Starting from the destruction of the Land of Light

Zhang Chen's doubts were not unfounded.

three days later.

Earth Defense Headquarters, codenamed "Ark".

This massive fortress, buried deep beneath the city, usually operates smoothly, like a sophisticated instrument, with only the low hum of the equipment and the whispers of the communicators forming the background noise.

However, this inherent silence was suddenly torn apart.

Woo-woo-woo!

A sharp, piercing red alarm blared without warning throughout the command center, and crimson warning lights spun and flashed wildly, staining the cold metal walls and massive monitoring screens with an ominous crimson hue.

The agents, who were just moments before immersed in post-war data analysis and coordination, suddenly burst forth with astonishing efficiency, like machine soldiers whose start button had been pressed. The sound of keyboards clicking was like a storm, and the communication channels were instantly filled with encrypted commands and emergency call signs. Countless eyes were fixed on the screens they were responsible for, and the air was instantly tense like a taut bowstring.

The heavy alloy door of the command center was suddenly pushed open, the loud noise even briefly drowning out the alarm.

Commander-in-Chief Tatsuta strode in. He was as tall and imposing as a mountain, wearing a crisp, dark blue NTM general's uniform. The gold insignia on his shoulder straps reflected a cold, hard light under the red alarm light.

His weathered face had strong features, and his brows were furrowed. His sharp, tiger-like eyes swept across every corner of the command post, and the invisible pressure made the already tense atmosphere almost freeze.

"What's going on?!"

His gaze finally settled on a short-haired, capable female technician in front of the control panel—Xiao Tang (Tang Yu), the head of the intelligence analysis team.

Almost reflexively, Xiao Tang straightened his back, his hands leaving afterimages on the keyboard, and reported to his superior in extremely fast but exceptionally clear voice: "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the Albatross No. 3 geomagnetic monitoring station at the edge of the Liuma Mountain Nature Reserve has issued a highest priority alarm, detecting a large-scale, high-intensity special energy burst. The energy waveform is completely inconsistent with known weapon systems, and the highest matching item is... a special magnetic field reaction!"

"A special magnetic field?" Ryūta frowned. "Specific coordinates, intensity, and shape."

"Coordinates locked".

The huge holographic map in front of Xiao Tang instantly magnified, focusing on the lush, rolling hills of Liu Ma Mountain on the outskirts of the city. A dazzling red dot was flashing intensely at the edge of the map.

"The intensity is rapidly increasing, having already exceeded the level three alert threshold. It is expected to reach its peak within three minutes. An energy spectrum is being generated with an abnormal shape. It is... gathering, more like an energy reaction in which some kind of energy is forming inside the mountain."

"Liuma Mountain...is it an extinct volcano?" Wang Kui, the team leader standing beside Tang Yu, couldn't help but ask. "Could it be a false alarm caused by some special geological activity?"

This kind of thing has happened before. Ever since monsters started to become active on Earth, the Earth's ecology has been undergoing huge changes all the time, and it's not impossible for dormant volcanoes to come back to life.

Commander-in-Chief Longtian shook his head slightly. "Regardless of whether it's a false alarm or not, first determine if there's a threat. Xiao Tang, contact the weather satellite and retrieve real-time data on surface temperature and geological stress in the Liuma Mountain area. All surrounding monitoring stations, scan simultaneously and analyze the energy radiation spectrum there, immediately."

"Yes!" Tang Yu and several other technicians responded simultaneously, their fingers flying across the virtual keyboard.

The huge main screen instantly split into several images: a satellite view, a geological stress spectrum, a constantly rising energy reading curve, and a bizarre energy radiation spectrum that was being painstakingly analyzed.

Team leader Wang Kui slowly approached Long Tian. "Commander, don't you think the monster activity has been increasing lately? We haven't even finished dealing with the two-tailed monster and Gu Dun's corpse from last time, and now there are signs of suspected monster activity again..."

Longtian glanced at Wang Kui, his expression unchanged. "What are you trying to say?"

"It's like this..." After hesitating for a moment, Wang Kui couldn't help but speak. "After Gudun and the Twin-Tailed Monster were killed last time, the data team received a signal, which was a radioactive fluctuation with a very strange frequency."

"I had Xiao Tang and the others stay up all night to analyze it. We haven't determined the source of that fluctuation yet, but we can confirm that it is very attractive to monsters. I'm afraid the appearance of the Twin-Tailed Monster and Gudun last time wasn't so simple."

Longtian listened quietly, and only after Wang Kui finished speaking did he frown. "Why wasn't this matter reported in the first place?"

"Because we couldn't be sure at first, after all, there are too many unknown fluctuations on Earth, plus..." Wang Kui's voice lowered at this point, "...plus, we intercepted this signal unintentionally, and the data team spent a lot of time storing it. The detailed analysis report only came out today, and I haven't had a chance to send it to you yet."

Upon hearing this, Ryuta slowly nodded, and after a moment of contemplation, he lowered his voice. "So you mean, there's something on Earth releasing this kind of energy, attracting more monsters to Earth?"

"This is just initial suspicion; we can't draw any conclusions yet." Wang Kui nodded and continued, "However, as you know, there are many more species on Earth than just humans these days..."

Before Wang Kui could finish speaking, Tang Yu's voice came from behind them.

"Reporting to the captain and commander-in-chief: The surface temperature in the southern area of ​​Liuma Mountain is rising abnormally. The temperature at the core point has increased by more than 50 degrees Celsius within one minute, and it is still rising!"

"Geological stress monitoring shows that the internal structure of the mountain is undergoing severe impact, with signs of large-scale energy flow."

"The energy radiation spectrum has insufficient resolution and strong interference, but the core band shows extremely high thermal energy and...some unknown giant life signs, repeating, indicating signs of giant life activity!"

Signs of giant life activity? Ryuta's heart sank.

If the previous unusual reactions could be attributed to geological changes, then the detection of giant life signs strongly suggests that a monster has likely appeared there.

He abruptly looked up at Wang Kui. "Immediately contact the nearest branch and order all air units on standby to assemble at the coordinates of Liuma Mountain and implement the highest level of alert. No firing is permitted without my order. At the same time, notify the ground rapid reaction forces to carry the highest-level energy barrier generators and water/soil purification devices to establish a blockade around the coordinates. The evacuation radius... is set at five kilometers initially. Contact the local authorities to enforce this."

"Yes!" Wang Kui responded at attention, then turned to look at the two guys standing not far away who were already eager to try. "Chen Mo, Yang Tianyu, I'll pilot Watcher One, and you two will pilot Watcher Two."

"Understood!" The two detectives, Chen Mo and Yang Tianyu, immediately set off.

"Wait a moment."

Just then, the command post door opened again, and a young man in his twenties walked in, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at Longtian. "Commander-in-Chief, let me go too, I can be of help."

The atmosphere in the command post fell silent for a moment when the person who pushed the door open entered. Wang Kui, who was about to leave, also stopped and looked at the young man.

"Chu Huai..." Long Tian opened his mouth. "We haven't confirmed the other party's specific identity yet; we're only going to investigate for now."

"I know, Commander-in-Chief, but it's already been confirmed that there are giant life signs on Liu Ma Mountain, right? Let me go with Captain Wang." The young man called Chu Huai stepped forward and suddenly pulled out an object resembling a pen from his inner pocket. "With this, even if something unexpected happens, I can respond in time, right?"

Seeing what Chu Huai took out, although no one in the command post spoke, most of them had a hint of envy in their eyes.

Yes, this thing is none other than the transformation device that Chu Huai obtained after inheriting the Ultra Light.

Chu Huai was the only Ultraman on Earth whose identity had been revealed at this time. The being he inherited was called Ultraman Agus, a member of the Red Tribe of Ultramen. However, he was not as famous as the Ultra Brothers, and there was no record of this Ultraman in human records.

Silently observing the young man before him, Longtian finally nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing to his request. Wang Kui then immediately beckoned. "Come with me to Watcher One."

Upon hearing this, Chu Huai's face immediately lit up with joy. "Yes, Captain!"

"be safe."

"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, I'm no longer a greenhorn."

...