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"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 Qijie Lahua."
Since I was able to escape from the pollen of the Zigela flower, there must be someone else. If it was Leo, he definitely wouldn't have been controlled by such a trick.
"This is ESCG Vice Captain Leo. It's confirmed... We are currently confirming the location of the mother structure of Zigela, but we still don't have enough people. Captain Zhao, what's the situation at the Asian branch?"
"Not too good. I was one of the first to come out of the dream. It seems that the others are waking up one after another, but I can feel... I really don't want to destroy Zijera. I guess the others will also be very negative about this."
“This is not surprising... I had prepared for the worst.” Leo let out a long sigh, his eyes gradually hardening. “Captain Zhao, you are truly remarkable.”
"With the weakening of the Zijera flower's activity, the world should temporarily regain its senses. We still have time to make preparations. Please mobilize as many people as possible from the Asian branch. If we cannot eliminate all the Zijera in one fell swoop, humanity will have no future."
"Leave it to me with confidence. I swear on my life that the Asian branch will never be absent."
After ending communication with the Asian branch, Leo seemed to suddenly breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at Meng, who had already understood Leo's thoughts. "I have sent contact requests to all branches, and they have all replied. The Supreme Meeting is scheduled to be held in three minutes."
“Vice Captain,” Fujimiya also looked up, “it’s confirmed. The location of the Chijera mother body is roughly in the Malé region of the Maldives, on the seabed of the Indian Ocean!”
This is truly unexpected. Who would have thought that the mother of the Qijiela flower is not on land, but on the seabed? But this actually fits the fact that the other party is controlled by Gatanothor.
In that instant, Leo realized that this was a trap set by Gatanothor for him. The ocean was dangerous, and any one or two Ultramen who went there might perish, so Leo would definitely go there himself.
“…I have to go to a meeting now.” Leo rubbed his temples. “Mr. Luke, you can stay here for now. I know you want the essence of the Zijera flower, but the Earth side needs some time to discuss it.”
After Leo finished speaking, he left behind a large group of people and departed in a hurry.
Gento suddenly realized that he should actually attend the Supreme Council meeting, but he quickly realized that even if he attended, there was nothing he could do. He could roughly imagine what the scene would be like, and he really couldn't do anything about it.
In the end, he pushed all these things onto Leo, onto this guy who had only joined TPC two months ago. He was really reliable, more like a mature senior than himself, but this young man was only around twenty years old.
"Damn it!" Gento punched the wall, denting the wall that could withstand the laser. This was the first time he had ever been so angry, and it was at himself.
"How did the ancient people break free from Zijera's control?" Hikari looked at Luke. Although he already knew that this Earth was far too chaotic, it was still too much of a mess.
"...No, at that time, Zigela controlled everyone with pollen, but later inexplicably lost control. However, when we woke up, the Dark War had already begun."
Even now, Luke and the others still haven't figured out why Zigela suddenly lost control back then, but one thing he's certain of is, "Back then, we only had to face one Zigela, but you had to face far too many."
"Even if the offspring are affected because the mother's activity has weakened, and the effect of pollen has weakened to the point that your light energy can counteract it, that's only counteracting it. People will still be affected. As the saying goes on Earth... you can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep."
As long as people want to sleep and yearn for dreams, no one can wake them up.
"...Then the vice-captain must be having a tough time." Komon said subconsciously. In their eyes, no matter how strong Leo was, he was still human and would inevitably be affected by Gijera.
Even if Leo isn't affected by Gijera, he'll still have to face a group of people who have been influenced by Gijera. Gento knows this best: these representatives from various branches all have some unresolved issues in their hearts, and Gijera is deliberately targeting these people's hearts.
Chapter 468 An Extraordinary Person
The mother body of Gijera has entered a temporary slumber due to the weakening of sunlight, but a large number of Gijera flowers are still spreading pollen. If it weren't for Tiga and Nexus spreading the seeds of fire in people's hearts back then, it is estimated that all of humanity would still be in a slumber and unable to wake up.
However, even though he was awake, Leo knew very well that this was only the beginning. He had been subjected to similar tricks by Zigela many times before, so he knew how difficult it was to break free from the blissful dream that Zigela brought him.
Sure enough, although today's top meeting started, one-fifth of the people did not attend, and the rest... were all in poor condition.
Leo gave a brief overview of the situation, explaining the general nature of Zigela's existence: "We have now figured out the location of the Zigela mother, but... if we don't eliminate the mother and all its offspring at the same time, we cannot eradicate it."
Looking at the dejected crowd, Leo's eyes were filled with complex emotions. "Now, please share your opinions."
This was the first time Leo had spoken in such a gentle tone, and anyone could sense the somber mood within it. It was the first time they had seen him so dejected, and the first time Leo had seen the weaknesses in their hearts.
"For humanity, the monster disasters that began ten years ago, and the frequent appearance of enemies capable of destroying the earth since two months ago, have created immense pressure. The dream created by Zigela is simply too tempting."
"Those who lived through the golden age when monsters did not appear will dream of that peaceful era, and those who have been avoiding the disasters brought by monsters since they can remember will yearn for a paradise."
"To my shame, even though I know Zigela is no good, I still... want to immerse myself in that dream again."
The crowd was buzzing with discussion, but their opinions were largely the same: to be honest, everyone attending this meeting at this moment was the one carrying the most pressure on Earth, and the impact of Zijra pollen on them was undoubtedly the deepest.
"Vice Captain Leo, not everyone can be like you."
Someone remarked this, and Leo himself hesitated to speak. Yes, he himself had once longed for similar dreams, let alone humans. But even so, he did not want to give up.
"We've worked so hard so far, we've endured ten years of hardship, the fall of Goblin, the invasion of the Dark Emperor, Maga Yamata no Orochi... We've defeated so many enemies, are we really going to be destroyed by our own desires now?"
"Leo, if what you said is true, and the original purpose of creating the Zigela was to give all civilizations a peaceful death, now that humanity is facing the crisis of extinction, can you save humanity?"
"I can't say anything else, but I really can this time," Leo thought, "but that's too out of place." He slapped the table.
"I dare not say that I can save humanity, but I know that if we do nothing, we will get nothing but destruction."
“That’s true.” Staff Officer Nan Yuan pursed his lips, “but we also have to consider that the pollen of the Zijera flower has allowed all of humanity to experience a dream far more beautiful than reality. If all of humanity chooses the Zijera flower, then… should we become enemies with all of humanity?”
“There are a lot of civilians gathered around all the Qijiela flowers now. If we attack, we will drag them into it as well.” Quan Tou clenched his fist and then relaxed it. He felt that what he was saying was like making excuses. No, he was making excuses.
Leo's gaze fell on Director Yoshioka and Director Sawai. He waited, knowing that whatever they said wouldn't affect his decision, but he still held a glimmer of hope. These were the two people he respected most.
Director Yoshioka remained silent. He didn't want to shake his head and deny Leo, and neither did anyone else. They all knew Leo was right, but they just couldn't bring themselves to nod. Only Director Sawai, after a moment of silence, slowly stood up.
"The original intention of TPC was to enable humanity to live in a peaceful world and to protect the Earth and humanity... I do not want to go against this original intention."
In a daze, Director Sawai heard his daughter's voice. In his dream, he saw his daughter getting married and starting a family. It was a beautiful dream, and he longed for it.
But seeing the expectation in Leo's eyes, Director Sawai was even more unwilling to disappoint the young man. He had already put too much pressure and responsibility on this kid. Did he really want him to face all of this alone now?
“No matter how beautiful things in a dream are, they’re still fake.” Chief Yoshioka finally made up his mind and stood up. “I support… destroying Zigela!”
In the past, this kind of thing wouldn't have been surprising. Everyone knew the character of Director Sawai and Chief Yoshioka very well. But at this moment, as people who had also been captivated by Chijera, everyone knew best how much courage it took to make such a decision. They could only admire them.
This time, Leo smiled especially brightly. That was enough. He didn't ask for more; he just wanted to give himself a definite answer and tell himself that this was the reason he chose to protect humanity.
Even if it's just these two people, or even just any one of them, I will fight to the very end.
As if infected by Director Sawai and Chief Yoshioka, the representatives from other branches also clenched their fists. The influence of Zigela was still in their hearts, and it was extremely difficult to get rid of it.
However, to Leo's surprise, the people who were absent this time were mostly from the Asian branch. Not a single person from the entire Asian branch came, even though the Asian branch was the first to contact them. Could it be that the mother of Zigela is actually in Asia?
Just as Leo was having doubts, the technician in charge of projector communications looked up and said, "The Asia branch is requesting access."
"Let them in. It seems there's more chaos over there than we thought." Director Sawai could understand this. The Asian branch's combat strength was second to none, and the area they were responsible for and the number of enemies they dealt with were quite large, so the pressure must have been considerable.
Under such circumstances, those entangled with Qi Jiela would certainly become even more deeply involved. However, no one expected that after dozens of representatives from the Asian branch joined the project, they dropped a bombshell the moment the projection appeared.
"The Asian branch announces its formal withdrawal from TPC effective today, and formally notifies all countries worldwide that the 'rooting out' plan will be officially launched in three minutes."
"In this operation, we will launch a devastating attack on all Zijra flowers worldwide. Any action by any party that obstructs or interferes will be considered a declaration of war against our entire force!"
Leo was stunned when he heard this. No, was there something wrong with his ears? What did he hear?
So, the Asian branch didn't attend the meeting because you were having your own meeting? The Asian branch's resilience is truly terrifying; these guys are serious!
Leo was genuinely shocked. He couldn't believe how the Asian branch had reached a consensus in its internal meeting. But they were clearly aware of how potent Zigela's pollen was, which was why they didn't expect TPC headquarters or other branches to agree to the plan.
However, the Asian branch also had high hopes. Even if they didn't participate in their plans, these comrades who had gone through this period together for the past ten years wouldn't choose to stop them.
Since that's the case, let the Asian branch handle this matter. No matter what they face afterward, they must fight for a tomorrow for humanity, even if that tomorrow is still a cruel reality, it's better than a beautiful but illusory dream in their eyes.
"Truly... remarkable." Leo could sense that the atmosphere had changed. Everyone understood the Asian branch's plan, and as a result, those who were already wavering and being swayed began to waver even more.
“Minister Wang, you’ve acted far too quickly.” Director Zejing looked at his old friend, who returned a stern smile. “This is just a notification, not a discussion or an application. If you can’t make a decision, then let us do it ourselves.”
"But we still don't have enough manpower. We must eradicate the Zijra in the world within three minutes. To ensure the plan is feasible, we need thousands of fighter jets alone."
Leo scratched his head, looking somewhat annoyed. "It would be fine under normal circumstances, but where are we going to find so many combat personnel now?"
"Yes, there is." Chief Yoshioka slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "There's one right here!"
Hearing Director Yoshioka's booming voice, Staff Officer Gondo slapped himself hard, then stood up. "Me too! I'll join in!"
"And me too. I was an ace pilot back in the day. Although I haven't flown a fighter jet for a few years, don't underestimate me!"
"With you all in this state, it would be really embarrassing for me to still be sitting here. Sigh, if I were to die like this, my old comrades would give me a good scolding down there."
"Thinking about it carefully, we've all brushed with death several times, how could we be so captivated by these pollen? Count me in too."
One by one, the attendees stood up. These high-level personnel, who usually sat in their offices facing various documents, felt something awaken in their hearts at this moment, a passion and excitement they had not felt for a long time.
But in Leo's eyes, the scene before him was completely different. He watched as people stood up one by one, and beams of light illuminated the room. He felt a strange, indescribable feeling in his heart. How could he put it...?
"Maybe this is what humans are like." Empera murmured to Leo, looking at the completely dazed Rukiel beside him. He could especially understand this feeling, because the people on this planet were truly remarkable.
Chapter 469 Everything is ready
In the underground hangar of the European branch, when Marian arrived, the members of the Royal Glory Defense Force had unexpectedly assembled. They all had some injuries on their faces, clearly having forced themselves to wake up, just like Staff Officer Gondo.
William's face, however, was clean. It seemed that he had broken free from the influence of the Zijera flower pollen through sheer willpower. After all, he was a ruthless person who dared to carry bombs to blow up the nest of the Debisi Demon Worm. It would be strange if he didn't have such willpower.
"What, is our branch chief going to personally take charge?" William Drost wiped his helmet, noticing that Marian was wearing an old-fashioned uniform.
“There’s nothing we can do about the lack of manpower. What defense forces can we mobilize right now?” Marian waved her hand. Currently, due to the influence of Zigela, most of the TPC’s functions are shut down. To realize Leo’s plan, we naturally have to use all available personnel.
"The Royal Glory, Ironblood, and Storm defense teams are all ready for battle. As for the others... it won't be easy for them to break free from Zijera's influence. The reserve team lads are currently quite confused."
William shrugged. Marian thought for a moment and said, "Then let's say each defense team has seven people, each piloting a fighter jet, plus myself and the others who are on their way... that's fifty people in total."
"Are you alright? I remember Coach Marian, the last time we fought was several years ago." It was rare for William to use this form of address that Marian hadn't heard in many years.
“Yes… many years ago.” Marian walked to the Flying Swallow II, which was placed in the hangar and had not been used for a long time, but had been carefully maintained.
Marian still remembers that it was the first time a monster called Garula appeared, which shocked the entire European branch. Before Garula, no one could have imagined that a monster could withstand the Texas Beam with its body surface defense.
Garula's formidable defense caused headaches for the entire European branch. The Ironblood Defense Force suffered more than half its losses, forcing Marian to personally take to the field. In the end, it was Randall, the former captain of the Royal Glory Defense Force, who discovered Garula's weakness. He was Marian's son.
Randall used his own fighter jet as a sacrifice to lure Garula into exposing its neck weakness, and Marian seized the opportunity to pierce its throat with the Texas Beam... along with Randall's Flying Swallow 1.
Marian's Flying Swallow II was left in the hangar as a symbol of her victory over Garula, but she only dared to come here today to confront her past.
“Zijera…it made me dream of Randall, but I know very well that if Randall were still alive, he certainly wouldn’t be immersed in such a dream.”
“We all know that, Coach.” William handed over the helmet. “Let’s fly one more time.”
At Sky Base, Captain Kajio, having donned his gear, patted his chest and inwardly cursed himself for being so weak-willed to be seduced by something like this. Yet, he had to admit that the allure of Zigela was indeed too strong.
"I dream, Fujimiya, wait... We won't let you fight alone!" Captain Kajio told himself, taking out his communicator to look at the battle plan sent by Leo, his eyelids twitching involuntarily.
"This plan... isn't it a bit too audacious?"
"Yes, it's a plan so audacious that it might make you doubt your own eyes after reading it."
Upon hearing the voice, Captain Kajio immediately stood up and saluted the person, but then froze in astonishment after seeing who it was. "Commander, you're going too..."
The Stone Chamber Commander and others, dressed in old-fashioned combat uniforms, nodded. "Don't let our appearance fool you. Before the Sky Base was established, we were members of the Storm Assault Team's Third Reserve Team."
"Although we haven't flown for some years, our current physical condition can completely make up for those gaps, so don't underestimate us."
Seeing the resolute look in Commander Ishimuro's eyes, Kajio couldn't help but nod, while the Australian branch on the other side was also ready.
As the branch with the deepest relationship with ESCG, especially after the Five Emperors incident, the Australian branch even prioritized Leo's instructions over those of Director Sawai. In fact, during the meeting, the representatives of the Australian branch privately made the same plans as the Asian branch.
If no one supports Leo, the Australian branch will choose to break away from TPC to take action, because taking action against Zigela could potentially harm those who are attracted to her.
For these reasons, they could not act under the TPC's name, especially since the Australian branch at the time couldn't be sure how many people from TPC headquarters would be involved in the operation.
"The Kangaroo Warriors are ready," Liam reported. The effects of the Zijera flower were weakening. It was now certain that most of the defense teams could resist the allure of the Zijera pollen, but the others could not.
So we still don't have enough manpower. Fortunately, it doesn't really require thousands of people to carry out the operation. Looking at the plan in his hand, Komon still finds it incredible.
"Vice Captain, are you sure this will work?"
"It has to work, let's give it a try." Leo adjusted his equipment and looked at Asgaron in front of him. "I'll deal with the mother structure under the Maldives. You can handle the rest."
"I think the Ultramen will also arrive. The Knicks have indicated they will send support. We've now completely dispersed our fighting force, about 700 people. The remaining 300... will have to rely on missiles."
All I can say is that at this point, we are truly grateful for the substantial resources of the Asian and American branches. The Zelda missiles and underground penetrating missiles are readily available, almost like they're being sold in bulk. One Zelda missile, combined with an underground penetrating missile, is more than enough firepower from the Asian branch to wipe out the enemy completely.
Of course, this is a rather optimistic view. In reality, Leo's plan is quite unreliable. However, considering that Leo's plans always manage to achieve good results in unexpected ways, people still choose to believe in him.
In reality, Leo himself was the one who would cover the fallback, but judging from the looks in the eyes of Captain Stringman and the others, Leo figured that he only needed to think about how to deal with the trap that Gatanothor had prepared for him in the deep sea, and Stringman and the others should be able to handle things on the surface.
Given their current fighting strength, surely they shouldn't have to struggle to defeat a single offspring of Qijielahua, right? If that's the case, Leo will definitely have to train even harder.
While Leo was pondering this, Captain Stringman and the others were also secretly discussing their plans. This time, they would be the backup plan for Leo's scheme, eliminating all the Zijera as quickly as possible!
However, now that many people have gathered around Qi Jiela, this matter is a bit troublesome, and Leo needs to use some other methods.
Chapter 470 Helotia: Actually, I've been Leo's woman for a long time.
At TPC's armory, everyone was preparing. Under the call of Jugglus Juggler and Grandpa Ye Hu, the armory's maintenance personnel also threw themselves into their work. Although the impact of the Qi Jiela flower had reduced their work efficiency, it still saved them a lot of effort.