After returning to Sea Base, Yamanaka was sent to the medical center, while the others returned to the Command Room to receive Mamoru Shirogane's verbal commendation and review the mission.
Mamoru Shirogane said, "Good work. You did beautifully."
Qi Ming lightly tapped the table. "Did you notice what the Underground Woman shouted at Ultraman Tiga before she died?"
Emi said, "That line about 'other Underground Dwellers coming out to seek justice for us'? Team Member Qi Ming, are you worried her people will avenge her?"
"Don't worry. They can't accomplish anything," Kishida said, seeing no need for concern.
Judging from tonight's performance, Telestron had been extremely weak. It felt like a single Texas Beam from Falcon 2 could have taken it out.
Qi Ming said, "The 'other Underground Dwellers' she mentioned might not necessarily be her kin."
In his memory, there had been the eerie Underground Man Bokur in Jack Ultraman, and a kingdom composed of four billion Underground Dwellers in Ultraman Taro...
The two types of Underground Dwellers in Ultraman Max and Ultraman Ginga S had been even more famous, with far deeper foundations.
If they came to stand up for her, even Qi Ming would find it troublesome.
But the reason Qi Ming had acted so decisively at the time was that he believed the Underground Woman had been bluffing.
If they were truly united, why would this branch of Underground Dwellers always seek alliances with aliens? If they borrowed a Million Baltan to invade, wouldn't they be able to steamroll everything?
But after thinking it over carefully, he felt that the situation in this world was complicated. Perhaps some strange changes had occurred, and it was necessary to give them a warning.
Mamoru Shirogane nodded. "We'll have the intelligence department keep an eye on this in the future."
Qi Ming said, "And the Giliru Aliens—the matter isn't over. There are still disguised Giliru Aliens hiding among the population. Their kin will definitely make a comeback."
If the next one to come was merely the Second Generation Giliru Alien from the original Ultraman Tiga series, it would not be much of a problem.
But if Hell Gate opened wide and every Giliru Alien inside poured out...
That would be troublesome...
The next day, nothing happened.
On the third day, seeing that the situation had not taken another turn, Qi Ming prepared to take leave and visit Alchemy Star to see whether they had any way of sending him back.
"The headquarters is in France..." Qi Ming looked troubled.
At that moment, Reika Saeki, Chief of Staff Gondo's confidante, came to visit and asked Qi Ming to accompany her somewhere.
Three days earlier, she had told Chief of Staff Gondo what she had witnessed.
After hearing it, Gondo had not considered Qi Ming unruly. Instead, he had lavishly praised his actions.
In his view, Qi Ming had entered the Defense Team through Yu Tsuchihashi and Mamoru Shirogane.
When his superiors had been in danger, Qi Ming had endured the pressure from Chief of Staff He Zhi to protect them and help resolve the matter. That loyalty, unafraid of power, had made Gondo see him in a new light.
And during the previous TPC self-destruction incident, although Mamoru Shirogane and the other team members had been vague in their mission reports, Gondo's own channels indicated that this new member had played a decisive role in turning the situation around and had even driven back the rampaging alien head-on.
I have to make him one of our own! Qi Ming's awareness and ability made Gondo value him immensely.
Reika Saeki said, "But he is still a foreigner, and he has now offended Chief of Staff He Zhi."
"If Chief of Staff He Zhi seizes on Qi Ming's 'unknown background' at the next meeting and attacks him as a suspicious person or even a spy, we'll be in a very passive position."
Chief of Staff Gondo naturally understood this. He had been thinking about it for the past few days and had come up with a reliable solution.
"Let me be a teacher?" Qi Ming asked in surprise as they traveled.
"It's only a nominal position," Reika Saeki said.
Chief of Staff Gondo planned to have Qi Ming become a teacher at a school under TPC. The school's leadership was largely made up of people from Gondo's faction.
Gondo had already spoken to them. If anyone came to investigate, they would insist that Qi Ming had been teaching there for three years, that they knew his background inside out, and that he was a diligent man.
Reika Saeki said, "That way, your résumé will be clean and beyond question."
"If anyone asks, Chief of Staff Gondo will also speak up for you."
"He will say, 'Because you saved students during a disaster, your character and strength were recognized. After a long period of observation and a strict team-entry assessment, you were permitted to join the Defense Team.'"
Qi Ming fell into thought. "It's somewhat like the 'talent recruitment' policies back home."
His father's mentor, Teacher Gao, had used just such a policy to transition from a university professor into government service, then risen smoothly through the ranks.
Thinking of that, Qi Ming could not help but smile. He had gained another identity as a teacher.
Did that mean he now counted as a "civil servant" too?
Before you continue