4. Farm Mart and the Omega Files

This statement left all three men, including Tadanori Moroboshi, stunned. After a long pause, Moroboshi finally reacted with a furious roar, “What did you say?”

Qi Ming believed that if one chooses to swallow their anger when insulted, the other party will sense weakness and only become more aggressive.

Most people understood this principle, but children from ordinary backgrounds were often taught, “Don’t fight; we can’t afford the consequences. Just endure and move on.”

Qi Ming came from a highly educated family; his parents were reasonable, and he himself had always been dazzlingly brilliant in both talent and appearance, a shining sun and the center of attention wherever he went. Naturally, he would never stoop to appeasement.

Facing the aggressive Moroboshi, he was not intimidated in the slightest. Instead, he smiled and retorted:

“I think you should look at your own problems. If the Swallow you piloted had managed to hold even one monster at bay, Captain Moroboshi wouldn’t have had to bear so much pressure and suffer such serious injuries.”

“To crash so quickly — it’s almost comical. Maybe if you tied a bone to the controls and let a dog fly, the result would be the same.”

Kishida, who was on the same plane, also took offense: “You, an amateur, think you know better? You’re saying you could do better than us?”

This was their first time facing a triple attack, and they were unprepared. They had indeed failed to perform at their best.

Qi Ming responded with an air of certainty: “Is there any doubt?”

“You brat!” Moroboshi ground his teeth, and the proud Kishida was equally resentful.

If it weren’t for the fact that members of the Victory Team had struck an ordinary person, causing a bad impression, they would have loved to teach this insolent youngster a lesson.

Tadanori Moroboshi frowned and tried to smooth things over:

“Enough, stop arguing. My injury has nothing to do with Qi Ming; it’s my own fault.”

“From our interaction just now, I saw his courage and strong physique.”

“I’ve invited him to join the Victory Team. From now on, you all need to get along.”

This announcement struck even harder, leaving Moroboshi and Kishida once again dumbfounded.

Kishida quickly regained his composure and cautioned, “But Captain, he has no training. Monsters won’t go easy on him just because he looks handsome!”

Moroboshi also doubted if the captain was clear-headed due to his injury: “I don’t want to be teammates with someone so reckless. He’ll only be a burden.”

Qi Ming corrected him: “My joining the Victory Team is temporary and doesn’t mean I want to be teammates with the likes of you two. Please know your place.”

“What did you say?!”

“Enough. Save your energy for figuring out how to deal with the two monsters that escaped. This isn’t over yet!” Moroboshi ordered.

He sent Moroboshi and Kishida away to call the base and pulled Qi Ming aside.

Wearing a stern expression, he asked, “Why do you have to be so unforgiving and say such harsh things? You’ll be comrades through thick and thin and should show tolerance.”

Qi Ming glanced toward Moroboshi and Kishida, who were gathered nearby, whispering and clearly displeased, and said:

“See, you agree I have a ‘point.’ Then you should say that to them.”

“Besides, you want me to join the Victory Team to fill the gap caused by your inability to transform, not to make me lower myself and tolerate two useless pests, right?”

Moroboshi thought Qi Ming should be more humble and sternly admonished him:

“You mean without you, the Victory Team can’t do anything? Do you realize how hurtful that attitude is to the other members?”

Those words sounded familiar — weren’t they something said to Fuyuan in Ultraman Leo? But Qi Ming was no gentleman to be easily bullied.

Following his logic, Qi Ming replied: “So you’re saying the Victory Team is already capable of holding their own against monsters? Well, that’s reassuring.”

Moroboshi was momentarily stunned and quickly denied it: “No, humanity is not ready yet.”

He had just been crippled by a one-on-three fight, while Qi Ming had killed one monster and scared off two.

Under such a comparison, Moroboshi found it hard to lecture Qi Ming further.

Soon, a large number of planes descended.

TPC staff began cleaning the battlefield, collecting fragments of statues. A passenger plane carried the four Victory Team members back to the offshore base.

Medical personnel attending to Moroboshi’s injuries kept glancing at Qi Ming’s face.

“Please take a photo of him,” Moroboshi said as he was immobilized.

Several female nurses eagerly stepped forward to help.

Afterward, their faces flushed with embarrassment as they shyly asked Qi Ming if they could keep the photos.

“Of course,” Qi Ming nodded gently, accustomed to such situations, even posing as they requested.

Seeing this, Moroboshi and Kishida across from him looked resentful.

“That guy is outrageous! What does he think TPC is?”

“He’s just an amateur. We should get photos of him wetting his pants when facing monsters, so they know he’s all show and no substance!”

“I don’t think he’ll pass the deputy captain’s approval; she hates frivolous guys.”

…

“I’ll ask Staff Officer Kiriyama to specially approve your entry into the team, but the process will take a while, and you’ll have to prove yourself,” Moroboshi said, not overly confident about making it happen.

Qi Ming asked, “Kiriyama? Captain Kiriyama?”

Moroboshi nodded, “Yes, he’s my former captain.”

But with Kiriyama’s promotion to staff officer, the previous Victory Team had been reorganized.

Furuhashi was transferred to the Space Development Bureau, Soga went to the West Asia branch as a recruit instructor, Amagi was seconded to America… only Moroboshi remained as captain of the new Victory Team.

Qi Ming pondered: so the previous Victory Team was essentially the Ultra Guard from Ultraseven under a new name.

The “reorganization” reminded him somewhat of the dynamic in Ultraman Dyna, where the rise of hawkish leadership led to the Victory Team’s members being subtly demoted and marginalized.

Qi Ming realized something and asked, “Who holds real power in TPC?”

Moroboshi replied, “The director is Yuu Tsuchihashi, who was commander of the First Space Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment — very decisive.”

Qi Ming silently nodded.

Tsuchihashi, space anti-aircraft artillery — these two keywords together…

He was certain this was the ambitious man from Blaze Ultraman who shot down the V99 ship, and upon realizing the ship had no hostile intentions, chose to cover it up for his own reputation.

He was the dictator who obstructed Emi’s investigation into her father’s disappearance and even imprisoned her for life.

Moroboshi continued, “The staff officers are divided into hawks and doves. The dove faction is led by Ki Hachiwado.”

Ki Hachiwado… the staff officer who in Ultraman Dyna kidnapped Asuka to forcibly extract his light energy and create an artificial Ultraman, inadvertently giving Sphia a perfect fusion material?

Such a radical could be a dove? Then who was the hawk?

Moroboshi said, “The hawkish staff officer is Koji, who also came from the Victory Team.”

Qi Ming was speechless.

Koji, the staff officer from Ultraseven OV?

That made sense. Ki Hachiwado was merely radical; this one was a terrorist.

In Ultraseven OV, he executed the “Friendship Project” to defend their territory all the way to others’ doorsteps, destroying alien civilizations under the guise of exchange. Furuhashi died due to retaliation from the aliens.

To hide the truth that the Nomalts were Earth’s original inhabitants, he eliminated Captain Kiriyama, who sought the truth, and even tried to kill Ultraseven’s human form.

Director Tsuchihashi, staff officers Ki Hachiwado and Koji — the example set from top to bottom explained why the Victory Team was filled with such characters.

It felt like a few lunatics running a mental hospital.

“Kishida, you accompany Qi Ming to register. I’ll be his introducer and then show him around the base.”

Back at the base, Moroboshi handed Kishida his ID card and hobbled away with a cane he had taken from the plane.

Kishida was reluctant but obeyed the captain’s orders, pulling a long face: “Follow me.”

Qi Ming looked at Kishida, then at Moroboshi’s retreating figure, thinking this captain was a bit reckless.

…

“Moroboshi, your leg…” Kiriyama looked worried.

“It’s nothing. We’ve faced worse before,” Moroboshi forced a smile and then showed Kiriyama Qi Ming’s photo, asking him to arrange for Qi Ming to join the team.

“Was this photo retouched?” Kiriyama was stunned after seeing Qi Ming’s image.

“No, he’s even more handsome in person. More importantly, he has excellent skills that we need.”

Kiriyama said, “Very well. You’re injured and need someone to take your place on duty.”

But this matter wasn’t easy. In Ultraman Tiga, even Daigo was able to join TPC officially only because he saved the director.

For a foreigner to parachute into the Victory Team, Kiriyama could only say he would try his best.

After speaking, Kiriyama suddenly looked troubled: “Moroboshi, do you remember the Nomalts?”

“Of course I do. Why...?”

“Recently, there seem to be new discoveries, but… never mind. You focus on recovering first. I’ll investigate further.”