Heroes

At that very moment, the stone tablet that had just been traversed by the little girl's mother's time travel began to emit faint light.

The stone tablet stands on the edge of the steel plant ruins, its dark blue stone surface bearing 111 names that have just been revived, neatly engraved there.

At that moment, the names lit up one by one, golden light seeping from the strokes, like the first ray of sunlight in the morning, warm and firm.

The faint light carried an unspeakable conviction, like an invisible hand gently brushing across the ruins.

The faint light scattered across the steelworks ruins throughout the site, and the entire steelworks seemed to be summoned, beginning to tremble slightly.

Then, they detached from the ground and floated in mid-air, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, converging towards the stone tablet.

One piece, two pieces, a hundred pieces, a thousand pieces—countless steel fragments merged in the dim light, emitting a clanging metallic sound, like an ancient steelmaking chant.

Finally, the dilapidated remains of the steel plant, under the convergence of the dim light, transformed into a large sword.

This sword is neither a traditional Tang sword nor a samurai sword. On the contrary, it looks more like the large sword used by the traditional sword-wielding troop.

The blade is broad and heavy, with a slightly upturned tip. The handle is wrapped in coarse cloth, and there is a row of neat rings on the back of the blade. Each ring is made from a different piece of steel, representing a worker's belief.

The unsharpened parts of the blade are covered with fine lines, marks left from the forging of the steel, imprints made by 111 workers hammering away.

The knife looks simple and unadorned, yet it possesses a decisive and resolute power, as hard as the workers who have wielded it.

The moment the blade materialized, it flew straight toward Sirius, like a golden meteor streaking through the smoke of twilight.

Sirius paused for a moment after hearing the workers' voices.

He looked down at the wound on his chest where golden light particles were still gushing out, and felt as if a gentle breeze had brushed past his chest, making the pain less intense.

It's not that the wound has healed, but rather that something more important than the pain has suppressed it.

As if sensing something, Sirius, enduring the pain in his body, directly released the Sirius Photon Ray.

A burst of pale blue light shot out and directly washed over Dimaga's body.

Although it failed to break through the defense, the impact of the light caused Dimaga's movements to pause slightly, and his forward steps came to a halt.

Furthermore, the powerful recoil from the Sirius photon beam caused Sirius to slide hundreds of meters across the ground, widening the distance between him and the Scorching Steel Dimaga.

Before Dimaga could do anything, Sirius suddenly flipped over and jumped to his feet.

His movements were so swift that he didn't seem like someone who was seriously injured. Golden particles of light continued to flow from the wound in his chest, leaving tiny streaks of light in the air.

But at this moment, Sirius suddenly raised one hand, fingers spread wide, as if welcoming something.

At that moment, the streak of light flew directly towards Sirius's hand.

"clang--"

With a crisp metallic clang, the greatsword landed steadily in Sirius's hand.

After the light dissipated, a large sword appeared in Sirius's hand at some unknown time.

The blade was unexpectedly heavy, yet surprisingly easy to handle, as if it had been tailor-made for him.

The moment he gripped the knife, he could feel the conviction and determination within it, and he could also feel the steel's mournful cry emanating from Dimaga's body.

The belief is to protect the people. Standing in front of the furnace all one's life, pouring sweat into molten steel, is all for the sake of enabling those behind one's life to live a better life.

The determination was one of facing death without fear; even knowing they would die, they continued working. Of the 111 men, not a single one was a coward.

The wailing is the wailing of those who should be protecting the people, but are instead harming them. The steel is crying; it wants to return to its original state and continue to be a protective bulwark.

Three emotions flowed from the hilt of the sword into Sirius's palm, like molten steel, burning his hand and making his belief even stronger.

Sirius gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, his eyes fixed on the scorching steel Dimaga before him. Golden light particles were still slowly flowing from his chest, but his back was ramrod straight, like an unbreakable steel spear.

"I will never again allow you to use the steel of protection to do things that harm the people."

With a clear battle cry, Sirius, gripping his greatsword with both hands, charged directly at the scorching steel Dimaga.

The greatsword was covered with a blue light unique to Sirius, and the light on the blade grew brighter and brighter, like a blue crescent moon drawing a dazzling arc.

He was incredibly fast, each step leaving deep footprints in the ground, leaving a blue afterimage behind him like a bolt of lightning piercing the darkness.

Scorching Steel Dimaga roared and raised its arm to try to stop it, but Sirius was too fast. Before its arm was even halfway through, Sirius had already rushed in front of it.

Before Scorching Steel Demaga could react, the greatsword slashed directly at him.

"clang--!!"

The deafening clang of metal clashing was deafening. This time, unlike Sirius's lightning-fast cut, the greatsword was so sharp that it actually sliced ​​a gash in the body of the scorching steel Dimaga.

The blade slashed diagonally down Dimaga's left shoulder, all the way to his waist, cutting a half-meter-deep gash in his steel armor. Black smoke and dark red magma gushed out of the crack, like blood flowing from a wound.

The scorching steel Dimaga let out a mournful roar, its massive body trembling violently. It instinctively took two steps back, and for the first time, an emotion resembling "pain" appeared in its molten iron eyes.

At this moment, seeing this scene, Sirius decisively began to gather his full moon beam.

The light wasn't as dazzling as an attack skill; instead, it was as gentle as moonlight, carrying a tender power that purified everything.

Sensing the gentle energy, the Blazing Steel Dimaga began to stir.

It went berserk, trying to rush toward Sirius and stop him before the full moon's energy wave could be fully charged.

However, the Dragon Might mech stood firmly in front of Sirius, blocking the advance of the Scorching Steel Dimaga.

"If you want to get through, you'll have to get past us first!" Nagasawa roared in the cockpit, manipulating the mecha's mechanical arm to grab the incoming spikes and do everything in his power to block them.

The mecha's surface began to glow red under the high temperature, and cracks appeared in the armor, but Nagasawa and Shizuka gritted their teeth and did not retreat an inch.

Finally, the full moon's light wave completed its energy buildup.

The gentle energy was pushed out by Sirius with his hand, like pushing open a door or lifting up a moon.

There was no explosion, no impact; the energy simply flowed gently into the body of the scorching steel Dimaga through the gap created by the large sword.

Light seeped in through the cracks, like water seeping into parched earth.

Wherever it passed, the black resentment smoke was purified, the contaminated steel armor returned to its original dark gray, the temperature of the magma dropped, and the spikes and steel blades slowly retracted.

The previously restless Blazing Steel Dimaga gradually calmed down.

It stopped roaring and struggling. Its massive body trembled slightly, and the murderous intent in its molten iron eyes gradually faded, replaced by a sense of bewilderment.

The wailing steel gradually quieted down, and the cracks cleaved by the blade no longer emitted black smoke, but instead flowed with a gentle golden light.

A red light began flashing on Sirius's chest, and an alarm sounded in the night sky.

The full moon's light wave consumed a lot of his energy, and coupled with his previous injuries, he was nearing his limit.

Fortunately, with the continuous infusion of gentle energy, the steel encasing the scorching steel Dimaga began to disintegrate.

Countless pieces of steel armor peeled off like weathered rocks, turning into golden specks of light that slowly drifted into the sky.

The steel armor fragments shimmered in the night sky like 111 stars, gentle and bright.

The spikes retracted, the steel blades melted, the lava cooled, and the 66-meter-tall steel body gradually dissipated, like a melting iceberg.

Finally, it melted completely.

Sirius only stopped releasing the full moon's light waves when the scorching steel Dimaga had completely melted and merged into the earth.

He was panting heavily as he looked at the land that had regained its peace.

Just then, a slightly embarrassed voice rang in Sirius's ear.

The voice was young and gentle, like that of a boy who had just woken up, with a touch of shyness and apology.

"I'm sorry to bother you."

It is the Qingyan Mountain deity who has regained consciousness.

Upon hearing this, Sirius shook his head, his voice hoarse from energy depletion, yet still gentle:

"It's no trouble at all, I just hope you can restore this land to its former state."

He pointed to the ground beneath his feet and then to the direction of the town in the distance.

Upon hearing Sirius's words, the voice paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that the giant of light would make such a request.

It's not that I'm asking him to do anything, I just hope this land will get better...

After a moment, he replied, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity:

"I will..."

And the instant He finished answering, the greatsword that Sirius had been holding dissolved directly into Sirius's body, just as if steel had just melted.

At this moment, the sun is setting.

Sunlight spilled onto the ruins, onto the cracked earth, onto the stone tablet whose inscriptions had been restored, and the 111 names shimmered in the setting sun.

Sirius stared at the stone tablet of the steel mill in silence for a while.

He remembered the voices of those workers...

Then he turned around and slowly nodded at the Dragon Might Mech.

Finally, Sirius glanced at the land that was slowly recovering, bent his knees slightly, flashed a blue light around him, and flew into the sky.

Its enormous body soared higher and higher into the rising sun, farther and farther, until it finally disappeared into the horizon.

Behind him, deep within the veins of Qingyan Mountain, the God of the Earth was gradually repairing the damaged land.

The cracks closed, the magma cooled, and tender green grass sprouts began to grow on the ruins.

The stone tablet stood there quietly, its 111 names clearly visible in the sunlight, never to be worn away by wind and rain again.

Because someone remembers them.

---

One day later, the site of the Qingyanshan Iron and Steel Plant.

The ruins have been cleared away, and the stone tablet that the little girl's mother had revisited has been repaired and covered with a glass case, making all 111 names clearly visible in the sunlight.

It is said that the CEA is still compiling biographical information on these people.

Next to the stone tablet, a small steel memorial hall is under construction.

It wasn't made with new steel; it was made by imitating the old steel produced by the steel mill back then.

Yun Yu squatted in front of the stone tablet and explained the story to Su Mo. Today, he was still wearing a volunteer vest, obviously there to help rebuild the town.

"I see." After listening to Yun Yu recount the information he had gathered, Su Mo nodded thoughtfully.

She held a notebook in her hand, listening and taking notes, her pen flying across the paper: "Although I don't know how you found out this information, it is indeed big news, and it can also help more people know about these heroes."

Upon hearing this, Yun Yu scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

He couldn't very well say that Lolita's mother had told him this information, so he could only give a perfunctory answer, saying that he had asked the old people in the village, and that the old people knew a lot about what happened back then, passed down from generation to generation.

Su Mo didn't delve into it further, just smiled and moved on.

Just then, Yun Yu, watching the workers building the memorial hall, suddenly asked Su Mo:

"What do you think their reaction would be if they knew that the steel they forged would eventually be turned into a knife, which Ultraman would use to cut down monsters?"

Su Mo thought for a moment, then said seriously, "They'd probably say, 'This steel wasn't forged in vain!'"

Yun Yu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "You're right, this steel wasn't forged in vain."

Just then, several schoolchildren, carrying their schoolbags, came skipping and hopping over.

They stood outside the perimeter of the construction site, tiptoeing and peering inside, their little faces full of curiosity.

A little girl with pigtails tugged at the sleeve of the boy next to her and asked in a childish voice, "What's going on?"

The boy didn't quite understand either. He scratched his head and said somewhat bewilderedly, "I heard my parents say that this is for repairing a house for a hero."

"Hero?" The little girl blinked.

"Yes, that's right." The boy puffed out his little chest, like a little adult.

"Dad said that there used to be many heroes here. The steel they forged allows us to live well today. But they left, and their homes were gone. Now everyone should rebuild a home for them."

The little girl nodded as if she understood, then took out a wildflower from her schoolbag, picked it from somewhere, and gently placed it on the ground next to the warning line while standing on tiptoe.

"Then I'll give the hero a flower."

Yun Yu watched this scene with a slight smile on her lips.

At this moment, Su Mo put away her notebook, patted Yun Yu on the shoulder, and said, "Let's go, I'll treat you to coffee."

"Coffee again?" Yun Yu asked with a look of disgust. "I'm so tired of it."

"What would you like to drink?"

Yun Yu thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Fine, coffee it is then."

The two walked side by side toward the town. Behind them, the laughter of children drifted by, and sparks from welding on the construction site still flickered. The stone monument stood quietly in the afterglow, like a silent guardian, watching over this land and those names that were being remembered again.

---

Another episode has come to a successful end! I wrote 6,000 words to make it easier for everyone to read, and I don't know what you all think.

Actually, I originally planned to write the last thousand words as an epilogue, but I felt that putting it in the chapter was just right. There are some things the author dared not write, but you can just know the general idea, because the author's background is unified and red.

So why are the workers on the island? It's because East Asia is their base. As for why East Asia is their base, you can figure it out if you think about it.

I'll start watching movies tomorrow, and then I'll write about Werewolf from the perspective of watching the movies. Once I finish writing all that, I'll basically be starting the real game.

Finally, thank you everyone for your support and patience. Love you all, meow Ciallo～(∠・ω＜)⌒☆】