Moonlight team, are you awake?

One person laughed and said, "I've thought about it too. When I was a kid, I always felt special and thought I would encounter some amazing opportunity someday. But now, I rush to work on the subway, buy groceries and cook. Life is ordinary, and I've slowly gotten used to it."

“Me too,” one user chimed in. “When I was little, watching those heroes made me think I would one day become incredibly powerful, strive for my dreams, and become everyone’s idol. But as I grew up, I realized I’m just an ordinary person, and sometimes I even feel like I’m not as good as ordinary people…”

"Haha, isn't that what life is all about? Who hasn't fantasized about saving the world? But in reality, what we can save might just be our family and friends, an ordinary job, or simply make our daily lives a little less difficult."

As I gazed at the scrolling comments on the screen, my eyes softened. These messages, filled with joy, emotion, tenderness, and even some candid expressions of vulnerability and regret, deeply moved me.

He smiled at the screen and said, "What I want to say to everyone is... thank you so much for your continued support. Without you all, I couldn't have fought this battle alone."

He confessed, "In fact, during every battle, everyone's encouragement and support would turn into real strength and empower me. This is not just a comfort, but I really received the strength from everyone."

"Huh? Really? You can do that??"

"Holy crap, does that mean I have a part in saving the world?"

"Thanks, I enjoyed it."

"Support turns into power, is this what Ultraman is all about? Looks like I'll have to grab a megaphone and shout next time."

"I have a loud voice, I'll go first!"

I sincerely said to the screen, "Actually, it's not just the support that matters. In many battles, I couldn't handle it on my own. I had to ask the defense team for help. It was with the support of the defense team and everyone else that I was able to defeat the enemy."

"Oh, I was involved too. I'm an employee of the G-79 New Energy Development Base. They said they were going to urgently allocate the base to that insect monster to help Gaia fight it."

"Our factory produces parts for X-ray generators. A couple of days ago, the higher-ups suddenly requested all the parts, and we had to work really hard to get them."

"Uh, so we miners at the mines can be considered to have barely participated? At least we provided the raw materials!"

"The engineering design drawings for the new energy development base were produced by our college, so we have a copy too."

"Then if I work hard to send my son to school and he gets into the engineering college, that counts as part of my efforts too."

"I'm a plasterer, so helping to build the factory counts as helping out, right?"

"I'm just a free spirit. I always cheer for Gaia, so count me in."

The atmosphere in the live stream became lively again. This time, there were no barriers or filters between people, and everyone truly interacted and communicated with each other as human beings.

I answered many of the questions raised by the viewers in the live chat. Some were normal, asking him about his mindset and what it felt like to become Ultraman. Others were more bizarre and funny, asking him if he felt like taking a dump when he became Ultraman.

Some bolder female and male audience members even asked him, "Are you still single? Do you want a partner?"

I could only awkwardly scratch my head and say, "It's not like that anymore. I have someone I love very much, and she likes me too."

"My defenses have been breached."

"Waaah, this is really the protagonist's life! He has super powers and beautiful girls."

"The person upstairs is right, now it's your turn to fight the monster."

"Huh? I'm doing a Hell difficulty dungeon? Really?"

"Hehe, anyway, I also contributed to Gaia's power in fighting monsters, so I'm not jealous (sunglasses)."

While I was having a lively conversation with the live stream, lightning suddenly flashed and thunder roared over the distant Pacific Ocean. Thick black fog billowed from the ocean depths, and a relic that had been sealed for 3000 million years began to slowly rise to the surface.

Lightning rolled through the dark clouds, its flashes illuminating the churning fog above the sea. Crimson cracks seemed to tear the sky apart, illuminating a hazy, indistinct outline on the surface. It was a colossal ruin, slowly rising from the depths of the ocean, carrying with it countless layers of slumbering dust and the marks of time. It resembled an ancient behemoth, sealed beneath the sea for thirty million years, now finally breaking free of its heavy shackles and slowly revealing itself to the world.

The viewers in the live stream were unaware of this sudden anomaly, still immersed in the inspiration and emotion of my dream. But the defense forces' radar system immediately detected the unusual activity in the area. Alarms sounded instantly within the base, red lights flashed, and all the defense personnel were jolted awake from their screens, their eyes focused on the surveillance footage of the Pacific region.

"What's going on?" Ju Jianhui quickly stood up from the screen where she was watching the live broadcast and went to the central screen.

“A dramatic change has begun to occur over the Pacific Ocean. A massive ruin has surfaced, and black mist is spreading outwards from it. But…” Horii said incredulously, “But that thing shows no signs of mass reaction. No, let alone mass reaction, if it weren’t visible to the naked eye, it would be completely undetectable by any instrument!”

"What?" Megumi was startled. She suddenly had a strong sense of foreboding, a feeling she had never had before when any enemy appeared.

She stared at the images on the central screen, her brow furrowed, unable to conceal her unease. She was already used to the sudden attacks of monsters and enemies, but the eerie scene on the screen sent chills down her spine. The ruins, though floating on the sea, emanating black mist—strange and awe-inspiring—had no apparent mass, as if they were merely shadows, or a nightmarish illusion.

"Horui, are you sure you haven't detected any mass reaction?" Her voice was low and tense, her gaze fixed on the floating ruins.

Horii, looking bewildered, kept adjusting the instruments, trying to find more traces. "Yes, Captain, if we hadn't seen it with our own eyes, I would have almost thought it was just an instrument error, but it really exists there—at least, visually it does."

"What exactly is this ruin?" Shinjo muttered to himself, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. He looked around and saw tension, even fear, on everyone's faces.

As the ruins rose to the surface, a thick black fog surged from the depths of the Pacific Ocean, spreading in all directions. The fog seemed alive, carrying an eerie and oppressive power as it continued to expand outwards. In mere moments, the sky surrounding the Pacific was completely swallowed by the fog, the sunlight was blocked, and the air became heavy and chilly.

"Report! The black fog is spreading rapidly and has already covered the waters around the Pacific Ocean!" Horii's voice was filled with barely concealed tension as he stared at the black fog diffusion map displayed on the screen. The data was fluctuating wildly, showing that the fog was spreading faster than he had imagined.

The black fog, like a silent disaster, spread across the globe on storm-like air currents. In just a few moments, the skies over Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania were swallowed by darkness. The fog crossed mountains, oceans, and cities, obscuring the sunlight and bringing a suffocating sense of oppression.

Just as the black fog blanketed the globe, plunging Earth into endless darkness, a sharp whistling sound pierced through the fog, tearing through the deathly silence of the sky. A massive and sinister figure suddenly emerged from the darkness, its wings spread wide, like a shadow that blotted out the sky.

It was a gigantic bird-like monster—Zoga, the messenger of darkness, the vanguard of the black mist. Its body resembled a giant, jet-black eagle, its wings covered with sharp, razor-sharp feathers, each flap of its wings bringing forth a chilling wind. Zoga's eyes emitted an eerie red light, like crimson flames in the darkness, staring intently at the city and its inhabitants on the ground, filled with a destructive desire.

As the black fog spread rapidly and Zoga appeared, the system pushed an emergency notification from the defense forces—the black fog was spreading to all parts of the world at an unstoppable speed, and all residents needed to immediately go to designated shelters for refuge.

Many viewers, not having time to watch the scene on the screen, quickly shut down the live stream and rushed to their respective shelters, causing the number of comments in the live stream chat to plummet instantly. The sirens of the defense forces blared in the streets, and people frantically rushed out of their homes, running towards refugees. Black fog had descended upon the city, enveloping every corner, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

"Please, Gaia... no, High Mountain, I dream!" someone prayed softly as they ran, their gaze fixed on the sky with complex emotions, their hearts filled with trust and hope for the hero.

The last few people remaining in the live stream watched I-Meng on the screen with worry and reluctance in their eyes. They didn't want to leave, wanting to continue cheering him on and giving him their final support in this dark moment.

As I gazed at the supportive messages left on the screen, a wave of warmth washed over me. He nodded gently, his gaze resolute as he said to the screen, "Please go and seek refuge without worry. I will... fight with everything I have."

The comments scrolled slowly, leaving only a few final messages:

"My dream, hang in there! We'll be waiting for you to come back from the shelter."

"Please, Gaia... no, I'm dreaming!"

"Whether you are Gaia or my dream, you will always be our hero."

Chapter 289 There's no way we can win? I don't understand...

The moment I dreamt of stepping out of the room, everyone's eyes were on him.

The fact that I dream of being Gaia is particularly impactful for my teammates.

However, there was no time left for them to talk. Although I had a thousand words I wanted to say to Meng, I could only stare at him and nod to him in the end.

Let's talk about this when we all come back alive.

Captain Megumi, seeing that Gamu had already taken out the Blue Sapphire Cone, couldn't help but call out, "Gamu, my teammate!"

I turned my head and saw her holding a helmet in her arms, her gaze firm, like a sharp sword: "We must win!"

I nodded in my dream, then raised the sapphire cone high—

"GAIA!!!!!"

A dazzling light shot out from the base, transforming into Gaia's figure in mid-air. Then, one after another, the defense force's fighter jets and armored vehicles filed out from various bases.

The black fog is uncontrollably covering the entire Earth. Even after covering the Earth's sky, it continues to spread into outer space. Every second, its distance of advance doubles. In just a few breaths, the Earth will no longer be visible from the outside.

My dream's figure transformed into light and instantly appeared before Zoga. Its unparalleled power slammed Zoga down from mid-air, leaving it powerless to resist as it plummeted to the ground with a crash.

Then, my dream's figure landed, and at the moment of landing, it received a strong response from the earth.

"Zhua!" Imeng strode towards Zoga, each step kicking up dirt as the earth responded. His steps seemed slow, but he arrived in front of Zoga in an instant.

As Zoga scrambled to his feet after falling to the ground, before he could even get a good look at his surroundings, a massive red fist appeared in his field of vision. The powerful and overwhelming Super Supreme Punch instantly knocked Zoga out of his mind. Imu immediately unleashed a barrage of left and right hooks, sending Zoga spinning wildly like a top. Then, a spinning kick sent Zoga flying.

Before Zoga could land, I had already charged up the Photon Stream. As soon as the Photon Stream was released, it instantly vaporized Zoga's body in mid-air.

But in the instant Zoga evaporated, in the distant Pacific Ocean, the ruins of R'lyeh rose completely to the surface, and a pair of scarlet eyes opened in the darkness.

A roar like that of an elephant echoed across the Pacific Ocean, shaking the earth and changing the color of the sky. Both humans and Gaia felt an unprecedented fear welling up from the depths of their hearts—not of power, but of absolute destruction—the evil god Gatanothor had awakened.

Having just defeated Zoga, Gamu suddenly felt an irresistible force take control of him, and he was forcibly transformed back into his human form from his transformed state.

At the same time, the light of all the stars in the universe suddenly began to dim. One star after another lost its light, and even the light that had already been emitted disappeared in mid-air, and the entire starry sky instantly became pitch black.

"How could this be?" I dreamed, taking out the Blue Sapphire Cone and trying to transform again, but the Blue Sapphire Cone was dark and he received no response.

The huge difference left Meng dumbfounded. He had thought that he might not be able to defeat the evil god, and he had also thought that the situation might be overwhelming, but he never thought that after the evil god was resurrected, he would not even have the ability to transform and fight back.

"Me, dream? Are you me, dream?" Someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Then, those who were rushing to take refuge stopped and looked at him.

"It's him, it's Gaoshan I dream of!"

"What's up with him?"

Feeling ashamed under the gaze of those around him, I felt a pang of embarrassment. He clenched the sapphire cone in his hand, which had lost its luster, and said to everyone with a sense of helplessness and shame, "I'm sorry... I can no longer become Gaia."

"what?"

"How could this be?"

At that moment, the world seemed to stand still, the surrounding air seemed to be sucked away, and everyone's eyes were focused on Gaia. The once invincible Gaia now stood among the crowd, having lost her ability to transform, becoming an ordinary human. This sudden change stunned everyone, their eyes filled with indescribable shock and bewilderment.

“I don’t understand either…” My Dream’s voice was low and weak. He raised his head and looked at the sky, where the once star-studded night sky had turned as dark as ink, as if the brilliance of the entire universe had been swallowed up. “The evil god Gatanothor… its power far exceeds my imagination. It can not only affect the entire universe, but even my power has been suppressed.”

The scene that unfolded here was quickly captured by street surveillance cameras and uploaded to the internet. After being identified by the artificial intelligence Krissis, it was sent to the defense base.

Standing in the crowd, under everyone's gaze, I felt unbearably ashamed. He carried everyone's hopes, but at this moment, he couldn't even transform and fight.

Suddenly, a pair of rough hands grabbed him. When I looked up, I saw an old woman. There was no disappointment or disdain in her eyes, only concern. She looked at me with worry and said, "If you can't transform now, why don't you come with us to take refuge? You're just an ordinary person. You can't stay outside at a time like this."

I was startled, then looked around. The people didn't look disappointed as I had imagined. Many of them looked at me with the same concern as the old woman: "Yes, come with us. We can discuss other things later. The black fog is about to descend!"

Come with us.

"Don't be reckless. As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn!"

I stood there in a dream, silent for a moment, listening to the voices of the people around me—concern, comfort, encouragement, and even a few strangers holding my hand, giving me strength. Looking into the eyes of these ordinary people, a complex emotion suddenly welled up inside me.

"Thank you." I looked down at the Blue Sapphire Cone; it was still dull and lifeless. The power of the evil god far exceeded my imagination.

At that moment, a loud roar sounded, and the Flying Swallow No. 1 landed not far away. Shinjo jumped out of the pilot's seat and ran towards him.

"I happened to be in the airspace nearby, so the captain sent me to pick you up." Shinjo was slightly out of breath. "Krissis has already told us about your situation. Come back to base with me first, and we'll think of something else!"

“Okay.” Now that things had come to this, I didn’t stand on ceremony. He turned around, nodded his thanks to the passersby, and then boarded the Flying Swallow No. 1 with Xincheng and flew towards the base.

In mid-air, I dreamt that black mist was gradually settling down from the sky. It was foreseeable that the black mist was not an environment where life could exist. If it really settled completely on the ground, or even sank into the underground space, then everyone would have nowhere to escape.

"Don't overthink it." Xincheng, sitting in the driver's seat, suddenly turned his back to him and said, "It's hard to accept falling from such a height all at once, but honestly, you've done enough. Maybe it's just that we were destined to be like this today."

"There must be a way." I looked down at the Blue Treasure Cone. No matter what, he had to give it a shot. He couldn't accept losing without doing anything in the end.

"I hope so," Shinjo said with a helpless smile.

The fighter jets quickly returned to the base, where everyone was preparing to evacuate as the black fog began to settle and the high-rise building of the defense force base was gradually being invaded.

Everyone was in a flurry of activity. Staff members could be seen everywhere in the base, nervously carrying documents and equipment back and forth. Shinjo led my dream into the command room, where Kijima was waiting alone.

At this very moment, a series of devastating news reports came through the command center's broadcast system:

[The entire Asian branch's fighter squadron was wiped out]

[North American branch paralyzed]

The decisive weapon, Desfasa, sank.

[Australia branch incapacitated]

Multiple Zoga were observed flying to various parts of the world.

[The West Asia branch has lost contact]

Less than half an hour after the evil god awoke, humanity's defense forces were almost paralyzed, the defense army lost its fighting power, Desfasa was destroyed by the black mist, and even he, the light of the earth, could not transform.

The atmosphere in the command center was unusually heavy. The huge display screen on the wall flashed emergency reports from all over the country, each one like a hammer blow to everyone's heart. When Shinjo and Izumi entered the command center, Captain Megumi stood in the center, her expression grim. She quickly glanced at the two of them, her tone calm but revealing an undeniable weariness.

“New City, we’ve lost contact with everyone else as well.” Megumi’s voice was devoid of any emotion. “We’re under lockdown, not just spatially, but also in terms of communication. The black fog is spreading much faster than expected, and now, I’m afraid even the hope of mobilizing reinforcements is slim.”

"What should we do?" Xincheng frowned, looking at the world map on the screen. The many red areas looked like warning lights, stinging his eyes.

Megumi shook her head helplessly: "This enemy is beyond the norm. If it weren't for my team member Meng saying that there is an evil god, we wouldn't even know what the source of this disaster is. The black mist emitted by the enemy alone has already wiped out all our power."

"Captain Megumi, the Atlas is ready. Please proceed to hangar F4 as soon as possible to board the warship for evacuation!" A staff member in work clothes rushed to the door to report.

"I understand." Megumi nodded, then turned to Gamu: "Gamu, come with us."

Just as I was about to say something, Captain Megumi raised her hand: "I know what you're worried about. I've also sent someone to pick up the girl who often comes to work in your place. She's on the Atlas. Go see her."

"Okay, I understand." I finally nodded and turned to walk towards the F4 hangar.

The group hurried through the base's corridors. An emergency evacuation announcement came from ahead. Staff were busy preparing the last supplies, and the warship's engines were already roaring, ready to start.

Upon arriving at the hangar, I dreamt of a massive warship silently anchored on the tarmac—the Atlas, humanity's most advanced and powerful warship to date. Its hull bore prominent defense insignia, and all the soldiers and crew were ready.

Just then, a familiar voice called out from afar: "It's me, Meng!"

I suddenly turned around, and there stood Guangzi and Jet at the boarding gate not far away.