Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

In the corridor of the TPC base, Yoshioka had just come out of the conference room when he bumped into Cui Ming, who was on his way to the mech maintenance area. He quickly stepped forward and stopped him, his tone tinged with a hint of helpless teasing: "Hey, not to be mean, but next time you interrogate someone, could you find a more secluded environment? I just passed by the interrogation room, and the screams could be heard two floors away. Now people will say we're 'inhumane in our treatment of alien prisoners' again."

Cui Ming stopped, frowned, and said with a hint of impatience but not real anger, "I know, just be more careful next time, okay? The situation was urgent; I didn't have time to choose a place, and besides, they were extradimensional beings."

“Even in a rush, we have to be mindful of the consequences. They wouldn’t understand what otherworldly beings are like.” Yoshioka sighed, lowered his voice, and leaned closer. “You know, the higher-ups always need some appearances-saving measures—like procedures such as ‘compliant interrogation’ and ‘humane treatment of prisoners,’ even if it’s just going through the motions, it can save unnecessary trouble.”

Cui Ming looked at Yoshioka's "you know what I mean" expression, his lips twitched, and his eyes were full of speechlessness: "I'm not responsible for these trivial matters. I'll leave this to you guys. I still have to check the energy core of the Nix mech. I'm very busy."

After saying that, he was about to turn and leave when Yoshioka quickly reached out and grabbed him, saying, "Okay, okay, I know you're busy."

Watching Cui Ming's retreating figure, Yoshioka shook his head helplessly, muttering to himself: Old Cui is good in every way—strong in combat, reliable in his work—but sometimes he's too naive—so naive that he only has one goal in mind: "eliminating the enemy," completely disregarding the subsequent procedures and consequences. Those who know, know; his little scheme is simply that "killing the enemy directly is the easiest way," saving him the trouble of going through interrogation, containment, and explanation procedures.

But on second thought, Yoshioka felt that this was actually quite good. Choi was in charge of the "frontline assault," dealing with threats in the most direct way, without being bound by "vanity projects" and cumbersome procedures; while he and Sawai and others were responsible for the "rear support," handling subsequent public opinion, diplomacy, and procedural issues. With a clear division of labor, everyone was actually more efficient.

Just like the Kirieloid incident, Cui Ming captured the enemy and extracted intelligence as quickly as possible. The subsequent "compliance explanation" and "public opinion pacification" were left to them. This ensured that the threat was quickly eliminated and that TPC's external image was maintained, which can not be considered a bad thing.

Yoshioka took out his phone and sent a message to his public relations colleague: "Prepare a 'Kirieloid Interrogation Compliance Report,' emphasizing 'medical monitoring throughout, no permanent damage caused,'" then turned and walked towards his office. Since Cui Ming didn't care about these "minor matters," he'd just put in a little more effort; everyone just needed to do their job and protect Earth.

Inside the underground lava cave, the high-ranking members of the Kirielod people gathered around a glowing rock, their distorted faces illuminated by the crimson firelight, and the air was thick with anxiety and resentment.

"We can't wait any longer!" A massive Kirieloid slammed his fist on a rock, his voice filled with urgency. "We've already lost two squads. If we don't find a way to fight back soon, the rest of us will be picked off one by one by Storm One!"

Another individual in witch form immediately echoed, flames flickering at her fingertips: "That's right! We must act! Let's burn away those who question us with holy flames, let the people of Earth know that only our God Kirieloid can lead them to salvation! What is Tiga? What is Storm One? As long as we unite, we can definitely defeat them!"

"Yes! Counterattack!"

"Let humanity see our power!"

A burst of enthusiastic agreement erupted from the cave, every Kirielod person roaring as if to dispel their fear of Cui Ming. They discussed how to ignite the "Holy Flame" in the city center, how to summon more companions to Earth, and how to make Kijima and the Victory Team pay the price, their voices filled with confidence, as if victory were imminent.

Just then, a small, thin Kirieloid spoke timidly, his voice soft but like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the fervor in the cave: "Alright! Who will go?" The roars in the cave ceased abruptly at those words. All the Kirieloids froze, looking at each other, no one speaking. Even the massive creature that had been shouting the loudest earlier lowered its head, its claws unconsciously digging into the rocks.

Silence weighed heavily on every Kirieloid. It wasn't that they didn't want to fight back, but that they dared not—outside, there was the ghostly Storm One, Cui Ming! Last time, the special operations team, despite cutting off communications and disguising themselves perfectly, was still easily captured by Cui Ming; their companions in the studio hadn't even finished their "kill the chicken to scare the monkey" lines before being electrocuted and screaming in agony.

The thought of Cui Ming's elusive figure, the energy blade in his hand capable of easily tearing apart spiritual bodies, and his unyielding and inflexible attitude sent shivers down the spines of the Kirieloids. Who would go? Nobody wanted to go! Going would most likely mean certain death; not only would they fail to complete the mission, but they might also lose their spiritual core, without even a chance for reincarnation.

"I...I also have to guard the energy core, I can't leave." The witch-like individual who had just agreed was the first to make an excuse, and the flame at her fingertips went out.

“I…I’m still recovering from my injuries. My mental body was damaged by the electric current from Storm One last time.” Another Kirieloid quickly followed.

More and more Kirielods began to find excuses to refuse, their earlier enthusiasm and confidence vanishing without a trace, leaving only fear of the order to die and resistance to being sent to their deaths.

The skinny Kirieloid looked at the scene before him and sighed helplessly: "In the end, we're still afraid of Storm One..."

Silence fell once more in the cave, broken only by the gurgling sound of flowing lava. The Kirielod knew they had no choice but to fight back—the captured comrades might not withstand the interrogation, and the location of the mother nest could be exposed at any moment; yet no one dared to retaliate, for the threat from the outside world was like a sword hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment.

For the first time, they so vehemently hated their own cowardice, yet they couldn't control their fear of Cui Ming. This contradiction, like vines, entwined every Kirielord, plunging them into a desperate dilemma.

Meanwhile, Cui Ming's side
"Yes, this is it."

Cui Ming
We have arrived.
Daigo followed behind.

"Um, instructor?"

"It's okay, let's all go together."

"Yes!" (End of this chapter)