Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

The lights were still on in the Victory Team's command room at TPC headquarters. The team members had just finished their battle debriefing around the tactical table, and the map spread out on the table still bore the marks of the monsters' tracks. At that moment, Cui Ming pushed open the door and entered, holding a tattered combat report in his hand, his military boots making a steady sound on the floor. He stood in front of the table, cleared his throat, and glanced at everyone, his tone carrying a touch of the calmness unique to instructors: "Ahem, everyone's performance at the Pyramid of Light this time was much better than the last simulation training. As your special training instructor, I am very pleased."

The atmosphere in the command room instantly relaxed after those words were spoken.

Shinjo straightened up abruptly, his lips curling into a smug smile that seemed to say, "It really paid off." Horii pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and tapped the table unconsciously with his fingertips, unable to hide the elation in his eyes. Even Munakata, who usually had a stern face, relaxed his brows and looked at Choi Myung with more approval in his eyes—after all, this time they not only saved the statue but also repelled Golza and Melba. Everyone had given their all, and this recognition was well-deserved.

Cui Ming's gaze quickly fell on Daigo in the corner, and his tone softened: "Team Member Daigo, you don't need to blame yourself. The technical department has already checked the data. The malfunction of the Flying Swallow No. 1 you were piloting was not an operational problem, but someone was secretly interfering with the equipment."

"Yes!" Daigo nodded quickly, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, a warm feeling welling up inside him. During the debriefing earlier, the technical department had repeatedly asked, "Did you accidentally press the emergency button?" He was at a loss for words, but now Cui Ming's single sentence had gotten him out of the predicament. Indeed, the instructor understood his troubles best!

Before Daigo could even smile, Choi Myung abruptly changed the subject, his tone instantly turning serious and his eyes sharpening: "But I must criticize you—when the plane went out of control, you didn't activate the ejection system immediately to parachute, which was a fatal mistake."

Daigo's smile froze instantly. He opened his mouth as if to explain, but in the end, he just lowered his head and clenched his fists around his clothes. He knew that Choi Myung hadn't meant to make things difficult for him. When the plane was crashing, he was so focused on "not letting anything happen to the statue" that he forgot about his own safety. This negligence deserved punishment.

“Therefore, you need to write a three-thousand-word self-criticism, focusing on reflecting on the relationship between ‘personal safety and mission priority’.” Cui Ming’s tone left no room for negotiation, but when Daigu looked up, his eyes softened—he just wanted this kid to remember that only by protecting himself could he better complete the mission.

"Yes," Daigo replied in a low voice, feeling a sense of relief, at least the instructor was doing it for his own good.

Just then, Megumi Kijima stood up from behind the tactical table, tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, and said with a hint of helpless insistence, "Ahem, Captain Choi Myung, please pay attention to the division of responsibilities. Daigo is a member of the Victory Team, and according to the rules, I should arrange for him to write the self-criticism."

Cui Ming raised an eyebrow, his expression nonchalant, as if to say, "There's no need to be so serious." He replied, "Isn't it all just writing a self-criticism? What difference does it make who you hand it in?"

“It’s different.” Megumi looked up at him, a hint of a smile hidden in her eyes, but she still maintained the seriousness of a captain. “I am the person in charge of the Victory Team. The daily management of the team members needs to be done according to the rules. Please cooperate.”

“Okay, I’ll cooperate.” Cui Ming compromised readily, then turned to Daigo and said, “Team Member Daigo, hand in your self-criticism to Captain Kijima after you finish writing it.”

Daigo quickly nodded: "Yes!" He secretly breathed a sigh of relief—Captain Megumi was always gentle, so maybe she would write less?
The next second, Cui Ming walked around to Ju Jianhui's side, gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and said in a teasing tone, his voice just loud enough for those around to hear, "But Ahui, don't even think about giving him a break. Daigo's self-criticism will still end up in my hands in the end." Ju Jianhui glanced at him, sighed helplessly, but still nodded, "I expected that."

"?????"

A chorus of puzzled voices erupted in the command room. Shinjo, Horii, Daigo, and Nozue were all stunned, their four eyes fixed on Choi Myung and Kijima Megumi, their faces filled with utter bewilderment, as if asking, "What are you two whispering about?" Shinjo, in particular, had his mouth agape, clearly not understanding the strange unspoken understanding between the two.

Seeing the bewildered looks on her teammates' faces, Kijima Megumi finally couldn't help but laugh. She reached up and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, saying frankly, "Oh, I forgot to tell you—Cui Ming and I are actually husband and wife."

Cui Ming added from the side, his tone tinged with a hint of pride: "Well, our customs are different from here. She didn't change her surname; she's still called Ijumi-e."

"Oh, is that so? No, the point isn't the surnames!" Xincheng was the first to react, his voice rising eight octaves, pointing at the two of them for a long time without being able to speak, "You two are actually husband and wife?! The instructors are so strict with the captain, I thought you were 'sworn enemies'!"

Horii pushed up his glasses in shock, and the pen in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter"; Daigo stared with his mouth agape, the phrase "the instructor and the captain are a couple" replaying in his mind, completely unable to react; Nori even took out his tablet, his fingers rapidly tapping the screen, subconsciously trying to write down this "earth-shattering gossip".

Just as everyone was still processing the news, Saeko Busujima and Asuka walked in carrying file bags. Seeing the lively scene in the command room, Saeko smiled and shook her left hand, the silver ring on her ring finger gleaming: "What's wrong? Judging from your expressions, did you find out something?" She paused, her tone as natural as if she were saying, "The weather is nice today." "Cui Ming and I are also husband and wife. We got our marriage certificate last year."

Asuka nodded in agreement, saying, "Really, it's such a small thing, why are you making such a fuss?" But she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, and the smugness in her eyes was impossible to hide—being with Choi Myung was something to be proud of.

The GUTS members were completely dumbfounded. They looked at each other, their minds filled with shock: "So it wasn't just the captain! Saeko and Asuka too!" Shinjo even leaned close to Horii's ear and whispered, "Tell me... are there any others we don't know about? Like Camilla and Miyuki?"

Horii quietly pointed out the window—Camilla had just walked from the direction of the dormitory, carrying a coffee for Choi Myung. Her familiar manner made the answer self-evident.

Seeing the stunned expressions on his team members' faces, Cui Ming coughed twice to interrupt, "Alright, that's enough gossip." He slammed the battle report on the table, his tone becoming serious again. "Next, we need to discuss two things: first, the protection plan for the two inactive statues; and second, the defensive deployment against a possible further attack by the Kirieloids. Everyone, stay alert." (End of Chapter)