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

“Very large.” Leo’s expression immediately turned serious. “If the Pedan aliens were able to give the Lebik aliens two King Joes, then they must have more. Although I don’t think they really have fifty King Joes, I have to admit that with our current level, even two King Joes today are a bit of a stretch.”

If it weren't for Zetton and those two Ultramen appearing today, to put it bluntly, those two King Joes would have destroyed the entire city. The Earth Defense Force's firepower is fine against ordinary monsters, but King Joes are clearly not ordinary enemies.

"Regarding King Joe, TPC plans to modify the recovered wreckage as a future force for ESCG to protect Earth. Do you have any suggestions?"

“I’m not a technician, but security should be the top priority,” Leo replied without hesitation. “We can’t be sure if the Pedanians left any tricks up King Joe. We must make sure King Joe doesn’t betray us at a critical moment.”

"You can rest assured about that. As for the two giants that appeared today and the monster called Zetton, what are your thoughts?"

It's finally here. Leo knows very well that this is the key issue. "Let's wait and see. Neither those Titans nor that Zetton have shown any clear hostility. Zetton even disappeared after defeating King Joe. It's best not to include them on the threat list for now."

"So you mean they can be considered friendly forces?" Director Yoshioka's eyes sharpened instantly. Leo shook his head. "Of course not. We don't even know where they came from or what their purpose is."

"However, if we encounter a similar situation next time and treat them as enemies and attack them without authorization, resulting in us having a few more difficult enemies to deal with, wouldn't that be a loss?"

These words were quite pertinent, and both Director Sawai and Director Yoshioka were satisfied with them.

"Although ESCG's operation this time was not perfect, it was still satisfactory as a first battle, especially in the capture of the Lebik aliens. How is Red Kai's injury?"

When he said this, Director Sawai looked at Daigo, because he knew that Leo had been in charge of interrogating the Lebik aliens.

"The external injuries were quite severe, but the medical department said it was nothing serious and I would be fine after a few days of rest."

"That's good." Director Sawai also breathed a sigh of relief. The Earth Defense Force is a job with a very high mortality rate. Every time a monster disaster occurs, someone will be killed. The most tragic one was six years ago, when they fought against a monster called Silvergon.

The battle lasted for almost a day, and all three defense teams were wiped out, which was a considerable cost.

"A lot happened today, and the work ahead may be even more difficult. You need to be prepared."

"I understand, then I'll take my leave now."

After finishing his work report, Leo still had to go back to visit Genji and Gai. Afterwards, he also had to take charge of the work related to the Lebik aliens. Sigh, so how exactly did Captain Genji fall and get so badly hurt?

"I really can't figure it out," Leo said, leaving Director Sawai's office with a head full of questions. Watching the two leave, Director Sawai took out a document from his drawer—Leo's file.

"What do you think?" Director Zejing asked his old comrade-in-arms.

"What else can I do? You've already taken such a big risk by appointing him as the vice-captain of ESCG. I can't just suspend him from his duties and investigate him now, can I?" Director Yoshioka said sternly, somewhat displeased with Director Sawai's unauthorized decision.

“He was raised by Asami, so I think he deserves this trust. Don’t you also want to transfer him to the Security Bureau?”

Director Yoshioka didn't say anything, but stood up and left. When he reached the door, he seemed to remember something, stopped and looked at Sawai. "I just want to monitor him to prevent him from posing a threat to the Earth."

"Still so dishonest." Director Sawai shook his head, looking at his cell phone, which was still connected on the table. "What do you think?"

There was no answer. Ren on the other end of the phone hung up immediately, then looked at the newly erected tombstone in front of him and said, "I'm sorry, Kazumi."

"I know what you're going to say. This is Leo's own choice. Neither you nor I will interfere with his choice. We all believe he will stand on the side of Earth."

"I was just thinking, if only I could have saved you back then, Leo wouldn't have cried for so long, and we wouldn't have lost you..."

The cold tombstone offers no solace. Looking at the colorful photo on the tombstone, Ren shook his head, turned and left, taking out his phone to call Leo.

Meanwhile, at TPC, Leo was completely unaware of this. He was still a little flustered, but before he could think of anything, a phone rang and he quickly took out his phone.

"I saw the news. How are you?" It was still the familiar, cold voice devoid of emotion, but it revealed concern. This feeling of being cared for was never bad. "I'm fine. I'm not hurt. I might be going home a little late today."

"I understand." After saying that, Ms. Ren hung up the phone.

Daigo cast a curious glance at Leo. "Vice-Captain, who is this person who called you?"

"You could say she's family." Leo thought for a moment, actually feeling more like Miss Ren's nanny, specifically in charge of cooking. When they first met, he even thought she was a foreigner because of her hair color.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in a hospital bed in the TPC medical ward, Gento felt that his life was pretty much over. He sighed and thought, "I should have gone to the front lines myself. That way, I wouldn't be ashamed if I got injured."

But he was the commander in charge of the rear. Ugh, that monster called Zetton was too strong. His transformed Blaze and another Ultraman were being beaten down.

(However, I can't use the Flandre armor and the Chirsor Radiant Sword. Is it because I only have Blaze's Radiant Stones?)

Looking at the cast on his foot, Gento Hiruma realized that some of the experiences in his mind might not be suitable for use now. He thought that the injuries he suffered after transforming into Blaze would not remain after transforming back into his human form, but he did not expect that they would remain intact.

Kai, who was lying in the hospital bed next to Gento, had the same feeling. Normally, if his injuries weren't too serious, he would only feel that he was not strong enough. But now, he was lying in a hospital bed just like his captain.

(Why couldn't I transform into a form other than Chongguang back then, and why did I always feel much weaker? No, it should be that Zetton was too strong.)

Hong Kai really couldn't understand why he was having such a hard time fighting just one Zetton, especially since there was another Ultraman, someone he didn't remember. But it could also be because his memories were incomplete. In fact, until today, he wasn't sure if he could really become Ultraman.

Just as Gai and Gento were lost in their own thoughts, Leo and Daigo pushed open the door and walked in. "Captain, Gai, how are you two doing?"

"Vice Captain, you're here." Gento sat up in bed, wincing in pain. "I'm so sorry to have dumped all the work on you."

"It's alright, Captain, you and Kai should get some rest." Leo sat between the two of them on the hospital bed, while Daigo casually picked up a fruit knife and started peeling fruit.

"Is the report on this operation over?" Gento looked at his foot. He had almost had his leg twisted by Zetton, so it was a battle wound, but it could only be described as a fall.

"Yes, I have already reported to Director Sawai and the others. What happened today has caused quite a reaction, and we also need to take public opinion into account."

"I really don't know what the world will be like in the future." Captain Gento shook his head, took the apple Daigo handed him, and took a bite. Daigo's smile was still sunny. "I've already let you know that your wife and child are safe and sound, so don't worry."

In the entire ESCG, Gento is the only one who is married and has a son.

"Thanks, by the way, where are the others?"

"Everyone is in good health, and the subsequent capture of the Lebik people went smoothly. The losses and casualties have been minimized, with only 325 injured and no deaths reported yet."

That's good, that's enough. Gento breathed a sigh of relief. As someone who joined the Earth Defense Force since the old Defense Force era, he knew best that monster disasters often meant massive losses and casualties.

Today's event was the shortest in duration and the smallest in scope of any disaster event on Earth in the past decade.

Chapter 5 Miss Jaden...?

For Leo, encountering such a thing on his first day of work was really unlucky. Fortunately, the result was good. It was just a pity that Captain Stringman was hospitalized due to injury, which meant that Leo had to write the final summary report and had to work overtime in the command room until eight o'clock before he could leave.

Only now can Leo truly examine all the changes that have occurred within him.

Leo turned off the patrol car's recording equipment and took the device out of his pocket. Unlike the previous black screen, this time the device's screen lit up automatically, and what appeared in front of Leo was... a girl.

"Is there something you need from me, sir?" This familiar, cold, and emotionless way of speaking subconsciously reminded Leo of Miss Ren.

"Just call me Leo, Miss Zetton, um... is that a good way to address me?" Leo was a little unsure. Although Zetton looked like a girl, she was a monster who could tear apart two King Joes and beat two Ultramen to a pulp.

"From a physiological perspective, I am indeed female, but since you are my master, you can just call me Jetton."

Jaden didn't seem to care much about the way he was addressed. "So, is there a new enemy?"

"No, that's not it. I just wanted to ask if you know about this device I have, your background, and... my situation."

Leo knew long ago where the difference lay between himself and others. He was physically strong, and his reaction speed, thinking ability, strength, and other aspects far surpassed those of ordinary humans.

But he really didn't expect that he could summon a monster, especially a Zetton.

"You don't know your own identity? I see. No wonder it took you so long to summon me." A look of sudden realization flashed in Jaden's eyes.

However, Miss Jetton looked somewhat troubled when Leo raised the question.

"I'm sorry, I don't know much. I only know that the thing in your hand is called the Ultimate Battle Device. It can take in monsters like me and also make you and me one body."

“I am your companion monster. There is another monster that is currently dormant. You can awaken her at any time to use her as your power.”

Gazing at Zetton's face, which could rival even Miss Ren's in aloofness, Leo couldn't help but ponder. He didn't resist this power, but he couldn't help feeling a little worried. After all, he was using the power of a monster, and he would inevitably be regarded as a potential enemy in the future.

Fortunately, I am active as a member of ESCG and can be on the front line at any time. With the power of Zetton, I can also deal with many enemies. However, there is still one thing that is quite troubling.

"Zetton, do you know those two Ultramen who appeared today?"

“I don’t know, I have no information about those two giants,” Jaden answered frankly, but as if to prove herself, a hint of pride flashed in her eyes. “But they are no match for me.”

Leo had no doubt about this; the scene of Miss Zetton beating up the two Ultramen today was truly shocking.

"What kind of monster is the other one that hasn't awakened yet?" Zetton's fighting power is already so strong, Leo finds it hard to imagine what level the other one would be at.

“I don’t know.” Jaden’s tone calmed down again. “But I can sense that he’s a guy with a lot of potential. I need more time to get to know him better.”

"I see," Leo nodded. "I hope it's the kind of person who's easy to get along with, like Zetton. By the way, why would a monster turn into a human? That doesn't make sense."

"My appearance is similar to that of Ultraman's human form; I changed it to this way to facilitate movement."

"Human host... So, do those two Ultramen also have human hosts?" Leo pondered, and for some reason subconsciously thought of Captain Gento and Gai lying on the hospital bed, but he couldn't help but shake his head. How could such a thing be possible?

Leo tucked the combat device into his chest pocket and drove home.

After parking the car in the Starry Street parking lot, Leo walked straight out. To be honest, the design of the ESCG uniform was very good, ensuring safety while also taking into account appearance. Leo himself was quite good-looking, and he could be considered handsome in the uniform, but most of the people in ESCG were good-looking, so he was nothing special.

Back on the street, Hideki Go, who was repairing a car, greeted Leo warmly.

"Oh, Leo's back. He's really late this time. Is that his work uniform? It looks pretty good."

"Good evening, Uncle Xiang. You're still messing around with your car so late."

The elderly people on this street are actually much older than Leo, but because he was raised by Grandma Asami, he feels that these elders are like uncles and aunts to him, and they are so healthy that they don't seem like old people at all.

"There's nothing I can do. Your Uncle Sakata twisted his back while taking refuge this morning, but I'm almost done with it too."

"Although I know this is useless, I still want to advise Uncle Sakata to take care of his health. Speeding is really too dangerous for someone his age."

"But when people get old, they can't just play chess and drink tea all the time, right? Haha."

That makes sense, Leo thought to himself, but then realized something was off; Uncle Xiang's tone was different from usual.

"What's wrong, Uncle Xiang? Your tone sounds a bit off?"

"I can't hide it from you after all. How should I put it... Your Uncle Hayata, didn't that Zetton show up today? He had a heart attack when he saw Zetton and is in the hospital right now. But don't worry too much, he's fine."

Leo was at a loss for words. He had always found it strange that the uncles and elders living on Starry Street all had the same names as the main characters in the tokusatsu dramas he watched when he was a child. When he was a child, Leo would always ask them if they would really turn into Ultraman.

But how could Zetton have scared Hayata so much that he was hospitalized? Leo just couldn't understand it.

"After all, you're getting on in years, there's nothing we can do about it. Speaking of which, this outfit really suits you. How was your work today? We even saw you mentioned on the news on TV."

"It's more tiring than I expected, but I adapted surprisingly quickly. Don't worry about me. I'll be going now, Uncle Xiang. See you tomorrow."

Hideki Go waved to Leo, watching the young man leave. He subconsciously thought of his past self, and how he, Hayata, and others were all veterans of the old defense force, among the earliest to fight monsters. Unfortunately, time waits for no one, and now they have all grown old.

"Uncle Hayata suddenly had a heart attack. He's always been very healthy before... But Uncle Go said it's okay, so it should be alright."

After straightening his collar slightly, Leo entered the shrine and smelled a familiar aroma. Hmm, he was hungry.

"I'm back," Leo called out, taking off his coat as he walked out of the kitchen carrying two dishes. He nodded calmly and said, "Welcome back."

As she spoke, Ren placed the dishes she was carrying on the table, walked over to Leo, and took his coat to hang it up. "You eat first. There's one more dish; I'll heat it up."

Although she couldn't cook, Ren could still manage simple tasks like reheating the food Leo had prepared that morning. However, Leo hadn't expected her to return at such a convenient time.

This was the first time Ren had ever sat at the dining table while others were busy in the kitchen. Although she wasn't the kind of pampered young lady who never lifted a finger, this was probably the first time she had ever entered the kitchen in the six months or so that they had known each other.

Thinking of this, Leo looked at the portrait on the table. The old woman in the photo had a gentle and bright smile on her face. This was Grandma Asami's own request. She said that if she died, she did not want the funeral to be too extravagant, and the portrait should not be too ugly. She did not want people to feel sad when they saw her photo.

I hate it when people look unhappy because of me. In this day and age, people are always living under pressure. I hope everyone can have hope, smile, and bravely and diligently greet each new day.

When the last dish was served, Ren sat opposite Leo, also looking at the portrait of Grandma Asami on the table. A trace of loneliness flashed in his eyes, but he then hid this feeling.

"Let's eat."

"it is good."

The two ate their meal, but neither of them liked the dull atmosphere. Ren looked up at Leo and asked, "How's the new job?"

"It went relatively smoothly. The captain and teammates were very friendly and took good care of me. Although it was a bit dangerous, I was still able to protect myself."

Leo was initially worried that his abilities would be questioned by others as a newcomer, since the atmosphere at ESCG was much better. However, for the Earth Defense Force, whose mission is to protect the Earth and humanity, joining means being prepared to sacrifice at any time, and teammates with such awareness deserve respect.

"Then..." Ren was about to say something when he caught a whiff of something unusual and frowned. "Do you have any female members in your team?"

"Yes, Miss Ren, didn't you know?" Leo thought that Hideki and the others would read news related to him, so Ren should too.

"I don't know." Ren's attitude seemed to suddenly turn colder, his golden eyes fixed on Leo. "You and she are very close?"

"I wouldn't say that. This is the first time we've met. We're just teammates, and we haven't even exchanged more than a few words." He had only been in the team for a short time when an emergency mission came up, and after the mission, various reports took up a lot of time. He didn't even have time to say more than a few words to the other team members.

However, there is still plenty of time in the future, so we can take it slowly and there's no rush in this regard.

Seeing that Leo didn't seem to be lying to her, or rather, Ren didn't think he would do such a thing, she thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her, "Then why do you smell of perfume?"

"Perfume scent, is there?" Leo twitched his nose, but he couldn't smell the perfume that Ren had mentioned. Besides, Fujiwara Juri didn't seem like someone who would wear perfume. The smell of disinfectant from the medical department was more obvious.

"...Maybe I'm mistaken." Ren lowered his head and continued eating without saying anything more.

After finishing their meal, Ren went back to his room to rest. Leo also returned to his bedroom after washing up, but instead of going to sleep immediately, he took out the Ultimate Battle Device and looked at Miss Zetton.

“Your roommate, she…” Jaden hesitated, but Leo nodded decisively, “I know even if you don’t say it, she is very likely not human. I’ve had this suspicion for a long time.”

This was somewhat unexpected for Zetton. She thought Leo hadn't noticed anything. What Ren had smelled on Leo earlier wasn't perfume; it was a change that occurred after Leo truly awakened his abilities, and those attracted to such scents were usually non-humans.

“Jerton, you’ve just woken up, so you don’t know much about this shrine. Granny Asami is in charge here. She always picks up some strange ‘people.’ There were quite a few before Miss Ren.”