Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

As soon as Misato's voice finished speaking into the communicator, Choi Myung's pen clattered onto the table. He stared at the still-on map of the sea area on the screen, completely frozen in place: "Choi, there's good news. This monster died 70 years ago."

"I'm crazy"

Cui Ming's voice suddenly rose, causing his chair to slide back half a meter, his tone filled with disbelief and utter despair. A thing that's been dead for seventy years?! Countless images flashed through his mind in an instant—seventy years is a long time; an ordinary corpse should have turned to bones by now, and even a monster should have rotted to dust, right? But this thing not only hadn't completely decomposed, but it also emitted a stench so strong it made it hard to open one's eyes, and even polluted the seawater, killing swarms of fish. This was simply illogical!
"Thanks for your hard work, Misato. Get everyone evacuated immediately, then conduct a security check. Damn it." Cui Ming cursed into the communicator, his fingers unconsciously pulling at his hair, so frustrated he wanted to sweep all the documents on the table onto the floor. A dead monster from seventy years ago, suddenly reappearing and causing trouble—this was even more absurd than encountering a live monster—the living ones could fight and kill, but this seventy-year-old rotten thing, there was no idea how to deal with it. They couldn't just blow it up, could they? What if the rotting flesh carried unknown pathogens? That would be even bigger trouble.

After hanging up with Misato, Choi Myung hadn't even had time to calm down when Kijima Megumi pushed open the door and came in, her face showing undisguised solemnity: "The monster's corpse has already washed ashore, but many residents have not evacuated as planned."

Cui Ming looked up at her, his eyes filled with helplessness, even a hint of amusement: "There's nothing we can do. They're courting death; we can't save them now. Let's ensure the safety of the combat personnel first." The evacuation notice had been sent out yesterday through television and community bulletin boards, repeatedly emphasizing the risk of contamination from the monster's corpse, but some people still thought, "It's just a corpse, it's okay to look at it," and insisted on crowding around to watch. He couldn't save people who treated life like a game, even if he wanted to.

"Pass the word down, tell the team members on site to stay away from the residents, so they don't get entangled with them," Cui Ming rubbed his temples, his voice full of exhaustion. "This is only because the smell hasn't spread completely yet. Once it's spread, it will be absolutely amazing." Just thinking about the scene of the stench permeating the entire residential area made his stomach churn—the stench of seventy years of decay, mixed with the fishy smell of seawater, would probably make people vomit. At that time, those onlookers wouldn't even have time to cry.

Kijima nodded and turned to relay the instructions. Choi Myung walked to the window, looked at the coastline that could be vaguely seen in the distance, and shook his head helplessly. He had seen people who were not afraid of monsters or danger, but he had never seen anyone so "eager to join in the fun"—there were clearly safe places to go, but they insisted on going to dangerous places, and if something happened, they would blame the rescue for not being timely.

"I hope they'll come to their senses soon," Cui Ming muttered to himself, but he knew in his heart that this was probably wishful thinking. He picked up his communicator and contacted the chemical defense department of TPC: "Prepare your disinfection equipment. Once the situation on the residents' side stabilizes, go to the shore immediately to handle the situation. Remember, wear protective suits throughout the process and avoid direct contact with the corpses. Also, bring plenty of deodorizer; the smell will probably damage the equipment."

A positive response came from the other end of the communicator, but Cui Ming didn't feel relieved. A seventy-year-old dead monster, disobedient residents, and unresolved pollution risks—this pile of troubles was making his head spin—dealing with this rotting corpse seemed even more troublesome than dealing with the lively Ligadron.

Cui Ming stood by the window of the command room, his gaze fixed on the shallow beach in the distance, cordoned off by police tape—the sixty-meter-long monster's corpse lay there, brown slime dripping down the sand, even the air seemed to be stained a murky color. He held an unlit cigarette between his fingers, repeatedly rubbing the cigarette, his mind filled with the dilemma of whether or not to incinerate it.

The crucial question was right in front of him: no one knew what chemical reaction would occur when the monster's corpse, dead for seventy years, was burned at high temperatures. Would it burn smoothly to ashes, or would it release toxic gases? Or even produce more dangerous substances? These unknowns weighed heavily on Cui Ming's mind, making him hesitant to make a decision.

He subconsciously touched the Walkman in his pocket—that thing was a living example; it had almost caused the device to malfunction due to accidental contact with unknown energy, and it took half a month to completely repair. Even a small Walkman could cause unexpected problems due to unknown reactions, let alone this enormous, seventy-year-old monstrous corpse. Improper handling could have unimaginable consequences. However, Cui Ming also secretly breathed a sigh of relief—from the photos of the corpse and preliminary test data sent back by Miri, the monster's cellular structure and energy fluctuations bore no resemblance to Ye Fu. At least he didn't have to worry about it absorbing the energy from burning to revive, or even evolving stronger abilities, like he had with Ye Fu. This somewhat lessened his concerns.

He walked to the computer, opened the test report on the monster's corpse, and lingered for a long time on the words "extremely high activity of unknown microorganisms." If it were burned directly, would these microorganisms mutate under high temperatures? Or would they spread into the air with the smoke, causing wider pollution? A series of questions made him reconsider his earlier wavering idea.

“Let’s wait for the lab’s detailed report before we talk about anything else.” Cui Ming turned off the file and said into the communicator, “Have the chemical defense team set up an isolation zone around the body and spray temporary disinfectant to prevent the putrefactive liquid from spreading into the sea. Postpone the incineration for now.”

After issuing the instructions, he looked out the window again—outside the cordon, residents were still peering in, some even taking pictures with their phones. Cui Ming sighed helplessly, hoping the laboratory could provide a safe solution as soon as possible, and also hoping these onlookers would realize the danger sooner rather than later, before it was too late to regret it.

The rotting monster's carcass, like a time bomb, lay across the shallows, and also weighed heavily on Cui Ming's mind. Before fully understanding its "secrets," any rash action could trigger even greater trouble.

"How's it going with the experts?"

"It's being analyzed, but, as you know, the speed can't be guaranteed."

"It's okay. Take your time."

Cui Ming also knew that there was no time to rush things; the only thing he could do was to take good preventative measures.
"Get everyone ready. Seriously." Choi Myung rubbed his head, feeling a bit annoyed.
And this wasn't even the peak of his frenzy. (End of Chapter)