We asked you to make tokusatsu films, and you actually became Ultraman?

Upon seeing this, Yun Yu was slightly taken aback, then looked down at his hands, which were not those of Ultraman Sirius.

He then realized that, just like when he was talking to the Sea God, he had somehow transformed back into Yun Yu's appearance.

The form of Sirius was dispelled, and the star chart on his chest lay quietly against his skin, neither emitting light nor generating heat, but Yun Yu could feel that he could transform at any time.

Yunyu carefully considered what the old man had just said and then observed the surrounding environment.

The columbarium was so quiet you could hear the hum of the overhead light bulbs. Rows of memorial tablets cast long shadows under the dim light, and the air was filled with the smell of incense ash and old paper.

The old man squatted on the ground, holding bamboo strips in his hand, head down, carefully making the red river lantern.

Yun Yu didn't say anything, just sat on the old wooden chair to the side and watched quietly.

The old man moved slowly, seemingly due to his advanced age; his fingers were somewhat stiff, and the bamboo strips were not very responsive in his hands.

He kept making mistakes. If he made a mistake in one step, the old man had to start all over again, taking it apart and putting it back together, taking it apart and putting it back together again, over and over again, but the river lantern always only had a rough shape.

Yun Yu finally couldn't stand it anymore.

He stood up, walked to the old man's side, picked up a piece of red paper from beside him, and said in a somewhat stiff tone:

"How do I do this?"

The old man paused slightly, looked up at him, a flicker of surprise crossing his cloudy eyes, before a kind smile spread across his face, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling together.

"Oh, you have to do it like this..."

The old man patiently taught them, his voice hoarse yet gentle.

Yunyu studied very hard, but the bamboo strips were either bent too far or tied too loosely, and the red paper was either pasted crookedly or torn.

Finally, Yunyu clumsily made a red river lantern.

Although the shape is not very regular, the edges are a bit rough, and the red paper is not pasted on perfectly, it is at least a complete lamp, and the wick is installed.

"Haha, young man, you have quite skillful hands."

Seeing that Yunyu had successfully made a river lantern, the old man smiled and exclaimed in amazement, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.

"You can always learn it if you study hard."

Looking at the finished red river lantern in her hand, Yun Yu replied calmly.

He was actually a little surprised, after all, this was the first time he had ever done this kind of handicraft in his life, and he never expected that he would actually make it.

Then he picked up the river lantern, looked at the old man's face, and said:

"So, the next step is to release river lanterns?"

"You actually know that? Who told you?" The old man's eyes widened in surprise, seemingly not expecting that this young man would know about releasing river lanterns.

"Grandma in the mountains told me," Yunyu answered truthfully.

"Grandma in the mountains?" The old woman thought carefully for a while, her brows furrowing slightly, as if recalling something from a long time ago. After a moment, she realized what she meant and said:

"Oh, it must be that little girl from the Yamanaka family."

I remember that little girl. She didn't have many hobbies, except that she loved to gossip about other people's lives, talking about everyone in the neighborhood. There wasn't a single thing she didn't know.

Remembering that Grandma in the mountains had indeed asked him as soon as they met if he was Sister Su Mo's boyfriend, Yun Yu nodded in acknowledgment.

Seeing that Yun Yu agreed with his statement, the old man smiled, walked to the entrance of the columbarium, and pushed open the creaking wooden door.

Yunyu followed him out the door.

Outside the door was not an unfinished building or a narrow alley, but a quiet grove of trees.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

A small river flows through the woods, its water clear and gently gurgling.

The banks of the river were covered with wild grass and wildflowers, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of soil and vegetation, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere inside the columbarium.

At the end of the river stood countless figures.

The figures were semi-transparent and blurry; there were old people, young people, and children. They stood quietly by the river, facing the water, as if waiting for something.

No one spoke, no one moved; they just stood there silently, like a group of forgotten statues.

Seeing this, Yun Yu seemed to understand.

These are the unclaimed deceased in the columbarium. They have been waiting here for a long time, waiting for someone to come and take them, waiting for someone to light a lamp for them, waiting for someone to remember them.

Yun Yu's eyes softened, no longer displaying the cold demeanor she had before.

Seeing this, the old man's smile deepened. He walked to Yun Yu's side, took an old fountain pen from his pocket, and handed it to him, saying:

"Should we write something down, just as a message to them?"

Yun Yu was persuaded. He took the pen, looked down at the red river lantern in his hand, thought for a moment, and finally wrote a sentence neatly on the lantern's surface:

"I will never forget you."

The handwriting isn't particularly beautiful, but every stroke is executed with great care and effort.

The old man, who had been all smiles, suddenly froze when he saw this sentence.

The smile on his face gradually faded, and his eyes became complicated, showing surprise, emotion, and a trace of inexplicable sadness.

He looked at Yun Yu, only to find that Yun Yu was also looking at him.

Although Yunyu's face was still young and her expression had softened considerably, her eyes were incredibly firm, like two burning stars.

He looked at the old man, then at the waiting figures by the river, and said clearly and solemnly, word by word:

"I will not forget you, so please disappear."

The old man's smile froze for a moment, but eventually returned to normal.

He looked at Yun Yu, opened his mouth, his lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he couldn't make a sound for a long time.

After holding it in for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out three words in a hoarse voice:

Why...?

Why are there so many...

Some asked why he didn't pity them, some asked why this Ultraman was so heartless, and some asked why he was still thinking about destroying them in this situation.

The old man's eyes were full of bewilderment. He had been watching over these people for over thirty years, and finally someone was willing to sit down and listen to him, willing to help him make a river lantern. He had thought this young man would accept them, but this was the result...

Upon hearing the question, Yunyu did not immediately answer the old man's question.

Instead, he simply squatted down, held the red river lantern he had made himself in his hands, and gently placed it on the stream.

The river lantern swayed on the water for a moment, then stabilized and drifted further and further away with the gentle current.

The light from the Sylvia disk cast a warm halo on the water's surface, reflecting the shadows of the trees on both banks, like a flowing star.

Yunyu squatted by the river, quietly watching the river lanterns drift further and further away, her eyes focused and serious.

Only when the river lantern drifted to the figures and was gently caught by the first one did he slowly speak, returning the question posed by the old man:

"Why do you hurt innocent people?"

His voice was soft, yet it was like a stone thrown into calm water, stirring up huge ripples in the old man's heart.

Upon hearing this, the old man was slightly taken aback, subconsciously taking half a step back, his eyes flickering as if something sore had been touched.

He opened his mouth, but finally whispered, "We don't want others to forget us! We don't want to just disappear like this."

At this moment, Yun Yu shook his head and said:

"So I will remember you, and because of Ultraman's appearance, CEA will also renovate your columbarium."

Your names, your stories, will be recorded and never forgotten.

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

He wasn't comforting the old man; he was making a promise.

Upon hearing this, the old man wanted to say something more, to refute, to defend himself, but the words just wouldn't come out.

He opened his mouth, making a "hoarse" sound in his throat, and finally could only lower his head helplessly.

Looking at the old man in front of him, Yun Yu admitted that he felt sorry for these people.

More than 30 years of waiting, the loneliness of being unclaimed, the fear of being forgotten—all of these are enough to evoke sympathy.

But he hopes even more that everyone walking at night will be safe, that everyone returning home late will get home safely, and that no one will ever be dragged into the darkness again and driven to a mental breakdown by fear.

Pitiful as they may be, wrong is wrong.

Harming innocent people, no matter the reason, is unforgivable.

With that thought, Yun Yu firmly grasped the Sylvias Star Chart on her chest. The star chart was slightly warm in her palm and emitted a faint blue light.

He looked at the old man and said, word by word:

"Give up..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yun Yu's body transformed into a blue streak of light, directly breaking through this space like a shooting star piercing the night sky above the forest. The space shattered instantly, like glass.

The old man was left standing there, silent for a long time.

After a long time, he finally smiled and slowly squatted down by the river, as if waiting for something.