Chapter 25: It Finally Happened

The Metz alien crawled shakily out of the shack, glancing at Mu Yang and Hideki Go. The children, upon seeing the Metz alien emerge, scattered in fear. Before, he’d just been a strange man covered in sores, but now with his alien appearance fully revealed, how could they not run? “Thank you!” the Metz alien said to Mu Yang and Hideki Go. “Metz alien, why are you on Earth?” Hideki Go asked solemnly. The Metz were a neutral race, even considered kind-hearted. If they faced an alien invasion, the Ultramen would need to protect them! Indeed, the Ultraman code was to protect the weak and promising civilisations while opposing evil aliens invading other planets. They rarely got involved in conflicts between neutral civilisations. Of course, there were grey areas where Ultramen had to make their own judgments, sometimes fighting neutral forces to protect weaker ones. “I’m a cosmic investigator! I’ve been on Earth for over a decade!” the Metz alien said with a bitter smile. “I love this planet, but I didn’t expect Earth’s environment to deteriorate so much. Our kind relies heavily on the environment, and because I couldn’t adapt, I’m now terminally ill (bing ru gao huang)!” Mu Yang and Hideki Go exchanged a glance, confirming with their eyes: this was one unlucky alien. Someone like him probably couldn’t invade Earth even if he tried, right? “I’m dying soon. If I die, Muruchi will awaken and cause destruction on Earth, so I need to leave quickly,” the Metz alien said with another bitter smile. “But it seems your Earth’s higher-ups have already noticed us.” “Hm!” Mu Yang’s gaze drifted thoughtfully to a nearby corner, where trained personnel seemed to be waiting for something. Perhaps the Metz alien’s presence wasn’t a secret at all? They didn’t act rashly, likely fearing the Metz alien might transform into a giant and become uncontrollable. But if they found his spacecraft, they’d probably try to seize it… what if they succeeded? They’d coveted alien spacecraft before, but the Ultramen were too diligent, destroying them along with the monsters every time. Speaking of which, why did Mu Yang instinctively think of that Ace episode where Muruchi was torn apart by a super beast, dying so miserably? “Like that?” Hideki Go’s expression darkened. He understood something. But there was little they could do. Ultramen couldn’t influence human authorities, and they’d always kept their distance from them. “So when Muruchi emerges, I’ll leave it to you. As for him, I hope you can ensure his safety!” the Metz alien said, looking at the dazed boy. Mu Yang and Hideki Go fell silent. Ensure his safety? By then, his heart might already be dead, wouldn’t it? Just as they were about to say something, the boys who’d fled returned with police. The moment the officers saw the Metz alien, they gasped in shock, drawing their guns and aiming at him! “Don’t!” Hideki Go shouted in alarm. If something happened to the Metz alien here, it’d be a huge problem. Was Earth heading down a path of self-destruction (du bi)? No, more accurately, this didn’t represent Earth. To Earth, humans and aliens might not be so different, right? At least not significantly. Destroying humans without destroying the planet itself probably meant little to Earth. Mu Yang couldn’t help but think of the light cluster at Earth’s core, feeling a pang of helplessness. Perhaps Earth didn’t even like humans? In this universe, humans were essentially alien beings themselves, as mentioned in Seven. Seven had even been locked up in a cosmic prison for a while for helping humans, though it was mostly for show. Ultramen were quite lenient with humans. The Metz alien glanced at the police, sighed lightly, and turned to head back to his shack. But before he could, an anxious officer shouted, “Don’t move!” The Metz alien didn’t heed the command. He was too tired and could barely keep Muruchi suppressed. He needed rest. But his actions were seen as non-compliance. Another officer fired, hitting the Metz alien in the abdomen. “No!” Hideki Go watched in disbelief. The one thing he didn’t want to happen had happened. “Ugh!” The Metz alien turned, staring incredulously at the officer, then gave a bitter smile tinged with mockery, helplessness, and sorrow. For many aliens, a gunshot wouldn’t be a big deal, but the Metz weren’t particularly strong. This one, already at death’s door (you jin deng ku)*, soon collapsed to the ground, green blood pooling beneath him.

Footnote 1: bing ru gao huang (病入膏肓) – Literally “illness enters the vitals,” a Chinese idiom meaning a disease has progressed to a terminal, incurable stage. Here, it describes the Metz alien’s critical condition due to Earth’s environment. *Footnote 2: du bi (独逼) – Literally “solitary coercion,” a slang term implying a self-destructive or reckless path driven by one’s own actions. Here, it suggests Earth’s trajectory toward isolation or ruin. *Footnote 3: you jin deng ku (油尽灯枯) – Literally “oil exhausted, lamp dry,” a Chinese idiom meaning someone is at the end of their life or resources, on the verge of death. Here, it underscores the Metz alien’s frail state.