39. Face the Reality, Abandon Illusions

After Qi Ming revealed the truth about Chris Maya, Megumi was incredulous: "What? She's an alien!"

Yamanaka was deeply shocked, his speech faltering: "Is... is this true? Inside, she is a space being?"

Qi Ming replied, "Having lived on Earth for so many years, she’s long been assimilated into a corporate slave. She looks glamorous, but in reality, she’s just another worker exploited by capitalism."

At this moment, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of Nagi Saijo, who had been feeling down: "An alien using a human body... I will not allow it."

Judging by her demeanor, she intended to take action against Chris Maya.

Qi Ming elaborated further: "That little girl died long ago in a car accident. Chris Maya took her place to fulfill her filial duties to the elders, and I don’t see anything wrong with that."

The words "filial duties" seemed to strike the softest part of Nagi Saijo's heart. She lowered her gaze, abandoning any further plans to cause trouble.

Qi Ming nodded to himself; if verbal therapy hadn't worked, he would have had to resort to physical personality-correction punches.

Qi Ming continued, "Furthermore, while the Natar aliens chasing them can grow to giant size, they are extremely weak."

Yamanaka asked, "How weak?"

Qi Ming said, "The kind of weak that gets blown to pieces by a single shot from the GUTS Wing 2."

Yamanaka was immediately invigorated, his sense of justice ignited: "Chris Maya has lived on Earth for so long; she is one of us! We must never hand her over to aliens!"

Kishida also analyzed the situation from a practical standpoint: "She is a phenomenal pop star. If she dies at the hands of aliens, the public will not stand for it, and our GUTS team will face immense scrutiny."

They began to unite against their common enemy.

Qi Ming added, "I won't even mention Aboras; it fears the light and can only act at night."

He went on to explain the situation of [Redel], who lived in the sunlight, suggesting that the enemy of an enemy is a friend, and that if they could get it to help, the situation would improve.

Qi Ming concluded, "Finally, there is the Kyrtell alien. This guy seems to be a serial killer—killing indiscriminately with no discernible pattern."

Megumi remarked, "If only it could go and kill those other aliens instead."

Dan Moroboshi shook his head. To his knowledge, the Kyrtell race was on the verge of extinction due to a severe aging population. Consequently, they were filled with jealousy and hatred toward the human race of Earth, which possessed a large number of young people, which was why they had come here to go on a killing spree. Expecting them to deal with other aliens was unrealistic.

Qi Ming said, "Then let's hope Aboras can show some 'professionalism' and clean up the mess for us."

That was just a joke, of course. Qi Ming believed that despite this unprecedented "five-fold attack," it would not be hard to crack.

Qi Ming ordered, "Kishida, you go and guard Chris Maya. Wait for the rabbit to come to the trap."

Kishida asked, "Do you think the Natar alien won't give up and will try to kill her again?"

Qi Ming replied, "Exactly."

Yamanaka interjected, "Such a good opportunity... I should be the one to go."

Qi Ming said, "Your opponent is the Kyrtell alien."

In the original *Ultraman Leo* series, although the Kyrtell alien possessed immense strength and could kill a heavyweight boxing champion with one punch, it was still afraid of guns. However, when the MAC team members with guns faced it, they would swing steel pipes or perform martial arts, displaying various incompetent tactics rather than simply firing their weapons. Gen Ohtori eventually remembered to shoot, but his aim was so poor he missed entirely. Just as they were about to be killed, Dan Moroboshi had to step in and drive the creature away with a few well-placed shots.

While Yamanaka’s reasoning was often abstract, his claim that "no one is a better shot than me" held some weight.

Yamanaka declared, "Fine, watch me get my revenge!"

Qi Ming continued to arrange the tasks: "Megumi, besides the Redel I mentioned, you also need to track down [Lusia]."

Megumi asked, "One of the two 'prey' brought by the Mu-Zhen alien?"

Qi Ming nodded, "Yes. She and Zach have a psychic connection. If we find her, we can use her to locate the lair of the Crow-men who kidnapped Zach and take them all down at once."

When he looked at Nagi Saijo, she suddenly said, "I’d like to take a leave of absence."

Kishida and the others were shocked. They hadn't expected Nagi Saijo, who hated aliens and monsters so much and was always the most proactive in operations, to abandon them at such a critical juncture.

Qi Ming and Dan Moroboshi exchanged glances; the latter nodded, granting the request.

Qi Ming clapped his hands, "Alright everyone, let's get moving. They're just five ordinary aliens; the sky isn't going to fall."

Kishida asked, "By the way, what will you be doing?"

Before Qi Ming could answer, he added, "Never mind, I'm sure you have a reasonable plan." After the previous night's misunderstanding, he felt it was better not to easily question Qi Ming.

Qi Ming did not immediately start scouring the streets for aliens. Instead, he first visited the school.

Under the curious gazes of the other students, he called Minami out for a private conversation.

Qi Ming said, "I have figured out the origin of the UFO you saw."

Minami’s eyes lit up, "Really, Teacher? Where is it? Please let it come to pick me up!"

Qi Ming replied, "That is what I also want to know, because according to the GUTS team's investigation, these are a group of very vicious aliens. They carry weapons and kidnap humans to use as slaves. It is an unforgivable crime."

Minami stuttered, "What? Is... is that true?"

Qi Ming continued, "Yes. You said you were their companion, so please tell me where they are."

Minami whispered, "But... but I don't know."

Qi Ming, who had just been gentle, changed his tone: "What? Didn't you say you were their companion? Are you trying to cover for them and condone their kidnapping of Earthlings? Does Minami want to be an enemy of the Earth?"

Minami was so anxious he was about to cry, "I... I really don't know."

Qi Ming pressed, "Why don't you know? Are you not an accomplice to these aliens?"

Minami quickly shook his head, "That's right, I don't know them at all. I am an Earthling!"

See? He had abandoned his delusions and faced reality.

The reason Qi Ming had called the child out for a private talk was that if this had been announced in the classroom, some "mischievous" classmates might have seized the opportunity to label Minami as an "alien accomplice." This would have led to bullying and forced him further into isolation.

By forcing him to admit the reality first, he had addressed the symptoms. The next step would be to address the root cause.

Minami fantasized about being an alien and leaving Earth because he was unhappy in reality and wanted to escape. As long as they could spark his passion for learning and life, he wouldn't easily let his imagination run wild again.

Qi Ming clapped his hands, "Very good. A teacher loves an honest child, so I have decided to give Minami a reward."