Chapter 78: It's Actually a Magus Power Device?

"Please, there's no need to be so polite. It's our duty. We've already sent the information directly to TPC's main computer. I'm sure the higher-ups at TPC will know how to handle this," Adam said, then wrapped his dinosaur-like arm around Yiwu's slender waist, exchanged a few more pleasantries with the group, and told Yu Longze and the others that he wanted to tour and learn more about Earth with Yiwu before leaving.

"You can do it!" Yiwu called out to everyone, giving them a final word of encouragement.

...

"So that's a Dinosaurian?" Masaki Keigo murmured as he watched Yiwu and Adam gradually disappear into the distance. Both Yu Longze and Daigu had encountered the Dinosaurs before; only Masaki hadn’t. When he saw those dinosaur-like claws, Masaki was indeed shaken.

"Well? Impressed?" Daigu teased.

"As if I don't know what a dinosaur is!" Masaki retorted.

"Alright, let’s get back to business," Yu Longze interjected, stopping the brewing argument. He then took out the Dark Shining Rod and stared at it for a while, lost in thought.

"Can either of you sense when your transformation abilities will return?" Yu Longze finally asked the question the three of them had been avoiding.

Daigu and Masaki each took out their own transformation devices, staring blankly at them for a moment. Then, they both shook their heads and smiled wryly.

Yu Longze knew that since the Shining Rod hadn’t turned to stone, his ability to transform would return sooner or later. The same went for Daigu and Masaki. The inability to transform was either due to exhaustion or insufficient energy—at least, that’s how Yu Longze saw it.

"I say, why don’t we go grab a good meal first?" Daigu suddenly suggested.

"Huh?" Yu Longze and Masaki were both caught off guard.

"We’ve been fighting for so long and haven’t eaten a single grain of rice," Daigu said, clutching his stomach.

Yu Longze grinned knowingly. "Exactly. If we want to recover our transformation powers quickly, regaining our strength is crucial!"

It suddenly occurred to Yu Longze that in the original story, after Daigu fought the robot shell powered by Magus Energy, his timer went out and he was forced to de-transform. In this timeline, Daigu hadn’t avoided such an ordeal just because Yu Longze was there, so Daigu did have experience with this.

Only Masaki still scratched his head in confusion...

...

The three of them finally found a fast food place still open and began to devour their meals. Yu Longze in particular ate with astonishing gusto, as if a storm was sweeping through.

"Burp—" Yu Longze let out a long, satisfied belch, leaned back in his chair, stroked his now full belly, and wore a look of complete contentment.

"Daigu, doesn’t stuffing yourself like this during a mission break your Victory Team’s protocols?" Yu Longze teased Daigu, who was still wolfing down his food.

Yu Longze had spent time with the Victory Team in another timeline; he knew this was definitely against the rules. He was just ribbing Daigu for fun.

Daigu froze, a burger stuck in his mouth, unchewed.

"Oh no..." After a moment, he finally swallowed and muttered the words. If Yu Longze hadn’t brought it up, Daigu would have forgotten all about it.

——

Inside the TPC Pacific Base conference room.

"Director Sawa, you can stop kneeling now. You are the director, after all. This is beneath you," Danhou suddenly said, his tone dripping with mock concern and sarcasm that made everyone’s skin crawl.

He then got up from the head seat, helped the stunned Sawa to his feet, and sat down again with an air of nonchalance. "I’m actually quite considerate! But when there’s no one kneeling in front of me, I feel... out of place. Director Yoshikata, why don’t you try kneeling, too?"

The words stoked a fresh surge of rage in the room. For the quick-tempered Director Yoshikata, it was almost more than he could bear.

The once timid and cowardly Dr. Danhou had changed—his personality had become twisted and deranged. If Yu Longze were here, he would have said that someone like this was doomed to a bad end.

"If Director Yoshikata doesn’t want to, that’s fine. It’s just that a few hundred more people in Nara City will die," Danhou said lightly, now treating human life as worthless and relishing his power.

"You...!" Yoshikata’s temper flared, but he was also a man with a sense of the greater good. Everyone had seen Danhou’s methods before; for the sake of Nara City’s citizens, this kneel was worth it.

——

It was after one in the afternoon. Yu Longze and his friends had eaten their fill at the fast food restaurant. Yu Longze felt strength return to his arms and his stamina restored.

"Truly, food is the best source of strength..." Yu Longze sighed.

"Our stamina is back. Now we just have to wait for the energy in our transformation devices to recharge, and we should be able to transform again," Daigu remarked calmly.

Yu Longze touched his Dark Shining Rod, sensing that its aura was no longer so faint. It seemed its energy was slowly recovering over time.

"Since we’ve had lunch, why don’t we go enjoy a good nap next?" Yu Longze suggested.

"Is that really okay?" Daigu was worried about being away for too long—if the captain found out, it would be a disaster...

"To recover and be ready to fight, resting to regain strength is essential," Yu Longze continued, tempting Daigu.

Daigu gritted his teeth and agreed, his innocent, boyish demeanor making him so easy to persuade.

Then Yu Longze and Daigu began to argue over where to sleep.

Yu Longze insisted on a five-star hotel, while Daigu, ever practical, thought any ordinary inn would do.

"Let’s just sleep at my place," Masaki said. "My house is in Tokyo. If we recover faster, Danhou won’t get a chance to send another giant to smash it next time."

"Your house is in Tokyo? Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"Why didn’t you ask?"

...

So, under Masaki’s guidance, Yu Longze and Daigu went to his luxurious two-story villa for a well-deserved rest.

——

At the TPC base conference room.

Captain Jujian Hui received a text message on her PDI from Norui, urging her to return to the command room immediately for important information.

After scanning the message, Jujian Hui frowned, softly stepped back, and quietly slipped out of the conference room.

Inside the TPC command room.

"Captain, we’ve received information from the Dinosaurs!" Norui’s face was grave. The Victory Team was well aware of Danhou’s situation.

"Is the information reliable?" Hui immediately asked, demonstrating her leadership by verifying the source rather than blindly trusting it.

"Absolutely reliable!" Norui replied. Jujian Hui carefully read through the message from the Dinosaurs. It included not only text but images as well.

The Dinosaurs’ message explained that the giant Danhou had created contained a special system device, which projected light energy inside the giant...

The Dinosaurs’ analysis of this complex device was thorough and detailed.

Norui studied the information carefully, his initial worry gradually replaced by excitement.

"This... this is a Magus Energy Device!" Norui exclaimed when he finished.

He was right—it was indeed a Magus Energy Device. In the original story’s finale, the team had used such a device to project light onto Daigu, who had been turned to stone. That rescue mission nearly succeeded, but interference from Gatangehe ruined it. Still, the method itself was sound.

And in this timeline, Danhou—more brilliant than his counterpart in the original—had discovered and used it even earlier.

"So, this giant doesn’t have unlimited energy? It’s just using sunlight during the day?" Hui asked Norui.

"Exactly!" Norui nodded emphatically. "At night, the giant’s energy intake drops sharply. But during the day, it must store plenty of backup energy!"

"I see..." Hui nodded thoughtfully.