mesbooks Chapter 155 The Mobile Fortress Cannot Surface!
Chapter 155 The Mobile Fortress Cannot Surface!
The last bit of the Spring Festival holiday was also mercilessly swallowed up by time.
For the vast majority of working people, this was an extremely painful Friday.
The fatigue of returning to work, the longing for the holiday, and the upcoming full work week together create a huge gloom known as "post-holiday syndrome."
But for tokusatsu fans, 8 PM tonight is the only bright spot in this gloomy week.
The second half of the first season of "Ultraman Dyna" is about to begin.
As time went on, the popularity of live streaming rooms on major video websites began to skyrocket.
Although everyone is still complaining about "how come the holiday is over already", as soon as that familiar giant of light appears, all the worries seem to be temporarily forgotten.
"Guys, hang in there! After watching this episode of Dyna, we can... uh, we can go to work for another week!"
"Hey upstairs, can't you speak properly? If you can't speak, you can donate your mouth to someone in need!"
"Stop arguing! Look at today's headlines!"
As the rousing opening theme "Ultraman Dyna" came to a close, the episode title slowly appeared on the black screen, the bold font exuding a strong sense of pressure—
Episode 25: The Mobile Fortress Cannot Surface (Part 1)
[Holy crap! The first part? This is going to be huge!]
[Mobile fortress? Does that refer to that enormous spaceship, the Kurak Call?]
[Unable to surface... This title sounds so hopeless, is the ship sinking again?]
Am I the only one who thinks the word "prequel" is the most frustrating? It means that after watching it tonight, I'll have to wait anxiously for another week!
【Ugh! Why did the finale have to be split into two episodes?!】
Amidst a barrage of comments filled with both lamentation and anticipation, the main feature officially began.
The story doesn't begin by showing the monster's destruction, but instead shifts the focus to the vast outer space.
As a core component of TPC's "New Frontiers Project," the massive artificial sun experimental machine "NSP Campanella" is slowly moving toward its predetermined orbit under the guidance of the Kurak call.
A deep, magnetic voice began to narrate the great significance of the project: by reflecting and amplifying sunlight to illuminate cold planets such as Jupiter and Mars, the environment would be transformed to create conditions for future interstellar migration of humankind.
[An artificial sun...that's a pretty hardcore concept.]
[Is TPC's tech tree being developed too quickly? Are they already terraforming Mars?]
[Campanella? That name is interesting. It seems to be the author of a book called *The City of the Sun*, which depicts a utopian world.]
The scene cuts back to the interior of the Kurak call sign.
Ryo, Koda, and Mai from Super GUTS were intently operating the control panel.
Unlike usual, when she always stayed in the base command room, this time, Kawamai, a top communications analyst, came to the front line of the mission for the first time.
"Instruction input complete! 12 hours ahead of schedule!"
As she typed the last line of code, Mai let out a long sigh of relief, a bright smile spreading across her face.
Koda Kazuyoshi looked at Mai, who was as excited as a child, his eyes full of doting affection for his junior.
[Is this Mai's first time going on such a long-distance mission? Look how happy the child is.]
To be honest, Mai looks really good when she's working diligently.
[Isn't this just a publicly funded vacation? I'm so envious!]
However, just as the Super GUTS team was basking in the joy of their mission's success, the scene abruptly shifted, and in the pitch-black depths of space, a malevolent white beam of light grazed past the massive mobile fortress, plummeting straight toward Earth's South Pole.
An ominous shadow instantly enveloped the atmosphere that had just begun to liven up.
The scene then shifts to Earth.
On the open-air screens in the street, news reports about the "Artificial Sun Project" are being broadcast.
In the crowd, a little girl asked her mother curiously, "Why do we have to be a new sun?"
The mother explained gently, "Because someone went to a very far place in space, we need to build a very bright lighthouse so that everyone won't get lost."
This fairytale-like dialogue instantly allowed the audience to feel the romantic yearning of humanity for the unknown in that era.
The news footage then mentioned the "Ice City" base located on the seabed of Antarctica.
This is a super facility built to cool seawater and curb the greenhouse effect on Earth.
The little girl, Saori, pointed at the screen and excitedly shouted, "That's where Daddy works!"
The camera then shifts to the deep Antarctic sea, to the interior of that "ice city" that resembles a dragon palace.
A middle-aged director was wearing headphones, listening with a loving expression to a song recorded by his daughter, Saori.
The innocent child's voice was singing Dyna's classic ending theme song, "I Just Want to Protect You".
The clear, melodious singing voice sounded especially warm amidst the cold, steel behemoth of the deep sea.
A colleague next to me couldn't help but complain, "You workaholic, you only act like a human being when you hear your daughter singing."
The director smiled wryly: "Before I knew it, that child was already seven years old. This place is like Urashima Taro's Dragon Palace. If we don't go back soon, my daughter might not even recognize me."
This flag was set up...perfectly.
[Workaholic, My Daughter is Seven, I Want to Go Home—A Deadly Trio.]
【Urashima Taro? Isn't that the bro from Seven OV? What a dream collaboration!】
[This director looks like a kind person, but I have a very bad feeling about him...]
【Please, no! It's just after the New Year, Director Gu, please go easy on us!】
The audience's predictions are always frighteningly accurate.
The heartwarming scene lasted less than two minutes before the underwater base suddenly began to shake violently!
The piercing alarm shattered the silence.
The main computer system was hacked by an unknown entity, and the seawater cooling system stopped working instantly.
Before the staff could react, a group of ferocious-looking, sharp-clawed half-fish soldiers surged in like a tide from the end of the passage!
Screams and gunshots instantly echoed throughout the control room.
Meanwhile, at TPC Far East headquarters.
Captain Hibiki received an urgent report with a grave expression: "Something's happened on the Antarctic seabed! The temperature there has suddenly risen rapidly!"
"But aren't there temperature control facilities there?"
Zhongdao was puzzled.
Standing to the side, Dr. Jiang Zhi from the Ocean Development Bureau pushed up his glasses, his expression arrogant: "If the cause isn't found out quickly, the melting icebergs will cause sea levels to rise, and then the Earth will be submerged!"
Zhongdao looked puzzled: "But there's an ice city there, it should be able to suppress the water temperature."
"The report received by headquarters indicates that the cooling system is functioning normally."
Captain Hibi said in a deep voice.
"Normal? If it's normal, why would the water temperature rise?"
A huge cloud of doubt hung over everyone's minds.
The scene shifts back to the already fallen ice city.
……
The director, hiding behind a bunker, heard his daughter Saori's voice coming over the loudspeaker in horror.
"Dad...why are you rebelling?"
The voice was exactly the same as Saori's, but the tone was icy cold and devoid of any emotion, filled with mechanical mockery.
"I'm really disappointed. It turns out that humans are a much lower form of life than I imagined."
The voice continued speaking, like a high and mighty god looking down on ants.
"Saori?! No... who are you?!"
The director roared in despair.
Holy crap! These aliens are killing me with their spirit!
Using someone else's daughter's voice to manipulate emotions? That's just too creepy!
[What the hell is this? It only has sound and no physical form?]
The sense of oppression came over me immediately.
The camera shifts to the sea.
The Kurak Call has made an emergency landing in the Antarctic Ocean. The entire Super Victory Team has assembled, preparing to dive into the deep sea to investigate.
This operation was directed by Dr. Jiang Zhi from the Ocean Development Bureau.
This PhD student, with his air of sophistication, immediately put everyone in a difficult position.
He not only expressed doubts about the professionalism of Super Victory Team, but also directly targeted Kawama Mai, who looked to be the youngest.
"This little girl can carry out a mission? Does Super GUTS have no one else?"
Dr. Jiang Zhi mocked without any politeness.
This scene caused the live chat to explode.
Who is this old man? Why is he talking so rudely?
Looking down on Mai? Believe me, Chung-shima will smash your computer in your face!
[A classic arrogant scientist; these kinds of characters usually don't survive more than half an episode in a show, or they get their comeuppance at the end.]
【Mai, don't cry! Fight him!】
Although they were unhappy, they held back because of orders.
Before the operation began, Mai, who was in charge of monitoring the data, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"An unusual shock wave has been detected 20 kilometers east of the seabed!"
Dr. Jiang Zhi glanced at the screen and waved his hand dismissively: "That's just a signal of whale activity, don't make a fuss."
"No! That's a shockwave from an explosion!"
Mai insisted on her judgment, "And that location is right near Ice City!"
Are you questioning my expertise?
Dr. Jiang Zhi scoffed, "If it was an explosion, why do the communications show everything is normal?"
Just then, Director Bingcheng's voice came through the communicator.
"This is the Ice City control room. Everything is normal; there are no abnormalities."
His voice was calm, without a trace of panic.
Dr. Jiang Zhi spread his hands triumphantly: "Did you hear that? Little girl, don't let nervousness cause you to hallucinate. Young people these days just can't keep their composure."
Koda glanced at Mai, who seemed somewhat at a loss, his eyes flickered for a moment, but he ultimately chose to remain silent.
After all, the facts seem to be right in front of us.
I'm so angry! That old man deserves a beating!
[Koda, why aren't you speaking up for Mai, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes?]
Something's not right. The director was clearly attacked just now; this communication must be fake!
Only Mai discovered the truth, but no one believed her. This plot is so frustrating!
Faced with the doubts of the crowd and the doctor's ridicule, the usually gentle Kawamai showed an astonishing stubbornness.
She bit her lip, staring intently at the waveform on the screen: "No, I'm not mistaken! I have to check!"
"Nonsense! This is disobedience!" Dr. Jiang Zhi angrily rebuked.
"Wow!"
Gong Liang, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up. She patted Mai on the shoulder, her eyes resolute. "Since there are doubts, we must investigate them thoroughly. Mai and I will go together, piloting the Victory submarine."
"Senior Liang..."
Mai looked at Ryo with emotion.
"Hmph, do as you please! It's a waste of time anyway." Dr. Jiang Zhi turned around coldly.
And so, Ryo and Mai piloted the Victory submarine, breaking away from the Kurakho and heading towards the deep sea.
After they left, Dr. Jiang Zhi was still not done with it. He directly contacted Captain Kibi Takeshi at TPC headquarters and began to complain.
"Captain Hibiki, your men are outrageous! They completely disobey orders and act on their own!"
On the other side of the screen, Captain Kibi's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened to Jiang Zhi's complaints.
"Yes, this is really difficult..."
"Of course! I need to report to my superiors..."
Just when Jiang Zhi thought the captain would punish the team members, Kibi Takesuke suddenly slammed his hand on the table, his signature loud voice making Jiang Zhi's ears ring.
"I'm telling you! You're the one who issued the wrong order! You've put my team in a very difficult position!"
Jiang Zhi was stunned: "What? You..."
"What I mean is—" Kibi Gosuke pointed at the screen, shouting each word clearly, "No matter what, I will unconditionally trust my subordinates! If Mai judges something to be abnormal, then something is definitely abnormal!"
"You...you're utterly unreasonable!"
Jiang Zhi was so angry that his face turned green, and he immediately cut off the communication.
[Great!! Captain is awesome!]
[This is our great captain! I love his fierce protectiveness!]
That shout was so satisfying! Kihiro Gosuke is the MVP!
[The contrast is stark! That PhD student is a scumbag, the captain is the real man!]
Just as the audience was enjoying themselves, the plot took a sharp turn for the worse, plunging them into despair.
The Kurak call sign suddenly shook violently!
The alarm blared loudly.
The buoyancy system malfunctioned inexplicably, and the massive mobile fortress, like a stone that had lost its buoyancy, began to sink irreversibly into the deep sea.
Even more frighteningly, seawater began to flow back in.
Gu Nan used extremely chilling cinematic language here.
In the narrow passage, icy seawater, like the blood in the horror film "The Shining," gushed out in slow-motion close-ups, instantly breaching the defenses.
That wasn't just water; it was a countdown to death.
"What's going on? Why can't I surface?!"
Koda shouted in the swaying command center.
Xin Feibiao typed rapidly on the keyboard and finally spotted the culprit in the surveillance footage—
The exterior of the Kurak Crypt was completely entangled by countless enormous, wriggling tentacles!
"It's a monster! We're surrounded!"
Before anyone could react, the large screen in the control room suddenly turned into static, and then that eerie voice rang out again.
"This planet has been getting a lot of attention lately."
Along with this sarcastic remark, a glowing object that kept changing shape appeared on the screen—Shuum.
It still uses the voice of the little girl Saori, saying the cruelest things.
"Humans haven't even figured out their own Earth, yet they dare to try and reach into the universe? What laughable, inferior creatures."
"I am the most advanced intelligent life form in the entire universe; only I am worthy to rule this planet!"
Hearing that innocent and adorable child's voice utter such an arrogant declaration of aggression, Shin Asuka couldn't help but retort, "The voice is so cute, but the mouth is so foul!"
The villain died because he talked too much, but he certainly pulled off the cool act.
They've taken control of the system and entangled the ship; they're practically trapping a turtle in a jar!
Where's Dr. Jiang Zhi? Come out and show yourself! Weren't you quite capable just now?
At this point, Dr. Jiang Zhi was already terrified and his face turned deathly pale.
The air pressure inside the cabin began to drop continuously, and the oxygen concentration alarm was triggered.
"It's over...we're going to die here..."
Jiang Zhi slumped to the ground, trembling.
Koda grabbed his collar: "Don't panic! There's still hope! As long as we get to the peripheral control room in Sector D7, we can regain control of the main computer!"
"But the passageway there has been flooded and blocked!"
"Then open it manually!"
Shin Asuka and Shin Kariya exchanged a glance and rushed out of the command room without hesitation.
……
Meanwhile, in the deep sea.
Ryo and Mai, piloting the Victory submarine, finally arrived at their destination.
The sight before them made them gasp in shock—
The once magnificent "Ice Castle" has now become a ruin.
Only one badly damaged lifeboat floated alone among the wreckage.
"It's really... destroyed..."
Liang muttered to himself.
Mai's eyes reddened: "As expected, all the previous communications were fake!"
They rescued the director, who was on the verge of death, from the lifeboat.
Upon learning that the Kurak call had also been attacked and its communications cut off, Liang immediately realized that something was terribly wrong.
"We must go back and provide support immediately!"
However, the injured director gripped Liang's arm tightly and said with all his might:
"No... we can't go back... that monster... it can read data... as long as we're online... we'll be hacked..."
This shocking information plunged Ryo and Mai into despair.
Going back now would be like walking into a trap, and there's no way to break Sturm's control from the outside.
This is truly a desperate situation.
Beset by internal and external troubles, communication cut off, and the system hacked, how can they turn the tide?
If Dai can't pull out his trump card now, the Super Victory Team will be wiped out.
The camera cuts back to the interior of the Kurak call sign.
Shin Asuka and Shin Kariya were struggling through the icy water that was above their knees.
"Bird, watch out!"
With a cry of alarm from Kariya, several half-fishman soldiers suddenly leaped out of the puddles ahead!
"Damn it! They've even invaded the ship!"
Birds raised their guns and fired, lasers flying everywhere in the narrow passage.
But there were just too many enemies.
Sturm seemed to have anticipated their actions, closing all the waterproof partition doors to completely separate Asuka and Kariya, leaving Asuka alone in this small space.
Facing the relentless advance of the half-fish army, Asuka showed no sign of backing down.
He charged forward bare-handed!
fight!
In the icy, frigid seawater, the bird displayed astonishing fighting skills.
The visceral impact of each punch, combined with the visual effect of splashing water, makes this fight scene incredibly intense.
However, two fists cannot fight against four hands.
More and more merfolk surged up and pinned the bird firmly in the water.
A feeling of suffocation washed over me, and my vision began to blur.
"The real battle has only just begun!"
At that critical moment of life and death, Asuka roared and pulled out the Flash Sword from his bosom.
That familiar light suddenly burst forth!
"Dyna—!!!"
With a roar, a blinding light instantly filled the entire passage, blasting all the ugly merfolk away!
As Kurak cried out, the tentacles that had been tightly wrapped around the hull loosened as if electrocuted.
A colossal giant of light revealed itself in the deep sea!
But this is not the end.
To rescue this massive mobile fortress from the deep sea, Dyna didn't choose to fight directly underwater, but instead unleashed a skill with effects and art style extremely reminiscent of the Showa era—
Ultraman Teleport!
With a flash of light, Dyna's figure disappeared from the cabin and instantly appeared on the seabed, standing in front of the Kurak Call!
He stands like a guardian deity amidst the raging storm.
Opposite him, Schum, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally revealed his true colors.
But despairingly, Schum is not the only enemy.
The sea began to boil, and from the huge whirlpool, a much larger, red-shelled monster, its body as red as a king crab, slowly emerged from the water.
That's the cosmic sea monster—Rechubas!
Holy crap! There's another monster?!
[That red one looks really fierce! Those huge pincers!]
[Two against one? Schum and Reciprocas? That's a pretty high-spec lineup!]
[Oh no, Dyna probably doesn't have much energy left after transforming, right?]
Sturm's malicious voice rang out again, still in the tone of that little girl, but uttering the most chilling words.
"Ultraman Dyna? Hmph, don't get in my way!"
"The sea temperature is rising rapidly, and my Rechubas is melting the Antarctic glaciers! In just a little while, this planet will become a beautiful wetland!"
"No matter what you do, it's useless! Until the artificial sun arrives, please enjoy this performance of destruction!"
Faced with the pincer attack of two powerful enemies and a world on the verge of being submerged, Dyna did not back down an inch.
He struck a classic fighting pose, his red, blue, and silver body standing out so proudly against the Antarctic blizzard.
Want to destroy humanity's dreams? You'll have to get past me first!
Although Dyna couldn't say any lines, his resolute actions said it all.
Battle is imminent!