"Da-da-da-da-da~ Good evening, everyone! Today is March 12th, Tree Planting Day. Welcome to News Broadcast..."
At exactly 7 p.m., the familiar jingle of News Broadcast played, marking its start. Liu Lei, sitting at home watching the program, hummed along with the tune.
After all, despite all the changes on TV over the years, this familiar sound had remained the same. It held a special place in the hearts of people like him, a reminder of their childhood.
But just as he was settling in...
"Dad! I want to watch Southern Sky TV!"
His son, Little Chubby, suddenly yelled from the living room.
Liu Lei hadn't even seen the news anchor yet when he heard his son's voice. At some point, Little Chubby had wandered out of his room and into the living room.
It took a second for Liu Lei to remember. Oh, that's right—today is the day Ultraman Dyna airs. He enjoyed watching Ultraman himself but had forgotten while being distracted by the news.
"Watch what? Did you finish your homework before thinking about TV?"
Though Liu Lei liked Ultraman, that didn't mean he was going to let Little Chubby watch it without completing his homework first. He glared at his son, clearly annoyed.
After all, his wife had made it clear: he had to ensure their son finished his homework before she got home. If the kid didn't, both of them would face consequences.
"No! I want to watch Ultraman! Otherwise, you're in trouble!" Little Chubby stomped his foot, threatening loudly, "Or else, you're done for!"
"Oh? I'm done for?"
Liu Lei found his son's threat amusing. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, adopting a smug posture, as if daring him. "And what will you do if I don't let you?"
"I'll tell Mom where you hid your stash of money in your Kamen Rider belt!"
Thud!
"!!!"
Liu Lei froze and nearly fell off the couch. He stared at his son in shock, eyes wide. "How did you know about that?!"
That belt was supposed to be his safest hiding spot! How did this kid keep finding out where he stashed his secret money? This wasn't normal!
"Hmph! So, are you letting me watch it or not?" Little Chubby crossed his arms, looking all high and mighty.
Seeing his son so confident, Liu Lei wanted to discipline him but hesitated. After all, the kid had leverage over him.
Fine. Let him watch Ultraman for now. When he's engrossed in it, I'll secretly move my stash to another spot.
Yeah, that'll work.
With this plan in mind, Liu Lei grabbed the remote and switched the channel to Southern Sky TV. "Fine, fine. Watch it, but you have to finish your homework before your mom gets back. Got it?"
"Okay!"
Little Chubby, now content, flopped onto the couch in a lazy posture, waiting for Ultraman Dyna to start.
Liu Lei sat nearby, close enough to his study to make a quick getaway later.
Five seconds later, the advertisements ended, and the opening sequence of Ultraman Dyna began, with the title letters flying across the screen.
"The song's not bad..."
Despite thinking about his hidden money, Liu Lei got drawn into the show. Having watched Ultraman Tiga before, he was curious about Ultraman Dyna too.
The story began with a simple introduction, immediately telling him that the setting followed the same world as Tiga.
It had been seven years since the events of The Final Odyssey. In that time, humanity had made significant advancements, beginning to explore and colonize new worlds. The Mars immigration plan was set in motion, and people were traveling to other celestial bodies.
This era of exploration was called "The Age of New Frontiers."
But with new discoveries came new threats. Dangerous forces were awakening, although humanity remained unaware.
On Earth, a new defense team, the Super GUTS, had been formed, replacing the original team.
The story of Ultraman Dyna began with the training camp for the Super GUTS team recruits.
Soon enough, Liu Lei spotted a familiar face—the same man who briefly crossed paths with Daigo in The Final Odyssey. This guy was the new protagonist!
"Dad! Look, that guy's going to turn into Dyna later!"
Little Chubby's eyes widened with excitement as he pointed to the character on-screen, wanting to show off his knowledge about the show.
"Don't sit so close to the TV!"
Kids often don't know how to protect their eyes. Whenever they saw something interesting on-screen, they'd rush up to get a better look. But Liu Lei wasn't going to let his son damage his eyesight, so he quickly pulled him back.
Little Chubby pouted as he was dragged back to the couch, then complained, "But this guy—this Flyboy or whatever—he's so weak!"
Sure enough, on-screen, Asuka (Flyboy) was getting beaten up repeatedly by another cadet. To Little Chubby, this was embarrassing.
In his mind, Ultraman should be strong, not getting beaten up by a normal human.
"Give it a minute. He'll probably turn things around soon."
Liu Lei responded casually. He'd seen enough TV to know the typical protagonist would eventually have a comeback.
What he didn't expect was how the comeback would happen...
"Yikes!"
Liu Lei sucked in a sharp breath.
On-screen, Asuka had just pulled off a certain notorious technique: the "Thousand Years of Death"!
Watching the big guy on screen clutch his backside and fall to the ground made Liu Lei feel a sudden chill.
While he'd seen this technique in Naruto, it felt different when performed in live-action.
"Dad! Is that move really that strong?"
Little Chubby's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he turned to Liu Lei. "I thought it was just a joke in the cartoons!"
"Uh... it's definitely strong," Liu Lei nodded, still stunned.
"Really?!"
Little Chubby's excitement grew. "If that's the case, then I'm going to use it on Xiao Hong tomorrow! She always picks on me because she's stronger!"
"Yeah... go ahead..."
Liu Lei, still distracted, mumbled a half-hearted response. But halfway through, he suddenly froze.
Wait, what did this kid just say?
Who does he plan to use that move on?
"You said you're going to use it on Xiao Hong?"
Liu Lei asked again, needing confirmation.
"Yeah!"
Little Chubby, all fired up, raised his fist and added, "I'll use the Thousand Years of Death to get back at her!"
"No way!"
"Why not?"
Little Chubby tilted his head in confusion.
"Do I really have to explain? She's a girl!"
Liu Lei shouted.
He was utterly speechless at his son's antics.
"Huh? Why not?!"
"Because boys can't bully girls!"
Though that's what Liu Lei said aloud, his real concern was something else.
The truth was, Xiao Hong's dad was a bodybuilder. With muscles that size, one punch from him would probably kill Liu Lei.
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