The call came from a small town in the suburbs of Tokyo. The caller reported seeing a silver-red humanoid figure about human height two nights ago. The figure resembled the protagonist from the tokusatsu series "Ultraman" produced by Tsuburaya Productions—a silver-red giant standing fifty meters tall.
During the sighting, the silver-red figure merely gazed at him from a distance before suddenly vanishing. Initially, he didn't think much of it, until this morning when he saw news reports of multiple disappearances in his neighborhood. Only then did he report the incident to Super GUTS.
Like its predecessors, the third-generation Super GUTS was publicly accessible, but with an added rigorous screening system that filtered out useless calls and determined whether to connect directly to the control room based on the caller's tone and content. Super GUTS wasn't a plaything for entertainment but warriors ready to combat disasters for humanity at any moment. Therefore, once the call connected, everyone unhesitatingly believed the report.
"What unfortunate timing," Anzhu shrugged, saying with a teasing tone, "Your first day in Super GUTS and already you're heading out on a mission."
Hayata smiled lightly, "It doesn't matter. This is a good chance to show you my sincerity."
Anzhu adjusted his glasses and laughed heartily, "Is that so? Team member Hayata, I wish you success."
"Now for the assignments. Fuyugokoro, Yanagitake, Sena, take Hayata with you on this mission. Deploy in the GUTS Hawk and Super Cruiser."
The three immediately stood up, right hands holding their helmets, left hands pressed to their chests, responding in unison: "Yes, sir!"
Hayata mimicked their actions, albeit somewhat awkwardly, responding: "Yes, sir."
Yanagitake couldn't help but laugh, "So dorky!"
"Really?" Hayata scratched his head, trying to appear more straightforward.
"Team member, follow me to change into your gear," Sena said, glancing at Hayata before calling out to Masaki, who was about to enjoy his coffee: "Senior Keigo, lend him your spare uniform for now."
Masaki, who had just sat down, froze, then abruptly stood up: "No——way!!!"
"Too late," Anzhu cheerfully took a sip of water.
Looking at the empty corridor, Masaki, with his extreme cleanliness obsession, felt incredibly uncomfortable. Finally, he slumped back into his seat, almost slamming his hand on the table: "Fine, that uniform is yours—Ouch! Hot!"
The edge he hit happened to be where his scalding coffee sat, causing the cup and saucer to overturn, burning his hand and foot. Masaki's mouth twitched as he looked at his misfortune: "Not funny."
After changing clothes, Hayata learned about Super GUTS' armaments:
GUTS Victory Roaring Gun: Equipped with an old Maxis energy engine, using high-frequency Spacium compressed bullets. A standard sidearm where one round can fire twelve shots.
GUTS Victory Falcon Anti-Materiel Rifle: Equipped with an old Maxis energy engine and special "Anti-Monster Armor-Piercing Explosive Rounds," a heavy rifle specifically designed to combat monsters.
GUTS Victory Mouse Gun: Equipped with an old Maxis energy engine, featuring a three-barrel construction capable of firing over a dozen bullets per second, the most portable power submachine gun.
Victory PDI: A multi-functional communication watch allowing calls regardless of distance, with additional features like real-time navigation.
These three guns were essential equipment for missions. The Falcon and Mouse were stored in the car trunk, while the Roaring Gun was holstered at the waist for immediate use.
"Come, let me show you GUTS' latest land-air integrated vehicles."
Hayata nodded, observing everything with a student's mindset. The New Frontier Universe was remarkable, producing minerals containing Spacium energy. Spacium energy was a common power source in the Land of Light, with Emerium, Metalium, and others being its variants. Any civilization acquiring such energy would experience a leap in advancement, making the humans of this universe even more formidable.
The elevator reached the hangar, where two vehicles awaited Hayata. One was red and gold, with a large cannon and two semi-concealed turrets on its roof.
Sena explained, "This is the GUTS Hawk, well-equipped with firepower, capable of flying at speeds up to 50,000 kilometers per hour and traveling on land at up to 10,000 kilometers per hour."
The other was a black and blue off-road vehicle with hidden wings on both sides and an integrated propulsion system on its back, yet surprisingly lacking any weapons.
"The world's fastest car, the Super Cruiser. It can fly at speeds up to one million kilometers per hour and travel on land at 100,000 kilometers per hour, designed for emergency response."
Hayata marveled at this world's technological level. In the sixteen years since Tiga and Dyna's disappearance, human technology had continuously advanced, even achieving major breakthroughs.
The mission assignments were as follows, two people per vehicle:
Hayata and Sena in the GUTS Hawk.
Yanagitake and Fuyugokoro in the Super Cruiser.
As the hangar emitted a beast-like hum, bright light streamed in. The flight area doors slowly opened, the nearly 500-meter runway lowered its restrictions, and the taxiway and connecting road barriers were sequentially removed.
At the commander's order, both vehicles instantly vanished from the runway, leaving only consecutive sonic booms in the distant sky.
They had departed. What awaited them would be spine-chilling terror.