Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

"It's truly divine..." Sawai murmured to himself, recalling the description in the astronaut's report: "In its blue form, even the spaceship's tremors softened, as if enveloped in a layer of compassionate light; when its red form appeared, its awe-inspiring power silenced the universe." This quality, capable of both providing protection and deterring evil, was remarkably similar to the "incarnation of utopia" that humanity had always longed for—a place without conflict or threats, only pure protection and justice.

He recalled his previous conversation with Cui Ming, who had said, "Ultraman's power is borrowed; we must uphold the Ultraman spirit." At the time, he didn't fully understand, but now, watching Cosmos's actions, he suddenly understood: Ultraman's "divinity" was never about looking down from a high place, but about protecting others equally. They would traverse the universe for the safety of a spaceship, and decisively strike to eliminate threats, yet they never interfered with humanity, only stepping forward in times of crisis. This "knowing what to do and what not to do" is precisely the most moving aspect of utopia.

The communicator on the desk vibrated slightly, a message from the spaceport: "Gipsy III has landed safely, the astronauts are in good condition, and no abnormal energy residue has been detected in the spacecraft." Sawai picked up the communicator, a hint of a smile in his voice: "Thank you all for your hard work. Please be thorough in the follow-up checks. Also... file the relevant records of Ultraman Cosmos separately and mark them as 'highest priority'."

He hung up the call and looked out the window again. Sunlight streamed through the clouds onto the city buildings, the streets were bustling with traffic, and people hurried by—a scene of peace. Sawai knew that behind this peace lay the steadfast dedication of the GUTS team members, the sacrifices of guardians like Choi Myo, and the silent protection of the Ultramen.

“An embodiment of utopia…” He smiled slightly, his eyes filled with anticipation. “Perhaps it is because of such an existence that humanity has the courage to venture into the more distant universe and the confidence to create a true utopia.”

Sawai closed the report for Jeep No. 3, his fingertips tapping lightly on the cover, his mind replaying the astronaut's description of the "decisive attack in red form." Who was that Ultraman Cosmos? He already had a vague guess—to be able to launch a near-massacre-like attack without hesitation when facing cosmic beings, leaving them no room to maneuver, such ruthlessness, in the entire TPC, he couldn't think of anyone other than Cui Ming.

He didn't reveal anything, but simply put the report deep in the drawer, marking it "Top Secret" along with the "Ultraman Cosmos Operation Record." After all, some things don't need to be said outright; this was a tacit understanding he and Cui Ming had developed over the years.

Just like how Cui Ming always managed to arrive "just in time" when the monster appeared, and how he always prepared a plan to deal with public opinion "in advance," Sawai never asked many questions, and Cui Ming never said much either. This tacit understanding of "you understand, I won't say" is more reliable than any agreement.

"Never mind, I don't know anything." Ze Jing smiled and took a sip of the hot tea on the table. He knew Cui Ming's personality too well. If the other party wanted him to know, he would naturally explain; if not, even if he pressed him, he would only get a "guess." Rather than breaking this tacit understanding, he might as well focus on his own work and provide follow-up support for Cui Ming's "special operation."

Meanwhile, in space, Gauss had deactivated his transformation. Cui Ming sat in the temporarily docked space probe, watching Scia's escape trajectory on the screen, a faint smile playing on his lips. To be honest, he quite liked this world—whether it was Sawai's sense of the bigger picture, the GUTS team's execution capabilities, or even the ordinary people's acceptance of "protection," all of these made him feel "worry-free." At least the people here "listened to advice." As long as the pros and cons were explained, most would cooperate, unlike in other worlds he had visited, where there was always a group of self-righteous "idiots" who, despite their lack of ability, insisted on causing trouble, forcing him to spend time killing those troublemakers.

For example, some foolish high-ranking officials.
In the end, he not only had to fight monsters but also clean up the mess left by the "instigators," keeping him extremely busy. In this world, Sawai would proactively clean up the mess left by his "outrageous" actions, Daigo would diligently carry out his tactical instructions, and even ordinary TPC members would strictly adhere to the safety rules he set. This "no-nonsense" environment allowed him to focus more on fighting external enemies.

Cui Ming raised his hand to turn off the screen, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest. He knew that the threat from Sphia and Ligadron had not been completely eliminated, and that more extraterrestrial beings would be eyeing Earth in the future.

"Hopefully, I won't have to deal with any more idiots like this," Cui Ming muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Sun and Moon Transformation Device in his pocket. He cherished the peace of mind he had now and was willing to continue being that special being who was both a guardian and a cleaner—as long as the people of this world could maintain this level of "listening to advice."

Beneath the dark purple curtain of the universe, a ball of orange-red energy was fluctuating violently. The core of Ligadron floated in the center of the debris field, its surface glowing much dimmer than before—the failure to successfully parasitize Jeep 3 and absorb high-tech energy had made this energy ball, which was not a physical entity to begin with, appear somewhat weak.

It slowly moved along its trajectory, approaching a piece of iron-nickel meteorite tens of meters in diameter. Energy tendrils extended like vines, their tips emitting a faint blue glow—a unique assimilation fluctuation characteristic of the Sphia race. According to the TPC chronicles, the biological reactions within Ligadron were completely homologous to the cosmic sphere of Sphia, essentially belonging to the same type of cosmic life form. However, unlike ordinary Sphia who blindly fused, Ligadron's assimilation process exhibited a clear "selective" quality. It did not immediately envelop the meteorite, but first used its energy tendrils to scan the rock's mineral structure, seemingly assessing the strength of the fusion.

Seconds later, the orange-red energy body suddenly contracted, then surged forward like a tidal wave, completely enveloping the meteorite. A strange scene unfolded: the originally angular surface of the meteorite began to melt, and the iron-nickel components were reshaped under the influence of energy, gradually forming a structure resembling an "outer shell." Unlike the crude fusion form of ordinary Specia chimeras, Ligadron's fusion process was exceptionally refined—it concentrated the densest part of the meteorite on the outer core, forming layered armor, and embedded fragments containing crystalline minerals in its shoulders, transforming them into sharp protrusions.

"Om-"

The energy waves generated by the fusion spread outwards, attracting small fragments of rock to become supplementary materials for the armor. The outline of Ligadron gradually became clear: its main body was a gray-black torso made of meteorite, with an orange-red energy core embedded in its chest. Two twisted rock spines extended from its back, and its originally soft energy tentacles now wrapped around metal fragments, transforming into sharp claws. This fusion method was more efficient than the methods used by the Specia to create synthetic beasts; it was more like an "upgraded" assimilation technology—ordinary Specia could only simply rewrite the target's genetic information or physical form, while Ligadron could optimize its structure according to the material properties, even retaining some of the energy body's flexibility. (End of Chapter)