Chapter 1353
The Ultramen really went all out!
Actually, everyone has been misunderstanding one thing...
The Ultra race are indeed good people.
But they really can distinguish between good and bad!
They really won't kill bad people.
Look at the original Man, he didn't hold back at all when he wiped out the Baltan aliens.
The spaceship carrying 2.23 billion Baltan aliens, whose home planet was destroyed by nuclear testing, wandered to Earth, intending to forcibly immigrate. What did the original Ultraman do? After negotiations broke down, he unleashed the Specium Ray, obliterating the ship and its inhabitants into cosmic dust. Although the official explanation was a sonic boom, the sheer ferocity and ruthless attitude towards the invaders were undeniable. Subsequent generations of Baltan aliens loyally sought revenge against Ultraman, ultimately because the original Ultraman's brutality inflicted psychological trauma upon them.
Therefore, the same applies to Hikari.
Not to mention that Hikari is a scientific researcher.
Putting everything else aside, this guy is actually ruthless!
Damn it, you have no idea when this guy secretly collected his power.
Cui Ming stood at the laboratory door, watching Hikari buried in a pile of instruments, holding a test tube containing a liquid that shimmered with a ghostly blue light. It was a sample of Apostle cells extracted from Lilith, undergoing some strange energy reaction after Hikari's special treatment. Cui Ming frowned. He knew this scientist all too well—outwardly gentle and refined, always spouting peace and justice, but deep down, his thirst for power and his obsession with collecting were stronger than anyone else's.
During his years of scientific research in the Land of Light, Hikari amassed countless private treasures beyond his publicly known inventions. Genetic fragments extracted from the remains of various monsters, ancient energy cores recovered from cosmic ruins, and special organs salvaged from defeated enemies—all were categorized, numbered, and locked away in a subspace known only to him. Any single item from those sources would be enough to plunge half a galaxy into chaos.
At this moment, he is trying to integrate the energy operation mechanism of the apostles into his own research system.
“Old Cui, look at this,” Hikari looked up, his eyes behind his glasses gleaming with excitement, and shook the test tube in his hand. “If we can figure out how the Apostle’s soul and body are connected, I can make a brand new energy amplifier. Then your combat power will increase by at least thirty percent.”
Cui Ming looked at him expressionlessly: "Last time you said you'd improve something by 30%, you almost blew up the training ground."
“That was an accident,” Hikari chuckled dryly, carefully tucking the test tube into his pocket. “This time I’ve taken precautions, really.”
Cui Ming sighed.
He knew Hikari wasn't lying; this guy could indeed make good things. But the problem was, Hikari was too ruthless—he wasn't researching simply to improve combat power; he was collecting, hoarding, and incorporating all sorts of dangerous forces from the universe into his knowledge base. Today he might be researching Angels, tomorrow he might be secretly analyzing Dark Zagi's residual energy, and the day after, he might be hybridizing Gomora's cells with something else.
This greed and obsession with power is hidden beneath the glamorous exterior of the scientist from the Land of Light, and only those who know him best can glimpse it.
"Keep your test tubes safe," Cui Ming said as he turned to leave, his voice coming from the doorway. "Don't let me find out you've been secretly hoarding anything you shouldn't be, or I'll feed all your collections to Gomora."
Hikari shrank back, clutching the test tube even tighter, muttering, "...Stingy, it's just research material."
Cui Ming knew that Hikari was a good person.
A truly good person.
That deep-seated respect for life and unwavering commitment to justice wasn't feigned, nor was it the result of brainwashing from the Land of Light's education; it was a quality inherent in Hikari himself. He would work continuously for seventy-two hours without rest to save an alien planet, he would shield civilians from monster attacks with his own body, and he would show genuine anger and sorrow when he saw innocent people suffering. This kindness was pure, untainted by any ulterior motives.
But sometimes you have to keep an eye on this guy. There are too many people who mean well but end up doing the opposite of what they intend.
Hikari is the type of person who, with good intentions, can do bad things but end up accomplishing great things.
His intentions were good, every single time. He wanted to help humanity improve its defenses, but ended up creating Saturn Z, capable of destroying planets; he wanted to cure Rei Ayanami's physical defects, but nearly turned Lilith into a dried-up corpse; he wanted to collect Angel data to prepare for future battles, but those dangerous samples and energy cores in his hands were like time bombs that could go off at any moment. His good intentions were directly proportional to his ability to cause trouble; the more he tried to help, the bigger the mess he created.
Hikari was aware of his own problems, so he understood Choi's intentions.
Understand why Choi Myung was unwilling to let him collect data, etc.
When Choi Myung expressionlessly refused to let him study certain things, Hikari would show a wronged expression and mutter a few complaints, but he knew what was going on in his heart.
He knew he would lose control once he got excited, knew he was a danger factor in the lab, and knew that the weapons he had modified and the samples he had collected could easily turn from "scientific research results" into "sources of disaster." Therefore, he understood Cui Ming's caution, understood those seemingly inhumane restrictions, and understood why Cui Ming's eyes would look like he was looking at a bomb about to explode every time he took out a test tube.
"I know I sometimes...go a little overboard."
Hikari leaned against the lab wall, still holding the test tube containing the apostle cell sample, his tone tinged with self-deprecation.
"But I will be careful, really."
Cui Ming stood at the door, his gaze lingering on the man's face for a few seconds before shifting to the test tube in his hand.
"Put the test tube down and then go eat."
Hikari paused for a moment, looked down at the test tube, then looked up at Choi Myung, and finally obediently locked the test tube in the safe.
"……it is good."
Cui Ming leaned against the door frame, his gaze sweeping across the corridor and landing on Rokufennig Gendo in the laboratory.
The man was strapped to a specially made metal bed, his body wrapped in bandages, like a mummy wrapped up tightly.
His left leg, secured with steel nails, stretched straight out, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth, and a few teeth scattered in the tray.
The stark white light shone on his bruised and swollen face, making him look both absurd and pathetic.
"That... sextant..."
Cui Ming spoke slowly, his voice low and calm, each word seeming to have been carefully considered. (End of Chapter)