Am I the only one in this team who is not Ultraman?

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"Moreover, just now, many people sent complaints, believing that our unauthorized attack on the Qijiela flower without prior notice violated the regulations. To put it bluntly, they don't want the Qijiela flower to be pulled out."

Leo wanted to remove all the Gijeras immediately, but there was nothing he could do. The situation had already become like this. For humans living in the monster era, constantly living in fear, the dreams that the Gijeras created for them were simply too wonderful.

Leo just invaded someone's consciousness and found that the dream constructed by Zigela was extremely realistic, even simulating the five senses, truly confusing the mind. Like Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, people eroded by pollen can no longer distinguish whether they are butterflies or Zhuangzi.

"Then should we pull it out?" Gou Lumu clenched his fist. Leo thought for a moment, "That's not really an option either. Look at this."

Leo brought up a screen and handed the communicator to Gou Lumu. On it was a charred crater, from which the roots of Zigela emerged and intertwined, transforming into the new plant monster, Zigela.

"This is the 'Zigera' that was blown up by Maki Shunichi, the captain of the Silver Star Vanguard Team. It has now grown back. It was even blown up by the roots."

"You mean..." Gou Lumu's heart skipped a beat, and Leo nodded in affirmation of his idea, "The plant monsters that appear all over the world, the Zijera, should all be connected by a deeper root."

“What we see exposed above ground are just the branches; the real Zigela flower is hidden deep underground. Without eliminating the root, there is no way to solve these problems.”

It now seems that the roots of the Zigera flower, which were not eliminated back then, were buried deep underground and, over the years, extended their seeds or vines to the entire earth, possibly starting when Gatanothor broke the seal.

Gou Lumu's heart sank. He hadn't expected it to be like this. Gatanothor hadn't even taken action himself, yet he had created such trouble that it almost paralyzed the entire Earth. Leo also hesitated to speak.

"Actually, I also have some concerns... To be honest, Zhenye, do you think it would be the best outcome if we eliminated Zigela ourselves?"

This was a rare instance of Leo addressing Goroki directly by his name. After a moment's thought, Goroki quickly understood Leo's concerns: "Are you worried that if we rely entirely on ourselves to resolve this crisis, it might not be a good thing for all of humanity?"

“Yes.” Leo leaned against the wall of the corridor, his expression not looking too good. “If I’m not mistaken, the Zijera flowers have been completely controlled by Gatanothor, and the pollen has taken on Gatanothor’s black mist properties.”

"Then, conversely, is it possible that Gatanothor's black mist possesses such power? If we have to face Gatanothor then, will we still have time to resolve everything?"

Under the influence of the seeds sown by Daigo and Komon, Gatanothor's black mist cannot take people's lives, but it might just take away people's will to resist, just like the pollen of the Zigera flowers. That would be terrible.

"But right now, Zigera pollen is all over the world, and people don't even have time to wake up from it. You know how much pressure there is to survive these days. Sigh... I think this is going to be difficult."

It's tough, it's tough," Leo himself couldn't help but sigh. His power could control the entire universe, but even so, he couldn't help humanity step out of the dream they longed for. In the end, it all depended on themselves.

"Who are the people who haven't been affected yet?" Gou Lümu asked, somewhat dejected.

"Aside from you, me, and my family, there are my teammates, a small number of people in the Armory... who are basically all Ultraman."

“Even Director Zei and Chief Yoshioka…” Before Mizoroki could finish speaking, Leo nodded, “Although the Director and Chief Yoshioka are very radiant, they are still human. Qijiela has probably built a very perfect, peaceful dream for them.”

Perhaps this dream also includes the son and daughter of Director Yoshioka and Director Sawai, who sacrificed their lives in that blue sky ten years ago, a regret that will forever remain in the hearts of the two elderly people.

This must have been inspired by Gatanothor's dream in Modius. Leo was trapped in the dream, so he knew very well how difficult it was to break free from a dream like this.

"How long will this dream last?" Goroki Makoto murmured. Leo thought for a moment and said, "There's no need to be pessimistic now. The stronger one's personal brilliance, the sooner one should be free from the influence of the Qijiela Flower. The Qijiela Flower's true form can't keep moving forever either. They will eventually wake up."

But before that, the world is likely to be in a period of stagnation for a while. Leo rubbed his head. There was nothing he could do about this. Fortunately, automation has become widespread around the world, so at least there won't be too much chaos in the next day or two.

"This is Delta Space Station. Vice Captain Leo, we have detected an unknown spacecraft heading towards Earth. They have requested communication... and are using Earth language."

"What did they say?" Leo subconsciously pulled out the Dark Spark. If the visitors were hostile, he would give them a good welcome.

"They said they were people looking for other lands."

Leo was taken aback by Nanase Makoto's answer. He suddenly remembered something. Good heavens, compared to these people, he was the one who had come!

Chapter 465 The People Searching for Other Lands

Thirty million years ago, after the ancient civil war and dark war were suspended, the entire Earth became devastated. The Earth's will was dead, and so was the entire planet. Only Renlong, the daughter of the ley lines, and the Rainbow Kagachi, who was just beginning to awaken, were barely keeping the planet's pulse alive.

Faced with their devastated homeland, many lost hope and chose to fly into space to find other places where they could survive. Therefore, they called themselves "those who seek other lands" and bid farewell to Renlong and their compatriots who chose to stay.

Leo's only prior impression of these so-called "people searching for other lands" was the Sphia civilization, a group of humans who migrated from an ancient civilization and established their own civilization on a planet called Sphia.

Unexpectedly, this brilliant civilization was destroyed by war and became the Chaosfia Sphere. Instinctively wanting to return to Earth to save the descendants of its compatriots left behind, it also became an enemy of Earth.

Thirty million years have passed, and Leo thought these people had gone extinct. He never expected that some would return to this planet, and they even seem to be maintaining human form.

After their identities were confirmed, Earth allowed these compatriots to send representatives to Earth. Their spaceships were monitored by the Delta Space Station, and Earth would open fire decisively and swiftly if any unusual activity occurred.

On the open grassland, under Leo's gaze, two beams of light descended from the sky. A middle-aged man and a young girl emerged from the beams of light, both dressed in blue. The former had a kind and calm demeanor, while the latter was lively and agile.

"Hello, my name is Luke. I am a seeker of other lands and a survivor of an ancient civilization."

Luke reached out to Leo. He could sense that Leo was very unusual, but he couldn't be sure what was going on. He didn't seem like an Ultraman of light, but his light... was very pure.

Ultimately, however, those who can move freely on this planet completely shrouded in the pollen of the Zijera flower are certainly not ordinary people.

"You seem surprised?"

"Yes, the speed of your civilization's development in this round has exceeded our expectations, and your weaponry is also very powerful. It seems that you are aware of the threat you are facing. However, Zijera... I didn't expect there to be so many of them, and that people could still move around in them."

Although they didn't pay too much attention, Earth has become incredibly famous in the universe lately. Luke and the others originally came back just to check on Earth's situation, but they never expected to catch the opening of Qijiela.

“I never expected that my compatriots who left 30 million years ago would return to this land.” Leo reached out and shook hands with the other person, then immediately confirmed his feeling, “You’re not just a simple human?”

"To survive these thirty million years, one must always pay a price. I never expected you could see that you are also a warrior of light?"

Seeing Leo shake his head, Lu Ke was even more confused. He really couldn't figure out what kind of existence Leo was. Leo thought for a moment and said, "I have a close relationship with Renlong."

"Oh, that's not surprising," Lu Ke nodded, then felt a little guilty. Thirty million years ago, they had completely lost faith in this planet. They never expected that, thanks to the efforts of Ren Long and the others, Earth could be revitalized.

The girl beside Lu Ke involuntarily loosened her grip, wanting to embrace everything within her sight; everything here was completely new to her.

"This is Earth! It's so beautiful! The air is so fresh, and the sky is so blue. Daddy, can we live here forever?"

The idea that the air was truly clean was a cruel joke at this moment. The entire atmosphere of the Earth was filled with chira pollen, but Luke and the others seemed completely unaffected.

Seemingly noticing Leo's confusion, Luke explained, "We've transformed ourselves into cyborgs, living off the essence of Zigera. Zigera's pollen keeps brain cells active forever, which is another effect of Zigera."

No wonder they are not afraid to move around in such an environment. For these ancient people who have modified themselves, the air on the whole earth may be sweet now.

"Is there anyone else on Earth who can remain conscious?" Lu Ke looked at the proud Qijiela flower standing not far away. He had just glanced at it from the spaceship and saw that there were at least a thousand Qijiela flowers on Earth taking turns spraying pollen, not giving them even a chance to catch their breath.

“There are others, and some people will wake up.” Leo’s tone was casual, but it revealed a certain certainty that left Luke, who had originally wanted to persuade him to give up such delusions, choosing to swallow his words.

Lu Ke felt that the person in front of him had a certain aura about him. Just standing in front of him, he had to carefully consider and think about every word he said, for fear of angering the other party. It was as if there was a fear and unease about the person in front of him in his bones. But he was a bio-engineered cyborg.

During the brief pause in their conversation, a fighter jet swept overhead. It was the EXJ, piloted by Daigo and Komon. Leo pressed the comms button. "Daigo, Komon, pick us up. First, entertain the guests and call everyone else back... This time, there's a lot to do."

While Leo was taking action, back home, Galatrom was also analyzing the pollen of Zijella. She was almost certain that the pollen contained Gatanothor's energy, which was why even a physical barrier couldn't block it.

"Fortunately, this pollen won't cause irreversible damage to electronic devices like the black fog, otherwise the losses would be even greater." Yako patted her head, sighing that it really wasn't easy. This matter wasn't particularly difficult, but it wasn't exactly simple either.

If they really wanted to eradicate the Zijera Flower, they could simply find its origin and beat it up. But Leo clearly saw further ahead and was more worried. He intended to turn this incident into a test for humanity.

Ayako wasn't unable to understand Leo's concerns. This time, the problem lay in people's hearts, and it wouldn't be difficult to solve if she really wanted to. It was just that Ayako was very unwilling to give up.

“This is…” Ako’s eyelids twitched. A certain location on the map caught her attention. She pondered for a moment, “How can the concentration of Cigela pollen be so high here? Could this be the location of the Cigela’s mother plant?”

But that doesn't make sense. How could the mother of Zigela be hidden in Antarctica? That place is so cold, and this thing is a plant. But if it's not the mother of Zigela... then what could it be?

Chapter 466 Someone Wakes Up

The ancient people from 30 million years ago have actually returned! When they heard this news, everyone, including Xuanren, was incredulous, because they all thought that the ancient people had all gone extinct.

When they first learned that the Sphia civilization was evolved from the migration of ancient people, everyone was filled with surprise. They never expected that there could still be people from 30 million years ago. Moreover, according to the vice-captain, they had even transformed themselves into bio-cyborgs, relying on the essence of Zijera to survive.

But what the others didn't know was that Lu Ke's thoughts were far more complex than theirs. Looking at the group of people in front of him, he felt a pain in his bio-electronic eyes. The reason was simple: they were too damn bright in the room!

At this moment, the ESCG command center is not only filled with ESCG members, but basically everyone in the TPC who is still capable of action is here.

Besides the eight members of ESCG, there are also Captain Hebikura (Jugglus) of the Armory, Kaito Toma, Haruki Natsukawa, Yuma Hiise, Yuuki Kudo, Raymond of the GUTS team, and Captain Shunichi Maki of the Silver Star Vanguard team.

Of course, Mizoroki and Hikari were also there, and even Dr. Tango was still conscious. However, he had just woken up and was still somewhat dazed. When Hikari arrived and saw that he was awake, it was as if he had seen a ghost. When he saw that Hikari was not in a dream, it was even more as if he had seen a ghost.

It's probably because Dr. Dango is constantly exposed to all sorts of light that the effects of the light on him diminished the fastest. As for Raymond, it can only be said that as Reiblood's own creation, this kid's mental strength is indeed quite high.

However, what Leo couldn't understand was why Captain Maki Shunichi could remain conscious. Although Maki's aura was indeed very strong, the problem was that even Director Sawai's aura was pulled into a dream, yet he was still able to stand.

Could he also be an Ultraman? No, that can't be right. The identities of most of the Ultramen who have appeared so far, like Leo, have already been confirmed. There's no such person as Leo. Besides, Shunichi Maki is a true legendary pilot. There aren't many people in the entire TPC with a zero crash rate.

With that crash rate, who would believe he's Ultraman? Leo certainly doesn't believe it; even Haruki fell from the sky several times while piloting Asgard.

With so many people in the room, you can imagine how bright it would look to some people. Lu Ke felt like he could barely open his eyes. Huan was only surrounded by the brothers Leo and Raymond, and even the Empress was surrounded by bright lights.

Luke figured it out; the room was basically full of Ultraman. But Daigo kept giving him meaningful glances, clearly not wanting him to reveal this. It seemed that Leo beside him didn't know yet. Oh well, he'd better keep it a secret for now.

"Is everyone here? The only ones still operational at TPC are... just a few of us." Leo looked around. The ESCG command room, which was usually quite large, now seemed a bit cramped.

Hebikura was somewhat annoyed, but he tried his best to maintain his usual joking tone, "Let alone us, even among all of humanity, there are very few who can move now."

"The Qijera flower blooms all over the Earth. Even for an ancient civilization, encountering such a thing would be tantamount to annihilation. Although finding its origin could lead to the complete annihilation of all enemies, but..."

Luke looked at the crowd, trying to match them with the poses of each Ultraman in his mind. Most of the warriors of light who had once saved them from darkness were gathered here.

From the very beginning, Luke recognized Daigo. His face, unchanged from that of Tiga 30 million years ago, evoked nostalgia, yet also a deep sadness. "Daigo, human desires... run deeper than the roots of Gijera."

"Even if they manage to get through it all, how much pressure will people be carrying in their hearts? The peaceful past is long gone, and the hopeful future is out of reach. Living in a crisis-ridden present, people are indeed resilient when facing difficulties and obstacles, but when facing Zigela... that's a different story."

Luke was right. If faced with a powerful enemy and a huge threat, Leo believed that humanity would quickly stand up and choose to fight for survival. But Zigela acted in this way, dragging everyone into a dream and creating the world they wanted.

Everyone becomes hopelessly immersed in the gentle world that Zigela has woven for herself, unable to extricate themselves. Everything they want, regret, and feel sorry for can be made up for there. It's not surprising that people are willing to immerse themselves in this dream.

"Excuse me, everyone, we've received a message from the Knicks," I Meng suddenly interrupted. "They've analyzed Zijra's pollen and are currently confirming the location of Zijra's parent body, believing that Zijra's parent body is absorbing people's spirits."

"During this process, the pollen of Zigela will gradually erode people's minds and undermine their resistance. It is also predicted that... once they accumulate in the dream for more than 24 hours, they will be completely trapped in the dream and will never be able to wake up, becoming a complete vegetable."

Absorbing spirit? Leo suddenly realized something, while Daigo and the others looked even more grim. Komon looked at Gamu, "Can the Knicks offer any assistance?"

"...They said there was no way. Nix himself was dealing with a very troublesome enemy, and his mechanical legion had also been drawn away. What he had left was simply not enough. And that's not the key issue."

I dreamt of the red dots popping up in front of me, and scratched my head in frustration. "According to the Knicks' analysis, there is no real difference between Zijra's mother and these offspring exposed on the surface. They can be said to share life."

"In other words, even if we destroy the mother, if we don't eliminate these offspring individuals in a very short time, the mother will still be resurrected just like these offspring. Their lives are bound together."

This news made the already troublesome situation even more difficult. Leo sighed. He never dreamed that it would turn out like this. To be honest, even if he called up Kazuma Asuka and Masao Asami, who were waiting in Hoshino Street, they wouldn't be able to take down all of the Cigela on their own.

Is this the only way things can go? Leo leaned against the wall, biting his thumb—a bad posture he only adopted when facing certain thorny issues.

Leo could feel that everyone's eyes were on him at this moment: Captain Gentoo and his group, Jugglus Juggler and Haruki, Shunichi Maki and Shinya Mizoroki, Dr. Tango and Hikari, especially Hikari. He knew that Leo was capable of doing this, but he could also guess Leo's worries.

Human desires run deeper than the roots of Zigela. Even if Leo could uproot Zigela and throw that damned thing into the sun to burn it to ashes, he couldn't uproot the desires in people's hearts—the desire for a better and more peaceful life. This desire is both the weakness that Zigela has captured people's hearts and the driving force behind their survival.

As soon as I finished speaking, Fujimiya also looked up at Leo, "It has been confirmed... Now all humans, animals, and even monsters and lightning people on Earth are affected by the Zijera Flower. Only on Monster Island, the barrier of Gadi has isolated the influence."

This news didn't help much with the current situation. Leo bit his thumb. He wanted to take a gamble. At this point, he had no choice but to take a gamble. He decided to choose to believe, to believe in humanity.

The sudden ringing of the phone made Meng quickly lower her head, then she looked up in surprise, "Vice Captain! A call from the Asian branch!"

"Bring them in!" Leo looked up at Fujimiya. "Fujimiya, find the location where it just entered sunset or nightfall!"

If the communication from the Asian branch wasn't from people there breaking free from the dream on their own, it means that the power of the Qijiela flower weakened for a moment just now. Perhaps the sunlight weakened, affecting the nearby Qijiela flowers and thus reducing the activity of the mother body.

"This is the Asia Branch Tenglong Team. We have received information from headquarters. TPC headquarters, please respond and provide the corresponding instructions. If there is no response within three minutes... we will immediately launch an operation. Objective... to annihilate all Qijiela flowers."

Chapter 467 A Painful Dream

Even now, Zhao Lin can't forget the accident seven years ago. Back then, Earth wasn't like it is now, with hundreds of monsters randomly spawning in various places every day.

I finally had a rare holiday, and it just so happened that my wedding anniversary with my wife and my daughter's birthday all fell on the same day, so the whole family went to the amusement park. It should have been just another ordinary holiday, until that ray of light appeared...

His wife was riding the carousel with their daughter when he went to buy drinks for them. Suddenly, a light flashed overhead, and Zhao Lin, turning around, bumped into something—a transparent wall.

Yes, according to TPC historical records, seven years ago in the summer, a monster registered as Gadi first appeared in the Asian branch, and even thirteen small Gadi appeared together. The incident caused the deaths of more than two-thirds of the 15,000 people in the amusement park at the time.

At that time, Zhao Lin could only watch from outside the barrier of Gadi, anxious and helpless. His wife and daughter were right in front of him, less than a meter apart, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

But Zhao Lin had no choice. He tried every possible means, pounding his fists against the wall until his hands were covered in blood and even his bones were broken, but he couldn't even break a small crack.

At that time, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even hear his daughter's voice. He could only see his seven-year-old daughter crying and trying to run back to his arms. His wife, with tears in her eyes, wanted to take their daughter and find a place to hide, but they were discovered by a newly hatched Gadi larva.

His daughter was snatched away by the monster's tentacles, and his wife was knocked unconscious. Zhao Lin could only watch as his daughter became the monster's food. His wife was lucky; she was whipped into the grass by Gadi and escaped death, but later, unable to bear the immense mental pressure, she chose to end her own life.

After that, Zhao Lin chose to join TPC and became the second captain of the Tenglong team, while his predecessor... also perished together with Gadi in that battle.

"Dad, what are you thinking about?" His daughter's voice came again, as lively and ethereal as he remembered. But Zhao Lin didn't dare to answer; he knew it wasn't real.

His daughter, who was somewhat rebellious but still sensible as she grew up, and his wife, who would gently prepare meals for him every afternoon and wait for him to return—these were scenes he had only dreamed of countless days and nights. Zigela… brought them into his life.

It's all fake, it's all fake. He knew it all too well, but even so, Zhao Lin still leaned against his EXJ Fire Dragon, trying to cover his face to hide his crying. But his sobs turned into sobs, and tears still flowed uncontrollably.

"Daddy, don't cry. You're such a grown-up, why do you cry even more than Yueyue?"

"Honey, what's wrong? Did something unpleasant happen at work?"

The sounds around him were so clear. Although the effects of the pollen from Zigela had weakened, it was still causing various kinds of impacts on people. Zhao Lin clenched his fists. He wanted to shout "Get out!" but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Zhao Lin felt as if he had returned to that afternoon when he came home to a wife who would never ask, "What should we eat tonight?" again, and to a home that was once crowded but now felt unusually empty, where his daughter's laughter was no longer heard.

"Why, why... It's all my fault. I failed to protect you all. Why!"

The crying lasted for a minute before Zhao Lin picked up his communicator, forced himself to calm down, and wiped away his tears.