When Ultraman appears in reality, however:

……

Time flies by on Earth.

By the time rescue forces were finally able to enter the war zone, the smoke of battle had been billowing for three full days. The destruction stretched for 500 kilometers, and two cities were almost completely wiped off the map.

Thousands of lives were lost in the disaster, and humanity stood in silent tribute before the ruins. Candlelight vigils spread from one city to another, and social media was filled with black-and-white photos and eulogies. But after the grief came a chilling clarity.

The UN emergency special meeting lasted for 72 hours. When the final resolution was announced, the foreign policies of countries around the world underwent a fundamental shift.

The newly drafted Agreement on Responding to Extraterrestrial Threats is very concise.

"Any country or armed force that encounters a non-Earth-origin organism is authorized to immediately use all necessary force to annihilate it, and shall submit a complete contact report to the local joint command center within fifteen minutes of the start of the operation."

"This clause applies to all non-human intelligent entities, including but not limited to alien beasts, cosmic monsters, extraterrestrial life forms, and—Ultraman, who was once regarded as a potential ally by some countries and teams."

……

Before being dragged away by the power of the red ball, Yueji chose to talk to someone about something.

Inside the private dormitory, the oil from roasting mutton sizzled on the charcoal fire. Lin Chongyi flipped the iron skewers, glancing across the room.

"Want a few skewers?"

Looking at the black and white pixel blocks, Yueji shook his head.

"No."

"I've heard that Sujing's barbecue is very famous. Is it really okay not to try it before I go?"

"Hmm... I'll just eat some easily digestible energy bars... it won't be too much of a burden."

Yueji replied casually.

The main matters have been discussed, and it's time for him to leave.

"When will you be back?"

"Six months to a year, according to relativity."

"Explain it to me." Lin Chongyi raised his chin, seemingly very interested. In the small dormitory, only the candle next to the hot pot flickered with a faint orange light.

"Space-time... Time and space are both based on a single line, except that you never move and never actually approach the speed of light. There's only so much space on a single line, but we humans usually use it for time."

When you're fast enough and gravity is strong enough, more space is used, so time seems to pass more slowly—it's that simple.

"Since you can move faster than light, does that mean you can live longer and never die again?"

Upon hearing this, Yueji could only manage a wry smile.

"No, traveling faster than the speed of light doesn't change the composition of your own particles, so what's the point of thinking about that?"

"I just wanted you to live a little longer. I haven't heard your whole story yet... so I wanted to wait until you came back to tell you."

It's a pity that you won't have it so easy when we meet again... and you might not even be able to come back.

Yueji did not respond to Lin Chongyi's words. The other party just stared at her blankly, his eyes seemingly unfocused.

he murmured.

"Some people are happy... but they also feel pain because of happiness. When I was a child, my father was a chef, and I often helped out at the front desk."

That was such a happy thing... It was such a small thing, but it made me feel so happy. The days seemed to pass so slowly back then.

Ordinary people always have regrets, but they also have happiness... I just want to protect my family and live a peaceful life. I've never talked about serving the country or the people. Sometimes I'm too selfish, even afraid of death.

"Um……"

After giving a perfunctory reply, Yue Ji prepared to leave, but Lin Chongyi pressed her for an answer at that moment.

"So, Yueji, are you afraid of death?"

"what?"

Yueji paused upon hearing the voice, feeling that the other person had said something pointless.

"Are you afraid of dying?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious about what it's like after death. If I had your abilities, I'd probably know what the world after death is like."

Lin Chongyi paused for a moment, then continued, "You are not afraid of death, or rather, you understand death too well. You neither seek life nor death, so asking you if you are afraid of death is probably useless."

More than that, I'm curious about what the world is like after death.

Yueji stared into the other person's tired eyes and began her explanation.

"After death, there is nothing, just pure nothingness, nothing more. It's important to cherish your life; you should think about what to do after that."

"Why don't you go into more detail?" Lin Chongyi said, turning on the recorder to document everything. However, Yue Ji's answer was quite scientific.

It's even very realistic.

"After death, everything ceases to exist; it is neither darkness nor light. You will enter the state you were in before you were born."

That is nothingness, nothingness, like a dream from which you can never wake up.

"That sounds scary."

"That's true, but you just need to imagine that this is just your state before you were born, because at that moment there is nothing left, you have no feelings, and you don't even have the concept of 'you' anymore."

The neurons that make up your consciousness stop firing, matter returns to the natural cycle—and the illusion called 'self' vanishes. There is no soul, no reincarnation, no heaven or hell.

Nothing remains, nothing is left, that's all. A second and ten thousand years are no different.

"It's terrifying because you're still imagining it from the perspective of being 'alive.'" Yueji stood up, casting a long shadow. "But death is precisely the end of 'imagination.' When you truly reach that state, even the concept of 'terrifying' ceases to exist."

At this point, Yue Ji also got up to leave. Looking at that back figure, Lin Chongyi sighed, "The more illusory it is, the more we have to face all of that?"

A death with nothing is often more terrifying... Good luck, Moonlit Night.

Life is only a few years long; to be able to think and to live is truly a good thing… but death doesn't mean liberation… if you understand it that way.”

Looking at the decision-making plan on the table, Lin Chongyi shook his head helplessly.

A person who could die at any moment did this...

……

2026 1 Month 1 Day.

New Year's Day is fast approaching, and the new year has arrived. There is no Ultraman, and the monsters and alien beasts are also not showing up, as if they are going against him.

Meanwhile, no one knows that hundreds of millions of light-years away, a battle is still raging.

Qin Haoyu got into position, and after countless self-criticisms, he decided to face his true self for once.

Otherwise, how can one overcome their past self?