Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

Shinjo looked at the group of people covered in blood who were still discussing "collecting alien heads," but his thoughts inexplicably drifted to Horii—he felt that sometimes people still had a lot of prejudice against Horii.

Horii is actually quite good, good at everything: a master at weapons development, and always the first to step forward and solve technical problems during missions. Although he's a bit overweight, which might be a drawback for women who value appearance at first glance, he still has his merits!
Those who make it into the Victory Team are all elites! Horii's ability to stay on the team with his research skills proves that he is an elite! Hmm. As for other advantages, don't ask Shinjo. He racked his brains for a long time, and apart from "strong skills" and "friendly to the team", he really couldn't think of anything else.

Poor Horii is almost universally acknowledged as "not good-looking" by the entire team, and even Shinjo, who usually protects him the most, can't defend him on this matter.

Shinjo was sighing for Horii when Choi Myung suddenly spoke up, his tone casual as if he were talking about the weather: "Speaking of which, I just remembered recently, are the monsters in this area causing trouble?"

"???!?!" Shinjo's expression froze instantly, as if he'd been doused with ice water, chilling him to the bone—his greatest fear was ghosts and monsters! "Instructor, why are you bringing this up?! What are you trying to do?! No! Please! Please don't think it's what I'm thinking!"

Xincheng prayed frantically in his heart, his hands unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes, his eyes fixed on Cui Ming, afraid of hearing words like "go catch monsters" from his mouth.

Unfortunately, it seems that heaven did not hear his prayers.

Choi Myung turned to look at the corner of the lounge and asked in a calm voice, "Yachi, do you sense anything? Are there any similar auras around here?"

As Cui Ming finished speaking, a slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows—it was the eight-foot-tall woman, dressed in traditional clothing, tall and slender with long hair hanging down. Even with an expressionless face, she exuded an eerie aura that ordinary people did not have.

Seeing this scene, Shinjo's heart, which had been in his throat, finally died completely. His vision went black, and all that remained in his mind was the thought, "It's over, I really have to deal with the monster." The next second, his body went limp, and he fainted.

"Hey? Why did Xincheng faint?" Ye Rui was startled and quickly stepped forward to support him to prevent him from falling to the ground.

Cui Ming looked at the unconscious Xin Cheng, somewhat puzzled: "What happened to him? I said it was just a monster, is it really that serious?"

Asuka sighed and rubbed her forehead: "Have you forgotten? Shinjo is terrified of ghosts and monsters. You suddenly brought this up and even summoned the Eight-Foot Woman. It's no wonder he's dizzy."

The eight-foot-tall woman stood to the side, glancing down at the unconscious Shinjo, her eyes unwavering, as if she were merely looking at an ordinary object. Lin, however, leaned closer with interest and poked Shinjo's arm: "I didn't expect him to be so timid, afraid of monsters. Are they scarier than aliens?"

Daigo and Rena quickly helped Shinjo lie down on the sofa, afraid that if he woke up and saw the eight-foot woman again, he would faint again—after all, with Choi Myung and the eight-foot woman there, Shinjo didn't need to deal with monsters; it was better to let him sleep and avoid this "nightmare." However, looking at Shinjo lying on the sofa still unconscious, Choi Myung thought for a moment and realized that simply letting him avoid it wasn't a solution. If they really encountered monster-related missions in the future, they couldn't let him faint every time. So, they had to find another way to help him overcome his fear.

Before Xincheng could wake up, Cui Ming went straight over, lifted him up from his unconscious state, and half-carried him into the passenger seat of the SUV parked at the base entrance. Xincheng remained unconscious the entire time, his head still tilted against the back of the seat, his brows furrowed, as if he were still having a nightmare about being chased by an eight-foot-tall woman.

After the car had driven some distance from the base, the bumpy road conditions finally made Xincheng groggily open his eyes. He rubbed his throbbing temples, his vision not yet fully focused, and asked in a daze, "Instructor, where are we going?" The shadow of the "eight-foot woman" still lingered in his mind, and his voice was still a little unsteady from just waking up.

Cui Ming didn't turn around, and while holding the steering wheel, he said calmly, "I'll take you somewhere to test your courage."

"Training in courage?" Shinjo's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly became more alert, a bad premonition rising within him. "Instructor, aren't we going to fight monsters or aliens? Why are we training in courage? I think I'm pretty brave!" He became less and less confident as he spoke, his eyes unconsciously glancing out the window, afraid of seeing something strange.

Cui Ming didn't expose his pretense, but stepped on the gas and drove the car toward the old town on the edge of the city—that area was known for having "many monsters." Residents often saw strange shadows in the old streets and abandoned houses, and even TPC's records contained many cases of "abnormal energy fluctuations" there.

“There’s a monster over there named Obik who knows a lot of his kind. Perfect, let him help you meet other monsters and see if he can help you build up your courage.” Cui Ming’s voice was calm and even, as if he were casually saying, “Go to the supermarket to buy a bottle of water.”

"O-Obik?!" Shinjo's voice rose instantly, his hand gripping the seatbelt tightly until his knuckles turned white—of course he had heard of Obik's name. There was a legend circulating in the base about "Obik, the monster of the old town," who was said to be able to control shadows and make eerie laughs. Just thinking about it made him feel a chill down his spine.

"Instructor! Can we try a different way to build courage? Like going to the shooting range to practice shooting, or going to the simulation chamber to fight monsters! I think those can also build courage!" Shinjo tried to struggle, his tone full of pleading. He really didn't want to deal with "monsters," which were invisible, intangible, and had a terrifying atmosphere.

Cui Ming remained unmoved. The car had already turned into the alleys of the old town, and the surrounding light suddenly dimmed. The old streetlights flickered on and off, and the mottled marks on the walls looked like distorted faces under the light. "No, target practice and simulation pods train your courage against 'enemies,' not against 'monsters.' You have to learn to face what you're afraid of, otherwise you'll still get dizzy when you encounter the real thing next time."

Looking out the window at the increasingly bizarre scene and listening to the occasional rustling sounds coming from the alley, Xincheng felt a surge of fear rising within him. He huddled in the passenger seat, wishing he could hide inside, his mind filled with only one thought: If only he had stayed unconscious, he would have stayed unconscious. Now, being "forcibly dragged to see monsters" by the instructor was even more terrifying than being forced to confront a monster head-on!
The car finally stopped in front of an abandoned shrine. Cui Ming opened the car door and said to Xin Cheng, who was still trembling in the passenger seat, "Get out. Obik should be inside. He's easy to talk to and won't hurt anyone."

Shinjo sat in the car, staring at the dilapidated shrine gate, his legs trembling—this wasn't a "test of courage," it was a public execution! (End of Chapter)