Ultraman: I am really just a human.

Chapter 24 Preview

"More than a month has passed since the first Gurongi murder. Today, the victims' relatives will hold a three-day prayer service in the central square to commemorate their loved ones..."

Central Plaza.

Even before dawn, a large number of people had gathered. Chrysanthemums were placed in front of a photo wall, and sobs could be heard from time to time. However, the scene remained orderly. The victims' families seemed to have an unspoken agreement, and even though they were heartbroken, they still gave up their seats to those who came later.

Asami Hiroko and her partner Takahashi Kazumi stood at the edge of the square, watching the crowds coming and going in the oppressive atmosphere, and their moods also became heavy.

"In just one month, more than 100 people have been killed. This is only because I dealt with the Gurongi in time every time. Otherwise..."

Seemingly affected by the atmosphere, Hiroko Asami's eyes became slightly moist, and she sniffled a few times.

Contrary to the figures in the report, only those on the scene could truly feel the devastation of the event.

Every life represents a family.

"Honestly," Kazumi Takahashi complained, "instead of thinking about how to deal with the Gurongi and reduce casualties, they're still urging us to investigate Kuuga. I wanted to give them a good beating at yesterday's meeting. They actually said that the seniors were useless..."

"Alright, I'm the one being blamed, why are you so angry?" Hiroko Asami sighed in exasperation.

She was tasked with investigating Ultraman back in the Ultraman era, and now she's investigating Kuuga.

I'm used to it.

"Of course I'm angry! My senior and I are two bodies sharing the same heart!"

Kazumi Takahashi wore her displeasure on her face.

"To be honest, it's been really strange. I always feel like Kuroko knows what's going on with our actions. We never have any clues. Maybe there's an inside man among those guys..."

"You watch too much TV, don't you?"

Hiroko Asami glanced at her partner.

"This isn't a police thriller, where would an inside man come from?"

"That's the feeling I have," Kazumi Takahashi muttered to herself.

Hiroko Asami ignored her partner and looked at the commemorative crowd with surprise, unexpectedly spotting Natsukawa's figure in front of the photo wall.

"Kaminaga?"

"Waaah."

Amidst the low sobs around her, Xia Chuan put down the chrysanthemum, her gaze lingering briefly on the mother and daughter's photo, her memory briefly returning to the day of the Mantis Woman incident.

A qualified soldier needs to be baptized in blood.

Whether it was merging with Shinji Shin's memories or experiencing the extremely brutal killing game of the ancient Gurongi, it made him different from ordinary people, and his warrior's heart was exceptionally firm.

But this doesn't mean he doesn't value human life like the Gurongi or Zoffy.

Even if he continues to evolve in the future, and even becomes a higher life form like Zoffy, he will still not give up his human identity, and he will still not forget the sadness and tears at the scene.

After imprinting the girl's smiling face in the photo into his mind, Xia Chuan quietly stepped aside.

He still faces many problems in dealing with the Gurongi.

First of all, they lack the ability to track down the Grongi. They basically rely on luck every time, and several times they almost got blocked by the barrier.

It seems that Kamen Rider has a special device for crossing barriers; we should try to get one if we have the chance.

Another thing is getting on the road.

Without a motorcycle, he always had to use his Azure Dragon form to get around. Although it was more stealthy than riding a motorcycle, it still didn't feel quite right.

There's no way to address this for now, unless we can obtain an ability similar to the Mirror Space.

The city is full of mirrors, and if you have the special ability to travel through mirror spaces, you can go anywhere easily.

"Breaking news!" the plaza's morning loudspeaker suddenly announced, "A mysterious Gurongi has appeared at the Central Tower in Daejeon District..."

"Bang bang bang!"

Ota District.

Due to the "crime warning," the police evacuated the crowd in advance and sealed off the central tower area. A large number of police cars gathered, and the officers were on high alert, with gunshots ringing out everywhere.

After a round of shooting, not only did they fail to find any trace of the Gurongi, but they also suffered several casualties among their own police officers.

Before he could even see the attack, the officer, who was still firing, was suddenly pulled into the air, as if his face was being sucked in by something. When he fell, his skull was broken and his face was bright red.

"hateful!"

"Where are you? Show yourself!"

The veteran detective hid behind a police car, observing his surroundings. Faced with an unknown enemy who was nowhere to be seen, sweat poured down his forehead.

"Hehe," the silhouette of the chameleon Gurongi appeared above the tower, "The next time is tomorrow at 10 a.m., in the central square."

"What?"

Police fired another shot after finding the source of the sound, but the chameleon Gurongi seemed to have left the scene after speaking and did not make a sound again.

"Whoosh!"

The veteran detective emerged from the police car shelter, panting.

"They really left a message, and it was in Japanese. What's wrong with that guy?"

"The same thing happened with the mantis Gurongi last time; many passersby heard 'Don't turn around.' These guys are learning from us humans."

"Studying? But it's getting harder and harder to understand. Last time, the Mantis Gurongi specifically targeted someone, and this time they're doing a pre-announced kill. What are these guys thinking?"

"Let's leave the rest to the Kamen Riders and the special forces." The veteran detective holstered his pistol and turned his gaze to the fallen police officers at the scene.

Many police officers looked dejected, their bewildered expressions tinged with a sense of shared sorrow.

Since the arrival of the Knights Era, the role of the police has also changed.

"What are you all standing there for?" the veteran detective shouted. "Cheer up! Even if we can't handle the Gurongi, there are things we can do! We can't give up so easily!"

"Officer Kudo..."

"Alright, let's clean up the scene first."

The veteran detective bent down and picked up the bullet that had fallen to the ground.

The higher the Grongi level, the less effective ordinary bullets become. Unfortunately, it seems the higher-ups haven't considered upgrading the police's equipment, assuming that special forces are the main combat personnel.

But with so few special forces personnel, the police are ultimately the ones truly responsible for urban security.

……

evening.

Xia Chuan made a rare trip back to Leo's House.

As usual, the owner handed over a glass of hot milk and then asked curiously, "What brings you here today?"

"The school has sent all the trainees to the front lines, and I don't have anything to do for the time being, so I'm just coming back to stay for a couple of days," Xia Chuan replied casually.

Actually, the base was too remote, and each trip back and forth took a lot of time, making it inconvenient for him to hunt the Grongi.

I just heard today that the Gurongi have announced a murder, and the location is the central square where a commemorative event is being held. Of course, it's more appropriate to stay in the city.

"Ding-dong!"

The doorbell rang, and an elderly detective wearing a coat pushed open the door and entered, finding a corner seat with a stern face.

"Boss, a cup of sake."

"Inspector Kudo seems troubled. Is it because of that Grongi that's been threatening to kill us?"

The boss asked questions familiarly.

"Since the appearance of the Grongi, the effectiveness of barriers seems to be diminishing. Will they be useless this time as well?"

"There's no other way; the barrier was originally designed to deal with infected creatures."

The veteran detective said wearily.

"Instead of putting our hopes on the barrier, it would be better to find out where those guys are hiding. If this continues, we might not even realize that the Gurongi are right next to us."

"Oh?" The boss became interested. "What do you mean by that?"

"I can't tell you much," the old detective sighed. "All I can say is that those guys are getting better and better at disguising themselves."

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan glanced at the old detective and was about to say something when some blurry images flashed through his mind accompanied by a series of sonic booms. At the same time, his waist felt slightly hot, and the Kuuga belt seemed to be about to appear automatically.

Are there any Gurongi nearby?

Natsukawa suppressed the urge to rever his Kuuga belt, said something to the owner, and quickly walked out of the izakaya.

"Buzz!"

Ota District.

Fujiwara Saiji was riding his motorcycle along the riverbank, racking his brains about how to find the Gurongi trail, when suddenly a motorcycle sped past him.

It's a standard model, yet its speed is astonishing.

"snort."

The knight glanced back at Fujiwara Saiji, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust and excitement beneath his helmet.

"The game of darkness is about to begin, and you'll be my first prey."

"What?"

Fujiwara Saiji was suddenly startled, feeling a chill in his heart. By the time he realized what was happening, the motorcycle in front of him had already disappeared into the night.

"Prey... Could that guy be a Grongi?"

(End of this chapter)