Chapter 1434
In other people's eyes, Hikari is also considered a monster.
For the time being, no one in the circus seemed to care.
In Cui Ming's view, all that was needed was to give these guys a beating to teach them a lesson.
After the riot police dragged the person away, everyone in the command room went about their business as usual, and no one mentioned the incident again. Daigo wanted to say something, but Shinjo tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to shut up. Kijima glanced at Choi Myung's expression but didn't speak; she simply pushed a report in front of him.
Cui Ming glanced at it, signed it, then leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the holster with a slow, heavy rhythm.
He was thinking about something.
Cui Mingke still remembers that chubby little boy from the Showa era.
The child who kept the cactus beast as a pet was chubby and innocent-looking. He would hold the cactus every day, watering and fertilizing it, and muttering, "It will protect me" and "It is my friend."
The results of it?
The cactus monster went berserk, and his entire family, including himself, became its food!
Cui Ming was there at the time and witnessed the child's final expression—not fear, but confusion. He couldn't understand why his carefully cared-for "pet" had suddenly turned into a monster, or why his "friend" had eaten him.
With examples like this, how can Cui Ming possibly feel at ease!
Even if the pigeon super beast can briefly regain its sanity, it will still be controlled afterward! Back then, the pigeon was indeed docile for a while after being influenced by humans, but as soon as the Yapool's fluctuations arrived, it immediately turned back into a super beast and destroyed everything around it.
Extradimensional beings, cosmic monsters, and even those little creatures that humans consider "cute" are essentially uncontrollable variables.
You think it's a pet?
It could become your executioner at any time.
Those circus guys deserve a beating!
Cui Ming opened his eyes and looked out the window. Durban had been sent to Hikari's laboratory. The little guy was so scared that he peed three times on the way, but the examination results showed that it was indeed harmless, with gentle energy fluctuations, and could even actively release a force field to neutralize the violent electromagnetic waves.
The word "harmless" was written on the report, but Cui Ming's brows were still furrowed.
harmless?
Just because something is harmless now doesn't mean it will be harmless in the future.
Being docile now doesn't mean being docile forever.
The Yapool's modifications, interdimensional fluctuations, or even some unknown stimulus could instantly turn this "harmless" little monster into a disaster.
“Instructor,” Daigo finally couldn’t help but speak up, “Durban…can’t it really stay in the circus? It has a very good relationship with them…”
"Good relationship?" Cui Ming turned his head, his eyes as cold as ice. "I told you before, didn't that little fat boy from Showa have a bad relationship with the cactus super beast? Where was that relationship when his whole family was wiped out?"
Daigo fell silent.
"What about Pigeon Super Beast?" Cui Ming continued to ask, his voice not loud, but each word like a hammer blow. "It briefly regained its sanity, but in the end, it was still controlled."
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the EDF recruits lining up on the training field outside.
“It’s not that I don’t believe in feelings.” Cui Ming’s voice lowered, as if he were talking to himself. “It’s that I don’t believe in variables. In the universe, I’ve seen far too many examples of today’s friends becoming tomorrow’s enemies.”
He turned around, looked at Daigo, looked at Megumi, and looked at everyone in the command room.
"The circus people, by knowing this and not reporting it, are putting themselves and everyone around them in danger. They think Durban is a friend, but what if? What if Durban loses control one day? What if Aynor uses it? What if anything unexpected happens—"
He paused, then tapped his fingers on the table.
"Who died? The children watching the circus, the passersby, and the innocent people who knew nothing."
The command room was completely silent.
Cui Ming walked back to his seat and put the Durban report on the table.
“Giving them a beating to teach them a lesson is already letting them off easy. According to TPC rules, endangering public safety is a crime, and they will be prosecuted and sentenced. None of them can escape.”
He sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and resumed that state of feigned sleep.
"Durban will remain at TPC, and Hikari will continue his research. If it is confirmed to be harmless in the long term, then we will consider how to proceed. Until then, no one is allowed to make contact or any decisions on their own."
"Yes," everyone responded in unison.
Outside the window, the sun was shining brightly, and the new recruits' slogans were chanted in unison on the training ground.
But in Cui Ming's mind, the chubby boy's last expression was still the image.
Confused, naive, dying with unfulfilled grievances.
He didn't want that expression to ever appear on anyone's face again.
So, the circus people deserve a beating.
You deserve a beating that everyone will remember. Remember, in the universe, there is no absolute safety, and no eternal friends.
Only rules, only vigilance, only—
Storm One's fist.
Some might think that Choi Myung's actions were too inhumane.
But everyone knows that Choi Myung's actions were the right thing to do.
After all, you don't know what terrifying methods aliens might possess. Those seemingly gentle little monsters, those seemingly friendly aliens—what kind of conspiracies, control methods, or destructive forces might be lurking behind them—no one can say for sure.
Durban is actually safe in TPC.
Probably.
Cui Ming leaned back in the chair in the command room, feigning sleep, but a sense of unease flashed through his mind. Hikari wouldn't do anything outrageous, would he?
That Blue Clan scientist, while possessing top-tier research abilities, also has an exceptional talent for causing trouble. Back then, his knightly aura nearly killed him, and his life-solidification technology sparked a cosmic-level conflict. Now, he's being tasked with researching Durban, a species capable of neutralizing violent electromagnetic waves.
Cui Ming's fingers unconsciously tapped the holster, quickening the rhythm slightly.
It should be fine.
Meanwhile, in Hikari's laboratory...
The Blue Clan scientist was wearing a white lab coat and goggles, holding an enormous syringe in his hand. The syringe was thicker than his own arm, the needle gleaming coldly, and it was filled with some kind of pale green liquid that shimmered eerily under the light.
Durban huddled in the corner of the lab table, his pale purple fur bristling, his two small horns trembling, and his large eyes filled with terror.
"Don't worry," Hikari's voice was as gentle as if coaxing a child, but the syringe in her hand was raised higher and higher, "It's just drawing a small blood sample, nothing will happen~"
"."
Durban's teeth were chattering, and its four legs were as weak as noodles. It wanted to run, but the experimental table was surrounded by energy barriers that crackled at the slightest touch.
It looked toward the doorway, its eyes filled with despair as if pleading for help.
But there was no one at the door.
Only Hikari's blue face, imbued with scientific fanaticism, appeared particularly ferocious under the lights.
"Come on, sweetie, stick your arm out." Hikari took a step forward, the liquid in the syringe sloshing around. "Just once, it'll be quick, it probably won't hurt."
Durban shrank back, pressing his back against the barrier, which made its fur smoke from the electric shock.
"Don't come any closer!!!"
The little monster finally broke down, letting out a shrill wail that pierced through the laboratory's soundproof walls and echoed down the corridor.
The TPC staff who were passing by stopped and looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Lord Hikari is inside?"
"seems like it."
"What are they doing now?"
"I don't know, but it sounds pretty exciting."
The two exchanged a glance and quickened their pace, moving away from that troubled place.
In the lab, Hikari's ears were ringing from Durban's screams, but he didn't care. He just pushed up his goggles and revealed an even more excited smile.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, just one injection! Look, this syringe may be a bit big, but it's very efficient! It can draw up the amount needed for research in one go!"
Durban looked at the needle, which was thicker than his own leg, and tears finally welled up in his eyes.
It finally understood why that human named Cui Ming was so terrifying.
Because that terrible human left an even more terrible guy behind in TPC!
"Help!!!!"
The little monster's wails echoed throughout the entire floor, while Hikari, holding a syringe, approached step by step, humming an off-key tune.
"La la la~ Sample collection~ La la la~ Multiverse biology research~"
Durban closed his eyes in despair.
It would rather face the violent electromagnetic waves of Energizer.
At least that one died a quick and painless death.
And this.
This blue-skinned scientist is trying to squeeze every last drop out of him!!! (End of Chapter)