"Z?"
Hokuto Seiji recognized it at a glance—the control of Haruki's body had already been handed over to Z.
"It's me, Ace-niisan!"
Z nodded enthusiastically, clearly delighted. He had not expected to encounter Ace on this Earth. As the saying goes, when compatriots meet far from home, emotions naturally run high—especially when their bond was something akin to father and son.
"How is it? Have you collected all the Medals?" Hokuto asked, his first concern being Z's mission—recovering the Medals swallowed by the Space Shark, Genegarg.
"Almost done!"
Z nodded and took the Medals out from the blue case at Haruki's waist, spreading them across the table.
A dazzling pile of Medals shimmered under the light.
"Good work, Z." Hokuto nodded in approval. "Hikari said that as long as the Medals don't fall into the hands of evil, there's no need to retrieve them."
"Then please convey my thanks to Senior Hikari!"
Z was visibly excited. If these Medals were to remain with him permanently, his combat strength would increase by an entire tier.
The meal that followed was exceptionally pleasant.
Hokuto Seiji, having gone a long time without eating Earth food, found everything especially delicious.
"You all somehow knew I like Earth-style skewers?" Hokuto asked while casually eating.
"I heard Taro once treated you to them on Earth," Yuzhou replied with a smile. "So, I ordered some specifically."
"I see."
Hokuto nodded with a chuckle, pleasantly surprised by how thoughtful Tiga's host was.
"By the way—who told you that?"
"Z."
Z: "???"
...
The next day, after eating and drinking their fill, Hokuto Seiji prepared to return to the Land of Light. Before leaving, he asked Z whether he wanted to go back together.
Z declined. Haruki still wanted to stay on Earth for a while. Z planned to finish persuading him properly before bringing him back.
What Yuzhou had not expected was that—even though Baraba had not been dismembered—the Earth Defense Force still recovered parts of its remains for research.
If this continued, these formidable humans would inevitably develop the D4 Ray from the original timeline.
A weapon capable of shattering space itself—reducing everything to nothingness.
Even the Yapool would weep upon hearing this.
Such a terrifying weapon—something a Terror-Beast researcher like Yapool never managed to create—was instead developed by Earth's humans.
If he had known earlier, why bother researching Terror-Beasts at all?
Just abduct a group of humans and let them develop the D4 Ray instead.
This discovery was made quietly by Juggler and reported to Yuzhou.
In the past, Juggler might have been tempted to seize such a weapon for himself.
But now, as a "Tiga," he had no need for it.
Originally, the D4 system was intended to be mounted on King Joe, but King Joe simply could not withstand the strain of firing it.
As a result, the Earth Defense Force developed an entirely new Special Storage Unit.
Mechanical Zero.
Unit Zero—Mechanical Ultraman Zero.
"Can Ultramen interfere with humanity's choices?" Juggler asked with a sly smile.
"You already know the answer," Yuzhou replied flatly, shooting him a look. "How many times have you interfered already?"
That question should be directed at Haruki instead.
"Besides," Yuzhou continued after a moment, "even interference would be pointless. The technology already exists. Even if you destroy Mechanical Zero, they'll just build another Special Storage Unit."
"What matters most is who controls that power—and how it's used."
In the original timeline, Director Kuriyama only went astray because he was possessed by Cerebro.
But now, everyone was acting of their own will. Cerebro was dead.
If power comparable to Ultramen rested in human hands, that was not necessarily a bad thing.
After all, monsters invaded Earth constantly. Earth needed such strength.
Ultramen would eventually leave.
Ordinary Special Storage Units alone were nowhere near enough to handle abominations like Grigio—or worse, Greeza.
Without Ultramen, Earth would have already been devoured.
"Then we observe," Juggler said after some thought.
When Mechanical Zero was officially deployed, that would be the moment he resigned.
That moment arrived quickly.
Yuzhou spent his days idling at home.
Daily news broadcasts reported Special Storage Units defeating one monster after another. Ultramen had almost completely ceased appearing.
Even Haruki had stopped transforming.
Z had already persuaded him to return to the Land of Light and fight alongside him.
With Mechanical Zero protecting Earth, there was nothing to worry about.
As for whether Haruki ever had that arm-wrestling rematch with Yoko—Yuzhou had no idea. Youthful matters were their own business.
Time passed quietly.
One morning, upon waking, a spatial vortex appeared before Yuzhou.
After calling Juggler to say goodbye, Yuzhou stepped into the vortex.
...
Back in his own world.
Yuzhou first returned to the village.
Despite having spent an entire journey in Z's world, only an hour had passed here.
Nothing had changed.
But during that trip, Yuzhou had decided.
He would personally rebuild this planet.
After being ravaged by monsters, Earth's civilization had been utterly devastated.
Reconstruction plans existed worldwide, but with current capabilities, returning to modern living standards would take decades.
And that assumed no further disasters.
If danger struck again, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Yuzhou's strength now rivalled that of the entire world. He no longer needed to fear exposure.
After some thought, he went to the village and found the "reconstruction officials."
Yuzhou already knew—they were not ordinary personnel, but representatives sent directly by the highest authorities.
"Give this to your superior," Yuzhou said, handing over a blueprint. "If they need clarification, have someone come find me in this village."
The blueprint contained scientific knowledge Yuzhou had learned from the Land of Light—primarily designs for construction and transport robots.
In a world reduced to ruins, such machines would be invaluable.
In addition, it included methods for manufacturing resource-extraction robots.
All required materials existed on Earth.
Yuzhou was confident that, in official hands, these designs would dramatically accelerate reconstruction.
The official was initially stunned, then suddenly understood.
He immediately contacted his superiors.
"Arrange transportation immediately—I'm going to meet the Commander-in-Chief!"
A hurried shout echoed through the communicator before the line went dead.