Chapter Thirty-Eight: Magus Power System

Yue Longze returned home in high spirits. As usual, his grandmother was already sound asleep.

He casually tossed the Dark Divine Rod and the Cluster Cloud Sword onto his bed, loosened his belt, and then happily trotted off to the bathroom, eager to enjoy a pleasant bath.

Hot water sprayed evenly from the showerhead, flowing over every inch of Yue Longze’s slightly tanned skin. As he thought about the possibility of returning to the Land of Light’s timeline, he couldn’t help but hum a cheerful tune.

“Scrub-a-dub, scrub-a-dub…”

“I love bathing, I love bathing…”

Yue Longze’s crow-like singing echoed through the neighborhood.

“Which rascal is howling like a ghost at this hour!”

Startled, a neighbor shouted in anger, woken from their sleep.

Hearing this, Yue Longze meekly closed his mouth.

Fortunately, his grandmother was a deep sleeper and hadn’t been disturbed.

After his bath, Yue Longze wrapped himself in a white towel and walked into his room, his well-defined muscles on display in the cool air.

But—

“My sword!”

Just as he entered, he noticed that the Cluster Cloud Sword, which had been lying on the bed with the Divine Rod, had vanished without a trace!

The window showed no signs of being opened, nor did the door.

Yue Longze frantically searched every corner of the room but found no sign of the sword.

He grew anxious; this was the sacred blade passed down to him by Jin Tian Jinglong!

Suddenly, the Dark Divine Rod in his hand began to emit a strange glow.

The rod’s core flickered, dimming and brightening in turn, gradually forming the outline of a sword—it was none other than the Cluster Cloud Sword!

“What is this…”

Yue Longze was momentarily baffled. How had the Divine Rod and the Cluster Cloud Sword become connected? They were unrelated items—unless one counted that they now shared the same owner.

Whoosh!

The tiny sword shape at the core of the Divine Rod transformed into countless golden specks of light, converging in Yue Longze’s grasp to form the Cluster Cloud Sword once more.

Feeling the familiar weight in his hand, Yue Longze swung the sword a few times, finally reassured.

Yet he couldn’t understand why such a strange phenomenon would occur between the Divine Rod and the Cluster Cloud Sword.

Lying on his soft, comfortable bed, Yue Longze racked his brains for an answer but came up with nothing. In the end, he simply closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

If he couldn’t make sense of it, he’d just stop thinking about it!

The next morning, thick snowflakes drifted down outside the window, pure as jade, reflecting the surrounding scenery with crystalline clarity.

The earth was clad in a silver mantle; leafless branches bore clusters of snow, and rooftops were blanketed in white.

“As if a spring breeze came overnight, and thousands of pear trees blossomed,” Yue Longze murmured, standing before the window in a black overcoat, lost in the snowy vista. The line from a Chinese poem came unbidden to his mind.

“Come outside and meet me.”

Suddenly, a face appeared on the window glass, expressionless, startling Yue Longze so much he fell back onto his bed.

“Oh? So easily frightened?” The face’s lips curled into a slight, mocking smile.

“Masaki Keigo! Where is your real body?” Yue Longze’s brows tightened with anger. He’d been happily admiring the snow, only to be startled by this man’s psychic intrusion.

“Hmph, just come outside—I’m right behind your house!” Masaki Keigo’s cold voice echoed as his image vanished from the glass.

“That guy…”

Yue Longze hesitated a moment, then turned and went outside.

Snow was falling heavily. Yue Longze reached out and caught a sparkling snowflake on his fingertip—it melted instantly at his touch.

It was his first time seeing real snow.

Before coming to the Ultraman world, Yue Longze had always lived in southern China, where snow was a rare sight.

Now, feeling the allure of the snow for himself, a rare sense of wonder filled his heart.

“Shall we talk about our cooperation?” Masaki Keigo stood behind the house, a confident smile on his lips.

“All right,” Yue Longze replied, walking toward him. The two men walked side by side, conversing as if they were old friends reunited after years apart—though each harbored his own secret intentions.

...

TPC Pacific Base, Deep Sea Layer.

A colossal spaceship, predominantly gray, rested in its dock, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.

All around, staff in work uniforms bustled about, the base alive with activity.

In the corridor above, a slender, middle-aged man with graying temples and hands in his pockets gazed down at the workers. This was Dr. Yatsuo, head of the Magus Engine development.

At his left stood a man in a blue uniform, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. The insignia on his shoulder marked him as none other than Director Miyazawa, a high-ranking TPC official.

Miyazawa’s hair was thinning, trending toward a Mediterranean baldness, but it was combed meticulously, shining as though slicked with endless hair gel.

The two men stood in silent observation, watching the busy staff below.

But Dr. Yatsuo’s attention lingered on the massive vessel, pride gleaming in his eyes.

The ship, named the Atlantis, was his life’s work—and it was equipped with the Magus Engine!

He had devoted twenty years to researching the Magus Engine, and now, at last, it was complete. How could he not be proud?

“Dr. Yatsuo, is the Magus Engine development nearly finished?” Director Miyazawa asked, his gaze fixed on the workers below.

“We’re in the final testing phase. All that’s left is to receive the results from the test unit,” Dr. Yatsuo replied confidently, though a trace of nervousness crept into his voice.

The outcome of these tests would determine whether the Magus Engine could finally be put into use.

Twenty years had passed. Dr. Yatsuo had gone from a young man to a thin, middle-aged figure. He truly did not want to wait any longer.

“Oh? And how confident are you in its success?” Director Miyazawa adjusted his glasses. “If it works, it will be a tremendous contribution to humanity.”

“If I said I was one hundred percent certain, would you believe me?” Dr. Yatsuo smiled at the director.

“I would,” Miyazawa replied gravely, meeting Dr. Yatsuo’s gaze.

They shared a smile for a few seconds before Dr. Yatsuo looked away, his eyes returning to the Atlantis—the fruit of his life’s labor.

“It will succeed. It must,” he murmured with determination.

Seeing Dr. Yatsuo’s confidence, the usually stern lines of Director Miyazawa’s mouth curved into a mysterious, unreadable smile.