Ultraman: I am really just a human.

Chapter 208 Test Site

Metropolitan Police Department meeting room.

A Self-Defense Force officer with an injured arm had a somber look in his eyes. He was probably around 3 or 40 years old, with a slightly disheveled beard, dark skin, and deep-set eyes that looked like he hadn't slept for several days. His injured right arm was wrapped in bandages.

"What's going on? This isn't what we agreed on beforehand!"

The officer looked directly at the high-ranking officers of the Metropolitan Police Department, his voice low and menacing.

"Is it really appropriate for the G3-X uniform wearer to be an ordinary citizen?!"

"We understand how you feel, Third-Class Lieutenant of Shuicheng," an old man tapped his finger lightly on the table. "You've been preparing for this selection for two months, but you must understand that given the current situation, there's no time to wait for you..."

"This injury is nothing at all!"

The officer ripped off the bandage on his arm, his face contorted with excitement.

"I request a re-evaluation! Only I can qualify for G3-X..."

"Enough, Third-Class Lieutenant of Shuicheng!"

The class teacher stood up with a cold expression.

"The G3-X isn't exclusively for you. This is the most crucial verification phase right now. We'll consider your situation later!"

"That's right," the others agreed. "G3-X's first operation went very smoothly. In any case, the uniformed personnel can't be changed for the time being!"

"You'll regret this." The officer turned and left with a grim expression.

"Beep beep beep!"

BBQ shop.

When Sumiko Ozawa was treating everyone to dinner, she suddenly received a phone call.

"Yes, yes... I understand."

Having just been discharged from the hospital, Hikawa Makoto seemed to channel all his sorrows into his appetite, devouring the grilled meat slices in no time. Kondo Isami, standing next to him, didn't even have a chance to pick up his chopsticks, and could only helplessly look at Ozawa Sumiko, who had just ended the call, for an answer.

"What's wrong, Officer Ozawa?"

"It's nothing serious," Sumiko Ozawa said calmly as she sat down and ordered another pitcher of beer. "It's just that the person preparing to dress up caused a scene upstairs. Ignore him."

"Does the G3-X have a trainee in reserve?"

Bingchuan Cheng stopped eating in surprise.

"Speaking of which, Officer Ozawa, what exactly happened to the former G3 uniformed officer? Did he die in the line of duty?"

"More or less."

Sumiko Ozawa didn't seem to want to talk about the previous dresser, and gulped down a large glass of beer in one go.

"Draft beer, another one!"

"I do know a little about him," Kondo Isami said, crossing his arms. "His name is Sawaki Tetsuya, right? I heard he suddenly disappeared during a battle, leaving only his discarded G3 armor behind. Sawaki was even disciplined for it..."

Xia Chuan raised his head slightly.

Arriving a month early and possessing a perfectly chosen identity, Kondo Isami exudes intelligence brilliance.

"Officer Hojo seems to know quite a lot."

"Of course," Kondo Isami said with a comfortable smile. "I wouldn't say I know everything, but most things don't escape my ears. For example, I know some things about Agito, which Officer Ozawa doesn't know much about."

"Gurgle!"

Sumiko Ozawa chugs another large glass of draft beer, wipes the foam from the corner of her mouth, and glances at Isao Kondo, who has a smug "come ask me" expression on his face.

"Officer Hojo, has anyone ever told you that you'd look better if you didn't smile?"

When he's not smiling, he's a high-class elite; when he smiles, he looks like a complete idiot.

Kondo Isami's expression stiffened slightly, and he gave an unpleasant snort: "Doesn't Officer Ozawa want to know? I've already found a lead, and I'm currently investigating the Dawn incident from more than half a year ago."

As he spoke, Kondo Isami turned his curious gaze to Hikawa Makoto, who was engrossed in eating, and asked after frowning slightly, "I heard that you were the one who discovered the shipwrecked Ayamichi and single-handedly rescued everyone on board, turning the tide of the Japan Coast Guard's mistake."

Bingchuan Cheng stopped what he was doing, his eyes trembling, and a deep blue sea appeared before his eyes again.

Under an unsettling blue sky, a massive beam of light rose from the sea, resembling a waterfall of light cascading from the heavens. Reaching the nearby shore, he spotted the Dawn ship amidst the storm.

"glacier?"

"Huh? Actually, they didn't save everyone; there was also a private investigator involved..."

Coming to his senses, Hikawa met Ozawa Sumiko's gaze, but suddenly stammered and turned to Natsukawa across from him.

"No, could it be Mr. Kaminaga?"

"You're only just realizing it now?" Kondo Isami raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Kaminaga was indeed a passenger on the Dawn at that time. I specifically checked the list yesterday, and it wasn't just Kaminaga, but also Sawaki Tetsuya."

That's why he was certain it wasn't the same Shen Yong he knew.

Putting aside whether there's a way to enter the instance from another location, even if there were, it wouldn't be that early.

As for the Dawn Incident, it should be that they were attacked by a monster, and then Kuuga defeated the monster.

"Mr. Kaminaga," Kondo Isami said with a confident smile, "could you tell me privately what happened on the Dawn? What exactly happened back then...?"

"You're still the same as ever, Hojo, always asking questions at the most inopportune times."

Sumiko Ozawa put down her wine glass.

"I thought you'd changed a bit, but you're still as annoying as ever. Now it's time to celebrate and have dinner, and nobody here is your prisoner to interrogate."

"I just want to know more about the truth," Kondo Isami lowered his head again under Ozawa Sumiko's gaze. "Don't you find it strange? Several people being investigated are passengers on the Tianliang, and several passengers have been murdered during this period. It's really worrying to say it's just a coincidence."

"Instead of thinking about that, you should be thinking about the unknown events happening now."

Sumiko Ozawa slammed a newspaper on the table.

"Spontaneous human combustion is not a crime, but who knows when it might happen again."

"This was yesterday..."

Kondo Isami's eyes narrowed sharply as he grabbed the newspaper, involuntarily glancing at Natsukawa.

Tomoko Miura, the victim listed in the newspaper is the superpowered woman from yesterday, and also a passenger on the Dawn train.

Is it...

No, it's impossible.

Kuuga did demonstrate fire control, but if Kuuga wanted to kill someone yesterday, he would have done so long ago; there was no need to wait until night.

Kaminari... whether it's the Kaminari of this world or the Kaminari of this world, he's not the type to kill indiscriminately.

"What's wrong?" Sumiko Ozawa asked curiously. "Do you know anything?"

"I know nothing," Kondo Isami shook his head repeatedly and put down the newspaper. "These unknown methods are really too bizarre."

"You're a bit strange too. Could you be the Unknown in disguise?"

"H-How is this possible? Ozawa, you..."

"It was just a joke, why are you so nervous?"

After the meal, Sumiko Ozawa and Makoto Hikawa left one after the other, leaving Isao Kondo with Natsukawa.

"Kaminaga..."

"Officer Hojo," Natsukawa asked first, "I've heard the Unidentified Life Form Countermeasures Unit has a research institute for ultra-ancient artifacts. Do you have any specific information?"

"You mean the OPAZ Research Institute?" Kondo Isami asked, surprised. "I know about it, but the institute was disbanded about two weeks ago. I heard it was transferred to the Self-Defense Forces, but I don't know the specifics."

"Disband?"

Xia Chuan fell into deep thought.

No wonder he hasn't heard a thing during his assessment period these past two days.

In Agito, it was that research institute that allowed Kurokami to be resurrected in the modern world through genetic factors.

If the group is disbanded, it's either because the Black God has already appeared, or because the research has been transferred for some reason.

"Regarding the Dawn..."

Kondo hesitated before asking a question, but then he saw Natsukawa hurriedly walk out of the barbecue restaurant.

"Kaminaga?"

"Excuse me, sir!" The waiter smiled and stopped Kondo Isami, who was trying to catch up. "Could you please pay the bill first?"

"They didn't pay the bill?!"

……

A Self-Defense Force base.

The refined young man gazed through the observation window at the indifferent little boy from this world bathed in light.

With the influence of the left and right dark and light power imprints, the little boy instantly transformed into a teenager, his clothes half white and half black, the dark and light power clearly distinct.

"That's not enough," the refined young man said, pushing open the door and walking to the boy's side. "You only inherited a portion of the power of darkness, and the power of light is too weak. You need to absorb enough powerful Agito power."

"This spacetime may be heading towards destruction." The boy calmly turned around, the two forces in his eyes becoming increasingly evident.

"So what if we destroy this spacetime? There are plenty of duplicate spacetimes."

The refined young man admired and examined his masterpiece.

Experiments that cannot be fully carried out in this world can be conducted without any scruples in this world.

It's practically the perfect testing ground.

"call!"

Several leopard-like figures burst into the research room, growling as they charged toward the boy. However, they were forced to curl up in pain a few meters away, kneeling before the boy in submission.

"Hurry up," the refined young man said, ignoring the Leopard Venerable and turning to leave. "If you can't complete the experiment before the power of darkness is fully restored, I might abandon you."

"I cannot fail." The boy's eyes flickered.

These two forces not only helped him grow physically, but also greatly enhanced his mind. He had shed his childish mentality and his wisdom was no less than that of an adult scholar.

Even if it's just a copy of another timeline, a god is still a god.

He will become a true god.

……

The streets of Tokyo.

The sky suddenly darkened, and layers of dark clouds had appeared in the sky at some unknown time.

Sayaka swallowed hard, watching the bakery employee disposing of the trash. Just as she was about to grab some bread for dinner, her eyes met the employee's.

After a brief eye contact, the employee took the trash bag back, leaving only a faint aroma of bread in the air.

"Gurgle!"

The rumbling of hunger echoed again, but all I could do was purse my lips and watch the bakery staff return to the store.

"Sister, I'm hungry." The orphaned little boy gently tugged at the girl's sleeve. "What should we do?"

"Just bear with it a little longer, Xiao Lei, you won't be hungry anymore soon."

Sayaka felt terrible after seeing the garbage heap swarming with flies, so she decided to try her luck elsewhere.

If all else fails, you'll have to go to another street and fight with stray dogs for food.

"But……"

The little boy looked at the crowd of people coming and going on the other side.

Will we end up like those stray dogs?

"Of course not. After the police have dealt with your parents' matter, you can go to the welfare home..."

"No! I'm not going back!"

The little boy backed away in fear.

"Those people will take me to a terrible place, I don't want to go back!"

Sayaka's expression was complicated.

This child, like her, is also a superpowered individual.

After the incident, she originally wanted to take Xiao Lei home, but she was kicked out by the landlord and encountered a group of men in black from the research institute.

Despite having only a month to spare, that person seemed to have taken control of the entire instance, acting even more aggressively than in the real world, and not even bothering to maintain appearances.

"Why did it turn out like this?" the child cried, trembling and clutching his head. "Daddy, Mommy..."

"Don't be afraid!" Sayaka choked back tears as she hugged the frightened child. "No one will hurt you. Your big sister is here!"

"Boom!"

Thunder rumbled in the dark sky.

The two walked out of the street hand in hand. It was just the time for school to let out, and many parents were waiting at the school gate with umbrellas.

Amidst the noise of children, a thunderstorm suddenly broke out, and parents rushed to open their umbrellas to greet their children.

"Honestly, didn't I tell you to bring an umbrella?"

"He's such a worry!"

"Dad, I'm hungry!"

"Okay, okay, let's go eat first."

The rain intensified, and puddles quickly formed on the streets. The hungry and cold Sayaka and her companion were soaked to the bone, but they seemed to have forgotten about it and did not try to find shelter.

Just then, a faint light flashed through the rain, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Xia Chuan, whom I recognized somewhat.

"Mentor Shenyong?"

"You are...Sayaka?" Kondo Isami, who was standing next to Natsukawa, asked in surprise, "What happened? How did you get like this?"

Almost everyone who enters the instance space has an identity, and even the worst ones wouldn't be like this girl.

Her once beautiful face was now covered in a grime, and she looked extremely haggard. She wore clothes that she had picked up from somewhere, and she looked more like a beggar.

"Where are your advisors? I told you before, don't bring your kids!"

Sayaka lowered her head in silence.

Seeing this, Xia Chuan handed over an umbrella, his gaze sweeping over the little boy who had hidden behind it.

The way it hunched over and peeked out was very much like Tsugami Taro from this world, even its expression was the same.

This child...

Xia Chuan remembered.

They are the children of the couple who were murdered.

"If you don't mind, why don't you stay at my place for a few days?"

Xia Chuan took out a fresh cake from his pocket, paused, and handed it to Sayaka under the boy's envious gaze, along with a business card from the North City Detective Agency.

"I've been at the Metropolitan Police Department lately, and it's been empty there."

"Thank you, Mentor Kazunari."

Sayaka's eyes welled up with tears, and she wanted to say something, but Kondo Isami interrupted her with a smile.

"Don't get it wrong," Kondo Isami shook his head and reminded him, "He is Kaminaga, that's true, but he's not the Kaminaga mentor you know."

"Huh?"

"He's from here."

Kondo Isami looked at Natsukawa again and found his grumpy face much more pleasing to the eye.

"beep!"

Just then, Xia Chuan's cell phone suddenly rang.

"Kaminari, something's happened again! New unknown life has been discovered. We're on our way... Wait, it seems to be over there!"

"receive."

Xia Chuan nodded slightly, said nothing more, and left first with his umbrella, while Kondo Isami's expression turned slightly unpleasant.

Sumiko Ozawa is really hard to get along with; her words are always like handing someone a knife. Now I don't even bother mentioning her anymore.

"Let's leave it at that for now," Kondo Isami instructed Sayaka. "Although he's from this world, he's much more reliable than Kaminaga. Go and stay there for now, and we'll talk about it later if anything comes up."

The distance wasn't too far, and Xia Chuan soon saw the G3-X trailer parked by the roadside, waiting for him to get in and get dressed.

"How is the situation?"

"Just like the previous incidents, the victim also spontaneously combusted, however," Ozawa Sumiko said, puzzled, as she helped Natsukawa put on his armor, "today's victim has absolutely nothing to do with Miura Tomoko."

"That's why everyone said the Tianliang Express passengers were different."

Kondo Isami seemed to have gotten used to being an operator, and after putting on his headset, he began setting up the control panel.

"Alright, let's get into battle!"

"Whoosh!"

With the truck door open and the latches released, Xia Chuan G3-X rode his motorcycle off the trailer, turned on his siren, and headed towards the scene of the incident.

"Report your location, at the 9 o'clock position!"

"Know."

The G3-X sped through the streets in the torrential rain, passing Sayaka and heading straight for the Jellyfish Head Venerable who appeared in the rain.

Is this guy targeting Sayaka?

Is it still that child?

"Sizzle!"

A bolt of lightning ripped through the rain and struck the G3-X armor, instantly igniting a shower of sparks.

"Kaminaga!!"

(End of this chapter)