18. The Time Stop Series

TPC spared no effort in welcoming Dr. Yushima, not only sending the entire GUTS team to meet him at the airport but also assigning Kishida to be his personal bodyguard.

Dan Moroboshi had intended to assign the strongest member, Qi Ming, to protect the doctor, but Nagi Saijo argued that it was inappropriate. Qi Ming was a newcomer who was unfamiliar with the base, and furthermore, he was flippant and rude. Yamanaka and Kishida also insisted it was out of the question, fearing that if this troublemaker were to strike the doctor, it would be a disaster.

"I am touched by everyone's concern for me," the twenty-nine-year-old Dr. Yushima said with great courtesy. Holding five doctoral degrees and serving as a high-value member of the Alchemy Stars, such talent was a precious gem in an era where defense situations were becoming increasingly dire.

Kishida treated him with great respect: "Not at all, Doctor. Protecting you is a mission far more important than fighting extraterrestrials."

Dr. Yushima laughed heartily: "Thank you. However, in such a heavily guarded maritime base, any alien hoping to harm me would surely fail."

"Perhaps they have already succeeded," Qi Ming, standing at the far right, thought to himself, though he remained silent.

After the reception ceremony, Qi Ming asked Dan Moroboshi if he had noticed anything unusual about Dr. Yushima.

"No, why do you ask?" Dan asked, puzzled.

Qi Ming replied, "It is highly likely he has become a puppet for extraterrestrials... but I do not have absolute certainty. It would be difficult to act against him before verifying his true identity." After all, this was a chaotic world where various factors influenced one another; it was hard to predict how the plot might unfold.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration hit Qi Ming, and he looked at the main control interface of the Ultraman Arbitrary Key on his wrist.

Star Gift: 8.
Insight: 2/5.

The Star Gift automatically increased by one point every three days, and he now had eight points. He did not know the underlying principle, suspecting the watch was automatically absorbing energy, but it was a good thing regardless. He was more concerned about "Insight" at the moment. Could it mean the ability to see through to the essence of things, like Sun Wukong’s Fiery Eyes? Did 2/5 refer to his current transformation options—Diga and Seven? If he could increase that number to five, would he unlock the function to see if Dr. Yushima was truly normal?

Qi Ming urged Dan Moroboshi to keep a close eye on Dr. Yushima and monitor his every move. In response, Dan repeatedly reminded Kishida to protect the doctor without leaving his side.

At 2:00 AM, golden, droplet-shaped rays of light, invisible to the human eye, descended from the sky. Time within Dr. Yushima’s room was frozen!

"Wake up, Dr. Yushima, wake up!" A shrimp-like creature appeared on the television screen, calling to the doctor.

Dr. Yushima, who had been fast asleep, sat up like a marionette, his eyes hollow.

"I am a Bila alien, the conqueror of the universe."

"I now appoint you as our subordinate to assist us in the invasion of Earth."

"When you were on the plane today, we paused time and implanted the ideology of the Bila aliens into your brain."

"Your body is still Dr. Yushima, but your mind has been completely assimilated with us!"

"From now on, you will obey my commands and serve faithfully to conquer Earth."

Dr. Yushima nodded blankly.

"Tomorrow morning, destroy the radar’s core, and then find a way to annihilate the TPC base."

"Be careful; there is a difficult individual on Earth named Qi Ming. Remain cautious and wary of this person."

"Our 'allies' on Earth will protect you. Proceed."

With that, the Bila alien’s figure vanished, Dr. Yushima lay back down, and time resumed its flow. Outside, Kishida, who was on duty and yawning, seemed to sense something. He opened the door, only to see Dr. Yushima kicking off his blanket and sleeping soundly.

"A false alarm," Kishida thought.

The next day, Kishida escorted Dr. Yushima to the radar room, where the other GUTS team members were already waiting.

"Team member Qi Ming, please install this onto the third circuit."

After a moment of inspection, Dr. Yushima produced a box. Everyone realized it contained the "Yushima Rectifier." Seeing he had been singled out, Qi Ming realized immediately that they were targeting him.

He demurred: "I’m sorry, I’m not very good with machinery. I’m afraid I might break it; let someone else do it."

Kishida seized the opportunity to mock him: "All you know how to do is fight and cause trouble; you’re completely ignorant when it comes to real work. Doctor, let me do it."

Dr. Yushima insisted that Qi Ming perform the task: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand; you can learn. I will teach you."

Using such a critical moment to teach him? The doctor was being exceptionally attentive—was it just because he was handsome? Nagi and Megumi were confused, Kishida and Yamanaka were resentful, and Dan Moroboshi’s expression shifted slightly.

Qi Ming thought for a moment and smiled: "Very well. One is never too old to learn."

He took the box and opened it, revealing the Yushima Rectifier—it looked just like a headphone cover.

"It's done," Qi Ming said quickly.

Dr. Yushima nodded: "Excellent. Once replaced, the radar's sensitivity will reach a new level."

The next moment...

"Bang!" The various precision instruments in the radar room exploded violently, sending sparks flying and setting off a deafening alarm.

The radar’s detection range hadn't expanded; it had stopped working entirely!

The entire TPC was on high alert. For the base’s defense, the radar was as vital as one’s own eyes!

"GUTS team, assemble immediately!"

With both Tobashi and the two senior staff officers away—busy dealing with the complex global situation—it was Staff Officer Kiriyama who took charge of the incident.

"I believe you are all aware that the radar system suffered a sudden malfunction today, and the cause is still unknown."

"Our base has always been a target for extraterrestrial invaders. This is certainly no simple accident!"

Dr. Yushima, standing beside him, added: "I fear a spy for the aliens has already infiltrated this base."

Amidst the uproar, he looked at Qi Ming: "Team member Qi Ming, you were the one who took the rectifier from my hands. Did you swap it for something else?"

Qi Ming was prepared: "Doctor, weren't you standing right there directing me the whole time I was replacing it?"

Dr. Yushima: "I am but a mortal, after all. I cannot claim that everything I saw was the truth."

Yamanaka began to stir the pot: "If we're talking about speed, Team member Qi Ming certainly has impressive reflexes."

Kishida chimed in to fan the flames: "You’re the most suspicious one here. You previously claimed to have defeated two monsters in the mountains alone. If that were true, it’s certainly not something a human could accomplish."

In truth, they didn't really believe Qi Ming had done it, as he appeared completely clueless about machinery. They only wanted to use this opportunity to squeeze him out, humiliate the arrogant man in public, dampen his spirit, and teach him that, in Japan, one must learn to bow one's head to one's seniors.

Nagi Saijo did not engage in such childish behavior. She checked a message on her phone, her expression shifting: "Team member Qi Ming, I received a reply from customs. There is no record of you... How exactly did you enter Japan?"

The impact of this bombshell stunned everyone present.

This guy... did he really just "appear out of thin air"?

Qi Ming looked toward Dan Moroboshi. At a time like this, all Dan had to do was cook up a lie like, "He is a talent I invited through special channels, which is why there is no record," and he could have gotten away with it.

Unfortunately, when Dan Moroboshi was acting as captain, he lacked the ability to tell "white lies." He simply stood there looking anxious and helpless.

There was no other way...

Seeing the increasingly intense suspicion in everyone's eyes, Qi Ming raised his hands high: "Fine, I confess! That’s right, I did it all!"

Dan Moroboshi: "?"
Dr. Yushima: "?"

What kind of twisted logic was this? Who was the alien here—him or me?