Entertainment: You're asked to make a graduation project, but you're asked to film Ultrama

Chapter 287 Ukbar, A Dream Called "Homeland"

time flies.

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

It was a weekend evening.

It's exactly eight o'clock.

Major video platforms refresh the page on time.

Countless tokusatsu fans who were waiting in front of their screens clicked play immediately.

Ultraman Gaia episode 29 is now available!

Skip the opening theme and the main feature begins.

However, to the surprise of all viewers, the episode started unusually calmly.

There was no grand background music.

There was no piercing alarm sound.

There was none of the usual tension of monsters destroying the city.

The video shows a quiet suburban park.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and dappled the ground.

A middle-aged man wearing an old coat and with some gray hair was sitting alone on a park bench.

He was holding some breadcrumbs and slowly feeding the pigeons on the ground.

Suddenly, the man stopped moving.

His gaze was fixed on the distant sky.

The camera pans out, following his gaze.

In the distance, amidst the buildings of a city, the phantom of a giant monster looms in and out!

But the passersby walking around were completely unaware, as if the enormous thing didn't exist at all.

Moreover, above the monster's phantom.

A dreamlike castle floats quietly in the clouds.

The old man was completely mesmerized by the scene before him.

He muttered to himself, "I...I've forgotten the way home..."

The screen then slowly dims.

The comments section immediately filled with messages.

[The last episode was so intense, is this one going to be a slow, relaxing one?]

What kind of monster is that? It looks so strange, but it seems quite docile.

Is that a mirage? A castle in the sky?

This episode felt a bit bland; is it going to be a transitional episode?

[Everyone else can't see that monster, but he can. Does he have superpowers?]

The scene changes.

It was evening at the bar.

The light was somewhat dim.

Hercules' captain, Yoshida, was sitting at the bar, dressed in ordinary casual clothes.

Next to him sat a young man who reeked of alcohol.

The young man's name was Shoji.

He is Yoshida's best friend since childhood.

Shoji was clearly drunk at this point.

Yoshida reminded him, "You're drunk..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Shoji waved his arms. "You're the one with a flushed face, and you're saying I'm drunk!"

"hateful!"

Shoji turned around and loudly proclaimed to the passersby, "Miss, let me tell you, my best friend since childhood, Aji, is the captain of the Hercules team!"

Yoshida, standing to the side, shook his head helplessly and smiled apologetically, "Don't pay attention to him, I'm sorry."

"Let's go, let's go." Yoshida tried to pull Shoji away.

Shoji, however, persisted, muttering, "This kid... he can even drive a chariot..."

Yoshida sighed, looked at his dejected childhood friend, and asked softly, "Did you fail the audition again? Is that why you're so down?"

Shoji was originally a young man with dreams of becoming an actor.

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

Hearing this, Shoji retorted defiantly, "Didn't I say we're both good actors? How could we possibly be eliminated like this, you idiot!"

Yoshida did not refute him, but listened silently.

"But, is something on your mind?" Yoshida changed the subject.

"Yes!" Shoji immediately replied.

"Tell me, tell me honestly."

Shoji let out a burp and whispered mysteriously in Yoshida's ear, "Starting today, I'll be working at a logistics company."

"Today is my first day working here."

"And then, I ended up with an alien!"

Upon hearing this, the live chat immediately sprang to life.

[The muscular captain of the Hercules team? So this is what he's like in private.]

Wait, aliens?

Is this episode about an alien invasion? Are there aliens hiding in a freight company?

This sounds like a huge conspiracy!

The scene changes again.

The scene then shifts back to three days prior.

That was Shoji's first day reporting to the logistics company.

Several trucks were parked on the site.

Shoji changed into a blue work uniform.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm new here. My name is Shoji. Nice to meet you."

Shoji greeted the several long-time employees politely.

The freight company manager glanced at the work schedule in his hand.

"You're new here, and you're very energetic."

"Let me see... How about this, you and Nagata can be a team."

"Nagata is very professional; he's been in this business for 25 years. Don't worry."

Shoji nodded: "Okay, I understand."

"You said his name is Nagata, right?" Shoji asked the old employee next to him.

"Nagata?" The veteran employee was taken aback.

"Do we have this person here?"

Another employee chimed in, "Nagata... Ukbar!"

"Ukbar! Ukbar Nagata!"

This strange form of address left Shoji puzzled: "Is he a foreigner?"

"No!" My colleague waved his hand. "He's not a foreigner at all."

"He's an alien! He's an alien!"

My colleague pointed to an old man in the distance who was carrying things.

That old man was the same middle-aged man who had been feeding pigeons in the park earlier.

"Look at him over there. That old man always thinks he comes from a place in the universe called Uqbar."

His colleague patted Shoji on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Brother, be prepared. Today, he'll talk to you about Ukbar all day long."

Only then did the audience realize what was going on.

So this is what the "alien" was like!

His colleagues are all making fun of him.

I thought it was really an alien invasion; I got excited for nothing.

So he's just a quirky old man with a vivid imagination?

[This setup makes the plot seem like it'll be very drawn out.]

[Won't we just be listening to an old man telling stories for the whole episode? What about the "Destruction Invitation" mechanic?]

The progress bar has already gone quite a distance, and all it's showing is this kind of trivial daily life.

Indeed, as the comments said, the opening of this episode was very slow-paced.

There are no intense conflicts, only the mundane lives of ordinary working people.

The following scene.

Trucks drive through the city streets.

Mr. Nagata was driving, and Shoji was sitting in the passenger seat.

Just as my colleague predicted.

Mr. Nagata began to talk at length about his "hometown".

"In Uqbar, there's always a gentle breeze..."

A happy smile spread across Nagata's face.

"Look, there are many towers of all sizes floating in the sky."

"And then, at the top of that tower, there was a yellow windmill turning and turning."

"It sounds so good."

Shoji leaned back in his chair and nodded perfunctorily.

"There are no stairs in this place called Ukbar," Nagata continued.

Shoji, drenched in sweat from exhaustion, couldn't help but exclaim, "How is this possible?"

Nagata didn't mind at all and explained with a smile, "However, because there are many tall towers floating in the air, we have to climb very, very long ladders to get up there."

The camera interspersed shots of the two delivering goods.

Shoji was carrying a heavy cardboard box, panting heavily, and his back was almost too sore to straighten up.

In contrast, Nagata, who is much older, appears relaxed and at ease.

"Uncle, you actually managed to hold on!" Zhuang Si put down the goods and wiped away his sweat.

"My legs are so weak from carrying all this. I can't even straighten my back. Don't you feel tired?"

Nagata smiled and handed a cardboard box to the customer.

"Everyone is very happy when we deliver apples and oranges from the countryside."

"I think this is a very meaningful job."

The two got back into the truck.

Nagata stared at the intersection ahead, his gaze becoming somewhat profound.

"There's another reason why I like this job."

Shoji casually asked, "What reason?"

Nagata gripped the steering wheel tightly: "If we keep driving like this, through many towns, maybe one day we'll find our way back to Ukbar."

"The fact that I am on Earth means that there must be some connection between Earth and Uqbar."

The truck continued its journey.

They drove from daytime until evening.

Shoji was too tired to talk.

But Nagata's story continues.

"For this reason, the place called Uqbar is often hidden in very thick clouds."

"There's even a band in Uqbar. They have drums and flutes..."

"And then there's Uqbar... when the westerly winds blow, a circus comes to perform. It's really good; they put on a fantastic show."

Nagata was lost in his own fantasy.

"There are no clocks in Uqbar. However, at dusk, a loud horn sounds."

"Then, the adults stopped working, the kids stopped playing games, and everyone went home."

Nagata's tone was very firm: "I believe there will definitely be Ukbar. Because that is my hometown."

"Yes, yes, yes, there must be Ukbar."

Exhausted, Shoji finally reached his breaking point.

He turned his head and blurted out, "What Ukbar! It's just in your head, old man, a figment of your imagination!"

This statement was like a heavy blow.

Mr. Nagata was stunned for a moment.

His mind went blank, and his eyes instantly lost focus.

"squeak--"

The truck suddenly swerved, its tires screeching as they rubbed against the road.

I almost crashed into a utility pole on the side of the road.

"Sir, be careful, it's dangerous!" Shoji broke out in a cold sweat and quickly grabbed the handrail.

After the truck came to a complete stop, a deathly silence fell over the cargo compartment.

Mr. Nagata sat blankly in the driver's seat, his hands still trembling.

At this point in the live chat, the sentiment began to shift.

Although the old man's constant nagging was quite annoying, saying it directly was too hurtful.

[Shoji failed his audition himself, so he's taking his anger out on the old man.]

This old man is quite pitiful; he's probably just surviving on this fantasy.

It's truly cruel to shatter someone's illusions.

[It feels like this episode is about a lonely elderly person suffering from delusions.]

[This episode was all about the old man telling fairy tales. Where were the monsters? Could it be that his fantasy actually came true?]

Afterwards, Shoji realized that he had said the wrong thing.

He felt extremely guilty.

"Sir, you can't keep dreaming about Uqbar. We have to face reality and live our lives."

"Reality is what matters most."

To make up for his mistake, and also to help the old man fully wake up.

Shoji found Yoshida.

"By the way, Yoshida, you're from XIG, right? Then prove it to the old man."

Yoshida retorted, "Prove what?"

"It proves that the old man is an Earthling. If he understands that he is an Earthling, he will definitely forget about Ukbar and face reality."

Yoshida nodded thoughtfully: "That makes sense."

On the other side...

Mr. Nagata, who had just returned home from get off work, sat alone in his dimly lit room.

Shoji's words were like a thorn stuck in his heart.

It's right in your mind, sir...

There is no such place as Ukbar...

Old Man Nagata held his head in his hands, lost in deep self-doubt.

"I've been searching for these past twenty-five years... I've been searching..."

"It's been a full twenty-five years."

He looked at the empty room, his eyes filled with confusion and pain.

"The reason I can't find Uqbar... is it a place that only exists in my mind?"

Just as he was preparing to accept reality and admit that he had been dreaming all along.

Suddenly, a clear telephone ring sounded in the room.

"Ring ring—ring ring—"

Old Man Nagata was taken aback.

He walked over and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, who is this?"

There was no sound of anyone speaking on the other end of the phone.

There was only a soft, whistling breeze.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Old Man Nagata's pupils contracted sharply, and a look of wild joy instantly appeared on his face.

"It's Uqbar! This is the sound of Uqbar!"

The screen was instantly flooded with comments.

Holy crap! A phone call actually came in?!

The sound of the wind is so ethereal!

Could Uqbar really exist?!

[This is chilling; could it be a paranormal event?]

[666, I was about to give up, but then I got a phone call, and my self-doubt instantly turned into hope.]

Are there really aliens? Was everything we've said before foreshadowing?

the next day.

The scene then cuts to XIG's air base.

When Koga was dragged to a workout session by the Hercules team, Yoshida told Koga about Shoji's request.

I dreamt I was sitting in front of the computer screen in the command center.

"If we could find his birthplace, maybe he could accept the fact that he is an Earthling."

The data on the screen was scrolling wildly.

The system quickly provided the search results.

Looking at the coordinates on the screen, I read aloud: "This house is in the countryside, it's been abandoned, but it's still there."

The comments section erupted in sighs.

[Gaia has opened an account, which is...]

They really are just ordinary Earthlings.

[The old man's hopes were completely dashed after they found out his birthplace.]

So Uqbar really was a fake? Then what was that phone call about last night?

at the same time.

Inside the freight company's office.

Shoji changed into his uniform and prepared to start his day's work.

But after searching around, he couldn't find Mr. Nagata anywhere.

"What's wrong, newbie?" a colleague asked as he walked over.

Shoji asked with some concern, "What happened to Mr. Nagata today...?"

My colleague waved his hand dismissively: "Nagata, he's not here today."

"By the way, this is the first time, they haven't even called."

Shoji's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind.

Meanwhile, Yoshida, who had gone to investigate Nagata's original residence alone and was about to return home after finding nothing, received a communication message.

"Feed? I'm Yoshida."

"A slight distortion has occurred in the magnetic field near POINT226-N1!"

Yoshida frowned: "What happened?"

I continued in my dream:

"I think it might be a coincidence. The center of this place happens to be where Mr. Nagata currently lives!"

"Okay, I'll be right there!"