"So Ultraman eliminated those two disruptive factors and figured everything could go back to normal?"
Emi said, "Judging from the facts, that shark didn't continue destroying the city afterward. It returned underground, and things are fairly peaceful now."
Chief of Staff Gondo said, "But we can't just leave it alone, or we won't be able to answer to the citizens."
He suddenly sighed.
"Ultraman's chest light was still blue, which means he had plenty of fighting power left, yet he retreated under those circumstances..."
"Actually, we should learn more about the Giant of Light. Only by controlling that unknown power can TPC's defensive strength truly be considered impregnable."
The moment Qi Ming heard that, he immediately became wary.
Has it begun? Chief of Staff Gondo, are you going to shatter this peace too?
In the original series, Chief of Staff Gondo had gone to great lengths to uncover Asuka's true identity in order to obtain an Ultraman controlled by humans. He had locked Asuka in a cage and forcibly extracted his energy.
Qi Ming had no desire to go through something like that.
Damn it. Not only did he have to deal with aliens trying to invade Earth, he also had to watch out for knives his "own people" might stab into his back at any moment. What kind of life was this?
Wait...
Just then, inspiration struck Qi Ming.
After clearing his throat, he said, "Wasn't Ultraman Tiga a stone statue in the pyramid that came to life? If we can fully analyze the statue, we should be able to replicate it too."
Chief of Staff Gondo shook his head. "It's not that simple. Restoring the statue would be a massive undertaking, and we don't even know whether we can completely restore it."
Qi Ming said, "Then we just need to find another intact statue that hasn't been damaged."
Chief of Staff Gondo smiled. "That isn't the sort of thing you can find just because you want to."
Qi Ming said, "I think Golza and Melba may already have found one for us."
Chief of Staff Gondo was startled. "What did you say?!"
Qi Ming patiently guided him.
"Golza and Melba first appeared at the pyramid and wreaked havoc there. The second time, they appeared in Kumamoto City."
"Why didn't they go to other cities? What do those two places have in common that drew them in?"
Chief of Staff Gondo understood. "You mean Kumamoto City also has a giant's stone statue!"
Qi Ming said, "I think it's highly likely."
Chief of Staff Gondo grew excited and nodded repeatedly. "That's right, the possibility is very high!"
His expression shifted as thoughts raced through his mind. Then he said there was no need to trouble the Defense Team with further investigations into Kumamoto City or the shark lurking underground. He would organize a specialized team to conduct a long-term investigation into the matter.
Clearly, he wanted to keep everything under his own control.
Seeing how impatient he was, Qi Ming laughed to himself.
His goal had been achieved.
Rather than deal with two potential enemies coveting his power at once, it was better to give them a little push and let them tear into each other first, keeping one another in check.
Chief of Staff Gondo hurried away, leaving the Defense Team utterly bewildered.
They had originally been ready to drive the Underground Pipetank and burrow through the depths of Kumamoto City like pangolins in search of the monster.
But after Qi Ming gave Chief of Staff Gondo a few pointers, it seemed like there was nothing left for them to do?
At that moment, Mamoru Shirogane rose to his feet with a grim expression. "Qi Ming, come outside with me."
After Qi Ming followed him out, everyone looked confused.
Emi asked, "Why does the captain look so unhappy?"
Kishida said, "Nothing's happened recently, has it? Everything's been going smoothly."
Yamanaka said, "Should we go after them? I'm afraid they might get into an argument, and Qi Ming might lose his temper and break the captain's other leg too."
After arriving in Mamoru Shirogane's room, Mamoru Shirogane took out his phone and played a video.
In the video, Tiga, transformed by Qi Ming, confronted the Earthly Shark. He dodged twice, causing two buildings to collapse.
Judging by the angle, it had probably been filmed by an ordinary citizen using a drone.
Mamoru Shirogane said, "Don't you intend to explain this?"
Qi Ming looked utterly astonished. "What's there to explain? To launch an effective attack, you have to minimize your own losses."
Those were Nagi Saijo's exact words from Nexus. In the original series, the Vice-Captain had been stunned by Ren Senju's suicidal fighting style, and later said those words to Gomon.
Mamoru Shirogane's face darkened further. "Then look at these. Are you still unmoved?"
He opened the comment section, which was buzzing with activity.
"Completely irresponsible! He let the monster destroy the city, then ran away in the end. What a disgrace!"
"I think it was fine. The damage this time was relatively low, and didn't the monster leave in the end?"
"Easy for you to say. The house I bought with a mortgage was right there!"
"If he really were a powerful hero, he should defeat the monster cleanly and beautifully, instead of making us worry!"
"This Ultraman is nowhere near as good as Seven."
Qi Ming understood.
Oh, Seven can't stand seeing his beloved humans suffer, so he came to put pressure on me, huh?
Looks like I need to make my stance clear once again.
Before you continue