there something you need?" Megumi stopped organizing the documents and looked up at him with a hint of doubt in her eyes—Usually, Choi Myung was either busy with training or researching weapons, and rarely took the initiative to chat with her like this.

Cui Ming was silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking: "Have you noticed anything unusual?"

“A unique situation?” Megumi paused for a moment, then thought carefully and nodded slightly. “To be honest, I have been having a recurring dream lately. In the dream, there are giants of darkness, giants of light, and... a city that looks very ancient, probably a scene from an ancient civilization.” Her tone was somewhat puzzled. This recurring dream always made her feel that it held some kind of secret.

“Hmm, it might be related to your genes,” Cui Ming said directly, getting straight to the point. He secretly felt that the conversation was a bit awkward, after all, he was “forced” to talk by Camilla. He was not very good at this kind of topic, so he could only bite the bullet and continue.

"Genes?" Megumi's eyes narrowed as she pressed for an answer, clearly concerned about the answer.

“Ancient civilizations do exist, but unfortunately, I couldn’t overcome one of the hurdles.” Cui Ming didn’t hide anything, his tone still calm, as if he were talking about a past event unrelated to himself. “The giants of light and the giants of darkness in your dream also exist. The giants of light are on the side of humanity and will protect humanity; the giants of darkness are on the other side. Of course, it’s not that they are bad, but they advocate the rule of the survival of the fittest, which is different from the ideology of the giants of light.”

He laid out all the information he knew directly, without embellishment or deliberate concealment—to him, these were facts that had already occurred, and there was nothing to hide.

Kijima listened intently, and as soon as Choi Myung finished speaking, she immediately asked, "Then, how did the ancient civilization perish?" This question had been lingering in her mind, and the image of the decaying ancient city in her dream always made her feel uneasy.

“I can’t do it myself.” Cui Ming shrugged lightly, a hint of regret in his voice. “The Giants of Light will not interfere with humanity’s choices. They will only provide help when humanity needs it, but they will not make decisions for humanity.” He looked at Ju Jianhui, his eyes becoming more serious. “When humanity gives up, the Giants of Light will leave on their own. Civilization will perish, it’s that simple.”

"How do you know so much, Captain Cui Ming?" Megumi finally asked the most crucial question—these secrets about the ancient civilization and the giants were not even recorded in TPC's core database, yet Cui Ming could speak of them with such certainty.

“Because I witnessed all of this.” Cui Ming’s tone was calm, as if he were talking about something ordinary. “It’s just that at the time I could only watch all of this from the perspective of an outsider and couldn’t interfere. When humanity gave up on saving itself, the fate of the ancient civilization was already sealed.”

"Humans, give up on saving yourselves?" Megumi repeated the question, her eyes somewhat vacant, as if she were processing this cruel truth. She looked at Choi Myung, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

“Yes.” Cui Ming nodded, offering no further explanation—the truth is often so straightforward, without dramatic twists and turns, only the ending chosen by humanity itself. A brief silence fell over the office. Ju Jianhui looked out the window at the sky, the scene from her dream replaying in her mind, along with Cui Ming's words, and a heavier realization settled in her heart.

“So…you…” Kijima looked at Choi Myung, the words on the tip of her tongue, then paused slightly—she vaguely guessed Choi Myung’s identity, but still needed a clear confirmation, her tone carrying a hint of probing.

Cui Ming looked up at her, his tone still calm, and softly replied, "Hmm, pretty much what you thought." Without any further explanation, he had already tacitly acknowledged his connection to the past of the ancient civilization.

Megumi paused slightly, and after a moment of silence, she asked the question that had been on her mind: "So, why did you step forward this time?" In the ancient times, he was just an observer, but now he had taken the initiative to become "Storm One," the guardian of the Earth. This transformation was something she cared about very much.

“It’s not as complicated as you think.” Cui Ming leaned against the edge of the table, his hands in his pockets. “The reason I stepped forward this time is because I met Sawai and Yoshioka—they are willing to do everything in their power to protect the Earth, and their dedication made me feel it was worth helping them. Before that, I only knew the Dark Giants, nothing more.” He spoke frankly, without trying to elevate himself, simply stating his reasons for stepping forward.

As Kei listened quietly, the complexity in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a sense of understanding.

Cui Ming added, "Besides, I can't help humans who don't save themselves. I'm just one person, and no matter how strong I am, I can't support a race that has given up hope. A race must strive to save itself in order to continue; it can't go far by relying solely on the protection of others." There was no accusation in his tone, only an objective statement, as if he were stating a truth that had already been proven.

"..." Megumi didn't reply, but just lowered her head in silence. Cui Ming's words were like a pebble, stirring up ripples in her heart—the destruction of the ancient civilization was because humanity gave up on saving itself; and the Earth today is only possible to be protected because of Sawai, Yoshioka, and countless others like Cui Ming who are willing to stand up.

Silence descended upon the office once more, but this time, Megumi's eyes were no longer filled with confusion. She looked up at the window, sunlight streaming through the glass and falling on her desk, illuminating the determination in her eyes—she finally understood that Choi Myeong's "standing up" was never about replacing humanity, but about providing more support for those willing to save themselves.

After a long while, Kijima looked at Choi Myung again, her tone serious: "I understand. Thank you for telling me all this." These words not only answered her doubts but also gave her a clearer direction for "protecting the Earth"—humanity must first hold onto its own hope in order to retain the helping hand extended by others.

Looking at the determination in her eyes, Cui Ming nodded gently, saying nothing more. Some truths must be understood personally; all he could do was explain the truth clearly. The rest was up to humanity to walk its own path. (End of Chapter)