Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

The most surprising one was Daigo.

From initially being unable to dodge even the moving leaves of a Venus flytrap, he can now accurately predict the trajectory of exploding Kanak debris—those seed pods with diamond-hard shells that have pierced his simulated armor multiple times. Now, he only needs to observe changes in airflow to avoid the debris's attack range in advance, and can even use the exploding seed shells as makeshift weapons.

Standing in the monitoring room, watching the team members smoothly deal with various plant threats on the screen, I couldn't help but recall how they first entered the training pod half a year ago. Back then, Nori panicked when he was entangled by paralyzing vines, Horii was helpless against the cactus that sprayed poisonous stingers, and Shinjo and Lina bumped into each other while trying to avoid Venus flytraps. Now, they can not only survive for more than 72 hours in the "baby mode" of Katachan, but also simultaneously record the attack patterns and weakness data of plants while avoiding danger—this is the core of the "survival counterattack" that Cui Ming emphasized.

“Not bad, it seems the suffering wasn’t in vain.” Cui Ming stood next to Ju Jian Hui at some point, watching Daigo precisely sever the stamen of the strange plant on the screen, a smile playing on his lips.

Megumi nodded in response: "Their current level of vigilance means they can handle even real Catachan plants."

On the screen, Ye Rui suddenly raised his hand to signal a pause, pointing to a depression in the ground and reminding his teammates, "The soil color here is wrong; there might be roots of poisonous thorn bean. Take a detour." As soon as he finished speaking, sticky venom gushed out from that patch of ground—it was indeed a trap of poisonous thorn bean.

Cui Ming raised an eyebrow in satisfaction as he watched this scene: "That's more like it. After all, the real battlefield is far more dangerous than 'Baby Mode'."

Six months of grueling training have finally transformed these experts into warriors capable of standing firm in the deadly jungle. Those once-feared Catachan plants have now become the "touchstone" for testing their survival skills.

On the screen, the image of Ye Rui's accurate warning of the barbed bean trap had not yet disappeared. Cui Ming watched his team members methodically avoid the danger and continue to advance, and his satisfaction was even greater. Half a year ago, the group of experts who could not even move an inch in "baby mode" could now not only stand firm in the deadly jungle, but also actively avoid risks and record data in real time. This had already exceeded his initial expectations.

“Everyone has the ability to survive, that’s great.” Cui Ming murmured softly, his tone unusually relaxed. “Very good.” For him, the core of training was never to turn the team members into top warriors, but to enable them to survive on the perilous battlefield—after all, the value of the Victory Team lies in analysis and support, and only by surviving can they fulfill that value.

Looking at the screen, Megumi, whose shoulders had been tense for half a year, finally relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief: "Well, at least I can rest assured now." No one understood the significance of this training better than her—from proposing Choi Myung as the instructor to deciding to use the "Baby Mode" in Katachan as the training ground, she personally finalized every step. She was terrified that one day, the team members would perish in the mission due to a lack of survival skills, so no matter how brutal the training process was, it was a necessary effort.

She believes that her teammates will eventually understand her – they may complain about the harshness of the training now, but when they are truly facing danger, these survival skills ingrained in their bones will become their lifesavers.

Cui Ming seemed to read her mind, put his hand on her shoulder, and said gently, "Don't worry, Huizi, everyone will understand you." He had seen too many people sacrifice themselves due to lack of training, and Huizi's insistence was the most responsible protection for the team members.

Megumi turned to look at him, the worry in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a relieved smile: "Yes, thank you, Choi." If Choi hadn't been willing to cooperate and train the team members in the most realistic way, they probably wouldn't have achieved such good results.

Cui Ming gently patted her shoulder, then changed the subject, adding a touch of everyday life: "Nothing much. By the way, what are you having for dinner tonight?" Training was finally over, and it was time to relax and enjoy a home-cooked meal. Ju Jianhui thought for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Hmm, fish head stew with flatbread?" It was a dish Cui Ming occasionally mentioned, but he'd been too busy with training to make it before; now he finally had the chance.

“Okay.” Cui Ming nodded, a smile appearing in his eyes.

Just as Cui Ming had finalized plans with Ju Jian Hui for dinner, he returned home and opened the door to find the living room in a rather "lively" scene—Katsuragi Misato, dressed in loose, casual loungewear, her hair casually pulled back, was sprawled on the sofa, her cheeks flushed from drinking, muttering intermittently, "Ugh, really, my head hurts."

On the coffee table beside her were several empty wine bottles, and a faint smell of alcohol filled the air. Cui Ming shook his head helplessly, tiptoed over, poured a glass of warm water from the kitchen, and handed it to her: "This is for sobering up, drink slowly."

Misato Katsuragi groggily opened her eyes, saw the glass of water handed to her, and struggled to sit up. She took the glass, wobbling it slightly and almost spilling the water. She took a few small sips, then let out a long sigh, complaining with a nasal tone, "Ah, thank you. Ugh... this drink is really strong. I've never had such a low alcohol tolerance before."

"I'm telling you," Cui Ming said, looking at her irritably, and reached out to pull up the collar of her slipping loungewear. "You get yourself completely drunk as soon as you're on vacation. Can't you just rest at home?" He knew Katsuragi Misato's personality all too well. She was usually decisive and efficient at the base, but she was like a different person on vacation. She always liked to relax with alcohol, but she could never control the amount and ended up with a headache from being drunk.

Misato Katsuragi didn't seem to care at all. Instead, she grinned foolishly at Choi Myung and gently poked his arm with her finger: "Hehe, it's a vacation, a vacation~ It's rare that I don't have to think about missions or look at data, so of course I have to relax a bit~ hehe." After getting drunk, she lost some of her usual competence and became more childlike and naive.

Seeing her like this, Cui Ming swallowed back the reprimand that was on the tip of his tongue, and just shook his head helplessly. He bent down to pick up the empty wine bottles on the coffee table, thinking to himself: Oh well, they are under so much pressure at the base, it's not easy for them to take a break, as long as they are happy, it's okay for them to indulge themselves a little once in a while.

Misato Katsuragi leaned back on the sofa, watching Choi Myung's retreating figure as he tidied up. A smile lingered on her lips, but her eyes gradually softened. She knew that although Choi Myung was irritable, he had always taken good care of them, his "family"—whether it was the hangover medicine he handed her when she was drunk, the research he provided for Rin when she was studying monster specimens, or his sparring partner when Saeko Busujima was practicing her sword, Choi Myung always tolerated each of their "little tempers" in his own way.

"Cui," Katsuragi Misato called softly, her voice tinged with a hint of languor.

"What's wrong?" Cui Ming finished cleaning up the bottles and turned to look at her.

"It's nothing." She smiled, leaned back on the sofa, and closed her eyes. "I just feel...it's nice to have you here." As soon as she finished speaking, soft breathing could be heard—she had actually fallen asleep.

Looking at her sleeping face, Cui Ming felt both helpless and amused. He turned and went to the bedroom to get a light blanket, gently covering her with it. (End of Chapter)