1novels Chapter 100 People Who Did Their Best
Chapter 100 People Who Did Their Best
(Thanks to the great gods Fox Blackened One Locust Green, My King is so good, and Yu (●—●) for their certification! Extra chapters for the great gods! Extra chapters! I'll add more even if I burn out! I'll finish the Ultraman Tiga finale in one go all night!)
When the despairing scene at the end of episode 51 of "Ultraman Tiga" froze—the giant evil god Gatanothor stood on the dark Pacific Ocean, while Ultraman Tiga, who carried everyone's hopes, turned into a lifeless stone statue and slowly sank into the deep sea.
At this moment, the entire Xia Kingdom's network seemed to have experienced a major earthquake.
The aftershocks continued for a full week.
Until this Friday.
The end date of "Ultraman Tiga".
At this moment, Lao Tang's live stream was eerily silent.
But today, the comments were sparse, with only a few pale words floating by.
【despair.】
We really can't win.
[This monster's design is outrageous! Even the Zepellion Ray in its Flash Hatchling form only left a scorch mark. How are we supposed to defeat it?]
As time passed second by second,
8 o'clock exactly.
Old Tang stared intently at the title that had just popped up on the screen.
Against a black background, without any fancy special effects, only five large characters, seemingly woven from blood and light, slowly emerge, accompanied by a heavy, heart-stopping drumbeat—
[Final Episode: A Tribute to Those Who Brilliantly Achieve Their Glory]
"They're here..."
Old Tang's voice was hoarse.
"Brothers, the grand finale... it's really here."
Old Tang still insisted on encouraging everyone:
"Listen up, all of you! This isn't over yet! Although that old scoundrel Gu Nan likes to torture people, he's definitely not the kind of psychopath who seeks revenge on society! What's this called? This is called building suspense before retaliating! The deeper the despair now, the more satisfying the counterattack will be later!"
Although he said that, Old Tang wasn't really sure.
Because Gatanothor's oppressive presence was simply too strong.
That indescribable fear, that black mist that could devour even light, completely surpassed any monster before.
It's not just the Ultraman series; this kind of villain can be considered the pinnacle of villainous oppressiveness in all works of history!
On the vast, isolated ocean, as the final boss of the Ultraman Tiga TV series, he possesses both strength and grandeur, along with a terrifying appearance and even his own exclusive battlefield. Imagine, such treatment is unique among bosses in any other series.
Compared to many other bosses who immediately overpower the protagonist and leave them helpless to demonstrate their strength and oppressive aura, the evil god Gatanothor calmly and unhurriedly leads Tiga to his doom, seemingly conveying a sense of "no matter how much you struggle, it's meaningless anyway."
Therefore, even viewers watching from outside the screen couldn't help but feel a sense of tension.
This moment wasn't just happening in Lao Tang's live stream.
Throughout the entire Xia Kingdom, and even across the ocean in Japan, hundreds of millions of viewers are glued to their screens.
On Bilibili's server backend, the red traffic warning light was flashing wildly, and the operations manager was sweating profusely as he roared to add more servers, fearing that things would go wrong at this last moment.
The sense of despair brought about by Tiga's defeat and the sinking of the stone statue into the sea lingered like a tangible gloom for a whole week.
Now, everyone wants to know how Gu Nan, the director who created the tokusatsu legend, will turn this dead end around!
On screen, the plot doesn't immediately jump to the deep sea.
The scene shifts from a battlefield to a world ravaged by war.
Black fog has enveloped the entire globe, cities have been reduced to ruins, and in shelters, people huddle together with empty eyes.
On the television screen, footage of the Ultraman Tiga statue sinking into the sea was playing.
A little boy stared blankly at the screen, then turned to the adult next to him and asked:
What happens if Ultraman Tiga is defeated?
The adult clutched his head in despair: "Ah... Ultraman Tiga has been defeated... There's no hope anymore, everything is over."
After seeing Tiga defeated by the evil god, the people who had taken refuge in the air-raid shelter began to seek their own destruction. The oppressive feeling of the evil god not only defeated Tiga, but also crushed the light in people's hearts.
This feeling of despair spread from the screen into the real world.
The viewers in the live stream felt as if a huge rock was lodged in their chests.
Sigh, it's truly hopeless...
This oppressive atmosphere has even seeped into reality...
Even the light has gone out, what else can we do?
However, the scene shifts, and Kijima Megumi's son, Tomoki, suddenly stands up and shouts:
"I don't believe it!"
"Tiga... Ultraman Tiga isn't dead! He's still fighting!"
In the ruins, in the land of winter...
The same conversations were also taking place among the children.
"I don't believe Ultraman Tiga is dead!"
Regardless of race or region, even in the face of doubt, there are still people who believe in the light, who believe in Ultraman Tiga…
……
At this moment, far away in space, a fighter jet is flying towards Earth at full speed. It is Captain Gale, the head of TPC Carlo Base.
When he returned to Earth, it had become a living hell, devoid of any life...
Meanwhile, at TPC Far East headquarters.
On the bridge of the Atlas, Nori, who had always relied on data to speak for himself, now had bloodshot eyes and his fingers were frantically typing on the keyboard.
"Perhaps it will be useful to shine light energy onto Ultraman's statue through the Megas power system."
Ye Rui's voice trembled slightly, but more than anything, it was filled with resentment.
"Can it really work just by irradiating with physical light particles? I'm afraid it's not that simple." Dr. Tomoe questioned, but his hands didn't stop moving.
Lina persisted as well.
"But we must do everything we can, otherwise..."
"Daigo is right, we absolutely cannot give up."
Sawai stood in front of the command platform: "But even now, the mechanism behind the stone statue has not been deciphered..."
"There was a person who knew how to use light to transform the stone statue into Ultraman."
Ye Rui thought of something.
The camera then shifts to a character no one expected.
Gu Nan... no, it's Zheng Jingwu!
Holy crap!
Old Tang almost bit his tongue.
"That old scoundrel Gu?! He's playing Zheng Jingwu? Why release him at this time?"
The chat in the live stream finally came back to life, filled with shock and disbelief.
[It's that old scoundrel Gu! This guy's still not done killing off?!]
[I remember now, Zheng Jingwu created the mechanical shark and turned it into Evil Tiga. He's the only person besides Daigo who understands the conversion of light genetic factors!]
[Let the villain save the day? This plot twist... is something else!]
[Gu is really overacting! But his portrayal of Zheng Jingwu does have that arrogant charm.]
In the dimly lit police station prison, behind the iron bars, a familiar figure is doing push-ups with his back to the camera.
Sweat dripped down his strong muscles; even in prison, this man maintained the explosive power of a cheetah.
The moment he turned around, his face appeared clearly on the screen.
That's Gu Nan.
Or rather, the character played by Gu Nan—Zheng Jingwu
That genius scientist who once created Evil Tiga, and whose power caused him to go berserk!
"Everything... is just like in the dream..."
Zheng Jingwu muttered to himself.
At this moment, he no longer possessed the arrogant and overbearing demeanor he once had; instead, he had gained a sense of world-weariness and detachment.
……
Meanwhile, in the shelter.
A wise man flashed past in the noisy, chaotic crowd.
He is none other than Mu Tongye, the superpowered individual who once appeared and could communicate using telekinesis.
The psychic who was once jealous of Daigo and wanted to expose Tiga's identity! The comments section exploded instantly.
Holy crap! Is that the king of show-offs?!
Why is he showing up at this time? Isn't this guy the villain?
Wait, didn't he clear his name last time? Could he be the variable?
In the scene, Mu Tongye directly used his telekinesis to contact Captain Gale, who was piloting a fighter jet back.
"Who are you?"
A gust of wind asked.
"I want to communicate directly with your head. Please take me somewhere."
Mu Tongye used his telekinesis to communicate with Jifeng, wanting Jifeng to take him to the Victory Team.
Meanwhile, aboard Dolphin 202, Shinjo and Horii are still desperately awaiting rescue on land...
……
The plot continues to unfold.
Mayumi appeared at the cell door with Dr. Tango.
"...Zheng Jingwu, someone has come to see you."
Gu Nan, who plays Zheng Jingwu, slowly stood up. His eyes still held a hint of arrogance as he glanced contemptuously at the Empress.
Mayumi, on the other hand, requested:
"We want to use your knowledge and your wisdom."
"What I did was actually... actually not wrong."
Zheng Jingwu still believes that only his path can lead humanity to true evolution, thus escaping the fate of being destroyed by darkness...
He stood up, walked to the iron bars, and looked out at the pitch-black world.
Only the light of evolution can guide the foolish old humanity.
Unfortunately, I lost.
Outside the prison, Dr. Tango stood with his head bowed, as if in repentance, or perhaps with some kind of obsession.
"Mr. Zheng Jingwu, please pull yourself together."
He clung to the railing. "This is your chance to atone for your sins."
However, Zheng Jingwu completely ignored the Empress and continued speaking to himself:
"In a world shrouded in darkness, someone needs to guide them with light."
"But this person can absolutely not be you!"
Mayumi said loudly.
Zheng Jingwu walked to the railing, a self-deprecating sneer curling at the corner of his mouth, his eyes instantly turning sharp and crazed.
"Hahahaha!"
The laughter was arrogant and desolate, yet it also carried the air of a tragic hero.
"You're right..."
Viewers in front of the screen were stunned by Gu Nan's explosive acting skills.
That laughter...it gave me goosebumps.
[Gu Laozei's acting is indeed quite good. For a director to portray this feeling so well, he perfectly captured that arrogance mixed with despair.]
He wanted to be a savior, but unfortunately, he chose the wrong path.
[Now, all of humanity's hope is placed on this former "Evil Tiga"? How ironic, yet how inspiring!]
……
"Daigo...you should still be alive, right?"
"You know what? I have so much to tell you."
Lina walked to the beach alone, praying to God to protect Daigo and that he would be alright.
Perhaps it was Lina's thoughts that reached Daigo, for Daigo suddenly opened his eyes in the crystal, but what appeared before him was not Lina, but the Kirieloid.
They laughed at Daigo, who was trapped inside Tiga's body...
"If it weren't for you, we Kirieloids would have rescued those foolish humans long before Gatanothor was resurrected!"
Faced with the provocation of the Kirieloids, Daigo angrily questioned:
"You mean everything will be fine if we just obey you?"
However, the Kirielod people laughed even louder, as if they had heard a funny joke.
"It's too late. The gods of Kirieloid have abandoned this earth."
[Huh? Kirieloids? They're not all dead yet?]
"Save us? You can save us now."
[High EQ: We could have rescued you before Gatanothor resurrected]
[Low Emotional Intelligence: Can't Beat Gatanothor]
In layman's terms: Even the Kirieloids fear Gatanothor.
[Damn, you guys made me laugh out of the tense atmosphere!]
……
Inside the Atlas.
Captain Gale makes his appearance.
Here, Hayate also learns the truth that Daigo is actually Ultraman Tiga.
Everyone was still wondering how Gale had found the Atdis when radio communication across the entire Earth was blocked.
But Gale told them about the existence of a superhuman.
It was Mu Tongye who brought Captain Gale to the Atdis, and Zheng Jingwu was also brought here.
Now, Mu Tongye has also come here.
[My God! Everyone's assembled?!]
[Is this Gu Laozei's plan? He's filled in all the holes from before!]
[Mu Tongye, Zheng Jingwu, Jifeng... everyone who had ever been in contact with the light has arrived!]
【Jung Kyung-woo! Even though you used to be a jerk, I'm rooting for you this time! Bring out that photogene converter of yours!】
The plot here moves at an extremely fast pace.
"I'm asking you about that machine you made in that ancient ruin cave, the photogene converter... I want to know how it works."
Dr. Tomoe got straight to the point.
Zheng Jingwu's eyes narrowed.
"We must bring Ultraman Tiga back to life, even though he's been turned to stone!"
Is there an energy supply system?
The Empress asked directly.
Tomoe pointed to the ground: "Of course it is, right beneath our feet—the Magneto propulsion system!"
At this moment, all the clues came together!
Using TPC's most powerful Magus power system as an energy source, and in conjunction with Zheng Jingwu's photogenetic factor converter, high-purity light energy is directly injected into the Ultraman Tiga statue on the seabed!
This is humanity's final counterattack plan!
[It's heating up, guys! This is seriously getting us fired up!]
Is this human wisdom? Since God has fallen, let humanity lift Him up!
[Don't worry, don't worry, there's still that big conch shell. Will it watch you rescue people?]
……
Dark clouds obscured the sunlight, and the waves and sea breeze made Mu Tongye's clothes flutter.
"You possess such incredible power."
Mayumi looked at Mu Tongye.
Mu Tongye leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on the void, his tone suddenly turning melancholic: "Even if I think my power is remarkable, it's only recently..."
"Bye now."
"I have other things to do, and only I can do them."
At this moment, countless viewers felt a mix of emotions.
This man, who once sought to prove himself, will now seek to prove human dignity in the face of the apocalypse.
……
The scene shifts to the deep sea.
The Dolphin 202 submarine is submerged in the dark waters, with Horii and Shinjo, the two partners, in the cockpit.
"Is this darkness truly going to destroy humanity...?"
The new town is already somewhat desperate.
However, Horii still believed in his teammates.
"In truth, everyone has a dark side, but the important thing is that besides darkness, there is also light within us..."
"That's a really good quote. Where did you copy it from?"
"Why would I need to copy?"
Just as the two were at their last gasp, they started bickering.
Suddenly, a voice rang in their minds!
"Don't give up! It's not time to despair yet!"
Mu Tongye used his telepathic powers to communicate with Juejing and Xincheng, who were trapped at the bottom of the sea. He told them not to give up hope of survival, and that there was a mission they needed to complete later.
He then relayed a message to Zheng Jingwu, telling him to go all out and that he would be responsible for contacting Xincheng and Horii at the bottom of the sea.
The scene shifts, and the Victory Flying Swallow EX-J takes off.
This time, it's not about fighting, but about redemption.
Zheng Jingwu sat in the cramped Magus power box, wearing a simple protective suit, but his face showed an unprecedented level of focus.
He was debugging the photogene converter—the ultimate culmination of human technology combined with the power of ancient light.
"Captain, I really want to take you with me."
Captain Gale's voice came through the communication channel.
"The boss sometimes wants to go to the front lines from the command center, so don't get in his way."
Captain Megumi's response carried the tacit understanding and trust between old classmates.
"I'll teach you a lesson!"
Laughing loudly, Jifeng piloted his fighter jet towards that deadly sea.
At the computer desk.
Old Tang took a deep breath.
"Brothers, this is the last round! All in! It's all thanks to that old scoundrel Gu... no, it's all thanks to Zheng Jingwu!"
As Victory Flying Swallow EX-J approaches the ruins of R'lyeh, that oppressive feeling of despair returns.
On the screen, black fog slammed into the fighter jets as if it were a tangible substance, and alarms sounded incessantly.
"Gale! Aim for its wings!"
On the sea, Megumi and Captain Hayate's fighter jets unleashed a barrage of firepower, bombarding the Zoga that had appeared.
The Dolphin submarine struggled to navigate beneath the turbulent sea, carrying New Town and Digging Well.
"It's here! Something's really here!"
Shin-cheng watched the dot on the radar; the box containing the photogene converter was sinking.
Kirino's voice echoed in their minds: "There's a man named Zheng Jingwu inside that machine. He knows how to operate it manually... Your Dolphin should adjust its angle so that the light emitted from the energy tank shines towards Tiga!"
"Daigo, you're the only one who can't hear my voice."
"But I believe you are still alive."
Mu Tongye closed his eyes, "You must become light again!"
This dialogue, accompanied by tense and exciting background music, made countless viewers clench their fists.
Old Tang even stood up and stared intently at the screen.
"Go! Gu Nan! Just shoot the light in! As long as you shoot it in, you'll win!"
In the deep sea, the Dolphin and its conversion device navigated the gaps between the tentacles of a giant conch shell, facing numerous dangers.
This is one of Gu Nan's proudest "real-life" shots.
To recreate the oppressive feeling of the deep sea, he added specially made black dye and suspended particles to the huge water tank, and the only lighting was the two faint beams of light from the submarine's searchlight.
Viewers in front of the screen seemed to sink into that suffocating abyss along with the submarine.
There was a deathly silence all around, with only the sonar emitting a monotonous "drip-drip" sound.
It's so depressing...
Is this what thalassophobia is?
Oh my, I can't breathe while watching this!
This part of the plot is so fast-paced it's almost suffocating.
The audience was on the edge of their seats.
This is not just a special effects film; it's practically a rescue scene straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, where every second is a brush with death.
The battle on the sea was extremely fierce.
Gatanothor seemed to sense the humans' intentions; countless tentacles burst forth from the water, lashing the surface of the sea. Zoga monsters swarmed through the air, like messengers from hell.
Captain Gale piloted his fighter jet, weaving through a dense network of attacks, his dazzling aerial combat maneuvers leaving the audience mesmerized.
Don't underestimate us!
The wind howled as missiles rained down.
But the seabed is where the real life-or-death struggle truly begins.
In the center of those ruins, the Tiga statue, still in a fighting stance, stood silently in the darkness.
Even after turning to stone and losing its light, its form remains upright, still like a monument, guarding this world.
Despite the violent shaking, Zheng Jingwu gripped the control lever tightly, but his eyes shone with an alarming light: "I see the Ultraman Tiga statue! Shinjo, move a little more to the right!"
"Good, stay at this angle and don't move!"
"That's it! That's the waveform!"
Zheng Jingwu's fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard, and the photogene converter began to emit a dazzling light.
The light in the pitch-black depths of the sea was like a newly born sun, piercing through millennia of darkness.
That is the culmination of human technology!
That was the ray of hope!
The beam of light pierced through the dark seawater and struck the color timer on the Ultraman Tiga statue with perfect accuracy!
"You must wake up! Ultraman Tiga!"
Zheng Jingwu roared and pushed the putter all the way down.
Light!
A pure, dazzling beam of light pierced through the black mist and shot straight toward the gray stone statue.
The moment the light touched Tiga's color timer, the statue seemed to react, and a faint light began to flicker at its core.
"It's done?!"
Old Tang jumped up from his chair, pressed his face against the screen, and shouted, "It's on! The light will be on soon!"
The live stream chat was filled with the word "resurrection," which almost completely obscured the screen.
It's done! It's really done!
I knew it! Science and technology are the primary productive forces!
[Daigo! Stand up! Give that giant conch shell a good beating!]
[It's lit up! It's lit up! It's lit up!]
[Gu the old scoundrel is awesome! Zheng Jingwu is awesome!]
【Rise again, my love!】
[They survived that easily?]
[No...look at Gatanothor!]
However, just when everyone thought a miracle was about to happen—the huge dark shadow moved.
Gatanothor let out a deep roar, a sound that seemed to come from the depths of hell.
It swung its enormous pincers, stirring up the seawater.
The violent current of water instantly dispersed the beam of light!
The Dolphin lost its balance, and its robotic arm made a teeth-grinding cracking sound.
"Oh no! The light has disappeared!"
Horii screamed in terror.
The photogene converter, which carried the last hope of all mankind, went out of control in the turbulent currents and rolled into the abyss like a withered leaf.
The light has gone out.
The faint light on the Ultraman Tiga timer flickered a few times before going out completely.
In that cramped space, watching the light source gradually recede into the distance, Zheng Jingwu let out a furious roar of resentment: "Damn it!!!"
The screen gradually dimmed.
Only Gatanothor's terrifying roar echoed.
The rescue operation failed.
Old Tang stood there blankly, holding his head in his hands, as if his spine had been ripped out, before slumping heavily back into his chair.
"It's over..."
"This time... it's really over."
"Even the light that Zheng Jingwu desperately sent in was interrupted..."
"Is humanity's most advanced technology, the GMGS propulsion system, really like a toy in the face of God?"
The live stream chat was completely emptied at that moment.
It's not that no one is posting, but rather that no one knows what to post.
In the real world, countless viewers watching television were plunged into a deathly silence.
That brief glimmer of hope was like a piece of candy that Gu Nan deliberately fed to the audience; before they could even taste the sweetness, he delivered a heavy blow.
This feeling of falling from the clouds to the bottom is more devastating than the initial despair.
Gu Nan! You have no heart!
Why give someone hope only to extinguish it?!
[Even though Zheng Jingwu tried his best, it still didn't work?]
[All the physical cheaters have been banned, how are we supposed to fight now?]
I can't watch anymore, really, I can't watch anymore.
On the online forum, the hardcore answerer with the ID "Light Saw Man" updated the post with trembling hands.
[Plan A failed. The physical injection of light energy was forcibly interrupted by Gatanothor. This monster is too intelligent; it doesn't give you a chance to resurrect. Now, apart from Deus Ex, I see no chance of winning. Gu Nan, are you really going to torture us to death?]
Finally, the scene shifts to the shelter.
The television news broadcast devastating news: "The rescue operation appears to have failed... It seems we are destined for destruction. Goodbye, everyone."
Inside the shelter, people wept bitterly, some prayed, and some wrote their wills.
Despair spread like a plague.
Gu Nan used the coldest strokes to depict the word "doomsday" with remarkable depth.
There were no miracles, no turning point; technology, wisdom, and courage all seemed like jokes in the face of the absolute power of "God."
But amidst this deathly silence, the camera quietly focused on a corner.
Several children were sitting there.
Some children were clutching their Ultraman Tiga dolls tightly in their arms, their eyes filled with tears, but the light in their eyes... had never been extinguished.