Great, we're doomed now!

"...Where is your loyalty?"

"But I've also eaten Grandma Yotsuya's food!"

Volume 9: The Light and Darkness of the Universe

Chapter 372: A Mysterious Dark Giant Who Passed By (4K)

Another month has passed, and Ye Shou still hasn't been able to draw a useful system card. This time it's a relatively unpopular art-related card that can improve appreciation skills and artistic talent.

Ye Shou studied it carefully twice and found that there were almost no usable entries, and it could not further improve his strength. The biggest benefit might be that it would make him more impressive when naming his ultimate move.

But what's the point?

Ye Shou didn't care at all whether the moves sounded good or bad, as long as they could effectively blast the opponent away, it didn't matter whether they were called "Crescent Moon Sky Strike" or "Azu Sky Strike".

As usual, Ye Shou enjoyed a month of free cards and patiently waited for the next cycle to refresh. Fortunately, although there were no gains in this area, TPC's various tasks had made significant progress.

First is Project J, which is artificial redstone.

Since the beginning of the Su Nuo campaign, this technology has been continuously improved and has now been applied to artificial satellites. It has been deployed on a large scale, forming a semi-permanent network of 666 satellites, truly deserving the name "Skynet".

Of course, the scientists at TPC have all watched American blockbusters, but they wouldn't necessarily match them with a super AI that can manage them uniformly.

The primary function of these satellites is not to monitor the Earth's surface, but to detect and defend against foreign intrusions. Each unit is an independent radar and laser emission platform, and by design, they are not capable of firing at the ground.

In the past, when faced with alien invasions, such as the Crow People, space agencies of various countries were completely useless. They had to rely on the ancient technology of TPC decryption to break through the electromagnetic shielding and optical cloaking of alien spacecraft.

Its main purpose is to serve as an early warning system; we didn't really expect it to shoot down aliens.

Then there is Project G, which is the global deployment of the Space Machines (Iron Blood faction).

TPC (Kuse Group) has state-of-the-art testing and production models, while the older versions, which were previously iterated upon, are already technologically mature. Production lines have been established on various continents, and a revolutionary military technology revolution is underway.

It's not that no experts have pointed out that this is a misguided path. They have criticized this humanoid weapon from the perspectives of cost-effectiveness and practical significance, arguing that the same technology could be used to create stronger, more numerous, and cheaper equipment.

However, both the high-level officials and the general public welcomed "Gundam" and "M·A," and it has even begun to be developed for civilian use. Therefore, the experts' opinions were quickly drowned out by public opinion.

The reason is quite interesting:

In the face of frequent monster disasters, just as Ye Shou had predicted, people, driven by unease, began to seek the protection of power. Besides cold steel, they also needed some "belief" that could soothe their souls.

Of course, it's not any particular religion. Although some may want to capitalize on this surge in traffic, TPC has already taken control of the media.

(Because of the development of virtual technology, the voice of traditional media has been greatly weakened, just as multimedia replaced print media. In the end, it is the gap caused by technological iteration that media giants cannot stop. So this matter is simpler than Ye Shou imagined.)

Instead of arbitrarily denying the public's aspirations, it cleverly and subtly guided the public in multiple ways, from various popular elements to official news, and even hired bloggers, shifting the focus to the concept of "humanity".

Humanoid robots are naturally more likely to gain favor and trust, and are more easily imagined as beings with souls, thus allowing people to attach beautiful emotions to them.

In addition to the [Bayeri] who saved the city in the Battle of Brazil, and the mobile units that were active in subsequent battles, from single-person power armor to Ironblood Gundam, and even Ultraman who is like a god, all of them are outlines of "human".

This adds a layer of sacred aura to it, making "humanoid" a symbol, so the public is more willing to support Gundam rather than simply pursuing cost-effectiveness.

"That's right. Maintaining public opinion in this way can allow for occasional dynamic balance. There's a saying that 'truth becomes clearer through debate.' Indiscriminate control of speech is useless. Breaking down and clarifying the reasons behind big and small issues can actually dispel the mystique surrounding them for the public."

At the TPC high-level meeting, there were no more than ten people in total, including Sawai and Ye Shou, but they were discussing major issues that would affect the entire world situation.

There were many "new faces" at the meeting, and Ye Shou was familiar with relatively few people. After all, even a cadre of the rank of Kijima Megumi was not qualified to attend. Those who were present were basically representing a certain country.

The only one who could participate in an individual capacity was Ye Shou—and in everyone's eyes, he was the representative of the Jiushi Group.

Of course, these people do not interfere with the actual operation of the TPC. After all, as the Chinese representative said, professional matters should be left to professionals, and administrative personnel should not be too involved.

Moreover, if the resolution is discussed in the form of the UN Security Council, efficiency cannot be guaranteed, since the representatives of these countries are by no means of one mind...

The fact that everyone is willing to sit down and seriously discuss how to accomplish something together, instead of how to mess things up, is already a huge step forward!

Now we are wearing boots called "TPC," which may not fit properly, and may even have small stones hurting our feet, but as long as we persevere, we can keep moving forward—this has been Satoshi Sawai's political stance for the past two or three decades.

Ye Shou also agreed with this point, but he always preferred to be more direct:

We're all in the same boat; if we die, we die together!

No joke, the only thing that wasn't shared with any country was the interstellar travel technology of the Boros spacecraft. The outside world only had the technology for traveling within the solar system—everyone should just stay obediently by Mother Earth's side!

"Regarding unknown life forms, oh, sorry... the giant that TPC named [Ultraman], is it still impossible to actively summon them, and we can only passively wait for them to appear?"

When a representative asked a question, the corresponding person in charge at TPC presented a prepared explanation to the other party.

There are many similar questions and answers. After listening for a while, you'll realize that this is less of a meeting and more of an interrogation, with both sides clearly reconciling accounts and reviewing performance.

That's understandable, after all, they did invest money!

No matter how rich Ye Shou is, or how advanced the technology of the Jiushi Group is, there are still some things that require cooperation from various countries.

For example, Russia is a vast country with abundant mineral resources. It can find almost all the rare elements needed to make Gundam alloys, but you can't buy these things with money because Russia's land is state-owned.

Why is it that despite having so many oligarchic capitalists in Russia, ordinary people still manage to live a decent life? The main reason is that this system provides a safety net.

Russia was exempted from providing financial support to the TPC because it supplied most of the rare metals, and only paid a symbolic amount.

Some countries contribute personnel, such as scientists, engineers, and a large number of industrial workers; some countries contribute complete industrial systems; and some countries contribute funds and bases... As TPC grows larger, it will inevitably accept these forces.

Ye Shou possesses the most advanced technology and the physical power to suppress the entire Earth, but he doesn't act recklessly. He still attends the meeting as a mascot, just going through the motions.

Mutual respect and mutual understanding are very important.

In terms of "Space Machines," theoretically all mobile forces belong to the Earth Defense Force, and TPC has the authority to mobilize them.

However, in order to build mutual trust with various countries, most of the key members of TPC branches in various regions are from the local area, and the highest level of headquarters will inevitably reserve positions for representatives from major countries to be stationed there.

In reality, Commander Yoshioka's position in the Earth Defense Force is not "TOP". He is the head of the Executive Department, but there are also big shots from the United Nations on equal footing with him. There is not even a single Japanese person in the "Three-Person Council" that represents the highest power.

This is understandable, after all, this is a force built by mobilizing resources from all over the world, especially manpower - do you expect Japan to assemble so many excellent drivers?

One-third came from America, one-third from China, and even including Europe, Russia, and Japan, the total was less than one-third, not to mention Kuze's private army...

"Alright, this meeting is now adjourned. All of humanity has witnessed your efforts, but the cause of revolution is not yet complete. Please continue to strive for improvement."

One representative almost blurted it out, but then smiled generously, and everyone started packing their things.

There's no question of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in these meetings, because everyone's in the same boat. When disaster strikes, no one will have an extra life. Elites who reach this level can see through this kind of thing.

The reason for holding regular inquiry meetings is actually a two-way "self-justification":

TPC needs to prove that it has no selfish motives and has made reasonable use of all resources;

Governments around the world have proven that they have not engaged in any underhanded tactics and have taken on their corresponding responsibilities.

"Phew...a bit boring, isn't it?"

Sawai leaned back in her chair, turned to look at Ye Shou, and asked with a childlike curiosity, "From Ultraman's perspective, are the political activities of us mortals particularly meaningless?"

"I'm just a 'mortal,' at least in terms of my thoughts, I'm no different from a normal person, so of course I don't think that way."

Ye Shou chuckled: "On the contrary, I think this is very constructive."

"Oh? To be more specific."

"I can't really explain it. I just think the word 'constructive' is nice, and I use it to fool people."

Ye Shouyi's eyes were particularly clear: "Constructive, organizational, in-depth, consensus, exchange of opinions... these words are appropriate no matter where they are placed. I think the beauty of language lies in this."

"?"

"Sorry, I've been getting a bit pedantic lately." Ye Shou looked slightly embarrassed, feeling that he might have been influenced by literary terms.

"Let's get down to business... The GUTS team can now stand on their own. Last time, when we resolved the 'mine incident,' those two rock-eating monsters didn't even need Ultraman to appear. Our Space Force focused their fire and successfully defeated them."

—Since Ye Shoulai is also the captain of the Victory Team, he might as well give Sawai a briefing on his work since he's already here.

"Is their name 'Gakuma'?" Sawai asked in a deep voice. "And it turned out they were a male and female pair?"

“That’s right. It seems that the mining operations invaded their nest. Geologists have discovered that the caves there existed as early as 10,000 years ago... which means they are the original inhabitants.” Ye Shou’s face remained expressionless.

Gakuma is a monster that lives underground and turns stray miners to petrification. When the locals discovered it was a monster, they reported it to the TPC.

The Victory Team received the news and went to investigate. The two Gakuma felt threatened and came out to destroy the mining area. In order to protect the nearby villages, the Victory Team used a high-powered laser cannon to neutralize them.

Ye Shou didn't even have to lift a finger; he accomplished it solely with the firepower of the Flying Swallow and the mechs, proving that the current TPC is fully capable of fighting against ordinary monsters.

As for whether Gakuma's fate was tragic, and whether the responsibility lay more with it or with humanity, Ye Shou did not wish to comment.

However, his order was to "capture" rather than "kill," so the two Gakuma were spared. As for what happened next... a dark giant shrouded in black mist, whose face was obscured, appeared, put the two monsters into a pitch-black sphere, and disappeared, leaving behind a major unsolved mystery.

In short, Ye Shou sent them to Mars.

Gakuma is a creature that literally eats stones and can live, so there's no need to worry about it not adapting to Mars. Moreover, the existence of monsters, which are swarms of dead creatures with powerful life energy, will also affect the surrounding natural environment, and may even have unexpected benefits for the Mars terraforming project (in fact, Gakuma is regarded as a "divine beast" in local legends, but like Obik, it has lost its living space and can no longer coexist with modern humans).

"Looking back now, it's clear that as we humans continue to expand our living space, we inevitably clash with native species... This has been the case since ancient times, but it's something we can't help but do, which is truly sad."

Sawai sighed for a moment but didn't dwell on the emotion, just as he said—there was nothing he could do at that moment.

Because it's not just humans; all species face similar problems. Dinosaurs, too, encroached on the ecological niches of other species during their expansion.

"But no matter what, we disturbed them first, and we can't solve everything by killing them—that mysterious giant must have sent them to a new home, right?"

Sawai looked at the young man opposite her with a meaningful gaze, while Ye Shouze looked away and smiled slightly.

"Who knows?"

Just then, Ye Shou's communicator beeped, and when he opened it, he saw Horii's comical round face.

"What's wrong, Horii?"

"Captain Kuze... Ah, the Director is here too?"

Horii subconsciously straightened his back slightly, then said seriously, "Captain, regarding the meteorite we discovered earlier that crashed in Japan, after scanning and cutting, it has proven my previous hypothesis—"

It's hollow inside.

After a pause, Horii added, "This is an 'interstellar capsule,' probably used to transport some life forms. Judging by its size, it should be about the same as a human... Captain?"

"Ok, I know."

Ye Shou nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly:

Here comes one of the aliens he hates most, a guy whose wickedness rivals that of the Crow People—

Wood-kind Alien!

Chapter 373: Give up, there's no way a mecha girl is possible! (4.5K)

The worldview of the Ultraman series is not consistent throughout, but is clearly divided into multiple stages, with the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa periods representing three different story styles.

Although these were tokusatsu dramas aimed at children, the works from the Showa era contained a large number of thought-provoking plots that touched on reflections on human nature. While they were dark, cruel, and sad, they also inspired people to look forward to a better future or to resolve to break away from the ugly past (completely different from today's deliberately disgusting anime works).

The worldview of Ultraman Tiga is particularly unique. As a work that connects the past and the future, it inherits the depth of the Showa era, but its narrative is more comfortable to watch, and the overall atmosphere of the GUTS team is very harmonious.