Chapter Forty: Director Miyazawa's Conspiracy

Snow covered the ground in all directions. Two tall, slender figures stood before the narrow, shadowy entrance of a mountain cave.

Without question, these two figures were Longze Yue and Keigo Masaki.

“The giant ruins you mentioned—are they really in there?” Longze Yue’s gaze was skeptical as he eyed the cave entrance. The opening was simply too small!

It was less than a meter high; an adult would have to stoop and crawl to squeeze through.

“Heh, you don’t believe me?” Keigo Masaki sneered, his hands in his pockets, exuding an air of icy detachment.

“I believe you, of course I do. If you say it’s in there, then it’s in there,” Longze Yue replied, spreading his hands as if to say he was only making casual conversation.

“But before I help you become a giant, I want you to tell me seriously—why do you want to become one so badly?” Longze Yue’s tone shifted as he fixed Keigo Masaki with a solemn gaze, his eyes searching the other’s face, which was half a head taller than his own.

“Does that question really matter?” Keigo Masaki met his gaze unflinchingly, their eyes locked in silent confrontation.

“It does,” Longze Yue answered.

“I simply want to evolve from the short, inferior species known as humans into something higher and greater,” Keigo Masaki replied, a hint of superiority in his tone. His extraordinary intelligence and powerful mind had always set him apart, making him a standout among ordinary humans.

But it was precisely this sense of being apart that made him feel all the more keenly the insignificance and baseness of humanity.

“And once you’ve evolved into a giant, what do you plan to do?” Longze Yue asked, a playful undertone in his smile as he regarded Keigo Masaki. “Will you become humanity’s enemy, destroying mankind? Or will you save humanity and become a savior, like Diga?”

Keigo Masaki was taken aback, then fell silent. Indeed, after becoming a giant, what would he do?

Longze Yue found his reaction amusing. Had he really managed to persuade him? He shook his head inwardly, dismissing the idea. Keigo Masaki was a stubborn man; a few words from him would never be enough.

In the original story, Keigo Masaki only came to understand the true nature of the light after battling Daigu and reflecting on his actions in prison. Longze Yue could hardly expect a simple conversation to change his mind.

The two stood before the cave for a long time, snow piling up on their shoulders.

Keigo Masaki lifted his head slightly, gazing at the sky, lost in deep thought.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Daigu’s storyline unfolded much as it did in the original.

After the explosion of the giant steel-plated robot, Daigu fell into the sea, clinging to a piece of wreckage as he drifted with the tide. It was Norui who piloted a small boat out to rescue him, bringing both Daigu and the robot remains back to base for research.

At the same time, Rina and the others, aboard the Atlantis, were trapped inside the mechanical island. With oxygen running low in the sealed environment, they found themselves in grave danger.

Norui, through research on the robot remains, discovered a way to rescue them. Daigu volunteered to go, and everything seemed to proceed according to the story’s original path...

At TPC headquarters, in a dimly lit room, the glow of a personal computer illuminated the darkness. On its screen was Longze Yue’s profile.

Two figures sat cross-legged on the floor, each with a delicate, intricately patterned cup before them. Between them rested a large, unadorned jar of liquor—its size starkly contrasting with the refined cups.

“Dr. Tango, how confident are you that this will succeed?”

“Director Miyazawa, rest assured. With my credentials as a senior researcher, I have obtained nearly all the information on the Megas Power System over the years.”

From their conversation, it was clear these two were Dr. Tango and Director Miyazawa, a high-ranking official at TPC.

“Using that special device together with the Megas Power System, to break down a human into particles of light and fuse them into the statue of the giant, thereby becoming a giant yourself—you really are a genius, Dr. Tango.”

Director Miyazawa poured the amber liquor into both cups, filling the room with its fragrance.

“To your health, Dr. Tango!” Miyazawa raised his cup.

“How can that be? In all of TPC, only you, Director Miyazawa, truly appreciate my talents. It’s I who should be toasting you!” Dr. Tango hurried to raise his cup in return.

“Haha, let’s toast each other!”

Director Miyazawa’s delighted laughter echoed through the room.

“This is a special Nu’erhong from China. Remarkable, isn’t it?”

He downed his drink in a single gulp. The jar of Nu’erhong had been brought from China by a friend at his request, and, as a lover of good drink, he treasured it dearly.

“China is truly a wondrous place, to produce such exquisite liquor,” Dr. Tango remarked with admiration as he finished his cup.

“Proper Nu’erhong is buried underground for decades, sometimes even longer,” Miyazawa mused as he leisurely poured himself another cup. “I think you, Dr. Tango, are like this very Nu’erhong—maturing with time, growing ever more valuable.”

In the fragrant, shadowy room, a conspiracy was quietly unfolding.

———

“So, have you made up your mind?”

Snow drifted down at the cave entrance. Longze Yue brushed the snow from his head and addressed the silent, motionless Keigo Masaki before him.

“I suddenly find myself wondering why giants exist at all,” Keigo Masaki said at last, his demeanor now heavy and profound, so different from his earlier aloof arrogance.

“As long as humanity still has hope, giants will exist. But if people give in to despair, then giants will vanish as well,” Longze Yue replied slowly.

“If humanity despairs, giants will cease to exist?” Keigo Masaki asked, puzzled.

“Humans can become beings of light through their own power,” Longze Yue said, and with those words, he stopped paying attention to Keigo Masaki. He stooped and crawled into the cave.

That final sentence was spoken by Daigu after defeating the evil god Gatangeje in the original story. Longze Yue had taken it to heart and never forgotten it.

“What on earth is he talking about?” Keigo Masaki muttered, thoroughly bewildered.

“Hurry up! Don’t you want to become a giant? I’m still waiting for you to fulfill your end of the bargain!” Longze Yue called back when he saw Keigo Masaki still standing at the entrance.

“Oh, I’m coming,” Keigo Masaki snapped back to his senses, bent down, and nimbly entered the narrow, dark cave. It was clear this was not his first time here.

Longze Yue struggled forward, hunched over for several meters, until the passage suddenly widened before him. He looked up to see two enormous stone statues looming ahead.