Stepping onto the high platform, Ye Feng gazed at the awakening ring. Up close, its resemblance to the Orb Ring from Ultraman Orb was uncanny. He couldn't help but wonder.
'A device that manifests monster and alien cards, built like a ring... could this actually be a Dark Ring?'
Aside from that, he couldn't find another explanation, especially considering the involvement of that "mysterious alien" mentioned in the history books. He had every reason to suspect that the alien was none other than Jugglus Juggler. However, without seeing the person himself, he couldn't be certain.
'Forget it. Why overthink it? Awakening a monster is fine, as long as I have the power to protect myself.'
With that thought, Ye Feng raised his hand and thrust it into the center of the ring.
Sensing a candidate, the ring immediately surged with energy, which began to flow steadily into Ye Feng's body. On the platform, the proctor, and below, the students, teachers, and school officials, all fixed their eyes on him.
Ye Feng was a well-known figure among the faculty and leadership. He wasn't just a top-tier student and athlete; during his early high school years, he had proposed a radical perspective on monsters. He argued that not all monsters were inherently enemies; if handled correctly, some could become allies to humanity.
He had even cited specific historical monster encounters, providing a multi-faceted analysis to validate his theory. Surprisingly, the proposal of a boy not even fifteen years old was miraculously adopted by the higher-ups and put to the test.
When the theory was proven effective, it was a massive pleasant surprise for the TPC. In that same year, they established a specialized monster capture unit codenamed "Project Salvation." Their mission was to calm and pacify monsters that were rampaging due to human interference or specific environmental triggers.
In the two years since the project's launch, excluding space monsters, nearly sixty percent of Earth's native kaiju had lowered their hostility toward human society. These monsters no longer viewed humans with suspicion; some even stood side-by-side with humanity to fight off other threats. For the TPC and the human race, it was a golden era of hope.
However, a year ago, a cosmic lifeform designated by the TPC as Chaos Header invaded Earth. These entities possessed the ability to parasitize monsters, seizing control of the friendly kaiju and driving them into a state of violent frenzy. Not only were their temperaments irreversible, but their strength also increased roughly threefold. This caused the monsters that once helped humanity to turn coat and begin attacking human cities once more.
Whether it was a wild friendly monster or a monster transformed from a GUTS member, once infected by Chaos Header, the host became incredibly aggressive. The wild monsters were bad enough, but the most terrifying threat came from the corrupted GUTS members. They could revert to human form and hide within society, retaining the original person's memories. To the TPC high command, this represented an invisible and immense existential threat.
This development allowed the "Hawks"—the hardliners who had always opposed Project Salvation—to regain their influence, dealing a significant blow to the "Doves" of the Chinese branch.
None of that mattered to Ye Feng at this moment. Everyone was simply waiting with bated breath to see what he would awaken.
On the platform, Ye Feng's hand remained inside the ring. He could feel the energy wandering through his veins. It was a bizarre sensation, similar to the "marrow cleansing" described in martial arts novels—in short, it felt incredibly comfortable.
"Strange. Normally, the moment the hand goes in and the ring reacts, the awakening is complete within ten seconds." Half a minute had passed. The Dean of Hangzhou No. 1 High School spoke up, his voice alerting the surrounding teachers.
"I thought something felt off, but now that the Dean mentions it, the timing is definitely wrong."
"What does this mean? Is it a failure or a success?"
"Hard to say. The ring is still releasing energy, which means the process isn't over."
"Isn't that dangerous? The power within that ring is terrifying. Aside from GUTS members, no ordinary human should be able to contain that much energy!"
"It's fine. See that man over there?" The Principal of Hangzhou No. 1 High School pointed toward the TPC delegation. "He came from the TPC Headquarters in the Capital. If he hasn't stepped in to stop it, there shouldn't be a problem."
The teachers shifted their gaze. The TPC officials and the school staff were seated in separate sections. The TPC area was essentially a recruitment hub, looking to scout top-tier talent for special admission, while the rest of the students would take the standard college entrance exams.
In the TPC section sat a middle-aged man wearing a blue, military-style uniform. This specific uniform was usually reserved for high-ranking TPC officials, suggesting his status was quite extraordinary.
In fact, ever since Ye Feng stepped up, the man's eyes had been glowing with anticipation. When the ring began to act abnormally, his body actually started to tremble.
'Can this young man truly bring hope to humanity?'
He recalled the words of a certain alien back at the Capital—a strange individual who spent his days meticulously pruning a potted plant and speaking in a peculiar tone.
That alien had once told him: "Everything in the universe has an opposite. If such ferocious monsters exist, then a contrary existence must also exist."
When mentioning this "existence," the alien's expression had been a complicated mess of nostalgia, resentment, and confusion. He hadn't said much else, but as if remembering something, he had left a final instruction: "If you want to know the future of humanity, go to Hangzhou No. 1 High School and find a student named Ye Feng. The answer you seek is within him."
Fueled by this expectation, the man had used a special method to alter his appearance and assumed an alternate high-ranking identity to join the recruitment drive in Hangzhou.
On the platform, the dark-red glow of the ring suddenly shifted into a brilliant blue-white energy.
This bizarre transformation stunned the onlookers. Since the era when humans first began transforming into monsters, blue-white light had never appeared. Not only that, but after the blue light emerged, faint flashes of red light began to flicker within it. The crowd was beyond shocked.
"What is happening...?"
Ye Feng was just as confused. He felt something burrowing deep into his soul. It was as if this "something" had ignited a spark already present within his body, instantly filling him with a power that felt like... a true awakening.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Suddenly, a series of sirens began to wail. The alarm blared across the campus, echoing through the streets of Hangzhou.
"Hm? What's going on?" The middle-aged TPC official turned sharply toward a technician.
The staff member frantically typed on his laptop, his face turning pale. "Sir... this is bad! A monster! A monster is burrowing up from underground!"
RUMBLE—!
Before the man could finish his sentence, the earth shuddered. It felt as if something gargantuan was about to burst through the soil beneath their feet!
"A monster! The monsters are here!"
"Run! Get out of here!"
"Damn it, who pushed me?! You want to die?!"
Chaos erupted among the five thousand students. The sudden appearance of a monster sent them into a blind panic.
...
In a remote mountainous region near the Hangzhou Airport, deep within a hidden TPC base, red emergency lights were flashing.
WEE-WOO! WEE-WOO!
Inside a small tactical briefing room, a dozen men and women in red-and-white uniforms stood with grave expressions. They stared at the main screen, which showed a series of jagged, pitch-black horns emerging in the center of Hangzhou.
Simultaneously, these horns released a pulse of dark energy into the sky, forming a dark-colored translucent dome that covered a two-kilometer radius.
"Status report!" The calm, middle-aged commander at the front demanded, looking at a female officer at the console.
The woman's fingers flew across the keyboard. "According to the TPC monster archives from 1996, the monster is identified as Gakuma... no, wait—it's Gadi. This specific barrier indicates a 'nesting territory.' It means the monster has reached its spawning period and needs to harvest nutrients to prepare for its unborn offspring."
As she spoke, a sub-window appeared on the screen showing the 1996 file where Gadi had been eliminated and its eggs discovered underground.
"Its primary hunting grounds are elementary, middle, and high schools. It is estimated that this monster targets human children and youths between the ages of 6 and 18."
"Check the radius. Which schools are within that two-kilometer barrier?"
"Only one high school. They are currently holding an awakening ceremony. Furthermore, one minute before Gadi appeared, a surge of unique energy was detected at that location. It's highly likely Gadi's appearance is linked to it."
One of the team members couldn't help but chime in, "You mean the monster is targeting the student who is currently awakening?"
A unique energy surge during an awakening ceremony meant a newcomer with immense potential. It was entirely possible that Gadi had sensed this power and surfaced to claim it.
"No, I think it's more than that," the commander said grimly. "The monster is likely targeting all the awakening candidates. The energy surge was probably just the dinner bell. Lin Li, is there a way to break that barrier?"
"Yes. Records from 1996 show that hitting the barrier with a Liquid Nitrogen Beam will freeze it, causing it to shatter automatically."
"Good. Team, move out!"
"Understood!"
.. Notes.
* Terminology:
* Gadi (嘎地): This is the monster from Ultraman Tiga Episode 10. It uses its horns to create a barrier and its tentacles to kidnap children.
* Chaos Header (卡欧斯头部): The main antagonist of Ultraman Cosmos. This confirms a multi-series crossover.
* GUTS Uniforms: I described them as "red and white" to match the iconic Tiga-era flight suits.
* The "Mysterious Alien": The description of a man pruning a plant while talking about "opposites" is a very strong hint toward Jugglus Juggler.