Under the blazing midday sun, the ruins of Yangjibang revealed even greater devastation.
The commercial streets of the coastal district—once the financial center and a paradise for shoppers—had become nothing more than heaps of rubble. Luxury goods lay buried beneath dirt and debris, mixed with bloodstains and shattered glass.
The search for missing persons was like looking for needles in the ocean.
A collapsed subway tunnel had swallowed an entire train. Rescue teams scanned the wreckage with acoustic detection devices, but all they found were twisted rails and scattered belongings.
Damage assessment reports poured in relentlessly.
The EUC Economic Division estimated that 580 square kilometers had been destroyed, and the cost of rebuilding might overwhelm the entire budget of the Asian Division.
The EUC's response had entered a critical stage.
The formation of the Monster Countermeasure Division (MCD) advanced with wartime urgency.
Inside the command center, Mark Reyes convened a global video conference. The wall displayed projections of representatives from the EUC's European, American, and African divisions.
"The Titan Project has begun," he announced.
"Prototypes of cluster laser cannons and high-energy particle weapons must begin testing within two weeks. Their purpose is to penetrate monster-scale armor."
"Liquid nitrogen freezing bombs and high-explosive bunker-penetrating missiles must have working prototypes within 72 hours."
"And within 24 hours, I want confirmation of the readiness of our existing thermonuclear weapons."
At the same time, the search for the giant continued.
The intelligence division analyzed thousands of social media videos, identifying several possible eyewitnesses. Iris scans narrowed the list to survivors located near the ruins of the coastal district.
Patrol robots swept the area constantly, but no trace of unusual energy had been detected.
Mark stared at the screen.
"If he's human, then we must find him."
"We need his secret. We need the ability that allowed him to transform into that giant—if such power truly exists…"
He trailed off, muttering under his breath.
Nearby, Ellie Solen contemplated the data.
The giant's heat distribution had been almost identical to that of a human.
Perhaps it truly was some kind of transformation device.
She couldn't help wondering what sort of technology could allow a human being to become such a powerful giant.
Amid the ruins of Yangjibang, a cluster of orange-red tents had quietly appeared.
Inside the camp stood sara kim, thirty-two years old, a Korean woman directing a newly formed civilian organization:
The Dawn Mutual Aid Society.
Sarah was the heir to the logistics empire YAC Logistics, a corporation controlling a large portion of global shipping and transport.
From bulk agricultural commodities to industrial raw materials.
From lunar mining shipments to terrestrial freight.
YAC's network connected them all.
Her family's corporation was famous for efficiency.
But it had long been criticized for neglecting its lowest-level workers.
YAC's delivery drivers and logistics workers often lacked insurance or formal employment contracts. By classifying them as independent contractors on its platform, the company avoided significant labor costs.
The contracts were carefully constructed and legally airtight.
Sarah had studied in Europe during her youth, majoring in sociology and AI ethics.
Even then, she had always doubted her family's relentless pursuit of profit.
Those doubts—combined with a quiet guilt that came with privilege—had driven her to secretly donate to environmental and charitable causes many times.
After joining the company's leadership, she repeatedly attempted to improve worker benefits.
But pressure from the board made real reform impossible.
Then came last night's disaster.
Neronga's electric shockwaves destroyed the Asian headquarters where she had been working.
She watched employees buried beneath collapsing structures.
Blood seeped into the rubble before her eyes.
In that moment, the cold shell she had worn at the top of a corporate tower shattered.
For the first time, she truly saw the fragility of ordinary people.
Migrant workers in the coastal district.
Families trying to survive.
Now they struggled desperately through the ruins.
And she could not forget the red-and-silver giant who fought the monster.
Sarah had never watched Ultraman, but she had witnessed Shen Yong's battle with her own eyes.
She was grateful to the giant who had killed the monster and saved her life.
At the same time, she felt she had to do something.
Watching the victims of the disaster, a powerful guilt welled up inside her.
She believed she had a responsibility to act.
So she spent the night writing a proposal to YAC headquarters.
Her plan was to establish a humanitarian relief organization funded by the company.
This time, the board did not oppose the idea.
There were several reasons.
First, such an organization would greatly improve the company's public image.
Second, YAC's logistics capacity already exceeded current market demand, so using excess transport resources for humanitarian aid would cost very little.
Most importantly, participating in charitable relief efforts would allow the company to receive significant tax exemptions.
Sarah knew these factors well.
She was confident the proposal would pass.
In fact, she had already begun mobilizing volunteers before the board even gave official approval.
Using YAC's surplus logistics network in the Asian Division and the funding provided by the company, she gathered surviving employees and residents to form the Dawn Mutual Aid Society.
Its emblem was simple.
A sunrise over a blue ocean.
Half of an orange sun rising above the horizon—symbolizing rebirth after disaster.
Standing in the relief camp, Sarah wore a simple AR headband projecting a coordination interface.
"Volunteers," she announced through the loudspeakers, "a shipment of medical supplies has arrived at Warehouse B. We need to distribute them from Zone B to the outer ruins."
Hundreds of surviving employees and residents responded with determined voices.
In times like these, courage and action were needed more than anything.
Even after disaster, as long as people were alive, there was still hope.
At that moment, Shen Yong was asleep.
He was dreaming.
In the dream, he saw the original Ultraman.
Standing across from him was the familiar uneven silver mask.
Shen Yong already knew he was dreaming.
The Ultraman from his memories stood silently before him, observing him as if examining his soul.
The giant looked him up and down.
Then nodded.
Ultraman slowly extended his right hand.
His palm opened.
Resting there was a silver cylinder.
There was no mistaking it.
The Beta Capsule.
Even though Shen Yong knew it was a dream, tears streamed down his face.
This was the original Ultraman.
And now the original Ultraman himself was handing him the Beta Capsule.
It meant acknowledgment.
Recognition.
Recognition that Shen Yong was worthy of becoming Ultraman.
His hands trembled as he accepted the capsule with both hands.
Lowering his head, he studied it closely.
It looked exactly as it did in his memories.
His mind was filled with overwhelming emotion.
Gratitude.
Admiration.
Reverence.
He had so many things he wanted to say.
Surely Ultraman knew what had happened to Earth.
Why the monsters had appeared.
Slowly, Shen Yong raised his head, trying to gather his thoughts.
But—
Ultraman had vanished.
Only darkness remained.
A sudden chill filled Shen Yong's heart.
"Ultraman!" he called out desperately.
But only silence answered him.
Endless darkness.
"Ultraman!"
Shen Yong jolted awake.
Warm white light surrounded him.
He looked around.
It appeared to be an emergency medical tent.
His mind slowly returned to clarity.
His first instinct was to search for the Beta Capsule.
He checked his pockets.
Nothing.
The capsule was gone.
At that moment, someone stepped into the small partition of the temporary tent.
It was a young nurse.
She wore a white uniform designed for mobility. On her left sleeve was the EUC Disaster Response Department insignia.
A work badge hung from her chest identifying her as medical staff from the Yangjibang Emergency Medical Center of the EUC Asian Division.
She seemed to notice what Shen Yong was searching for.
Smiling gently, she spoke.
"Mr. Shen Yong, are you looking for your personal terminal?"
"I'm very sorry, but we weren't able to find it. We've already filed a loss report for you."
"Because there are so many replacement requests right now, it may take a couple of days before you receive a new terminal."
Shen Yong looked at her.
It seemed she knew nothing about the Beta Capsule.
He gave an awkward smile and followed her line of conversation.
"Yeah… without a personal terminal, it feels like I can't do anything."
"It's alright," the nurse replied softly.
"You still need to remain under observation for a couple of days anyway."
"Don't worry—EUC will cover all your expenses during this time."
She tapped on her handheld terminal while speaking.
"You're recovering very well."
"When we found you, you had a mild concussion, multiple bruises, and several minor burns."
"We suspect that after you were knocked unconscious by falling debris, you came into contact with electrified water."
"Fortunately, the voltage of the current that struck you wasn't very high."
The young nurse continued checking his vitals.
"Your consciousness is clear, and your mobility has returned."
"We'll need you to undergo a few simple examinations shortly."
Then she hesitated for a moment.
"By the way…"
"Have you seen… um…"
"Ultraman?"