22. Hiroya Fujimiya (Bonus chapter 3/3 for Alliance Leader Zilongyue)

"Who is the insider?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone except Qi Ming began to eye each other with suspicion.

Noticing Kishida’s gaze sweeping toward him, Qi Ming asked, "What? Are you getting suspicious again?"

"No, just looking around," Kishida denied hastily. He was currently feeling a bit of trepidation toward Qi Ming, fearing that the same strength he had used to smash the door might be turned against him.

"Why the panic? This could just be another one of the enemy’s attempts to sow discord," Saiba Nagi said calmly.

Moroboshi Dan added, "No, the Doctor is clear-headed now."

"I remember... I was being controlled by aliens... You must be careful, no!" Dr. Yushima’s expression became one of struggle as he fought against the persistent manipulation of the Alien Pila.

"Dr. Yushima, stay strong! As a human, you must not lose to aliens!" Captain Kiriyama held his hand in encouragement, and the others cheered him on as well.

Qi Ming, however, never engaged in such idealistic methods. "The aliens aren't here. Remote control must require a medium... Member Emi, turn on the signal jammer."

Emi followed the instruction immediately, cranking the base’s signal shielding device to the maximum. Dr. Yushima, who had been in agony just moments before, instantly calmed down.

"I... I am myself again," Dr. Yushima said, drenched in sweat, his face filled with relief.

"We still have to completely eliminate the Alien Pila to be safe," Qi Ming said.

"Dr. Yushima, I’m Yao. We’ve met before. What exactly happened?" Dr. Yao asked him to explain slowly.

As he elaborated, they realized that when Dr. Yushima had said "here," he hadn't meant this room, but the entire planet. The insider was one of the Earth's original inhabitants, a branch of humanity known as the "Underground People." They had retreated underground during the Ice Age, causing their eyes to degenerate, which made them extremely sensitive to light—the reason the woman had only dared to appear after Dr. Yushima had cut the base’s lighting.

Now, these Underground People intended to replace humanity, but feeling their own strength was insufficient, they sought help from beyond the stars, promising to "share the Earth" once they succeeded.

Qi Ming understood: "So, they’re collaborators."

In their original plan, the Underground People were to summon a monster named Telesdon to coordinate with the fleet sent by the Alien Pila, aiming to crush humanity's defensive forces in one stroke. However, after being severely wounded by the Alien Zulu’s blade, the woman in sunglasses had been forced to retreat, temporarily withdrawing from the operation.

Dr. Yushima warned, "After I sabotaged the radar, the Alien Pila assembled their fleet. They are arriving soon."

Staff Officer Kiriyama nodded. "MAC, launch!"

Saiba Nagi and the others saluted and prepared to depart, but Qi Ming remained still. Seeing Staff Officer Kiriyama look at him, he spread his hands. "I haven't learned how to pilot the Macchi yet. Leave the rest to Yamanaka and the others."

Saiba Nagi couldn't help but remark, "You never even came to learn!"

Surprisingly, Yamanaka agreed, "Fine, fine, leave it to us." He had previously been dissatisfied with Qi Ming’s constant skipping of training, but now he felt it didn't really matter if he couldn't fly. Otherwise, if he handled both the aerial and ground battles, wouldn't it make the rest of them seem redundant?

Through the efforts of Emi and Dr. Yao, the radar system was soon restored. Saiba Nagi and the others piloted two Macchi 1s to engage the incoming Alien Pila fleet.

Inside the command center, Qi Ming sat down next to the visibly anxious Dr. Yushima. "Don't worry. With me here, nothing will happen."

Dr. Yushima’s mind was a mess, but he vaguely recalled that the Alien Pila seemed to fear this human named Qi Ming, and his astonishing performance earlier was worthy of that caution. Seeing him speak so confidently, Dr. Yushima nodded and relaxed slightly.

Qi Ming asked in a casual tone, "By the way, I heard you are a member of the Alchemy Stars."

Dr. Yushima replied, "I barely made the cut. Compared to those true young geniuses, my achievements are hardly worth mentioning."

The Alchemy Stars was a special organization formed by the brightest young minds in the world. They assisted each other’s research via the internet and had predicted the appearance of the "Radical Destruction Bringer," bringing astonishing progress to human science. Most members were under twenty-five, and since Dr. Yushima was twenty-four when he joined, he had just barely made it in. Of course, if one was thick-skinned enough and persisted in applying, they would eventually accept you if your talent was undeniable. For instance, the Alchemy Stars had approved the application of Masaki Keigo, who was in his thirties, allowing him to use the photon computer Crisis for his private calculations.

Qi Ming asked, "Is there someone named Takayama Gamu in the Alchemy Stars?"

Dr. Yushima thought for a moment. "I’ve never heard that name. If he were a local, I would have had an impression."

Qi Ming: "What about Fujimiya Hiroya?"

Dr. Yushima’s expression shifted. "How do you know that name?"

Oh ho, so it has already become a taboo name that cannot be mentioned?

***

On the other side, the two Macchis were engaged in a fierce battle with the Alien Pila fleet, successfully shooting down most of the ships. Despite their difficult personalities, the combat capabilities of Saiba Nagi, Kishida, and Yamanaka were top-tier.

Seeing that they were about to be wiped out, the hidden Alien Pila were forced to grow to giant size, firing lasers at Saiba Nagi’s fighter. She pulled off an extreme maneuver, pulling up to dodge.

"The mastermind has stepped onto the stage. Finish it!" Saiba Nagi ordered.

The next moment, another figure appeared: the Alien Zulu, grown to a height of fifty meters!

In its giant form, it looked vastly different from its human-sized state, appearing even more ferocious. Its head was sharp, its entire body was covered in grey scales, and the blades on its arms had transformed into bone-like weapons. It began to wreak havoc across the city, venting the anger from the suffering it had endured at the hands of humans.

Yamanaka: "Damn it, another one!"

Kishida: "Should we request assistance from the Defense Force?"

Saiba Nagi ordered Kishida and Yamanaka to distract the Alien Zulu while she finished off the Alien Pila before joining them. However, under the Alien Zulu’s fierce assault, the Macchi 1 piloted by Yamanaka and Kishida was caught off guard and shot down by a strike from the giant creature’s blade.

Hearing the news, Qi Ming stood up immediately. He nodded at Moroboshi Dan and walked out. Moroboshi Dan nodded in acknowledgement, saying nothing further.

In *Ultraman Leo*, the four battles against the Alien Zulu were notoriously tragic, with MAC suffering heavy casualties. Moroboshi Dan had been filled with sorrow at the time—blaming himself for being unable to transform to help Ohtori Gen, and knowing that even if he replaced the engines with double-speed ones, the members would still die. Before they left, he had watched them with heavy heart, knowing they were sacrificing their lives to buy time for Gen’s special training.

But here, Moroboshi Dan was not at all worried that Qi Ming would fail to defeat the Alien Zulu; he was merely dissatisfied with his "improper attitude." Although a mere human who had gained the immense power of an Ultraman had not lost his way or gone mad, remaining merely arrogant and conceited, that was already impressive self-control. Yet, he still hoped Qi Ming could become better, achieve the best, and possess the "Ultra Spirit" like a true Ultra Warrior.