webnovelvip Chapter 71 An Angry Bird – The Battle of Zilda Center
Chapter 71 An Angry Bird – The Battle of Zilda Center
More than a month ago, in Jinghai City, at the No. 1 Studio of Chasing Light Film Studio.
The air was filled with the smell of dust, a smoke effect created by the props team to give the impression of an abandoned warehouse.
Gu Nan stood in front of the monitor, holding a rolled-up script in his hand.
"Click!"
Gu Nan's voice suddenly rang out in the quiet studio, interrupting the performance that was in progress.
He strode to the center of the venue and looked at the veteran actor in front of him, whose hair was gray and whose face was covered with sickly makeup—Li Jianguo.
In this episode, he plays Dr. Nezu, a tragic scientist burdened with twenty years of heavy sins.
"Teacher Li, something seems off about you."
Gu Nan didn't mince words, getting straight to the point. He knelt down and helped Teacher Li straighten her worn-out white coat, the collar of which was stained with machine oil and what appeared to be blood.
"Nezu was not only a 'mad scientist,' but also a coward who was afraid of death."
Gu Nan's voice was deep and resonant in the enclosed space, carrying a guiding magic.
"Teacher Li, think about it. Twenty years ago, because of his mistake, the Zildar gas leaked, destroyed the entire valley, and took away his only daughter. For the past twenty years, every second he has lived, every breath he has taken, has been torture."
Gu Nan raised his head and looked directly into Li Jianguo's eyes: "To those who don't know the situation, his 'persistence' might seem like stubbornness, a lust for power, or senility. But in reality, it's a kind of self-destructive atonement. I want the light in your eyes not to be a fanatical pursuit of science, but... the last embers before a resurgence, a final burst of light before death."
Li Jianguo paused for a moment, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He ran through the image of the old father who had lost his daughter in his mind.
Twenty years of solitude, twenty years of scorn, what has sustained him to this day is only that one unwavering belief.
When I opened my eyes again, the sprightly veteran actor was gone. In his place was an old man with a hunched back, cloudy eyes, and a stubborn air about him.
"Cough cough... cough cough cough!!"
He coughed violently, a cough that seemed to tear his lungs out, and he swayed as if he were about to collapse, yet he stubbornly refused to fall.
"Director Gu, one more take."
Li Jianguo's voice was hoarse, and there was a deathly palpable quality to it.
Gu Nan's eyes lit up, and he quickly retreated behind the monitor to give the order into the walkie-talkie.
"Alright! All departments, prepare!"
"Ultraman Tiga Season 2 Episode 7, 'The Battle of Zelda Center,' Scene 4, Action!"
……
Time flies, and it's Friday again.
Countless tokusatsu fans across the internet have already set up their little stools and are glued to their screens. After being bombarded with a series of amazing episodes in the first few episodes of the second season, the audience has now developed a strange "masochistic" mentality.
Although I knew that Gu Nan, that old scoundrel, might use a knife, I couldn't help but want to see it, and even wanted to see how sharp that knife was.
Bilibili updates promptly at 8 PM.
The title appears: "The Offense and Defense of the Zelda Center".
[This name sounds pretty hardcore!]
[A battle of offense and defense? Is it a large-scale operation?]
[As long as it's not a tearjerker like Obik, I'll watch it even if it's a massive, earth-shattering battle! Please, let me have a good watch!]
[Selling sunflower seeds in the front row...]
From the very beginning, a depressing atmosphere immediately sets in.
Amid the violent earthquake, an abandoned warehouse of TPC, located deep in the mountains, was almost completely cut off from contact.
The situation was so tense that even the usually smiling and virtuous Director Sawai personally took charge and closely monitored the scene, especially the so-called "storage room".
In a subsequent camera cut, the scene shifts to a dilapidated laboratory.
Amidst the ear-piercing sound of a glass shattering and shards flying, and a close-up of blood mingling and spreading on the floor, an elderly man coughs violently.
That's Dr. Nezu.
Each cough he vomited seemed to vomit his soul out, and large mouthfuls of blood stained the white handkerchief in his hand.
Amidst the chaos, the camera focuses on a picture frame lying on the floor—a faded, yellowed photograph.
The photo shows a smiling girl with a cockatiel perched on her shoulder, its feathers a beautiful yellow.
[Spitting blood right at the start? Who is this old man?]
The visual quality is absolutely stunning; it's so oppressive to watch.
Was that photo foreshadowing something? The little girl and the bird.
I thought it was Brother Kun, but it's just a bird.
Immediately afterwards, a huge, strange bird flew out from Mount Rausu in Hokkaido. It let out a piercing shriek and flew with incredible speed, heading straight for the deep mountain warehouse.
The Victory Team was dispatched immediately.
But this time, the command system exhibited a rare "anomaly".
Just as Captain Megumi was ordering the Flying Swallow II to bypass the monster and attack from behind to ensure safety, Director Sawai suddenly switched into the communication channel and issued a shocking order.
"Don't attack from behind! Attack from the front! Change the monster bird's flight path!"
At this moment, not only the team members in the drama, but also the audience in front of the screen were stunned.
【What the heck? A head-on confrontation? That doesn't make tactical sense!】
[What's wrong with Director Sawai? Isn't he usually the most caring towards his subordinates?]
[This is too reckless! Running head-on into it is practically suicide!]
[Plane crash prepared~~~]
But military orders are absolute.
In the footage, Deputy Captain Zong Fang demonstrated exceptional professionalism and a spirit of sacrifice.
He immediately ordered: "Unit One, take cover! Texas Cannon, prepare!"
The enormous Flying Swallow II charged toward the strange bird.
"boom--!"
The strange bird was struck by the light, lost its balance, and its huge body tumbled in the air before crashing heavily into the left wing of the Flying Swallow II.
Sparks flew everywhere, and the cockpit was engulfed in flames.
Munakata and Daigo were seriously injured and bleeding profusely.
The "culprit" behind all this, Director Sawai, could only sigh helplessly when questioned by Captain Megumi, and revealed the secret that had been sealed for twenty years.
"I'm so sorry... but it has to be done."
"That was the Zildar Center, an old-time Japanese military secret."
"It contains enough Zelda gas to turn an entire first-tier city to ashes."
As soon as this setting was revealed, the live chat exploded with questions and exclamation marks.
[Holy crap? What kind of poison gas is this that's so potent?]
[Is this poison gas? This looks like flammable gas!]
This is nuclear-level, isn't it?
Why keep this dangerous stuff? It should be destroyed as soon as possible!
TPC's move is baffling; they're practically sitting on a powder keg!
The plot quickly shifts to a flashback, revealing this long-ago event.
Twenty years ago, Dr. Nezu from Japan was a world-renowned energy research doctor.
In order to solve the energy crisis, he developed Zerda gas.
However, this is an extremely unstable substance.
This also led to Nezu himself developing an illness, and his health deteriorated.
However, Nezu believed in the bright prospects of using this gas, which contains enormous energy, as an energy source.
But they faced cold shoulders and lack of recognition everywhere.
Then, the accident happened...
A gas leak at Zildah killed his daughter.
Dr. Nezu heard about the tragedy over the phone...
From then on, Dr. Nezu was ostracized by the academic community and was known as the "cursed scientist".
And now, this cursed old man, dragging his broken body, appeared at the entrance of TPC.
"Let me in...that's my research..."
In the scene, Li Jianguo's acting skills exploded. His face was sallow, his lips were chapped, and he had to pant three times with every step he took, but when he looked in the direction of the center of Zildhall, there was a kind of unwavering determination in his eyes.
"I need to retrieve my research findings... I need to go..."
The moment this line was uttered, coupled with his pale, grotesque appearance and the earlier foreshadowing of Munakata and Daigo's serious injuries, the audience's anger was instantly ignited.
[Huh? This old man is a low-class person? What's his purpose in researching this gas?]
[Isn't the world of Ultraman Tiga already at peace with all of humanity? What's the difference in nationality then? Don't judge people with prejudice.]
Is this old man crazy? What time is it and he's still thinking about your research findings?
I think he's obsessed with money!
Isn't this the typical villainous scientist who brings endless harm? He killed his daughter twenty years ago, and now he wants to kill everyone else?
[For their own fame and fortune, they're willing to disregard human lives?]
[If a single bottle of eye drops can cause such damage, why not keep it in a secure laboratory instead of bringing it home?]
I think it's because no one supported the research, there was no money to build a laboratory, so they could only take it home, and they had no idea it could be so powerful before the accident.
The New City team members were clearly just "mouth substitutes" for the audience.
In the drama, everyone hears that a doctor named "Nezu" is visiting the entrance of the GUTS team.
They never expected that the "culprit" who developed Zerda gas would dare to come knocking on their door.
Shinjo rushed out of the base and grabbed Dr. Nezu by the collar.
He roared, "Because of that gas of yours, my commander is still lying in the operating room! Your daughter was killed by it too! And you still want to research it? Are you even a father?!"
This powerful performance left the audience feeling incredibly satisfied.
Well said! I support Xincheng in this move!
This is what it means to have sound values, both on and off screen!
This old man is too selfish; he's disregarded family ties for the sake of so-called scientific achievements.
However, Dr. Nezu did not defend himself or resist when faced with Shinjo's accusations.
Daigo stopped Shinjo.
The perceptive man realized that Nezu, who came to ask them to stop Sira, did not want the tragedy to repeat itself.
"Doctor, are you still conducting research to destroy the Zelda gas?"
"Um……"
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know that..."
Beside him, Xincheng, having calmed down, realized his slip of the tongue and apologized awkwardly.
He simply pushed Xincheng's hand away, his head bowed, like a child who had done something wrong, muttering to himself:
"What I did...was indeed a grave sin..."
"To atone for some of my sins..."
"There are still... many things that can be done..."
"As long as I'm alive... I have to do something..."
His voice was very soft, almost inaudible in the wind. But in the close-up shot that Gu Nan deliberately gave, the audience could vaguely see something was amiss.
In those cloudy old eyes, what seemed to be hidden was not greed, but a bottomless despair and a faint glimmer of hope that was about to be extinguished.
Daigo stopped the enraged Shinjo. Looking at the old man in front of him, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
"We will stop Sila..."
Dr. Nezu didn't say anything more, but silently turned around and left with heavy steps.
"I need to study this quickly... I don't have time..."
Wait a minute... something's off about this old man's eyes?
Am I getting used to being manipulated by that old bastard Gu? I feel like there's a twist coming.
Why did that phrase, "As long as you're alive," make me feel a little sad?
"As long as you're alive, you have to do something"—the more I think about it, the more something feels off.
[Oh no, I think I'm about to be proven wrong. There's definitely a story between this old man and this bird!]
……
The plot continues to unfold, and the pace quickens.
After experiencing the memories of the past from the perspectives of Sawai and Dr. Nezu, the plot progresses to the third "eyewitness" from that time...
Because Nezu's scientific research often takes place away from home, the lonely Mami is always accompanied only by her pet.
That was a cockatiel.
Her name is Sila.
Sila's pale yellow feathers and beautiful blue eyes, the same color as a windmill, highlight the beauty of the past and the memory of her loved one.
"It's alright, Sila."
Dr. Nezu's daughter, Asami, is building a small wooden house in a small tree in the yard.
That was the nest she made for her pet cockatiel.
"Okay, that way it won't fall anymore!"
Mami secured the carefully crafted wooden house to the tree and gently placed the two bird eggs inside.
Mami rescued the bird eggs that had fallen due to the strong winds yesterday and built a new home for the family.
Just then, the phone rang.
The foundation there has just experienced a setback in its business.
Asami had just returned home and picked up the phone to answer it.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh————"
The wind pushed open the curtains and rushed into the room.
The blue windmill then began to spin...
Snapped--!
Liquid Zelda gas in the home lab fell to the floor and quickly evaporated into the air.
Sila sensed the danger he was in.
He flapped his wings frantically.
Mami, however, had no idea why...
Is there any danger?
"What's wrong?"
At that moment, flames surged and rushed forth, arriving in an instant.
At the critical moment, Mami made the final decision of her life.
She opened the window.
"Sila! Run!"
Sila flew out of the window.
Its wings burst into flames, leaving only a trail of fire behind it...
Ah, so this is how tragedy happens...
So, why did the professor bring back something so dangerous...?
Birds are very sensitive to harmful gases. Before sophisticated instruments were available, chemical plants and liquefied gas plants would simply use a caged bird as a detection device. If the bird became listless or died, they would quickly apply a solution.
[Nobel also developed nitroglycerin (a liquid bomb) similar to Zildar gas, but it accidentally killed his brother and maimed his father during transport. However, the difference between Nezu and Nobel is that Dr. Nezu wanted to destroy Zildar gas, while Nobel later developed a safe explosive using diatomaceous earth as a diluent.]