Uncle Li: Ram the Car Through!

Chapter 5: Uncle Li, ram the car through!

After that, life became peaceful once again. Aside from the disturbance on a certain island, people's lives remained calm overall.

Bricklaying was a career with a promising future. Why, Uncle Li had landed a contract for the building opposite a certain broadcasting and television station.

The jobs Uncle Li took came with some special perks. Since there was no rush to meet the deadline, this bricklaying job even included paid days off. Today, he'd brought Zhou Hong and Grandma to a hotel for a meal.

"They say that building's going to be turned into an affordable shopping mall with all kinds of shops. The owner of this hotel invested in it too, so he gave me some half-price coupons." Uncle Li sipped his baijiu, his eyes narrowed as he spoke with a drunken smile.

"I think it has real potential, so I invested a big sum of money too."

The prawn Zhou Hong had just picked up fell into his bowl. "Uncle Li, what did you just say?"

"I said I invested a big sum of money in that building. What about it?"

Knowing Uncle Li, a "big sum of money" probably meant his savings for getting married.

Though I didn't know whether the building we were working on was the same one the Kyrieloids had blown up, I had a bad feeling about this.

Zhou Hong had just picked up the remote when the TV in the private dining room switched on by itself.

"Captain Megumi Iruma, regarding the Ultraman named Diga-o and Super Mountain Power Tyrant, is this Ultraman a friend to humanity?"

Good grief! Commander Munakata, are you really that hung up on that name?

"Uncle Li, I think this investment of yours might fail." Watching the host on TV, who looked like he hadn't slept in thousands of years and had enormous dark circles under his eyes, Zhou Hong spoke softly.

"Don't say such jinxing things." Grandma lightly tapped Zhou Hong's hand with her chopsticks. "By the way, why does the host look like that?"

"We'll prove it to you." The host on TV issued a final threat, then collapsed as if his soul had been sucked right out of him.

"What's that supposed to be? Some new kind of performance art?" Uncle Li scratched his chin, staring at the TV in confusion.

The TV abruptly lost power, telling Uncle Li that things weren't as simple as he'd imagined.

Before long, Uncle Li's phone rang.

"Hello, what is it?"

"What?"

"The building blew up? Is it April Fools' Day or something? It was still standing just fine!"

Uncle Li hung up and stared blankly at his phone. The veins in his forehead throbbed, and his hand trembled with agitation.

He forced an ugly smile. "A-Hong, you and Grandma take your time eating. I have to go take care of something."

As he spoke, Uncle Li shoved the few bills in his pocket into Zhou Hong's hand. Without giving him a chance to respond, he apologized to Grandma and got up to leave.

The private room was well soundproofed, but that couldn't block Zhou Hong's superhuman hearing.

"They're called Kyrieloids." Perhaps it was just his imagination, but even from the sound of Uncle Li's voice, Zhou Hong could tell his eyes must have been blazing with fury.

"I don't care who the hell you are! You picked a fight with me, and I've taken down aliens before. A-Qiang, get the boys! Call up the old crew!"

Uh-oh.

The more Zhou Hong heard, the more ridiculous it sounded. Even if Uncle Li called in the boys, they'd probably just be going to get themselves killed.

The only aliens on Earth who could be taken down with a blade were probably small fry like the Crow Men.

The Kyrieloids were in a completely different league.

"A-Hong, you should go check on them too. Xiao Li's impulsive. Stop him and don't let him do anything foolish."

Grandma had already seen through it all.

After living together for several months, there was no way Zhou Hong could have kept everything hidden. Grandma had noticed there was something unusual about him long ago.

After all, she'd once worried he might get cold at night and gone to tuck him in, only to find him glowing. It was hard not to figure something out.

And to Grandma, it didn't really matter who he was.

"But, Grandma—"

"It's all right. I'm not so old that I can't get around yet." Grandma smiled and patted Zhou Hong on the shoulder.

Since she'd said that, Zhou Hong got up at once, patting his bulging pectoral muscles with a series of thuds.

"Leave it to me. I'll bring Uncle Li back safe and sound."

With Uncle Li's pace, he had no chance of outrunning Zhou Hong.

Before long, Zhou Hong spotted him in the parking lot. Uncle Li had a cigarette in his mouth and his sleeves rolled up, revealing tattoos of a blue dragon on his left arm and a white tiger on his right.

He looked nothing like the construction foreman he'd been before. Now he was dressed like a real gangster.

"Uncle Li, do you have any leads on the Kyrieloids?"

"Don't underestimate me. I used to run with the gangsters back in the day. There are always some aliens who can't make it on Earth and end up running with me."

"We've already tracked down three Kyrieloids." He took a long drag on his cigarette. In the dim basement, the eye visible in profile glinted crimson.

"Uncle Li, take me with you."

"Get lost. Go back and look after Grandma. This is my business."

Why wouldn't this guy listen when someone was trying to talk to him?

Zhou Hong rolled up his sleeves too.

"Boom!"

A wild gust of wind blew the cigarette from Uncle Li's mouth. The glowing embers went out as they landed on the ground, and tiny stones flew up and struck him on the back of the head, stinging painfully.

He turned his head stiffly, like a robot. From the corner of his eye, he saw the wall split apart like a spiderweb, with a mighty fist buried in it.

Good grief.

"Uncle Li, the Kyrieloids are spiritual life-forms. You'll be in a tough spot without me."

The fist Zhou Hong pulled from the wall was only dusted with a little grime. It wasn't even scraped.

All right, I believe you.

"Taking down those bastards is all on you!" Uncle Li said, lighting his cigarette again. He felt as though he'd returned to the old days.

To Zhou Hong's utter disbelief, Uncle Li pried open the door of a minivan with a hammer, then started it using some utterly incomprehensible trick.

"What are you standing around for?"

With his eyes wide as saucers, Zhou Hong climbed into the van.

He was completely dumbfounded.

Before he could even settle in, the minivan shot off toward its destination at an incredible speed, skidding along in a bizarre way. The blaring siren couldn't keep up with the van as it soared down the road.

As they drove, two more vans full of gangsters joined them.

"It's that house up ahead, boss." An alien disguised as an Earthling yelled from the driver's seat of one of the vans. "We've confirmed the Kyrieloid is inside!"

"Who the hell do you think I am? You think you can just walk all over me? Ram the car through!"

Zhou Hong sat in the back, his face full of terror. Feeling the minivan suddenly accelerate again, he shakily grabbed the handle and hugged it to his chest.