aircannonsinc Chapter 289 Dead End! For the sake of the entire city, fire!
Chapter 289 Dead End! For the sake of the entire city, fire!
A week has passed since the airing of episode 29, "Ukbar".
That episode, with its highly stream-of-consciousness style and profound exploration, sparked widespread discussion on various forums and filled viewers with anticipation for the future developments of "Ultraman Gaia".
Saturday night at 8 p.m.
The latest episodes of Ultraman Gaia have arrived on time, and the 30th episode has officially been released on major video platforms.
Without the slightest hesitation, countless viewers waiting in front of their screens immediately clicked the play button.
As the familiar opening theme ended, the main feature slowly lit up.
To everyone's surprise, the beginning of this episode was rather comical and lighthearted.
In the scene, Goga Yume is holding a bouquet of flowers and standing awkwardly in front of Captain Wei Weike of Team Lightning.
"This is for you... no, please accept this." Takaga Yume handed the flowers forward, her eyes slightly evasive.
Captain Wei Weike stared at the bouquet of flowers before him, then at Gao Womeng, completely stunned, his face filled with disbelief: "????"
The other team members standing nearby were also trying hard to suppress their laughter.
The live chat instantly became lively.
【What does it mean? 】
[Holy crap! What is Meng doing? Is she publicly confessing her feelings for Captain Wei Weike?]
Teacher, can we really trick people into coming in to watch Ultraman fight monsters like this?
Could it be that my favorite niche pairing has actually come true?
[That's hilarious! Captain Wei Weike's expression looks like he'd swallowed a fly.]
[Such a relaxed start, this episode seems like it'll be mostly slice-of-life content, right?]
[But why would a straight guy like Meng send this? Someone else must have asked him to send it.]
And indeed, that was the case; Koga was merely a tool for delivering flowers. The true identity of the flower delivery person wasn't immediately revealed, leaving the story as a mystery.
The relaxed atmosphere didn't last long.
The scene shifts, and alarms suddenly sound at the XIG air base, with red lights flashing continuously inside the command center.
"Unidentified flying object!"
Qiao Ji and Li Muzi reported loudly, "Location confirmed! An unidentified object is rapidly heading towards Earth!"
Commander Shi Shi frowned slightly: "What's wrong? Is this also a Root of Destruction?"
"Target locked, switch to home screen!"
As the image on the big screen changed, a gigantic cosmic monster appeared in everyone's view.
The monster's appearance instantly made viewers in front of the screen feel uncomfortable. It had an arthropod-like body, a cockroach-like exoskeleton, and spider-like compound eyes, and its mouthparts constantly secreted a nauseating white mucus.
Everyone in the command center gasped when they saw this scene.
"What is this? It's disgusting."
"It looks like a hybrid of a cockroach and a spider."
The team members couldn't help but complain.
"How about we name this monster Gokigumon?" I suggested.
"What kind of weird name is that?"
However, Commander Ishimura didn't care whether the name was good or bad; he just needed something to refer to. "That's settled then."
The comments section was filled with groans of despair.
Holy crap, this monster is disgusting!
[Chasing the Light is making daffins for us to try again!]
[This triggers both trypophobia and insect phobia; watching this late at night is a bit nauseating.]
This is absolutely the ugliest monster Gaia has ever created, bar none.
[Judging by his appearance, you can tell he's definitely a villain without even looking at him.]
In order to intercept the monster named Gochigumon, the Stone Chamber Commander quickly issued orders.
"Falcon Team, prepare to engage!" Director Di Cheng immediately issued the order to the Falcon Team.
Captain Tian Dayan piloted his fighter jet, quickly leading the Falcon Team into the air, speeding towards the monster's location.
"All team members, lock onto the target and launch all Sidewinder missiles simultaneously!" Captain Tian Dayan gave the order, and several missiles, trailing long plumes of flame, headed straight for Gochigumon.
However, everyone still underestimated the power of this cosmic monster.
Just as the missile was about to hit, Gochgumon suddenly accelerated.
Its massive body shuddered violently high in the sky, and a powerful sonic boom erupted instantly.
The powerful shockwave directly caused the three Falcon team fighter jets to deviate from their flight paths, and their missiles also missed their targets.
"The Falcon team's attack failed, possibly due to the sonic boom!"
"Where did the monster go?" Commander Shishi stared intently at the screen.
"Head northwest, and you'll reach POINT 335K1 in a few minutes. We're heading towards Jinghai City!" Georgie Leland quickly reported the monster's coordinates.
At this time, Jinghai City was bustling with activity and traffic.
The scene cuts to the ground, where a young woman named Li Luzi is taking a walk on the street.
She is the older sister of Li Muzi, a correspondent for XIG.
Not long ago, her husband, a pilot in the defense force, heroically sacrificed his life in a battle against the monster.
At this moment, Ritsuko had just finished mourning her deceased husband, and her expression was still somewhat sorrowful.
Suddenly, the sound of a little girl crying by the roadside caught her attention.
"Honey, what's wrong? What happened?" Li Luzi stepped forward and asked gently.
The little girl pointed to the big tree next to her: "Balloon, my balloon floated away."
It's still the classic combination of a girl and balloons from the tokusatsu (special effects) zone.
Following the direction the little girl was pointing, a red balloon was hanging on a high branch.
"Is that it? I see." Kind-hearted Li Luzi smiled and comforted her, "How about I help you get the balloon down?"
"Okay, thank you."
"You are welcome."
Just as Ritsuko reached for the balloon, the sky suddenly darkened.
A huge shadow fell over the street, and the once noisy crowd was instantly plunged into panic.
The colossal body of the cosmic monster Goqigmun descended upon the city.
It did not immediately begin to wreak havoc, but instead looked around before its gaze settled on a towering building.
Immediately afterwards, Gochigumon opened its disgusting mouth and spat out a large amount of white, thread-like mucus.
The slime poured down like a torrential rain, quickly enveloping the building.
In a short period of time, the entire building was transformed into a giant cocoon.
The surrounding crowd screamed and scattered in panic.
Seeing this, Ritsuko quickly pulled the little girl into her arms.
The two were unfortunately trapped inside the cocoon on one of the floors.
"What is this?" the little girl asked fearfully.
Ritsuko looked out the window at the thick layer of white, thread-like material. Although she was equally terrified, she tried to remain calm and comforted the little girl, "Don't be afraid, the XIG people will be here to rescue us soon."
Upon seeing this, the viewers in the live chat instantly understood the monster's intention.
[My anime knowledge]
[Holy crap, he's building a nest here? This monster came to Earth to lay eggs!]
Turning the entire building into a cocoon is disgusting.
[It's over, Li Muzi's sister and the little girl are trapped inside.]
[Not only does it have physical defense, but it also comes with its own hostages; this monster is quite intelligent.]
[Are humans just food reserves in this monster's eyes?]
At that moment, the girl trapped in the building saw fighter jets flying in from the distant horizon.
"It's the Seagulls!"
In order to search for and rescue the trapped people, the Seagull Rescue Team of XIG was dispatched immediately after receiving the order, led by Captain Shenshan.
Koga Yumeya arrived at the scene piloting the EX-class fighter.
He stared at the scan data on the screen, quickly analyzing the monster's weaknesses.
"I told you, according to the X-ray analysis, we've found Gochigumon's central nervous system, right between his tentacles." I immediately shared the information with the Seagull Team.
"Understood, fire the tranquilizer darts!" Captain Kamiyama gave the order decisively.
A Seagull fighter jet precisely fired a tranquilizer dart between Gochgumon's tentacles.
The effect was immediate. The enormous monster let out a deep roar, then its body went limp and it collapsed heavily to the ground, losing consciousness.
"There are five people in need of rescue. Three are trapped on the third floor, and the remaining two are on the seventh floor," Imu continued, providing information about the building.
"Luckily it's Sunday, no one's at work. Okay, you can go now!"
The team leader led his team to land quickly and begin the rescue operation.
"Get out of here!"
The Seagull team acted swiftly and quickly rescued the three people trapped on the third floor.
"Three people have been rescued," the team member reported to the leader.
"Understood. Leave the remaining two to me." Captain Kamiyama took a deep breath. "Go straight in from the seventh floor!"
He used the rope to break through the window and enter the corridor on the seventh floor.
Through the camera on Captain Shenshan's helmet, the people at the air base were able to see the faces of the trapped personnel.
Li Muzi, who had been staring intently at the screen, exclaimed in surprise, "It's my sister!"
Captain Kamiyama ran to Ritsuko and the little girl: "Are you alright? I'll get you out of here right away!"
Ritsuko glanced at Mount Kami, then at the trembling little girl in her arms, and said firmly, "Please save that little girl before you save me."
Captain Shenshan didn't hesitate: "Okay, good boy, big brother is here to rescue you."
At this moment, the people in the command room also recognized Ritsuko, and Di Cheng immediately notified Meng.
"What did you say? That person is Li Muzi's sister?"
Director Di Cheng nodded: "Yes, notify the hospital immediately after the person is rescued."
Just when everyone thought the rescue operation was about to be successfully completed, an accident occurred.
Gochigumon, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly moved. Then, its huge compound eyes lit up again, and it let out a piercing roar. Its massive body began to struggle to get up.
"The anesthesia has worn off? How is that possible!" I exclaimed in shock, watching the anesthesia countdown on the screen rapidly decreasing. "There should still be ten minutes left!"
This cosmic monster has immunity far beyond what is normal.
"Captain Kamiyama! A monster is approaching!" Imu shouted anxiously.
Inside the building, the violent tremors nearly caused Captain Kamiyama to lose his footing. He knew there wasn't enough time to get both of them out.
Ritsuko sensed the danger and decisively pushed the little girl towards the sacred mountain: "Don't worry about me, get the child out quickly! Hurry!"
Captain Kamiyama gritted his teeth, took a communicator from his waist, and handed it to Ritsuko: "Take this first. I'll definitely come back and rescue you, okay?"
"Sister..." the little girl cried out.
"If only we had a little more time." Captain Kamiyama sighed and quickly left the scene, carrying the little girl with him.
Shortly after they left, Gochigumon, who was lying on the ground, began to make new movements.
It pointed its tail at the building and continuously excreted huge, fleshy worm eggs, which piled up in the corridor on the seventh floor.
"What is that monster doing?"
"Godzilla's egg has appeared at Mount Kami, where Miss Ritsuko is located!" Imu stared at the detector, his face ashen.
"What?"
The voice in my dream carried a hint of despair: "In another hour, all the eggs will hatch together. It turned the building into a cocoon to hatch the larvae. So, does that mean the food is humans?"
The screen was densely packed with the reactions of the insect eggs.
"There are over a hundred eggs. If they all hatch and attack humans..."
The consequences could be disastrous.
The live chat exploded.
Good heavens! They're really treating people like food to incubate eggs!
[666, and there's even egg-laying play!]
[More than a hundred monster larvae; if they hatch, the entire city of Jinghai will be doomed.]
The tranquilizer dart failed prematurely; this monster's drug resistance is too strong.
[Miss Ritsuko is still inside, right next to the egg. She'll be the first one eaten when the larvae hatch.]
[Quick! Invincible Gaia! Transform and fight the monster!]
The atmosphere in the command room was extremely tense.
"What about the air base?" Commander Ishimura asked.
"We've already made contact. Georgie is analyzing the molecular structure of the cocoon and awaiting orders from the commander."
The results came out quickly.
"The molecular structure of the cocoon has been analyzed, and it is made of flammable materials. That is to say, it can burn," Georgie reported.
This news did not bring relief; instead, it plunged the situation into an even more painful dilemma.
Burning the building can indeed kill the insect eggs and avert a crisis.
But this also means that Ms. Ritsuko, who is trapped inside, will perish in the fire along with the building.
The commander of the stone chamber remained silent for a moment before making a difficult decision.
"Caixiang will take over Li Muzi's work first."
"Commander..." Li Muzi's eyes reddened.
"Any team member whose family or friends are involved in the mission must be excluded from the mission. This is XIG's rule. Do you all understand?" Commander Ishimura's voice left no room for argument.
"I understand." Li Muzi forced back her tears and left her post.
"How is Li Luzi's vital signs?" Shi Shi asked.
"The life detector's response is being interfered with by the monster egg and cannot display anything," Georgie shook her head. "The communicator isn't responding either."
"You must live."
I was at a loss when I saw it: "Anesthesia isn't working. If we use a liquid asphyxiation bomb... that won't work either, waiting for it to cool down completely takes too long."
Just as I was in a state of panic, his gaze fell on the bouquet of dried flowers placed in the cockpit.
"Why are there dried flowers here?"
That was Li Muzi's older sister, Miss Ritsuko, who asked him to deliver it to Captain Wei Weike.
I dreamt of Li Muzi's instructions from before.
"I need your help with something. This bouquet of flowers is for Wei Weike. Please help me."
"That's strange, why would they send dried flowers?"
"Actually, this bouquet of flowers wasn't meant for me. It was for my sister."
Past conversations flashed through his mind. He then realized that Miss Ritsuko was the true owner of this bouquet of flowers.
"No matter what, we must rescue Li Muzi's sister!" I clenched my fist.
But the reality is cruel.
"There are still thirty minutes left until the monster egg hatches. So far, we haven't received any response from Ms. Ritsuko."
"Can we confirm that they survived?"
"No, we cannot confirm."
In the command room, Staff Officer Ye Qian looked at the silent commander in the stone chamber.
"Commander, there's no time. Order the attack."
If no decision is made soon, the entire city will face annihilation.
As an organization dedicated to protecting all of humanity, eliminating the threat is the only option when the survival of any individual hostage cannot be confirmed.
Commander Shi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, only resolute determination remained in his eyes.
"Attention all aircraft, load incendiary bombs."
These words shocked the entire audience.
"What? There are still people in that building!" Captain Kamiyama of the Seagull team protested loudly over the communication channel.
"We haven't received a response from her, nor can we confirm if she's still alive. We don't have much time left. The Lightning Squadron's aircraft are now loading incendiary bombs." Commander Ishimura's tone was cold and resolute.
"You're a rescue team! You need to prevent secondary disasters from incendiary bombs. Are you planning to burn everyone alive?" Captain Kamiyama couldn't accept this order.
"Prepare for a surprise attack."
"We're a rescue team, we can't just stand by and watch people die! I want to go too!" Captain Shenshan wanted to rush back.
"No, you must obey orders!"
Under the pressure of strict military orders, the Seagulls could only watch helplessly as the Lightning took over the battlefield.
Above, the three fighter jets of the Lightning Team were already in position.
"Fifteen minutes until the monster egg hatches. Team Lightning will arrive at the destination in five minutes."
Captain Wei Weike gripped the control stick tightly, his palms sweating profusely. He stared at the building encased in a cocoon on the radar, his emotions a complex mix.
"I finally made it."
"Kitada, Okawara, stand by in the back. I'll fire the incendiary bombs." Wei Weike took a deep breath and volunteered for the most arduous task.
He knew that the button he was about to press might take the life of an innocent woman.
But as a soldier, he had no choice but to protect as many people as possible in the city.
The fighter jet's fire control radar beeped as it locked on.
The crosshairs were fixed on the seventh-floor window draped in white silk.
Wei Weike's finger trembled slightly as he placed it on the red launch button.
At that moment, the screen was filled with comments.
[This is heartbreaking! Pressing this button will condemn Captain Wei Weike to a lifetime of guilt.]
But if we don't press it, the monster will appear and we'll all die.
Why didn't Ritsuko use a communicator to call for help? Could it be that she's really...?
Is there really no other way? Is sacrificing one person the only option?
[This countdown is so desperate; Captain Wei Weike is having such a tough time.]
[My dream! Quickly become Ultraman! Shatter all despair and sorrow!]
There are only three minutes left until the monster egg hatches.
"I must carry it out." Captain Wei Weike closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and pressed his fingers down sharply.