Ultraman: I am really just a human.

Chapter 193, Second Knight

ZECT headquarters underground parking passage.

A knight from this world who was chasing protozoa suddenly stopped, swayed, and deactivated his transformation, revealing a young face as he leaned against the wall in pain.

"Hey, Ueno, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

The young knight knelt on the ground, covered in sweat, his body temperature rising steadily.

"I think I've caught a cold..."

"A cold? Are you kidding me?"

His companions clearly sensed something was wrong and were about to step forward to help when they discovered that the young knight was showing signs of becoming protozoan.

The Knight System also seemed to undergo a change, with locust phantoms swaying back and forth.

"This is……"

"Stay away from him!"

With a grim face, Minami Kotaro entered the passage, quickly removed the meteorite necklace worn by the young knight, crushed it, and began to seriously examine the specific situation.

Tongdou, who followed Minami Kotaro, had a grim expression. After the other two knights from this world arrived, he explained somewhat awkwardly, "These necklaces are not only insect detectors, but also devices that assimilate humans into protozoa. I have been investigating this matter for the past two days."

"Assimilated into protozoa?"

Another knight, who was also wearing a necklace, broke out in a cold sweat and ripped off the necklace as if it were burning his hand, throwing it far away.

"I...I'll turn into a protozoan too?!"

"Mr. Kotaro..."

"There's still time. If you clear this dungeon in time, you'll still have a chance to recover."

Kotaro Minami put down the young knight, who was delirious from a high fever. His expression was not so serious, but he was not relaxed either.

Clearing the level can indeed solve the assimilation problem, even if you don't clear it yourself.

But it's easier said than done.

On the one hand, he still hasn't found the conditions to pass the level, and on the other hand, these knights probably won't be able to wait much longer.

If one truly transforms into a protozoan, it would be equivalent to being completely assimilated by this instance of spacetime and becoming a native inhabitant...

"Are you sure you've found the meteorite core of the protozoan?"

After pondering for a moment, Minami Kotaro turned to Tongdou and asked him a question.

Are you sure ZECT transferred the core of the protozoan meteorite?

As fellow knights of this world, and especially as rare level 4 knights, they are currently the main fighting force, so he cannot leave them unattended.

"That's why I infiltrated the protozoan research lab," Copper looked at his arm, which was also beginning to transform into a protozoan. "The core of the protozoan hive wasn't destroyed seven years ago like the Zerg, so the assimilation power must have come from that core."

"Is it possible to find the core?"

Minami Kotaro pondered as he twirled the fragments of the green necklace between his fingers.

Based on his experience, becoming the savior of this world is the most likely way to complete the game.

The information provided by the Alliance mentions that the Orphnoch dungeon had the concept of either saving the world or destroying it.

"I know where it is."

Tong Dou clenched his fingers tightly and turned to look at the exit of the passage.

As the vice-captain of the Kabuto team, he always preferred to work alone, but he couldn't accept the team's inexplicable disbandment.

I entered this instance simply because I found some minor information about Fujiwara no Daiichi.

The alliance seemed quite certain of Fujiwara's location and even made an exception by allowing his younger brother to join the exploration team.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Tong Dou took a deep breath and explained, "There is actually another Rider in this instance, the 11th Kamen Rider."

……

Police Hospital.

After treatment, Kagami Riku is fine and only needs to stay in the hospital for a period of time to recuperate.

"How is ZECT doing now?"

After watching the news reports during his break, Kagami Riku was still unable to relax and grabbed Fujiwara Saiji, who had come to check on him, and asked him questions urgently.

"Ah Xin...where's your captain?"

"My mentor probably wants to find a way to save the world."

Fujiwara Saiji seemed somewhat distracted, and it took him a while to reply.

"Without the detectors, the Zerg elimination efficiency has dropped significantly. However, the Zerg don't seem to be very active anymore. The problem is still the Protoss. Many ZECT units have been prematurely converted into Protoss. If we can't persuade them..."

"Is that so? It's hard to regain a human heart after becoming a protozoan," Kagami Riku sighed. "ZECT has ultimately come to this."

The backup plan he had prepared after enduring humiliation for 35 years failed to come into play, and in the end, he was saved by his "son".

"Are you knights from another world?" Kagami Riku continued to ask.

"Yes, yes... I'm going to provide support too. If you need anything, just talk to the Shadow Team members outside."

Fujiwara Saiji didn't want to say anything more, and after seeing that Kagami Riku had recovered, he stopped taking care of her.

But halfway there, he suddenly stopped and opened his mouth to face Kagami Riku again: "Mr. Kagami, actually... I think those who become protozoa are not necessarily beyond saving. There are quite a few protozoa who live as humans after mimicking human forms. The human heart will not simply disappear just because they become protozoa."

"Yeah?"

Kagami Riku looked up in surprise and met Fujiwara Saiji's gaze.

However, the boy, who looked like a high school student, had a deeper understanding than this old man.

This sight reminded him of his younger days.

At that time, he was also full of vigor and seemed to share the same belief.

Compared to Natsukawa, this boy is more like his son, Kagami Shin.

"Is your captain your mentor?" Kagami Riku asked with a kind smile. "He has a good student."

"Well."

Fujiwara Saiji looked away awkwardly, closed the ward door, and quickly left.

What a strange look.

He still preferred to face the same old Kagami Riku.

"Is this Mr. Fujiwara?"

A nurse saw Fujiwara Saiji hurrying by and called out to him to catch up.

"There's a letter from you!"

"My letter?"

Fujiwara Saiji felt bewildered. He blankly took the envelope and saw the Fujiwara family crest at the signature. His face turned cold, his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, and his breathing quickened.

"It's him..."

"What's wrong?"

As soon as Natsukawa entered the hospital, he saw Fujiwara Saiji running away with his head down.

This instance is really strange. He went outside and found that both the Zerg and Protoss had lost their leaders, and the plan to convert everyone to Protoss was also destroyed by him, but he showed no sign of clearing the instance.

While it's possible to quit now, it's hard to say what the ultimate fate of this world will be if we don't complete the game.

It may invade this world as it has in the past, or it may eventually perish, or it may, as the Alliance hopes, transform into a recurring instance in the future, where all instance creatures become true NPCs, constantly trapped in a cycle of reincarnation.

Of course, it is also possible to leave this world and return to normal.

In this chaotic era where the world of knights is being replicated, anything can happen.

The "NPCs" have no control over their own destiny, and even the original main rider of this world, Tendou Souji, is no exception.

Instead of continuing to the ward, Natsukawa directly sensed and followed Fujiwara Saiji.

A teenager is a teenager; all his thoughts are written on his face.

He originally came thinking that Kagami Riku might know some hidden information, but now it seems there is a better route.

From the beginning of the game to now, Fujiwara no Ichi is the key figure.

(End of this chapter)