Chapter 31: Every Journey Begins with a Single Step

The road leading up the mountain was riddled with potholes, and the bicycle bell chimed occasionally with a clear ring.

The man approaching was Takayama, the only father of Yumeng. Because he worked as an external affairs officer at the township office, he often traveled into the mountains to visit elderly residents who lived alone.

There was only one person in this township office—him. Regardless of weekends or holidays, he never had a day off.

But Takayama, ever passionate about helping others, hardly minded.

He spotted Qiao Zhe from afar and couldn’t help but wave and call out, “Qiao Zhe, what are you doing here—”

As he spoke, he pushed his bicycle closer. He was quite approving of his son’s friend.

“I’m helping Yumeng investigate,” Qiao Zhe replied. The transformation device had long vanished from his wrist, but he wore a communicator on his other hand. “A monster is about to appear in the mountains of Yutian. This place is dangerous! Uncle Takayama, you must leave at once!”

“A monster?!” Takayama was startled by this, and just then, his phone chimed with a message.

He instinctively took it out and saw the notification directing him to the shelter.

“There really is a monster coming—the police have sent an alert. Wait! Brother Dezou!”

Takayama suddenly remembered the old man living in the mountains. His landline was broken; who knew if he’d received the warning. More importantly, the old man’s legs were not in good shape.

“No, I have to help him!”

Takayama looked at Qiao Zhe as he spoke. “You handle your business—I’ll take the old man to the shelter!”

With that, he pushed his bicycle and raced off, clearly not wanting to trouble Qiao Zhe.

Qiao Zhe didn’t stop him. He watched Takayama leave, then summoned the Blue Treasure Ring and hurried toward the Flame Mountain.

Of course, he would never let Yumeng’s father fall into danger.

Meanwhile…

XIG Aerial Base, Command Room.

The Peace was only recently departed from the base when the detection platform sounded an alarm—a signal from the Chiba coast.

Qiao Ji quickly reported, “Commander! There’s something moving in Chiba Bay!”

“A monster?” Ishimuro approached the detection platform to inquire.

Just as Qiao Ji was about to zoom in for a closer look, the abnormal reaction vanished. “Strange, there was movement just now, but now it’s gone.”

“What?” Chiba, the staff officer, came over to check the details. Hearing this, his expression turned bewildered. “Could it be as Yumeng said, that the enemy can shield itself from radar?”

He’d been skeptical moments ago, but now his eyes widened with realization.

“It seems so,” Ishimuro mused, his expression growing grave. “Notify Chief Tsutsumi—dispatch Lightning and Falcon Squads!”

“Understood!” Atsuko immediately relayed the orders and opened the main communication channel.

Ishimuro turned to Qiao Ji. “Any findings on Yutian Mountain?”

“No anomalies detected.”

“Keep searching!”

Thanks to the early warning, the residents of Yutian Town should now be entering the underground shelters.

At the coast of Yutian Town, Yumeng had just sent his mother to the shelter and returned to the shore, yet to begin his investigation.

Suddenly, a massive curtain of water erupted nearby!

The abrupt event made Yumeng’s heart skip. He turned to look.

A gigantic fish head shot out of the sea, followed by a huge body draped in seaweed, a pair of clawed arms waving, and a tail trailing from its back.

“So it’s you! You are the ocean monster Bokuragu!”

Seeing Bokuragu emerge from the sea, Yumeng immediately realized that the shadow he’d seen earlier had indeed been this creature.

Engine noise rumbled in the sky.

The Peace, out on its first mission, happened to arrive at this moment.

Yumeng hurriedly activated his communicator to contact the aerial base. “Commander, don’t attack this monster for now!”

On the command room’s big screen, Bokuragu’s landing on the shore was broadcast.

“Why?” Chiba, the staff officer, questioned Yumeng’s request.

In the corner of the screen, Yumeng’s communication video appeared. “This monster is native to Earth. It’s here to confront Flame Mountain—it might be humanity’s ally.”

“Flame Mountain? You mean the monster hidden in Yutian Mountain?” Ishimuro pondered.

“Yes,” Yumeng replied earnestly, analyzing carefully. “Flame Mountain is a machine, likely an Invader Summoner—a weapon concealed in Yutian Mountain.”

Ishimuro looked at Yumeng on the screen. “Did Qiao Zhe tell you all this?”

“Yes!” Yumeng admitted, then added his own view. “But I agree with Qiao Zhe’s perspective.”

“Just like last time, when Gob appeared, the underground monster Kiru surfaced in the same place the next day.”

“Now, faced with the Flame Mountain machine and the emergence of the ocean monster Bokuragu, I believe this is Earth’s natural response to invasion—a counterattack!”

“You’re saying the Earth has consciousness?” Chiba, ever attuned to different nuances, felt uneasy as he spoke.

The conversation on the main channel reached Tsutsumi on the Peace as well. “But Yumeng, Bokuragu is heading toward the town.”

“If we don’t stop it, everything along Bokuragu’s path—houses, facilities—will be destroyed.”

Yumeng looked troubled. He thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. “Maybe Bokuragu can be reasoned with! I’ll try!”

“Hey! Yumeng, what are you doing!” Tsutsumi shouted anxiously into the channel, “Don’t be reckless, come back!”

But Yumeng had already disconnected.

Through the Peace’s window, Tsutsumi could see Yumeng approaching Bokuragu below. “What is that kid doing!”

“Lightning Squad! Falcon Squad!” Switching to the team channel, Tsutsumi’s tone was urgent. “Get here as fast as possible! Cover Yumeng!”

Yumeng ran toward Bokuragu, determined to make it stop. Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Fujimiya, finished with his workout, took a drink from his water bottle, his gaze fixed on the monitoring screen.

The alarm continued to sound—the location was Yutian Town’s coast.

“That place… is Yumeng’s hometown.”

“Yumeng must be anxious. Good, it’s time for us to meet and talk.”

He reached for the Blue Treasure Bracelet on the table, put it on his wrist, and activated its teleportation function.

Yutian Town.

Six fighter jets soared overhead as Lightning Squad and Falcon Squad arrived in tandem.

Kajio’s angry voice came through the team channel, “What is he thinking! How could a monster possibly be reasoned with!”

“Keep a close watch!” Tsutsumi’s voice was stern. “If Yumeng is in danger, attack immediately and cover him!”

“Roger!” responded Captain Mitani of Falcon Squad, calm and steady. “Young people are always willing to try. Leave his safety to us, Falcon Squad!”