Chapter 162: Light of the Planet
Only a few vehicles sped along the wide asphalt road, and the humid air carried a faint, distinct fragrance of plants.
On both sides of the highway stood rows of landscape trees whose leaves were nearly stripped bare. Several cruise ships were anchored along the coastline, and their leisurely sounding whistles echoed across the calm sea surface.
Following the asphalt road, there were flights of steps paved with bluestone.
On these bluestone steps, scattered groups of teenage boys and girls sat eating the snacks they had brought, chatting and laughing merrily.
Of course, there were also white-haired, elderly people leaning on canes, sitting quietly on benches in a daze, their murky eyes occasionally flashing with a hint of clarity.
...
"Such tranquility."
A gentle breeze blew along the coastline, causing Yue Longze's hair to flutter.
With his hands tucked into his pants pockets, he leisurely strolled over to the nearby railing and rested his hands upon the wooden structure, gazing quietly at the serene sea.
Ripples occasionally formed on the calm surface of the water, and every now and then, fish could be seen leaping from beneath the waves.
Suddenly, Yue Longze felt as though he had returned to the deck of the TPC base in the second Tiga spacetime, watching the sea alongside Miyako.
Yue Longze's feelings toward Miyako were somewhat indistinct and ambiguous, like looking through a thin veil—it felt like love yet was not quite love, hazy and obscure.
The sea remained the same sea as before, or perhaps one could say it was no longer the sea of the past.
Yet, after all, someone was missing from his side.
...
"Power... the power to traverse spacetime!"
Gazing out at the ocean, Yue Longze could not help but clench his fists.
His ties to various spacetimes were growing ever more numerous, yet he remained unable to move freely between them.
This was quite vexing.
...
Calming his mind, Yue Longze continued to stare blankly at the vast ocean.
Clouds rolled and unrolled as time slipped away.
Yue Longze had no idea how long he had been standing there, lost in thought.
He only felt a sudden brightness before his eyes as the surrounding scenery faded away. The scattered crowd vanished into thin air, leaving nothing around him except a cool blue glow.
...
"What is going on!"
Yue Longze's right hand tightly gripped the dark Spark Lens hidden within his coat; this was far too bizarre.
The previously calm sea surface before him began to churn violently, kicking up wave after wave.
Although the surging currents looked fierce, not a single drop of water washed up onto the shore. A ball of azure light suddenly rose from the massive, churning waves.
"That is..."
Yue Longze's brows twitched, his gaze narrowing slightly as he murmured, "Light?"
As if responding to something, that ball of azure light suddenly radiated an even more intense brilliance, nearly blinding Yue Longze.
"What on earth is this..."
Yue Longze raised his arm to shield his forehead, blocking out most of the dazzling blue light while squinting with heightened vigilance to continue observing the blue sphere.
"It doesn't seem to harbor any hostility?"
His confusion deepened.
"Whoosh!"
A slender streak of blue light suddenly shot out from the azure sphere, striking straight into the unprepared body of Yue Longze.
Yue Longze's body jolted. He did not feel any discomfort; aside from a momentary tingling sensation the instant the blue light entered his body, there was no other feeling whatsoever.
Once the light entered Yue Longze, the churning sea instantly calmed once more. His mind grew hazy for a brief moment before he was instantly returned to the normal scene from before.
"What on earth just happened..."
Touching the spot on his chest where he had been struck by the blue light, Yue Longze felt somewhat baffled.
Looking around, the boys and girls were still eating and laughing merrily.
The lonely old man on the bench was still staring blankly at the ocean.
With no other choice, Yue Longze walked to a secluded and deserted spot, leaned against the railing, closed his eyes, and calmed his mind to try and perceive the blue light within his body.
Soon enough, Yue Longze easily sensed the blue light inside him.
He began attempting to communicate with this blue light, desperately wanting to know what this mysterious azure radiance within him actually was.
He already had far too many things inside his body!
The Reizoroid mental body, the Cluster Ray Sword...
And now, an inexplicable unknown blue light had been added to the mix. Yue Longze felt as though his body was turning into a storage warehouse.
After a thorough process of communication and perception, Yue Longze sensed the will contained within this light.
The Light of the Planet!
...
"How did I obtain the light of this planet?"
Yue Longze's brows furrowed deeply. The light of a planet was undoubtedly a good thing.
However, having acquired it so easily, he felt that things could not possibly be that simple.
Besides, this light... at present, it seemed to serve no practical purpose?
Riddled with doubt, Yue Longze continued to communicate with the blue light—the light of the planet.
After about the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Yue Longze concluded his communication.
Yue Longze deftly pulled out a cigarette, lit it for himself, and frowned deeply.
From his previous communication, he learned that this planetary light belonged to the Light of the Ocean. It was as if it were making a request of him, or perhaps testing him.
Because Yue Longze also possessed the power of Ultraman, this Light of the Ocean hoped that Yue Longze would assist another recipient of the Light of the Ocean in protecting the Earth and humanity!
Once he gained the approval of the Light of the Ocean, he would be able to harness the power of this light within him, thereby further enhancing his own strength!
His current self was in urgent need of a boost in power!
As for who the other recipient of the Light of the Ocean was, Yue Longze naturally knew.
Hiroya Fujimiya!
Exhaling a plume of smoke, Yue Longze began to feel troubled.
He vaguely remembered that Hiroya Fujimiya was elusive, and moreover, seemed to be at odds with Daigo Madoka due to certain conflicts.
This was somewhat troublesome.
How was he supposed to assist him?
Taking another deep drag on his cigarette, Yue Longze made up his mind.
Whenever a monster appeared, he would simply go and eliminate it! That should count as helping Hiroya Fujimiya, right?
Furthermore, doing so would also allow him to reclaim his own power, achieving two birds with one stone.
Yue Longze closed his eyes once more, focusing his mind entirely on the Light of the Ocean within his body. He suddenly felt everything go pitch black, experienced a wave of intense numbness throughout his entire body, and fell into uncontrollable spasms before losing consciousness entirely.
...
On the wide asphalt road of Tokyo Bay, a white van sped along, the sound of the howling wind echoing across the highway.
"We're going to make a fortune this time!"
In the driver's seat of the white van, a man with a center-part hairstyle looked quite pleased, his words brimming with joy.
"Once this deal is finished, you can play however you want."
The flat-topped man sitting in the front passenger seat puffed on a cigarette, resting one arm out the window as he spoke very casually.
Meanwhile, a young man in the back row dressed in punk attire wore a leering, obscene smile, constantly playing with a dagger in his hands.
...
"Make sure you don't lose the cargo!"
The flat-topped man in the passenger seat was around forty years old with a robust build and a long, narrow scar across his right cheek. From start to finish, he kept a stern face without a single smile, looking very much like the boss of the three.
At that moment, he turned his head to glare at the punk-dressed young man in the back row with a sharp gaze, reminding him to keep a close eye on the cargo.