SEC Chapter 116 The Betrayed Sun
Chapter 116 The Betrayed Sun
Friday nights at 8 PM have become an almost "biological clock" conditioned reflex for the current state of the Chinese internet.
Since Gu Nan announced that "Ultraman Seven: Project Origin" would be updated twice a week, the waiting time this week seems to have become both long and full of anticipation.
This time, Gu Nan didn't resort to any trailer deception or create any smokescreens.
This episode marks both the "end" and the "rebirth" of the entire Ultraman Seven character in a certain sense.
Title: The Betrayal of the Sun.
The number of viewers in Lao Tang's live stream has already exceeded ten million.
"Brothers, enough chit-chat."
Old Tang clicked on the series directly. The title, "The Betrayal of the Sun," immediately evoked a strong sense of tragic epic.
With the countdown reaching zero, episode five officially begins.
The scene did not cut directly to the defense force base, but instead moved to a remote mountain village—Gongxi Village.
The cinematography is extremely realistic. Sunlight filters through the leaves, dappling the forest floor, where a middle-aged man is diligently digging for medicinal herbs. Suddenly, the hoe hits something hard, making a crisp "clang" sound.
The man dug into the soil in confusion, then his pupils suddenly contracted.
That's gold.
A natural gold nugget, about the size of a human head, shimmered with a dazzling luster in the sunlight.
"I'm rich... I'm rich!"
The man trembled as he picked up the gold nugget and ran home as if he had found a priceless treasure.
But this is just the beginning.
When the man returned home, he was shocked to find that his wife had dug up the same huge gold nuggets not only in the mountains, but also in their own farmland.
Soon, news that Gongxi Village was full of gold spread like wildfire.
The once peaceful village instantly erupted into chaos, and human greed was amplified to an extreme degree in that moment.
On the screen, villagers are seen fighting each other over a piece of land or a stone.
"I saw it first!"
"Bullshit! This is my land!"
The ugly faces are revealed in every detail under the high-definition lens.
The comments section was filled with sighs of regret from the audience.
Good heavens, is Director Gu planning to film "The Golden Era"?
[People die for wealth, birds die for food—this opening is so realistic.]
[But this gold came about so mysteriously! Like a pie falling from the sky?]
However, a strange scene happened.
Just as the villagers were fighting fiercely, an invisible force enveloped the entire village.
At night, the people who had been fighting tooth and nail for gold during the day became unusually "harmonious".
They no longer argued or got angry; instead, like soulless puppets, they wandered around the village filled with gold, their faces bearing stiff and eerie smiles.
The vast village was plunged into a deathly silence of "peace".
This stark contrast sent a chill down Old Tang's spine as he watched the show: "Something's not right. That expression is creepy. It's like... a kind of emotionally numb calm."
Soon, the Ultra Guard intervened.
Such a large-scale discovery of gold naturally caused great social upheaval.
Captain Bai Yong personally led a team to Gongxi Village to conduct an investigation.
By the river, Captain Bai Yong tried to ask the villagers who were panning for gold, but the villagers were extremely slow to react, as if they were indifferent to everything around them and only knew how to mechanically repeat the digging motion.
"Captain, the way these people look at us... is strange."
One of the team members said in a low voice.
Just then, a huge, eerie "eye" filled with blood vessels suddenly appeared in the sky!
The eye merely swept across the scene, yet all the gold prospectors present seemed to have something instantly ripped from their faces, revealing expressions of extreme pleasure.
However, the group sensed something was wrong.
When the eyeball started absorbing energy again, Tuan shouted a stern warning to stop it.
The eyeball seemed to sense the group's non-human identity, uttered a threat, and then vanished without a trace.
As the plot unfolds, the core conflict of this episode gradually comes to light.
Just as the audience was wondering whether the eyeball was good or evil, the group was attacked by villagers controlled by the eyeball.
Subsequently, this mysterious force seemed to have sensed the arrival of the Ultra Guard and began to manipulate the villagers to drive them away.
In order not to harm humans, Dan is constantly constrained and even misunderstood by Kazamori and Keisuke.
Amidst the chaos, the camera focuses on the three only conscious people in the village.
A retired university professor lives with his grandson and granddaughter in a thatched cottage far from the village center.
The old professor held up a small pine nut and uttered a line that left countless viewers deep in thought.
"Though pine nuts are small, they contain the genetic material that a supercomputer could hold."
"However, no supercomputer can survive for five hundred years like a pine tree. Human creations can never match the products of nature."
They lived a self-sufficient life and were oblivious to the gold.
[Another witty remark!]
These episodes have a pretty high level of philosophical depth.
……
However, even such a paradise cannot escape it.
Several thugs influenced by dark forces broke into the place.
"Old man, hand over your valuables!"
One of the female thugs was so ruthless that she even tried to attack the old man's granddaughter.
The girl's terrified scream pierced the night sky.
At the critical moment, members of the Fengsen and Shima patrol team, who were patrolling nearby, arrived in time to stop the violence.
But just as the conflict was about to escalate, the mysterious "eye" reappeared.
It didn't attack anyone, but instead emitted a beam of light that instantly absorbed all the violence, greed, and anger in the thugs' hearts.
The once ferocious thugs became as docile as lambs in the next second, and even began to apologize to the old man.
The viewers in the live chat were completely stunned by this scene.
[Is...is this alien doing a good deed?]
[Absorbing the evil thoughts of bad people and turning them into good people? That sounds pretty good, doesn't it?]
[Don't be naive, upstairs. Without emotions, is that still human? That's just a walking corpse!]
Dan Moroboshi noticed something was wrong, so he disguised himself as a member of the Kazamori team and investigated further.
After calming the frightened grandfather and grandson, the old professor's words enlightened countless viewers in front of the screen.
"What's the point of all that gold if it can't produce food or be used for decoration?"
"I do not defy the laws of nature; I now live in harmony with nature."
The old man's words were simple and unadorned, yet they struck like a heavy hammer against the hearts of those caught up in a materialistic society.
But this is just a prelude; the real core conflict is about to erupt.
After some investigation, the group finally discovered the source of this power—a hyperspace portal connecting to a distant universe.
At the other end of the passage was a "sun".
Banderas.
This star, located in the Banderas system, came into view.
But he is old.
"I am Banderas... I have been burning for billions of years, and my energy is about to run out..."
That aged yet powerful voice echoed in the command center of the Ultra Guard and in the ears of every spectator.
"I can no longer provide light to my galaxy... so I came to Earth."
"I need energy... I need all that negative emotion in your human hearts."
The truth came out.
It turns out that Banderas came to Earth not to invade, but to "survive".
In his eyes, Earth is the "dirtiest" planet in the universe.
This place is filled with greed, jealousy, anger, hatred...
These negative emotions, which are poison to humans, were the best fuel for Banderas, whose life was about to end.
Immediately afterwards, Banderas offered a "deal" that humanity could not refuse.
"If you offer me these negative emotions so that I may reignite them... in return, I will eliminate all your suffering and bring eternal peace to the earth."
The moment this condition was announced, the Ultra Guard was in an uproar.
Inside the command center, a heated debate about "human nature" unfolded.
Rimi, a player who is usually very emotional, showed an unprecedented determination at this moment.
"We should say yes!"
Rimi stared at the dying sun on the screen, tears welling in her eyes. "Wouldn't this be the best outcome—saving life in an entire galaxy and eliminating human suffering and war?"
"Human beings live with hatred and desire, which is so painful! If we could take all of that away, wouldn't the world become paradise?"
However, the members of the Zhimo team strongly opposed it.
"What a joke! That's a disguised theft of human emotions! This is a form of spiritual invasion!"
"Without hatred, there is no love; without desire, there is no motivation to progress!"
"If even negative emotions disappear, what's the difference between humans and machines?"
Gu Nan handled this dramatic scene with great tension.
There are no monsters destroying the city special effects, only the clash of ideas.
Staff Officer Furuhashi, this once hot-blooded and tough guy, now sat at the command post and said in a deep voice, "Satomi, you're wrong. All negative emotions originate from within the human heart. Even with the power of the sun, it's impossible to completely eradicate the darkness within."
"The only way is to transform one's negative energy into positive energy through the choice of human free will."
"If someone becomes a so-called 'good person' by relying on external forces, then that 'goodness' is fake."
This dialogue elevates the theme of "Ultraman Seven" to a philosophical level.
At this moment, the debate in the live chat reached its peak.
Why destroy it? Wouldn't it be better to eliminate greed?
[Upstairs, how can humanity progress without desire? That's just domestication!]
That's the cruelty of this part of the plot; there's no absolute right or wrong.
Old Tang couldn't help but sigh in the live stream.
"That's so well said! That's what humanity is all about! We're not perfect; we have greed and jealousy, but it's precisely because we strive to overcome these that humanity's brilliance is so precious! To be castrated of emotions is true annihilation!"
……
Ultimately, the higher-ups decided to reject Banderas's proposal and ordered the destruction of the hyperspace portal.
But the Rimi team members still couldn't bear to do it.
Meanwhile, in order to find out the truth, Dan Moroboshi decides to go to the Banderas system himself.
A red light streaked across the sky, and Seven traversed the hyperspace portal, arriving at that distant galaxy.
However, what awaited him was a scene of utter despair.
Dead silence.
Absolute silence.
The planets that should have been orbiting Banderas were now empty.
There was no sign of life, and even the planet itself was barren.
Seven floated in space, looking at this dead star field, and finally understood everything.
When he returned to Earth with the truth, Rimi's team was holding explosives, hesitating at the entrance of the tunnel.
Banderas continued to entice her with that pitying tone: "Save me...save my child..."
"Stop, Banderas!"
The group's voice interrupted everything.
He stared at the illusory image of the sun, his eyes filled with sorrow.
"That galaxy is devoid of life."
"Your children...those lives you once desperately burned to illuminate, have long since abandoned you."
These words struck like a bolt from the blue.
So this is the true meaning of the title "The Betrayal of the Sun".
It wasn't that the sun betrayed life, but rather that those beings protected by the sun betrayed it without hesitation when it was about to die out and become old and useless, migrating to other star systems.
This is the story of an abandoned old man.
Banderas was unwilling to believe, or rather, unwilling to face, this cruel reality.
"No! Impossible! As long as I reignite, they will come back! They will come back!"
Banderas has gone mad.
Like a mother on her deathbed who keeps talking about her unfilial children, even at the last moment, she is still making excuses for those who abandoned her.
That sense of desolation, transmitted through the screen, made every viewer feel a suffocating heartache.
This is too tragic... This is just too tragic.
So this is what betrayal truly is...
[This is like killing someone by destroying their spirit! Gu Nan, you have no heart!]
Negotiations broke down.
Banderas went completely berserk and grew to gigantic size.
Since he couldn't obtain the energy, he decided to devour it by force.
A massive hyperspace portal began to expand, and a gigantic monster with countless eyes and an extremely terrifying appearance—the Sun Beast Banderas—materialized and appeared on Earth!
Dan Moroboshi no longer hesitated and put on the Ultra Glasses.
"Jooo!"
Ultraman Seven has arrived!
This battle will be a tough one.
Although Banderas is an aging sun, he is still a star-level being.
The moment the two clashed, Seven was violently thrown away by his opponent's terrifying strength.
Banderas's eyes emitted scorching light, which Seven dodged to the side. The light struck the ground, instantly vaporizing a mountain peak.
Immediately afterwards, Banderas used his solar telekinesis.
Seven's enormous body was suddenly lifted into the air and suspended in mid-air, unable to move.
Then, Banderas slammed Seven to the ground like he was throwing a rag doll.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled, and dust flew everywhere.
Seven knelt on the ground, his chest heaving violently.
Against an opponent of this caliber, conventional fighting techniques seem to have lost their effectiveness.
"Arise! Seven!"
Amidst the shouts of countless spectators, Seven stood up again.
Since we are outmatched in strength, let's attack their weaknesses!
Seven keenly observed that Banderas's source of power lay in the largest eye on his head.
He suddenly leaped up and swept his hands above his head.
Ultraman Head-Shaped Beast!
The silver blade, with a whooshing sound, precisely sliced towards Banderas's main eye on the top of his head.
"Pfft!"
A strange, muffled thud—the dart had struck!
Banderas, having lost his main eye, let out a painful howl, his fighting power instantly diminished.
Seven gave his opponent no chance to breathe, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Cluster rays!
The golden light, like a sword of judgment, pierced through Banderas's body.
But this is not enough.
The powerful celestial monsters possess extremely tenacious vitality.
To end this tragedy once and for all, Seven used the Freeze Beam.
A white, frigid aura instantly enveloped Banderas, freezing the raging sun into an ice sculpture.
Then, Seven lifted the ice sculpture and flew into the depths of space.
In space, the enhanced beam of light completely destroyed Banderas's body.
The light from the explosion resembled the sun burning for the last time.
Although it's a monster, watching it struggle for survival and ultimately find itself abandoned by its own people is truly heartbreaking.
Human greed and desire are both a driving force and a poison.
What would the world be like if people lost all negative emotions...?
……
The battle is over.
The crisis was over, and the Earth returned to peace.
However, for Dan Moroboshi, his journey is also coming to an end.
With the conclusion of a series of events, it was time for him to leave Earth.
That night, the moonlight was as clear as water.
The group arrived at a familiar place. There stood an elderly man with gray hair—Staff Officer Guqiao.
This was the last private meeting between two old comrades-in-arms after decades.
Gu Qiao looked at the still-young group with deep emotion in his eyes.
"Team leader, are you leaving?"
The group didn't speak, but simply nodded silently.
Gu Qiao sighed, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the stars in the sky: "Sometimes I wonder if we humans are too forgetful."
"Seven fought so many times to protect us. But as time goes by, everyone will grow old and die."
"Team leader, one day I'll be gone, and you'll still be alive..."
"The new generation of children may forget Seven, or even doubt whether Seven ever existed."
The ancient bridge's voice was choked with emotion, conveying a sense of helplessness in the face of the passage of time.
He was actually asking: When we're all dead, who will prove that you ever loved this planet? Who will prove that your sacrifice was worthwhile?
Tuan listened to his old friend's words and fell into deep thought.
A moment later, he revealed a relieved smile. It was a smile of continued faith after experiencing many hardships.
"It's alright, old bridge."
The group's voice was soft, yet firm.
"I am Star Observer No. 340, and also Ultraseven."
"But I would much rather... have been born on this planet as a human being."
As long as I have loved this land, as long as I have lived as "Dan Moroboshi," that is enough. Whether I am remembered or celebrated is not important.
This is Seven.
Lonely, yet deeply affectionate.
The image freezes on the silhouettes of two men under the moonlight, then slowly zooms out, transforming into two stars in the vast starry sky.
Episode 5, End.
In the live stream, Lao Tang remained silent for a long time.
He only let out a long sigh of relief when the end credits rolled and the screen went black to show the cast and crew.
"Brothers, this is Ultraman Seven."
"In this episode, 'The Betrayal of the Sun,' Gu Nan has broken down and crammed all the grand themes of 'good and evil,' 'memory and forgetting,' and 'sacrifice and betrayal' into these 40 minutes."
"Banderas is the sun betrayed by his own children, while Seven... he is a 'father' who willingly protects a group of children who might forget him."
"This contrast is absolutely brilliant."
"Extreme evil originates from human desires, but desires are also the driving force behind human progress and development. In the face of the progress of civilization, neither absolute evil nor absolute good is desirable."
Old Tang's voice was a little hoarse, but full of respect.
"Seven's story is absolutely the pinnacle of thought in the Showa era Ultraman series. Even with the original Ultraman as a precedent and the glory of Ultraman Jack as a successor, Seven's educational significance remains an insurmountable peak."
"And Light Chaser Animation actually managed to innovate and once again recreate the pinnacle of dramatic scenes in Seven OV."
"Gu Nan, you really have to impress me!"
As Lao Tang finished his commentary, the screen was flooded with messages of "tribute" and "tears in my eyes".