noveltune Chapter 259 Stone Wings: The Courage to Look Up at the Stars
Chapter 259 Stone Wings: The Courage to Look Up at the Stars
The 22nd episode of "Ultraman Gaia," titled "Wings of Stone," has officially premiered.
However, this episode did not immediately jump into a tense battle, but instead began with a somewhat depressing and soothing narration.
The image has a nostalgic warm yellow tone, and the camera is focused on the back mountain of a slightly remote town.
A boy's voice, acting as narration, slowly began to play:
"Legend has it that long ago, in our town, there was an incredible stone that fell from outer space."
The camera pans down the hillside and focuses on a huge, mysterious rock shaped like a flying bird.
In terms of appearance, Gu Nan directly referenced the magical medical gadgets created for the adaptable users by a creator of a relic that would only appear in the future.
As for the future, whether someone will be doing archaeological digs and exclaim, "So the old thief had already laid the groundwork back in the Gaia era!" is something Gu Nan doesn't care about.
Since it's called Stone Wings anyway, and it will be used cleverly in the story, it's hard to say whether Tsuburaya Productions in the original world intended it as foreshadowing.
Returning our focus to the original drama:
"We call this stone the Stone Wing. It's a stone that looks a lot like a wing. When I was a child, I always looked up at the sky and fantasized about having a spaceship with Stone Wings, traveling through the vast universe."
As the boy narrated, a boy with a schoolbag appeared in the picture; his name was Hongxi.
At this moment, he stood alone below Stone Wing, holding a small iron shovel in his hand.
The narrator's tone suddenly turned somber.
"But now, this childhood fantasy is finally coming to an end. Goodbye."
In the video, Hongxi dug a small pit, put a long, tightly wrapped object into it, and then forcefully covered it with soil.
After doing all this, he ran down the hillside without looking back, as if he were fleeing something.
At this moment, the comments on the screen began to drift by sparsely.
Why does this start feel a bit depressing?
[Stone Wings? Is this some new ancient ruin? Could it be sealing away monsters?]
[I don't understand. There are so many close-ups, and this is the episode title, so it must be useful, right?]
What did this little boy bury? It seems very important to him, so why bury it?
[I'm guessing this echoes the narration from earlier.]
The openings of the last few episodes have all been so artsy; Gu Nan's narrative style is starting to feel a bit pretentious these days.
The scene then shifts to XIG's air base.
Inside the command center, routine monitoring work is proceeding smoothly.
"That's strange, the communication isn't very good, there's slight interference." Georgie sat in front of the control panel, looking at the fluctuating values on the screen, and frowned slightly.
Li Muzi, who was standing nearby, leaned over and glanced at the data: "Is this because of the bad weather?"
"Bad weather? I think it's probably because of that thundercloud." Georgie pulled up a satellite cloud image and pointed to a thick cloud layer over a certain area.
At this moment, Meng walked over, glanced at the screen, and casually said, "I've already investigated, but there's nothing unusual about the thundercloud itself."
Di Cheng also said, "It's really rare to see thunderclouds at this time of year."
Finally, the commander of the stone chamber gave the order: "Pay special attention to the weather conditions."
Then, as if remembering something, I turned around and looked behind me: "By the way, I haven't seen Advisor Ye Qian lately?"
Ishimura replied, "Chief of Staff Ye Qian has been dispatched by headquarters to Kyoto to attend a summit of heads of state from various countries."
As the two began their conversation, the audience snapped out of their daze.
[Setting another flag!]
Since you say there's nothing unusual, then there must be a serious problem!
This thundercloud looks completely abnormal! What kind of thundercloud has built-in communication interference?!
[The Destruction Invitation Format: You're right if you didn't notice anything unusual; I'll give you a big surprise later.]
Has Advisor Ye Qian also left? Is this episode going to switch to Advisor Ye Qian's perspective?
Just as the comments predicted, the scene immediately switched to a bustling highway.
A black company car is driving smoothly.
In the back seat of the carriage, Staff Officer Ye Qian frowned, his expression grave.
The heated argument at the meeting was replaying in his mind.
"Recently, mutations have been occurring all over the world, yet your GUARD still cannot grasp the full picture of the Root Annihilation Entity!"
A high-ranking official slammed his fist on the table, his tone full of accusation, "I ask you, when exactly will we be able to uncover the true face of the enemy?"
Faced with this question, Staff Officer Ye Qian could only helplessly reply, "I can't tell you right now. But if the international cooperative organization collapses now, I think GUARD's operations will be severely affected. In that case, defending against the invasion of the Root of Destruction will be basically impossible."
But the other side wasn't buying it, pressing further: "But Advisor Ye Qian, if we continue to trust GUARD, can we really avoid being destroyed? What should we do then?"
Recalling this point, Chief of Staff Ye Qian let out a long sigh.
More and more high-ranking officials and countries are becoming dissatisfied with the GUARD.
It takes a lot of time to persuade them one by one, and they are actually quite uneasy about it.
Since the emergence of the Root of Destruction, everyone has felt uneasy about the unpredictable future.
This fear of the unknown is like a malignant tumor, spreading in the hearts of all mankind.
The comments section also became serious at this moment.
[If you put yourself in their shoes, monsters are falling from the sky every day, and the defense forces claim they don't know who the enemy is, who wouldn't panic?]
Fear is the oldest and strongest human emotion, and the oldest and strongest fear is the fear of the unknown.
Humanity operates in the open, yet its destruction lurks in the shadows, impossible to guard against.
"There's still some time before the party tonight, would you like to go somewhere to rest first?" the driver in the front seat asked softly.
Staff Officer Ye Qian looked out the window, his gaze sweeping over a shop on the street, and suddenly spoke up: "Excuse me, could you please stop for a moment? I'd like to buy a Voyager 2."
The driver brought the car to a stop, and Staff Officer Ye Qian walked into an astronomical instrument store.
The scene shifts again, and Staff Officer Ye Qian, carrying an exquisitely packaged box, arrives at an ordinary residential area and rings the doorbell.
"uncle!"
The door opened, and the boy who opened it was Hongxi, who had just started burying things in the back hill.
He saw Staff Officer Ye Qian and greeted him politely, but there wasn't much surprise in his eyes.
"Mom, Uncle is here," Hongxi called out into the house.
Hongxi's mother, wearing an apron, came out and looked very surprised when she saw Advisor Ye Qian: "Brother, you haven't been to my house for three years."
"Because I'm too busy with work."
Staff Officer Ye Qian smiled as she changed into slippers and looked Hongxi up and down. "Hongxi seems to have grown quite a bit taller."
"They always treat me like a child, but I'm all grown up now."
Hongxi muttered awkwardly.
Staff Officer Ye Qian handed over the gift box, his eyes full of affection: "You've grown up, haven't you? Here, this is for you."
"Great! Can I open it?" Hongxi took the box.
"Of course you can, and you even said you've grown up."
Hongxi skillfully unpacked the package, revealing a brand-new and sophisticated astronomical telescope inside.
"This is Voyager 2."
Staff Officer Ye Qian explained with a smile, "The lens on the one your uncle gave you three years ago was a bit too small. With this, you can see more stars."
Everyone thought Hongxi would jump for joy, but to everyone's surprise, the expectation on Hongxi's face vanished instantly, replaced by a slight disappointment and resistance.
He put the binoculars back in the box and said in a low voice, "Thank you, but I don't need them anymore."
"No need?" Advisor Ye Qian was stunned, his smile freezing on his face. "What, aren't you going to look at the stars anymore?"
Hongxi looked up, a flicker of fear inappropriate for his age flashing in his eyes: "Looking at the sky now, all I see are terrifying things. Monsters that want to destroy the earth, and primordial annihilation entities... that's all."
Upon hearing this, Staff Officer Ye Qian stood there dumbfounded.
The Destruction Bringer not only destroyed the city, but also killed the children's dreams.
Looking at the sky used to be romantic; now it's a death knell!
No wonder he buried the old telescope at the beginning; he was afraid to look at it again.
The psychological trauma inflicted on civilians in a post-apocalyptic atmosphere is indescribable.
Yes, compared to physical destruction, this kind of psychological crushing is the most despairing.
The scene then shifts to Hongxi's memories.
It was a quiet night three years ago.
Little Hongxi and Staff Officer Ye Qian set up the old astronomical telescope on the hillside where Shi Zhiyi was located.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Xiao Hongxi exclaimed excitedly, looking at the camera. "Is that Saturn? I think I can see its rings!"
"Beyond that are Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. That's where our solar system ends."
Staff Officer Ye Qian patiently provided guidance.
"So what's outside the solar system?" Xiao Hongxi's eyes shone with pure curiosity and longing. "Could there be other planets with life?"
"I think so."
Then, Staff Officer Ye Qian told Xiao Hongxi a story: "In 2007 AD, the Kennedy Space Center launched two planetary probes, Voyager. They carried a lot of information from Earth, flying into the distant, unknown depths of the universe. For example, the sound of the wind, the calls of animals—the sounds of Earth were recorded on gold-plated discs. There were also 120 photographs of farmers, children, astronauts, and so on, introducing humanity. Voyager carried these messages, traveling all over the universe..."
The traveler's story planted a seed in little Hongxi's heart...
Back in reality, Hongxi locked himself in his room, leaning against the door, his eyes slightly red.
"So I named the telescope my uncle gave me Voyager 1."
Hiroki murmured to himself, "But I no longer look at the stars. So I buried Voyager 1 at the Stone Wing."
Outside the door, Staff Officer Ye Qian stood in the corridor, his heart heavy.
He took a deep breath and, through the door, spoke in an extremely serious yet powerful tone:
"Hiroki, can I talk to you? The Root Annihilation Entity does indeed exist. This is the reality we have to face..."
Just as Advisor Ye Qian was trying to comfort his nephew, a crisis was quietly approaching on the other side!
Inside the airbase, urgent alarms suddenly blared throughout the command center.
The red warning lights were flashing wildly.
"The thundercloud suddenly expanded rapidly!"
"Where is it?!" Commander Ishimura asked immediately.
"POINT365K, up in the sky!"
I dreamt of someone else chiming in: "Behind this cloud, spacetime distortion has occurred!"
Di Cheng's expression changed drastically: "Could it be... there's a wormhole behind the clouds?!"
Commander Shi Shi acted decisively: "Immediately notify the residents in the area to evacuate! Chief Di, dispatch the Lightning Team immediately!"
"No problem, deploy immediately!" Director Di Cheng immediately issued the order via broadcast.
The cabin door opened, and three fighter jets from the Lightning Squad roared out, heading straight for the thundercloud area.
However, the situation was worse than expected.
"Commander, the communication line is malfunctioning!" Li Muzi shouted anxiously.
"Try all satellite channels!"
"There's interference on every line, we can't communicate!" Georgie stared at the static-filled screen, cold sweat beading on her forehead. "Could it be because of the thunderclouds?"
"The wormhole is about to open!"
The pace of the comments section suddenly accelerated.
[It's coming! The giant monster is about to land!]
[Full screen silence! Monsters with built-in EMPs are the most annoying.]
They also engage in information warfare.
Ground troops are helpless without communications.
XIG always suffers heavy losses when fighting monsters with these mechanics.
The scene then cuts to the ground.
The POINT365K area is the city where Staff Officer Ye Qian and Hong hope are located!
A deafening roar came from the horizon.
The once clear sky was instantly covered by dark clouds, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
A massive wormhole tore through the clouds, and a huge, ferocious-looking monster crashed to the ground!
Cosmic Thunder Beast, Batsus!
It had two enormous curved horns on its head, and the moment it landed, it unleashed extremely violent lightning from its horns, striking the surrounding buildings fiercely. Skyscrapers collapsed like paper under the lightning strike, flames shot into the sky, and explosions echoed one after another.
The city was instantly transformed into a living hell.
"Get out of here quickly!"
"Hurry! Get to safety!"
"Don't panic, everyone!"
On the streets, people screamed and scattered in all directions. The evacuation guidance force at Geo base was trying its best to maintain order, but its efficiency was extremely low without communication.
Hongxi and his mother were also among the fleeing crowds, being pushed and shoved by the surging tide, facing constant danger.
"Headquarters, please respond! This is Squad B. Please indicate the evacuation route to the rear!"
"This is headquarters! Class B, please take refuge via the national highway! I repeat..."
"Headquarters! Headquarters! The residents of the West District have fled here too! What on earth are the guides of Class A doing?!"
"The radio is down! We have absolutely no way of knowing what's going on!"
The ground communication channels were filled with chaotic static, and all the teams had completely lost contact with each other, bringing the guidance work to a standstill.
In the sky, the Lightning team had already arrived at the battlefield.
"Sidewinder missile, fire!" Captain Wei Weike locked onto the target and decisively pressed the launch button.
However, the missiles lost their aim as they approached Bats, missing their target and landing on the open ground around the monster.
"The Lightning team's missile accuracy has dropped! How could this be?!" Wei Weike stared at the screen in shock.
I quickly analyzed the data in my fighter jet and loudly reported to the commander: "Because of the monster! The electromagnetic waves it released have caused the missile radar guidance system to malfunction! Disconnect the guidance system! We can only attack manually!"
However, due to severe interference, my dream's suggestions could not be smoothly conveyed to every fighter jet. Air combat also became mired in a quagmire.
The chaos on the ground is escalating.
At this critical moment, a calm and powerful voice rang out from the noisy crowd.
"Trains are completely prohibited from using the old Line 21!"
Staff Officer Ye Qian had somehow appeared on a high point in the street. He stopped a command vehicle from the Geo base, his eyes sharp as an eagle as he looked at the unfolded paper map.
"Deploy personnel at the Xincheng intersection! Then guide the residents of the western district to the waterfall in the scenic area!"
Staff Officer Ye Qian shouted an order to a sweating guide, "You're responsible for relaying the message to each squad! After everyone has taken refuge, use a signal flare to notify everyone!"
"yes!"
The guide seemed to have found a pillar of support and immediately turned to carry it out.
Staff Officer Ye Qian didn't stop. He continued to move through the chaotic scene, giving decisive commands: "Send one person from Squad A to guide the ambulances! You're in charge of evacuating the residents of the East District! Go and guide the residents! Hurry! Hurry! Act quickly!"
Under his direction, the team, which had been running around like headless flies, miraculously began to regain order.
In the nearby crowd of refugees, Hongxi was pushed and fell to the ground.
He looked up and saw his uncle dressed in casual clothes.
Facing the terrifying monster raging not far away, the uncle did not back down at all. Instead, he went against the flow of fleeing people and stood in the most dangerous place to direct everyone.
Hongxi was stunned.
The words his uncle had spoken to him through the door echoed in his mind once again.
"The primordial annihilation entity does indeed exist. This is the reality we must face. Perhaps that's why you gave up observing the stars."
"But you need to face reality and think about it like an adult..."
"When you stop looking up at the sky, what do you lose, what do you truly lose...?"
Boom!
Another bolt of lightning struck, its light illuminating Hongxi's youthful face.
At that moment, as the boy looked at his uncle's fearless back, the fear in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a bright light, as if emerging from a cocoon.
"What I truly lost... was the courage to face all of this!"
Hongxi suddenly got up from the ground. Instead of running with the crowd towards the safe zone, he turned around abruptly and ran against the flow of people towards the back mountain!
"I'm going to bring Voyager 1 back!"
The boy cried out in his heart, "I buried it at Stone Wing!"