Am I the only one in this team who is not Ultraman?

"By the way, considering that we will be operating in extreme weather, we also added heat insulation and internal air conditioning."

"This is really thoughtful." Leo looked at the instruction manual and wrote down the corresponding operating instructions. "Hmm, I'll adjust the system first. There are a few operations that need to be changed, otherwise the pilot's habits may lead to some mistakes."

"King Joe is finished." Upon receiving the news, Director Yoshioka, Director Sawai, and other TPC executives arrived at the armory, including the head of the Australian branch. Looking at King Joe being tested, everyone couldn't help but sigh.

"Debugging complete. Now we will begin the official startup. Please open channel one."

Leo tossed the thick instruction manual aside, patted his head, and felt that he was in good spirits and should be able to drive perfectly.

"Max's power system is operating at low speed. Anti-gravity system is functioning normally. Energy supply system is functioning normally. Monitors are functioning normally. Auxiliary systems are correcting... Repair complete. Power increase to begin now."

"King Joe Bridge, first test, now begin."

When the Max Propulsion System first started operating, in a corner of the unknown universe, a huge mechanical island suddenly appeared among the stars. It slowly landed on a nearby planet and then began to change.

Chapter Sixty-Four: The First Battle at King Joe Bridge!

The first test of the modified King Joe Bridge was undoubtedly a major event that the entire TPC should pay attention to, as it was related to future strategic plans. Therefore, it was natural that both Director Yoshioka and Director Sawai agreed to choose Leo as the driver.

After all, Leo's physical abilities are what they are, and only he can test King Joe's limits. But even so, his performance is a bit too frightening.

"King Joe is currently traveling at Mach 10, and the driver is in good condition... My God, he's practically a superman!"

The combat personnel in charge of the test couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, because even without any high-speed turns, this number was still quite alarming.

The fastest speed currently recorded by TPC is the specialized improved version of the Flying Swallow No. 1, also known as the Snow White. In order to deal with the high-speed monster called "Gazot" that has only appeared once so far, the Snow White had to be equipped with the theoretical prototype of the Max propulsion system, namely the Max engine.

The person in charge of piloting the fighter jet at the time was none other than Gen, who had served as the bodyguard of Director Sawai. He set a record of Mach 9 for the highest flight speed in the atmosphere, a record that has been easily broken today.

"This is Leo, command center. Can you hear me?"

"This is the command post. Deputy Captain Leo, how are you feeling?" Director Yoshioka was still concerned about Leo, after all, he knew very well that Leo had almost lost his life last night.

"It's alright. The improved combat suit can effectively reduce the stress caused by high-speed flight and high maneuverability. King Joe is performing better than I expected. Its speed is excellent. I feel that it can be even faster."

Compared to the original King Joe, the modified King Joe is faster and more maneuverable. If it weren't for the need to maintain his identity as a Reonic, and considering the load King Joe himself would have been under, Reo felt that the speed could have been increased even further.

"Now testing the split mode function, King Joe, disassemble."

As Leo finished speaking, King Joe disintegrated into four parts during its high-speed flight. To ensure ease of operation, the combination and separation modes are controlled directly by voice commands.

"Because the Max propulsion system is the primary energy source, the cockpit is also located at the corresponding chest level."

"Hmm, the energy supply is overflowing, the system is overheating, 67°C. In split mode, we need to set it to automatically reduce the output power of the Max power system."

While driving the King Bridge, Leo was still able to offer some suggestions. The mechanics in the repair team were dumbfounded. What kind of superman was this? Even with Mr. Fengyuan in front of them, this was still a bit scary.

King Joe was very fast, and Leo could even make smooth turns at the maximum speed. Of course, even for the selected elites of the Earth Defense Force, this pressure was almost deadly, so he had to pretend to be uncomfortable and ask Galactron to help him modify the instrument parameters to avoid being noticed that something was wrong.

On the ground where King Joe flew, the Balgi aliens hid behind trees and watched King Joe fly by in the sky, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Sure enough, there's something wrong with the people on this earth. No wonder Lord Nix has his sights set on this place. But the fact that the enemy last night forced Lord Jetton and Ottoman to join forces is truly terrifying."

Something's wrong with this Earth, absolutely wrong. Balki has become acutely aware of this during this time. He doesn't know why, but a significant portion of the human population on this Earth is physically superior to what he knows humans should be at.

The Balgi clan once invaded Earth in that other universe and was defeated by Ultraman Taro. Well, of course, the more embarrassing parts are too embarrassing to share.

So Balki knew exactly what the average physical fitness level of humans was, and at first he even thought that the people on this earth were about the same, until he saw a passerby jump two meters high and grab a balloon hanging from a street lamp, while the people around him did not react at all.

If I had to briefly describe the people of this planet, it would be someone Bolt could only dream of, someone Tyson would weep over, and someone like Han Ye would probably be considered an ordinary person here.

Oh, just in case you don't know, Han Ye is the ruthless guy in Ultraman Taro who charged straight at the modified Bemstar with a dagger and a rope and managed to inflict damage without dying.

"There are so many monsters on this Earth, and these strange Earthlings... If I can investigate these things thoroughly, will I be able to gain Lord Nix's further trust and favor?"

Although his combat prowess is not particularly impressive, Balgi's intelligence gathering skills are top-notch. He was one of the first to know about the battle between Emperor and Juda, but this talent has never been very useful.

After all, in a place like the Dark Universe, sometimes knowing more is not a good thing. Without anyone protecting you, the more you know, the faster you die.

Lord Jetton's mission doesn't have a specific time limit, so he probably won't be in a hurry. Let's make investigating the peculiarities of the Earthlings here our first priority.

However, this Earth and all the people here belong to that person, so let's not use such radical methods.

Leo was completely unaware of Balgi's ulterior motives. He was currently focused on piloting the King Joe. After the separation, the other three components of the King Joe would become auxiliary systems, but the data would need to be manually corrected, which was troublesome.

So if someone else is driving King Joe, the split mode is mostly used to assist in combat, but it's a different story for Leo.

"To have controlled the separation mode for more than three minutes using only the auxiliary system, is Captain Leo really human?"

Dr. Otomo, who was in charge of recording the data, couldn't help but make a comment, earning a sharp look from Director Yoshioka: "What else could it be but human!?"

Director Yoshioka's shout startled several scientists who had other ideas, causing them to quickly lower their heads and get back to their work, dispelling their doubts. Dr. Tango, on the other hand, didn't find anything strange about it.

Since fifteen years ago, for reasons that have yet to be fully investigated, the physical abilities of many humans have generally improved. This was especially noticeable when monsters appeared ten years ago. A prime example is Mr. Gen, while Vice-Captain Leo simply demonstrated a more pronounced improvement.

Without such changes, the current human population would have been reduced by at least half due to the increasingly severe monster attacks.

However, the fact that Leo could play King Joe to this level is indeed a bit frightening. The flight test and maneuver test went very smoothly. As for actual combat? That's the least of our worries.

"Report! A monster has appeared in District K of T City! It's Garula!"

"Vice Captain Leo, did you hear that?" Making Garula the first target of King Joe is a very suitable choice. Leo was just about to find a place to throw a Golza, and Miss Zetton caught a few more last night. "Understood."

While Garula is a suitable opponent, what's puzzling is why Garula? It's somewhat unsettling.

"Following Golza, Melba, and Gadi, Garula is also starting to appear more frequently now..."

Director Sawai raised an eyebrow. In the first year of Monster Age, Golza and Melba might not appear even once a month. Starting in the second year, there were sighting reports every week. In the second year, Gadi appeared, and in the third year, the frequency of Gadi's appearance increased.

Now, with two Garulas appearing within a week, the frequency of Garula appearances is likely to remain high. If that happens, upgrading weapons and equipment will be much more timely.

"Ultraman, King Joe, Zetton... Sawai, I have a feeling that a lot of big things are going to happen next."

"Yes, but no matter how great the difficulties, humanity must overcome them."

No matter the cost, humanity will not perish, the world will not be destroyed, and TPC exists precisely for this reason.

At King Joe's speed, it wouldn't take long to reach the destination, even faster than the ESCG team. Garula appeared too quickly this time, and the city's evacuation work hadn't been completed yet.

Without any hesitation, Leo landed and immediately hugged Garula, relying on King Joe's defense to ignore its scorching rays. They were both tough and resilient, so who was afraid of whom?

Then King Joe took flight again, using the powerful force provided by the Max propulsion system to carry Garula out of the city and drop it from thousands of meters in the air, causing it to crash heavily to the ground.

The entire mountain forest trembled from the shock, and the tremendous sound even carried several kilometers into the city behind it.

Garula was a little dizzy from the fall, but he wasn't seriously injured. This guy's defense is famous, and his only weakness is his neck.

Just as Garula stood up and was about to roar, Leo, piloting King Joe, came up and kicked it in the head, making it dizzy. After all, not breaking its defenses didn't mean there was no impact.

Piloting King Joe felt completely different from piloting a fighter jet. Leo felt that piloting a Gundam was probably the same. In order to test King Joe's performance, he even waited until Garula woke up before taking action.

Garula snapped out of his daze and launched an attack on Leo, emitting scorching rays as he charged toward him.

Leo also charged forward while piloting King Joe, firing destructive beams and missiles. However, Garula's scorching rays only produced sparks when they hit King Joe, and King Joe's missiles and beams failed to penetrate Garula's defenses.

Both sides were giving each other gua sha (scraping therapy). Garula was also stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that the big guy in front of him was just as thick-skinned as himself. Then let's have a contest of strength!

King Joe braced his arms against Garula's claws. Leo glanced at the data and said, "King Joe is currently operating at 50% power, which is basically the same as Garula. Considering the balance between maintenance and usage time, setting it to 40% as the normal output would be more appropriate."

Of course, the size of the monster also needs to be taken into account. The Garula in front of Leo is only a little over sixty meters long, which is probably an average size.

It must be said that Dr. Yao is truly a genius; his modification of Max's power system on King Joe was even an unfinished, simplified version.

"What is the extent of the damage to the machine?"

"Hmm... Garula's scorching ray caused some of the circuitry to overheat, but it's not a big problem." Leo increased his strength, and King Joe threw Garula away, followed by a series of punches that left it completely disoriented.

"Now for the final test, oh." The fallen Garula suddenly turned around and fired a scorching ray. Leo instinctively separated King Joe to dodge the attack, then they reunited in the sky, with the Max Cannon in his right hand aimed at it.

Actually, it wouldn't have been necessary to disintegrate, as it wouldn't have broken through the defenses, but Leo thought it looked cooler this way, so he couldn't resist, and it was also a test of his mobility during battle.

However, his reaction speed and operation really surprised everyone who was observing. Leo's piloting performance when he joined the team was not outstanding. Could this guy be a Newtype?

Garula is quite intelligent. When he saw the modified King Joe fly into the sky and raise the right cannon barrel, he knew something was wrong. He quickly burrowed underground to try to escape, but the most important improvement suggestion Leo gave was to improve the charging of the Max Cannon.

Just as Garula had burrowed halfway into the ground, a shot from the rainbow-colored Max Cannon pierced through the ground and struck its body, penetrating its outer armor.

Seeing the violent explosion at the spot where Garula was burrowing underground, Leo felt that if it were at full power, King Joe's cannon would probably have the same power as Galactron's Destruction Spark.

"Radar response gone, target confirmed destroyed, now prepare to deal with large debris."

"Thank you for your hard work. Just leave the recycling operation to SRC. Come back and check it as soon as possible."

Everyone was overjoyed to see King Joe's fighting prowess. Garula was a formidable enemy, but he was no match for Modified King Joe. While Modified King Joe certainly couldn't contend with an enemy like Maga Grand King, it was impossible for him to fight against Maga Grand King's level every day.

"This is bad, Director Sawai! A Sphia reaction has been detected!"

Leo was somewhat surprised that Sphia would come, because it had been a long time since... oh, it hadn't even been a week since these guys last showed up, so it wasn't that long.

Because of Specia's existence, TPC is now determined to reduce all defeated monsters to ashes, and the creation of the giant Five Emperors by these guys has further strengthened TPC's resolve to expand its military power.

Looking at the group of white, glowing objects flying in from the sky, Leo wasn't worried at all. He had secretly released Zetton and Galactron before the test even started, so they could help at any time.

"Vice Captain Leo, it seems I'll need to trouble you to work overtime."

"Understood. Should we capture some of the targets alive as a research sample?"

Upon hearing Leo's words, Dr. Dango, who was still feeling a bit uneasy, suddenly raised his head, his eyes shining. Vice-Captain Leo actually remembered this matter; he hadn't trusted the wrong person!

"You can decide for yourself in this matter. If you judge that it is necessary and feasible, then go ahead and do it." Director Sawai said calmly, but everyone around was surprised because it meant that Director Sawai's trust in Leo and the power he gave him far exceeded that of ordinary people.

"Understood, King Joe, second test begins!"

Chapter 65 How could you two crash a plane like this?

Considering the possibility of Softia's appearance, Leo specifically mentioned in his firepower recommendations for King Joe that it would be best to have a weapon system capable of dealing with such small floating targets. The power does not need to be too great, because Softia itself is not very strong; the laser from Unit 1 would suffice.

Then, after thinking for a moment, Grandpa Ye Hu installed it on King Joe's arms and shoulders. After Leo activated it, he immediately started fighting. He realized that the target of this group of Sphias was actually King Joe.

"Command room, Softia's target is very likely King Joe. I suspect they can not only fuse with monsters, but also with non-living things."

Seeing the Specia lifeforms rushing towards King Joe on the screen being rapidly eliminated, Director Yoshioka, Hebikura, and Grandpa Ye Hu immediately became anxious.

"What? They want to steal our King Joe Bridge? Damn it, I'm heading there in my Flying Swallow No. 1 right now!"

"No need, Jugglus Juggler." Kai's voice came through the channel. "ESCG has arrived at the target site and is now joining the battle."

Wait a minute, why do I subconsciously call the snake's lair "Jugglus"? Hong Kai pondered for a moment, but didn't think too much about it, it didn't seem to make any sense.

Even Hebikura himself subconsciously accepted this title, "Kai, if you dare to crash another plane, just wait for me to put a sword to your neck and make you come and fix it yourself!"

The resentment emanating from Hebikura sent a chill down the spines of Gento and Gai in the cockpit. This guy was definitely serious; hopefully, they wouldn't need to transform for today's battle.

Fujiwara Juri piloted the upgraded Unit-01 to assist Leo in eliminating Sphia, who was attempting to directly seize and remodel King Joe. Meanwhile, Gai and Gento dealt with Sphia while quickly eliminating the Garula fragments on the ground.

The movements and coordination were so clean and efficient that even Sphia was astonished. Seriously, are the humans on this planet this efficient?

What Scia didn't know was that Kai and the String Man Captain were so traumatized by the previous giant Five Emperors that they were afraid Scia would create another invincible giant, thus displaying the qualities they should have as pilots.

The King Joe missile had already reduced Garula to very few fragments after the first shot, and now most of it has been destroyed. Softia wanted to seize the King Joe but couldn't break through the dense barrage of fire. Apart from the Max Cannon, the King Joe was equipped with eighty micro-missiles and ten laser cannons. Even someone with a fear of insufficient firepower could be cured just by looking at it.

Just when Leo thought the Sphias were done for, he suddenly saw the remaining Sphias rush towards the ground and merge into the earth, then turn into a dozen monsters that looked like three-legged spiders.

"Hehe." Leo suddenly laughed with relief. He was used to it. It was just a group fight. Since joining ESCG, none of the battles he had participated in had ever been normal.

Unit 1 attempted to launch a laser attack, but it was all blocked by the subspace shields on these guys.

"This kind of enemy is a bit difficult to deal with." Miss Zetton chewed on her popsicle, watching Leo piloting the modified King Joe in the midst of battle, then looked at Galactron beside her. "Did you capture any cool moments of Leo?"

“Recording complete, saved, ready to join the battle.” A red light flashed in Galactron’s eyes. “Agreement Three: Protect Leo, with the attached instruction to capture the Sphia life form.”

Galactron seemed even more impatient than Zetton. A huge white beam of light enveloped his entire body, rising higher and higher until it finally appeared in everyone's sight. Zetton didn't waste any words. After a teleport, he punched a Specia chimera in his monster form and blew it apart.

"Target tentatively codenamed Darmbilt, prioritize elimination."

"Understood, enter melee mode." Beam weapons aren't very effective against Sphia, and it's best not to let the enemy figure out our weapon configuration at this stage.

The monsters synthesized by Sphia don't have that disgusting characteristic of being assimilated by attacking them; otherwise, Leo's first reaction would have been to shoot them all.

There were still a few Sphia lifeforms in the sky, all of them very small individuals. Leo decisively launched a magnetic field capture net to trap one of them. This function was something he had previously requested to be added, specifically for this situation.

Galactron somehow managed to capture one and imprison him inside the core.

However, capturing Sphia was clearly not so easy. Leo soon noticed that Sphia, who was trapped by him, kept hitting the electromagnetic net cage after realizing the consequences of being captured. In the end, she actually turned into liquid and slipped away through the gaps.