Chapter Thirteen: Da Gu, Ganbade!

The world outside was just beginning to lighten as dawn approached. Xie Jing finally stepped out of the spaceship, only to find an enormous foot looming above his head.

“Die, die, die!” came the chilling cackle.

“What’s wrong with you!” In an instant, Xie Jing unleashed the power within him and darted out of the shadow of the giant foot.

He was furious—he had been magnanimous enough (or simply lazy) to let his opponent go, and now they wanted to crush him? Even someone as usually even-tempered as Xie Jing couldn’t help but lose his composure. If I don’t fire off a few beams today, you’ll never learn how many eyes Ultraman has!

He pressed his palms together, the energy of light roaring within him, boiling in response to his wrath. Effects of radiant light began to shimmer around his body—a colossal, majestic giant was on the verge of appearing! Xie Jing had readied himself for battle once more.

Then, he caught sight of Da Gu running over.

Da Gu saw him too. Their gazes met, and they nodded at each other in silent understanding.

Da Gu drew his Shin Light Rod, its tip gleaming bright.

Together, they faced their foe!

Teaming up with Xie Jing again, Da Gu couldn’t help but feel the urge to compete.

And then he saw—

The special effects vanished.

The giant’s shadow shrank back into Xie Jing’s body in an instant.

The powerful aura dissipated into the air, like letting out a puff.

Xie Jing withdrew his battle stance, grinning as he waved energetically at the now-enlarging Da Gu.

“Da Gu! Go for it! I won’t bother you in your pursuit of happiness!”

With that, he sped off.

As he ran, Xie Jing quietly gave himself a thumbs up.

Indeed, Ultraman is happiest when fighting small monsters.

Look—the monster’s hand gently caressing Diga’s handsome face.

Da Gu was smiling so cheerfully.

...

Xie Jing had no idea what ultimately happened to the monster, but presumably Diga defeated it.

He drove through the woods, returning to the hotel.

He had promised Kamiji Qian that he’d be back before midnight, but somehow the night stretched on until dawn.

Checking his watch, it was already four in the morning.

Fortunately, there was still time to catch a nap.

He opened the door with his room card and found Kamiji Qian curled up around a pillow, sleeping soundly.

A smile crept onto Xie Jing’s lips. He took a shower first, regrew his hair with a casual gesture, then slipped into a bathrobe and climbed into bed beside Kamiji Qian.

What was she hugging?

Xie Jing raised his head and managed to pry the pillow away, discovering it was a feminized version of the Diga Ultraman pillow.

“Get out of here!”

He tossed the pillow aside; it drifted through the air and landed helplessly by the window.

What’s the point of hugging a pillow? Now you’re hugging a real, living Ultraman!

Feeling Kamiji Qian’s warm body, Xie Jing whispered smugly in her ear, “You’re in luck tonight!”

“Mmm~” Kamiji Qian stirred, scratched her ear, and turned away.

Well, she clearly didn’t want to bother with him.

Xie Jing pouted, wrapped an arm around Kamiji Qian, and closed his eyes to sleep.

Not long after, he unconsciously opened the system interface—a blue screen floated in the darkness behind closed eyes.

The gibberish on it he ignored; what he could read remained those familiar lines of simplified characters.

But compared to the first time, it had changed.

Skills: Martial Arts, Ultraman Transformation, Light Beam Ability

Lottery chances: 1

Lucky Quest: Become Ultraman, protecting Earth is your duty! But why do monsters come to Earth? What draws them here, or who directs them? Go, young man! Unravel the mystery behind it all!

Lucky Quest Bonus: Lottery chances +1, luck index increases by 100%!

He now had an extra lottery chance, and the light beam ability, but Xie Jing still couldn’t decipher the schedule displayed above.

The system had, however, undergone some changes.

Above the skill section, a new “Items” row appeared, with ten empty slots emanating a faint aura. In the first slot, something had already been placed.

He focused, recognizing it as the “Disposable Cosmic Compass” from his previous newbie pack lottery. The “Proof of True Manliness” was worn on his ankle and thus not in the equipment bar.

Good—it was a pleasant surprise for Xie Jing, finally receiving the protagonist-standard storage cabinet.

He pressed Kamiji Qian’s shoulder and silently recited “store”—sure enough, the system prompted that living things could not be stored. He grabbed his phone, recited again, and it vanished from his hand, now appearing in the item bar.

Reciting “retrieve,” the phone reappeared in his hand.

What a great feature!

Xie Jing nodded in satisfaction—now it finally felt like a proper system.

He browsed through the system for a while until drowsiness took over. Turning it off, he pulled the blanket over himself and drifted into deep sleep.

...

It felt like he hadn’t slept long when a clattering sound woke Xie Jing, accompanied by Kamiji Qian’s clear voice.

“Wake up! Breakfast is ready!”

“Let me sleep a bit longer...” Xie Jing muttered, wrapped in his blanket.

Then his ear was yanked, pain forcing him to open his eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the window. Kamiji Qian, fully dressed, crouched by the bed smiling at him. On the nearby dining table, a neatly arranged breakfast wafted rich aromas.

“It’s ten o’clock already. What did you get up to last night? I waited for you until one!”

Yawning, Xie Jing stretched out a hand and said, “As a member of the Victory Team, it’s only right I went to save the Earth.”

Kamiji Qian shook her head helplessly, taking clothes from the wardrobe and dressing him piece by piece.

“You’re brushing your teeth and washing your face yourself today! Hmph!”

“Alright, alright.” Dragging himself out of bed, Xie Jing flopped onto the mobile chair, pushed off with his feet, and zipped into the bathroom.

The toothbrush was already prepped with toothpaste, hot water run, towel set aside.

Xie Jing finished up quickly, zipped back out on the chair.

Kamiji Qian had already set his breakfast, miso soup and condiments on the side.

“I made this myself! I had to beg the hotel staff to let me into the kitchen.”

“Oh,” Xie Jing replied, mouth wide open.

“Feed me.”

With a gentle smile, Kamiji Qian scooped a large spoonful of rice, topped it with a slice of fish, and held it to his lips.

“Is it good?” she asked with a grin.

“Delicious!” Xie Jing chewed, nodding his approval.

Then, unexpectedly, something burst under his teeth with a sharp ‘pop’—a wave of spicy wasabi threatened to make him spit it out.

“You... you actually... poisoned my food!” Xie Jing stared wide-eyed, pointing at Kamiji Qian.

“Hahaha!” Kamiji Qian giggled, covering her mouth. “Serves you right for not keeping me company last night! And for tossing out my Diga pillow! Hmph, I specially bought concentrated wasabi—how’s that for taste?”

She handed him the prepared trash bin and a bottle of water, adding, “Diga is my idol, risking his life to protect the Earth from monsters. How could you just toss him aside?”

Spitting out the offending mouthful and gulping water, Xie Jing finally recovered.

“All for that?”

“Hmph!” Kamiji Qian turned away, but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips.

Xie Jing was both amused and exasperated.

PS. Ah, a leisurely chapter at last—how comfortable.