mesbooks Chapter 17 Friend, it's delicious!
Chapter 17 Friend, it's delicious!
Friday, 8 PM.
With the residual heat of the 50,000 Spark Lenses being sold out in seconds, the Bilibili Ultraman section was once again overwhelmed with traffic.
"Brother Nan, the number of online viewers tonight has broken records."
Chen Bo looked at the backstage and saw, "Fifty thousand people are online in real time! This data is already at the level of a top-tier anime series without a major hit season."
Gu Nan nodded, his gaze fixed on the screen.
This episode is a bold attempt by him to recreate the original storyline.
It needs to retain the original setting while also elevating the racial tragedy of the "Lightning Men".
The screen went black, and the title appeared.
Ultraman Tiga Episode 6: The Second Contact.
……
The video begins.
No monsters appeared directly.
The scene was shown above the clouds.
Dr. Mizuno was a guest actor.
An elderly professor with gray hair was sitting in the "Lightning Man Survey Machine," a special machine used to explore the ionosphere, his eyes filled with fervor.
"We're finally going to see them..."
"Those are ethereal beings living in the clouds, another group of children on Earth."
However, this beautiful vision was soon shattered.
As the survey aircraft released specific electromagnetic waves in an attempt to communicate, the previously calm clouds suddenly churned and turned an eerie black.
A giant cocoon fell from the clouds.
……
The monster Gazort appears.
Wang Kai's art team has once again put in a strong effort.
This Gazort suit, unlike the original's bulky design, has been redesigned to be sharper and more menacing.
Especially that enormous mouth, filled with countless sharp teeth, combined with the slime effects, is enough to send chills down your spine.
Horii's team attempted to communicate with the monster using a "pan-language translator".
"We are friends...we want to be friends with you..."
The translator emitted a monster's voice, a shrill and eerie voice, like that of a baby, that had been altered:
"Friend...friend..."
Horii was overjoyed: "It understood! It said 'friend'!"
However, the next second, the monster's dead fish eyes flickered, and it uttered the line that sent chills down the spines of all the viewers:
"Friend...it's delicious."
"ha?"
Horii was stunned.
"What do you mean?"
"Friends... are food."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Gazort opened his mouth wide and bit into Horii.
If Daigo hadn't transformed in time, Horii would have truly become "friend's sashimi".
The barrage of comments exploded instantly.
[Hahaha! This is so delicious!]
[This is what you call ineffective socializing! Monster: I'm not kidding, I'm genuinely hungry.]
[Hilarious! Horii's completely bewildered expression!]
[But this premise is terrifying to think about! In their minds, friends are just for eating? This is utterly mind-blowing!]
……
Humorous as it may be, the fighting is real.
Gazort is a mutant with powerful electromagnetic abilities.
It opened its huge mouth and spewed out a giant plasma ball.
"boom!"
Tiga dodged to the side, and a deep crater was blasted into the ground behind him, causing the surrounding buildings to lose power instantly.
This is a partial adaptation of the original work.
This is the "sense of industrial destruction" that Gu Nan wanted.
The monsters are not only fighting, but also destroying the cornerstone of human civilization—electricity.
During the battle, Tiga was momentarily caught off guard and was bitten on the left shoulder by Gazot, who was pretending to be dead.
Instantly, "blood" resembling light particles sprayed out.
[666, playing dead? Isn't that sneaky?]
[Comparable to Zhongli's feigned death!]
Good grief, Ultraman Tiga bleeds too!
[If you don't loosen the grip soon, the leather case will be chewed up!]
[Are these light particles? Indeed, Ultraman Tiga is light!]
Tiga switches to his aerial form, dodging pursuit while also healing his wounds.
Two figures were chasing each other at high speed over the city.
Gu Nan used a large number of miniature models in conjunction with green screen compositing.
Gazort weaves through buildings, smashing glass curtain walls; Tiga follows closely behind, striking the monster's wing with a Lampard beam.
Sparks flew everywhere.
But Gazort did not fall. It let out a piercing scream, a sound that didn't seem like a protest, but rather like... weeping.
……
During a lull in the battle, the truth was revealed in the plot.
Lightning People are harmless creatures that live in the ionosphere.
Humans' unrestrained use of electromagnetic waves destroyed their habitat, causing them to mutate into the monster Gazort.
"It was us... who harmed them."
Dr. Mizuno looked at the monster on the screen and covered his face in anguish.
This scene silenced the comments section that had been chanting "Kill the monster!"
Is it human error again?
It's harsh, but that's reality. Industrial development inevitably squeezes out the space for other species.
What can we do then? Does that mean humans will stop using electricity? There's no solution.
Daigo, who had transformed into Tiga, also stopped attacking at that moment.
He looked at the monster that was roaring in pain and did not press his advantage.
In the original storyline, Tiga defeated Gazort.
However, in this version, Gu Nan made a change.
The timer on Ultraman Tiga's chest flashed.
He gathered energy in his hands, but it was not the Zepelion Ray.
Instead, it is a gentle, golden light wave—the cell-reduction ray.
Although the original Ultraman Tiga did not use this move, it was used for the first time here for the sake of plot logic.
The light enveloped Gazot.
The monster stopped struggling. Its ferocious appearance began to fade, and it transformed back into a group of glowing little creatures—the Lightning Men.
They flew around Tiga, emitting clear chirps.
But they can no longer stay on Earth. Because Earth's electromagnetic environment is no longer suitable for their survival.
Ultraman Tiga looked up at the deep universe.
He spread his arms, enveloped the group of lightning men in light, and then transformed into a shooting star, carrying them out of the atmosphere.
"Go, go and find a new home."
"There are no electromagnetic waves there, only the free wind."
The image freezes on Ultraman Tiga's departing figure as he sees Lightning Man off.
Horii stood on the ground, waving goodbye with tears in his eyes:
"I'm sorry... and goodbye."
……
[Video ends, heated discussion erupts]
The ending of this episode was more heartwarming, but also more poignant than the original.
In the comments section, a long review was pushed to the top.
User [Philosophy Mentor]:
"In fact, there is no absolute right or wrong for any living thing or any matter. If we look at it from the perspective of humans, monsters destroying cities and eating people are evil and must be eliminated. But if we look at it from the perspective of the Lightning Man or from the perspective of Earth, humans are the 'virus' that is over-exploiting and destroying the environment."
Ultraman Tiga's final choice was, in fact, a compromise, and also a sign of helplessness. He couldn't save them all; he could only send them away. Perhaps this is the price of growing up.
This comment has received over a thousand replies.
Indeed, this is the paradox of survival.
I prefer stories that touch on thought to simple fighting and killing.
"My friend is delicious... Thinking back on that line now, it suddenly makes me feel so sad. They were just hungry, just trying to survive."
……
The old machinery factory in the western suburbs of Jinghai.
"Brother Nan, this version of the script has indeed been well received by everyone."
Looking at the comments section, Lin Xuan excitedly pushed up his glasses. "Brother Nan shouldn't have questioned you. Originally, when we were working on the third version of the script, I was worried that changing the ending to 'sending them off' wouldn't be satisfying enough. But I didn't expect the audience to accept it even more."
"Because today's audience has higher aesthetic standards."
Gu Nan leaned back in his chair, looking at the screen. "They are no longer satisfied with black-and-white binary oppositions. What they want to see are flesh-and-blood conflicts, the regrets of not being able to have it all."
"and……"
Gu Nan picked up the exquisitely crafted "magic stick" sample that had just been delivered from the table.
"With this ending, our merchandise will sell even better."
"Why?" Chen Bo asked, puzzled.
"Because 'protection' is more valuable than 'killing'."
Gu Nan smiled and said, "When Tiga is not just a warrior, but a gentle god, fans will be more willing to pay for that sentiment."
Just then, Wang Kai ran over with his phone in hand.
"Brother Nan! The factory said the first batch of 50,000 magic light sticks has rolled off the production line! They'll be shipped out tonight!"
"good!"
Gu Nan stood up, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
"Notify Chen Bo to prepare for the second batch to be put on the shelves."
"This time, we're increasing the quantity to 100,000."
Gu Nan looked at the title of the next episode on the whiteboard.
Episode 7: The Aliens Who Arrive on Earth.
"The last episode was heartwarming; in the next episode, let's get down to business."