The appearance of the monster was like a nightmare rising from the abyss, tearing apart the tranquil evening of Yangjibang in an instant.
The collapse of the cross-river bridge exploded in the air like thunder beside their ears. Chunks of reinforced concrete crashed into the river below, sending waves splashing skyward. The mist thrown into the air caught the fading sunlight, forming a strangely out-of-place rainbow.
Shen Yong's AR glasses instantly switched to emergency mode.
A series of red alerts flooded his vision.
"Disaster Level: Unknown. Please evacuate to higher ground immediately."
His AI assistant's female voice remained calm but urgent as it repeatedly broadcast the official announcement.
"Citizens, please cooperate with security personnel and evacuate in an orderly manner. The EUC has initiated an emergency response. Armed forces are en route."
The monster's enormous body rose fully from the river.
Nearly fifty meters long, its scale-covered form resembled a dinosaur at first glance—but a massive rhinoceros-like horn protruded from its head, impossible to ignore.
Faint blue electricity flickered along the horn.
Its hulking body loomed through the drifting water vapor, revealing a clumsy yet terrifying silhouette.
Shen Yong's heartbeat pounded like a drum.
He recognized the creature immediately.
Neronga.
The electric energy predator monster from the original Ultraman.
But this was not a rubber-suit battle on a television screen.
This was reality.
For a brief moment, the evacuation ground fell into stunned silence.
Then the crowd's fragile order collapsed instantly.
Just minutes ago, fans had been chatting about the premiere. Now they surged toward higher ground like a tidal wave of panic.
Security robots waved mechanical arms, their red-and-blue warning lights flashing wildly.
"Remain calm. Evacuate in an orderly manner. EUC armed response has been activated."
Human staff rushed about, guiding elderly people and children. Some screamed as they stumbled and fell. Navigation arrows from AR glasses flickered chaotically in people's fields of vision.
Shen Yong was pushed forward by the rushing crowd.
He instinctively tried to help a child who had fallen nearby—
But Neronga's roar rolled across the city like a deep thunderclap, causing the ground to tremble faintly.
His outstretched hand froze.
Neronga's antennae twitched.
The blue-white horn began gathering energy.
A sharp burnt odor spread through the air.
The monster crawled clumsily onto the riverbank on all fours. Its tail swept through the broken remains of the bridge's support pillars, sending shattered stones flying like artillery shells.
Amid the screams of the crowd, Shen Yong pushed out of the fleeing masses and ran toward an elderly man left behind outside the flow of people.
The old man wore outdated glasses and lacked the precision guidance of modern tech. Already slow with age, he now looked completely lost.
Yet even in this desperate moment, his withered hands still clutched a paper bag from the Ultraman premiere.
"Come on! Move!" Shen Yong grabbed the man's arm and helped him run toward higher ground.
Behind them, Neronga's charged energy finally erupted.
A blue-white arc of electricity swept across the riverbank, striking a stalled autonomous vehicle. The explosion illuminated the river surface with blazing firelight.
Wild electric currents spread like a spiderweb.
Nearby streetlights flickered and died.
Security officers shouted.
"Keep your distance!"
One officer manually authorized a defense protocol through his terminal. Security robots extended non-lethal stun batons from their mechanical arms, their warning lights shifting from red to alert orange.
But Neronga's roar drowned everything out.
It seemed to be searching for a larger source of electricity.
After a brief pause, the dangerous horn turned toward a nearby power substation.
Panting heavily, Shen Yong handed the old man over to a security robot and turned back.
Neronga had completely climbed onto land.
Its heavy footsteps crushed the low shrubs along the river embankment. Mud splashed with every step like rain.
Then—
The monster turned toward the high ground.
Each step shook the earth like a small earthquake as it advanced toward the crowd.
Security forces opened fire.
Blue pulses from handheld non-lethal weapons struck the monster's scales, scattering sparks.
But Neronga seemed completely unaffected.
It roared again.
Blue electricity began crackling around its horn once more.
Shen Yong's heart tightened.
Behind him, a child's crying voice rang out.
A little girl had been pushed out of the crowd and stood helplessly by the roadside.
The Ultraman doll she had been holding had fallen at her feet.
Shen Yong rushed over, scooping her up with one arm while grabbing the doll with the other.
After a brief hesitation, he spoke words meant to comfort her.
"Don't be afraid. I'll get you out of here! Ultraman will protect everyone…"
The girl's eyes were red and swollen.
Her gaze drifted as she murmured weakly,
"Monster… Mom…"
At that moment—
Neronga unleashed another electrical wave.
This time, it targeted the security personnel harassing it.
The lightning arc detonated a patrol vehicle behind them.
The explosion's shockwave blasted outward.
Shen Yong and the little girl were thrown through the air.
He tried to shield the girl with his body.
His back slammed violently into a streetlamp pole.
Pain surged through him like electricity.
Fortunately, at the moment of impact, his arms loosened.
The girl was flung by inertia into a nearby safe zone.
A metallic taste filled Shen Yong's mouth.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His AR glasses had shattered during the blast.
His vision blurred.
A violent ringing filled his ears, leaving him barely able to hear the girl crying nearby—or the distant growl of the monster.
Though the girl was temporarily safe, Shen Yong himself had been blown deeper into an alley by the explosion.
The surrounding walls, already weakened by the shockwave, began to crack.
Chunks of stone fell like shrapnel.
Shen Yong tried to stand—
But misfortune struck again.
A massive block of concrete crashed down from above, striking his head.
The world tilted instantly.
Blood from his forehead blurred his vision.
His consciousness sank.
Darkness surged in like a rising tide.
Shen Yong collapsed beneath the rubble.
Falling stones and dirt gradually buried him.
Time passed while he lay unconscious.
Fragments of dreams flickered through his mind.
His childhood home.
The flickering light of an old projector.
Ultraman's beam cutting through darkness.
He dreamed of standing beside his father, gazing up at the stars.
His father's voice echoed softly.
"The world is very big, son. But justice always answers those who believe in it."
The dream shattered suddenly.
Pain returned before consciousness did, crashing into his mind like a tidal wave.
Shen Yong slowly opened his eyes.
Night had already fallen.
The alley ruins smelled of scorched earth and salty seawater.
His body was buried under debris, but luckily a load-bearing pillar had remained standing above him, holding back the rubble and saving him from being crushed to death.
The shadow cast by the wreckage had apparently caused rescue teams to overlook this area during their initial search.
Blood still seeped faintly from the wound on his head.
His back and left arm throbbed with pain, though fortunately nothing seemed broken.
Even so, every breath felt like a knife cutting into his nerves.
In the distance, Yangjibang's night sky glowed red with fire.
Neronga's roar still echoed above the city.
Explosions and the shrill whistle of lasers sounded faintly in the distance.
Even after several hours, the situation had not improved at all.
Struggling, Shen Yong pushed himself up and crawled out from the rubble.
The light from his personal terminal barely illuminated the ground ahead.
Rubbing his eyes, he looked toward the river.
The monster had advanced into the core of the new district.
Its massive but devastating body trampled along the coastal avenue.
Streetlights and vehicles shattered like toys beneath its feet.
At last, the EUC armed forces had arrived.
Laser drones from the Asian Defense Force swarmed through the sky like a cloud of mechanical bees, firing pulse beams at low altitude.
The attacks struck Neronga's scales, scattering bursts of sparks.
Weapons that once possessed terrifying destructive power now seemed completely ineffective.
Worse still—
Neronga appeared to be growing irritated.
Its horn crackled with electricity.
A sweeping arc of lightning shot through the sky, blasting several drones out of the air.
Armored vehicles equipped with laser weapons formed a defensive line on the ground, unleashing dense blue laser fire.
Yet the attacks left only scorched black marks on the monster's hide.
Neronga roared.
Its tail swept sideways, crushing an entire row of vehicles.
The military forces were suppressed by overwhelming power and were forced to retreat step by step.
The monster's destruction spread like a tidal wave.
Glass domes atop skyscrapers shattered.
The coastal district had already become a sea of flames.
Screams and alarms merged into a desperate symphony of apocalypse.
Shen Yong's heart sank to the bottom.
This was not a dream.
It was a horrifying reality.
He felt around the ground and slowly forced himself to stand.
As the terminal's light swept across the debris, something unusual caught his eye.
A flash.
He adjusted the light and shone it toward the source.
A silver object appeared.
Half-buried in the dirt, it resembled a miniature metallic cube.
Its surface was smooth like a mirror.
At its center, a faintly glowing red button pulsed.
Wait…
This was—
The Beta Capsule?!
The transformation device from Shin Ultraman.
Shen Yong rushed forward and touched the surface of the cube with trembling fingers.
A cool sensation ran through his fingertips.
He immediately clenched the capsule tightly in his hand.
Blood pounded in his temples as countless questions flooded his mind.
Why was the Beta Capsule here?
Was this coincidence…
Or a gift from fate?
In the distance, Neronga roared again.
The sound snapped Shen Yong out of his tangled thoughts.
EUC emergency sirens echoed across the city.
Laser beams streaked through the sky.
The military's defensive lines were on the verge of collapse.
Shen Yong's old dream ignited once more like a blazing flame.
If this was truly the Beta Capsule—
Then perhaps he could become Ultraman.
Become the hero this moment needed.
The little girl's desperate crying still seemed to echo in his ears.
Sirens wailed through the night.
Shen Yong took a deep breath.
Just like in the film, he raised the capsule high.
Then he pressed the red button.
Closing his eyes, he imagined the red-and-silver form of Ultraman.
In his heart, he prayed.
Ultraman… if you truly exist… please answer me.
The next second—
Light burst forth.
And embraced Shen Yong completely.