Chapter 20: Go and 'Take Care' of Aguru

Good news: we get an extra teammate.

Bad news: it's a useless one.

At that moment, I was completely bewildered—this teammate is worse than none at all!

"Fujimiya is currently being manipulated by the Root of Destruction Invoker," Qiao Zhe said bluntly, recalling the other's standpoint. "He believes that wiping out most of humanity will save the Earth."

"How can that be?" I found it hard to believe. The Fujimiya in my memory would never do such a thing.

Just a few years ago, he was still striving for humanity's future.

Why now...

I couldn't accept this. Looking at Qiao Zhe, I demanded, "What exactly happened? Can you explain the process in detail?"

He wasn't someone easily fooled and didn't immediately take Qiao Zhe's words at face value.

"To answer that, we have to start with Crisis," Qiao Zhe replied, trying to recall the information he knew.

He briefly described how the quantum light computer had been tampered with and how Fujimiya was deceived.

If he remembered correctly, that guy was called the Mind Parasite.

During the construction of the quantum light computer, a member of the Star of Alchemy defected to the Root of Destruction Invoker.

So many years had passed that many details didn't come to him immediately.

He'd watched Gaia Ultraman several generations ago, and now Qiao Zhe only remembered the general plot.

Of course, if he could see familiar scenes, his mind would be jogged and the details would return.

For example, upon arriving at my home, the surrounding environment didn't ring a bell at first, but once he saw it, memories came flooding back.

That was already an incredible memory, considering he had only watched a tokusatsu show and seen the filmed sets.

Most people wouldn't be able to tell.

After hearing Qiao Zhe's account, I was left in shock.

"There was a traitor in the Star of Alchemy? And Crisis was compromised too? Damn it!"

If this was true, then all their years of research and achievements had been under the enemy's watchful eye.

All their intelligence had been exposed—how could they even fight in such circumstances?

Seeing my stunned look, Qiao Zhe decided to offer some encouragement: "From what I see, the situation is still manageable."

My eyes brightened as I looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"They only resort to these tricks because they can't defeat Earth head-on. The key is the power of Ultraman!"

Hearing this, my spirit was lifted.

Yes, humanity still possessed the power of Ultraman. Earth would never be destroyed!

But the thought of Fujimiya brought a heaviness to my chest. I just couldn't understand.

Even if Crisis offered such predictions, how could Fujimiya, a genius scientist, believe such an answer without ever doubting?

With skepticism lingering in my mind, and not placing complete trust in Qiao Zhe, I answered seriously, "I'll investigate these matters thoroughly."

Qiao Zhe nodded slightly. "I hope you can stop Fujimiya and keep him from interfering."

He didn't mind my suspicion.

As long as I dug into these matters, I would eventually realize something was off, especially about that traitor in the Star of Alchemy.

As for why he didn't go find Fujimiya himself—

First, he couldn't locate him and found it troublesome. Second, Fujimiya wasn't easily persuaded.

Crisis was indeed a mole, but since it was created by Fujimiya's own hands, unless it made a mistake, it would be hard to prove its betrayal.

So, better to let the red and blue clash for now. If Fujimiya remained obstinate, they could deal with him together later.

Having finished discussing Fujimiya, I suddenly remembered something and asked Qiao Zhe, "By the way, do you want to join XIG? That way, we can fight the enemy together, side by side!"

He looked at me expectantly. Though we had just met, our shared identity as Ultramen gave me a sense of kinship.

Geniuses are always lonely. I had few friends, all members of the Star of Alchemy.

Now that I could transform into Ultraman, it wasn't something I could easily share with others, so I longed for a companion to fight with and protect Earth.

"XIG, huh..." Qiao Zhe appeared thoughtful.

Having experienced the benefits of joining XIG, I urged him, "Yes, join XIG!"

"Whenever a monster invades Earth, XIG receives the information immediately and can get there faster than anyone!"

"It's much better than us stumbling upon monsters by chance!"

Hearing this, Qiao Zhe gave me a strange look.

In this regard, as a Noah compatible, he naturally possessed sensory abilities.

The Sky Light's Sapphire Ring transformation device also served as an alert, automatically locating monster positions.

Last time, when he transformed in a public restroom and rushed straight to the desert to battle Apatae, it was thanks to the Sky Light's positioning and transformation feature.

Speaking of which, my own transformation device was something I built myself—quite ordinary.

Aside from transformation, it seemed to serve no other purpose in human form.

"What's wrong?" I was puzzled by Qiao Zhe's look.

His gaze held a hint of something I couldn't quite place.

Qiao Zhe said nothing about the transformation device. After a moment's thought, he declined, "No, I don't really want to join XIG."

"But you could give me a communicator. Just contact me if anything comes up."

I felt a little disappointed, but on second thought, it made no real difference.

"Alright, so how should I get it to you?"

Making a communicator was no trouble for me.

"Here at your place is fine," Qiao Zhe said, glancing back at the Takayama house, then explained his situation. "Actually, I've only just arrived on this Earth and haven't found a stable place to live yet."

There was nothing to hide—I was Gaia Ultraman, I could be trusted.

Staying in hotels all the time wasn't ideal. Qiao Zhe needed to practice ripple training during the day.

His Light Factor hadn't reached 100%—currently only 91%—and he hadn't fully evolved yet.

Recently, he'd thought of a solution; being near the sea here made things convenient.

"This Earth?" I caught the key point in his words, surprised.

As for him wanting to stay at my place, I didn't mind at all.

"Yes. I come from another world," Qiao Zhe explained simply.

Roughly, there had been an unbeatable enemy on his side, forcing him to cross worlds in search of a solution.

He'd obtained the Sky Light here and now planned to stick around and see what the Invoker of Destruction was up to.

As for who he couldn't defeat, Qiao Zhe had a good idea—it was likely the scrapped character Dark Lucifer.

Who else could it be but Zagi?

"I see." Understanding dawned on me, and I couldn't help but sigh. "I never imagined there truly were other universes."

"But the flow of time between two universes shouldn't be synchronized. If you go back later, what if you're too late..."

I trailed off, but my meaning was clear.

Qiao Zhe was unconcerned. "It's fine. There's another Ultraman keeping watch—if anything happens, he'll let me know."

Noah would keep an eye on things; there shouldn't be a problem.

At that moment, the XIG communicator on my wrist began to beep.

I flipped it open, and a small screen displayed Chief Tsutsumi's video call. "I dream, return to base immediately!"

At the same time, the Sapphire Ring transformation device appeared on Qiao Zhe's wrist.

The red Y-shaped energy core flashed, and a scene played out in his mind. "This is..."