Chapter 24: I am Saving Someone

“What?” The boys who had aided in the cruelty exchanged glances, knowing full well themselves. As for the person in the shack, they had no proof he was an alien, even if he looked like one. And they had even less evidence connecting this boy to that supposed alien. They just wanted to bully the kid! They admired Ultramen, but under the leader’s words, they felt compelled to go along, fearing his retaliation otherwise. Mu Yang gave them a cold look. Sometimes, indifference was a form of bullying too! Seeing them too scared to speak, Mu Yang walked up to the boy on the bicycle and grabbed him by the collar. “What do you want?” The boy, all bluster but no backbone, was fine bullying weaker kids, but facing someone stronger, he was scared. Especially this guy—did he grow up eating melamine (san ju qing an)* or something? Why was he so strong? He struggled to break free, but Mu Yang’s grip was like iron, firmly holding his clothes. “You love bullying others, don’t you? Well, let’s see how you like being on the receiving end!” Mu Yang sneered, landing a heavy punch to the boy’s stomach. The boy curled up in pain, nearly vomiting his guts out. “Look at you. That’s all you’ve got!” Mu Yang tossed him to the ground like rubbish. He hadn’t even used his full strength. He wasn’t a human host; Mu Yang was himself, but he couldn’t unleash his full Ultraman power in this form. Still, his physical abilities far surpassed a normal human’s. If he’d gone all out, this kid would’ve been flattened into a pancake. “Cough, cough!” The boy collapsed on the ground, unable to speak. He glared at Mu Yang with venomous eyes, but being the coward he was, he didn’t dare act or talk tough. He had a feeling this guy didn’t even see him as human. “Wait, what are you doing?” A familiar voice rang out. It was Hideki Go and his group arriving at the scene. “Brother Go!” Jiro ran up happily. He didn’t think Mu Yang’s actions were wrong—after all, these boys had nearly killed someone. They’d even pushed him earlier! “Hm! Jiro, Mu Yang, what are you doing here?” Hideki Go looked at Mu Yang helplessly. Was this guy picking a fight? Really? He didn’t doubt Mu Yang had done anything wrong. Mu Yang’s light was undeniable. If Mu Yang did something bad, that’d be the real surprise. “Someone was trying to kill another person. I’m saving someone!” Mu Yang’s sharp gaze swept over everyone present, making the accomplices tremble, too scared to speak. Saving someone? Are you sure you’re not the one killing? But they didn’t dare say a word. Joking aside, their leader got knocked out with one punch—who knew if he had internal bleeding? As for the boy on the bicycle, staying conscious was already a struggle, let alone explaining himself. And how could he explain? “Is that so?” Hideki Go looked at the buried boy, understanding dawning. He hurried over to help, trying to pull the boy out. Mu Yang glanced at the group, feeling a wave of helplessness, then headed toward the rundown shack. There really was an alien there! He wanted to see for himself and understand how an alien, faced with this situation, would react. Would they swallow their anger or harbour resentment? There were plenty of friendly races in the universe. Not every alien came to invade Earth. But if Earth kept acting like this, it would anger every faction. Even Ultramen might not keep protecting humans. “Mu Yang, what are you…?” Hideki Go pulled the boy out, his heart heavy with mixed emotions, especially after Jiro recounted everything. He didn’t know what to say. So, in the eyes of many humans, monsters and aliens were brought by Ultramen, and it was their duty to help humans eliminate them? Ultramen were indeed saintly in the universe, but that didn’t mean they lacked emotions. They protected humans mainly because humans resembled their former selves. They had bad apples too, but those died out during their evolution. Now, the planet he protected at all costs had people who thought like this. How could Hideki Go not feel heartbroken? But soon, he pushed those thoughts aside. Sure, there were scum among humans, but many were worth protecting, like Akiko and the others! Before Mu Yang could enter the shack, a figure staggered out. His face was deathly pale, like a ghostly mask, exuding an eerie aura. “A Metz alien?” Hideki Go narrowed his eyes, quickly recognising the figure.

Footnote: san ju qing an (三聚氰胺) – Melamine, a chemical infamously linked to a 2008 Chinese milk scandal where it was added to milk to falsely boost protein readings, causing health issues. Here, it’s used sarcastically to imply unnatural strength.