Chapter 76: The True Super Battle Hero Arrives! (First

For the sake of the children's dreams, Qiao Qiao decided to exorcise the spirit today. He had already questioned most of the relevant people involved in the incident and quickly deduced the modus operandi of the vengeful spirit.

First, it did not fear sunlight and would appear even during the day. Second, the vengeful spirit typically manifested in two situations. One was in the dead of night, as the props team and staff responsible for managing the collectibles reported that some monster costumes were not in the same place in the morning as they had been the previous day. The other was during filming, especially when fighting the Super Combat Hero, such as when Hayata had injured a colleague earlier—a clear result of the spirit's mischief. The last and most crucial point was that the spirit only appeared in monster costumes.

Qiao Qiao had checked all the costumes at Tokyo Prototype Film Company; indeed, only the monster costumes carried traces of yin energy. This did not mean Hasegawa's spirit preferred to be a monster—it was a matter of obsession. His fixation was, perhaps, to destroy the company as a monster.

Since destroying all the costumes to deprive Hasegawa's spirit of a host and expose it was not a feasible solution, Qiao Qiao needed to lure the spirit out and then eliminate it. Ideally, he would only have to destroy one costume to complete the task. The insurance compensation should cover Mr. Eiji Onodera's losses.

As night fell, Qiao Qiao proceeded with his first plan: he would simulate filming a battle scene to lure the spirit into a monster costume and carry out the exorcism.

"Wait a moment, Master," Eiji Onodera asked, "Are you suggesting our two actors put on the costumes and simulate filming?"

"No, the spirit will possess the costume, and having actors inside would be far too dangerous." Given Qiao Qiao's exorcism methods, having someone inside the costume would make it much harder for him to act.

"In any case, the vengeful spirit poses a risk to the health of ordinary people." Qiao Qiao glanced around at the staff. Those who handled the costumes regularly, like Hayata, were already tainted with a fair amount of yin energy. At this level, it could cause mild discomfort, and if it worsened, could even threaten personal safety.

"Let me wear the Super Combat Hero costume myself," Qiao Qiao proposed. This was the safest option: it could fool the spirit, and Qiao Qiao would be able to act freely.

Eiji Onodera looked at Qiao Qiao, slightly perplexed. This master's methods certainly seemed strange. Wasn't exorcism usually performed by chanting sutras or ringing bells? He had never seen anyone exorcise spirits by donning a costume. But since Suzuka had recommended him, it should be fine.

After a brief discussion, they led Qiao Qiao to the dressing room and helped him into the Super Combat Hero's bodysuit—minus the helmet. One had to admit, Qiao Qiao's physique, maintained by good diet and regular exercise, was exceptional. Especially in the tight suit, the contours of his muscles made some of the female staff gaze at him with hearts in their eyes.

"Is something wrong, Master?" Noticing Qiao Qiao frown slightly as he looked at his outfit, Eiji Onodera approached.

"Is it not a good fit?"

"No, that's not the issue," Qiao Qiao replied, inspecting himself. The bodysuit was too tight, restricting movement. The plastic armor hindered action, offering no real protection. The flashy weapons were utterly unsuited for real combat. And the helmet, once worn, would severely limit his vision.

"No, if I rely on the current costume, exorcism will be impossible," Qiao Qiao stated earnestly.

"But all the costumes are like this," Eiji Onodera protested, confused. The Super Combat Hero's costume was designed to be flashy for toy sales and had many extra attachments. Wasn't this a staple of tokusatsu shows? Even if Qiao Qiao found the costume unsuitable, all the others were similar.

"Don't worry, I'll modify it myself. Give me four... no, three hours will be enough," Qiao Qiao quickly changed back into his own clothes. He asked the props team for a spare Super Combat Hero costume.

To avoid disrupting Qiao Qiao's work, Eiji Onodera told everyone to return to their tasks and stayed behind to observe. Qiao Qiao took a small metal bottle from his backpack, modified it, and installed it in the hand armor of the costume.

"What is that?" Eiji Onodera asked curiously.

"It's spiritual water spray. Just a press sends out enough spiritual water to destroy a weak vengeful spirit. The bottle itself is infused with spiritual force and serves as an exorcism tool," Qiao Qiao explained without looking up. "I imported it from abroad. It's a push-down spray mechanism, so even a kindergarten child could use it easily. It has a long shelf life. If you buy now, I can offer three years of after-sales service. Would you like some spares, Mr. Onodera?"

"No, no need," Eiji Onodera replied, sitting back down.

After installing the spiritual water spray in the right hand, Qiao Qiao added several tube-like devices to the left hand.

Hmm? Why did it look a bit dangerous?

"And what are those, Master?" Eiji Onodera couldn't help but ask.

"This is a simple exorcism grenade launcher. Pull the ring and it fires a grenade with intense heat and a small blast radius, highly effective within three meters. It's compact; even a child's backpack could hold a dozen," Qiao Qiao explained, attaching the ring wire to the hand so it could be triggered by a specific motion.

"An explosion?" Eiji Onodera glanced nervously around.

"Don't worry, Mr. Onodera. The exorcism grenade's blast radius is small, only harming the spirit. With proper use, there's no risk of injury even in tight spaces," Qiao Qiao said as he installed two bottles at the waist of the costume.

"Spiritual water spray again?" guessed Eiji Onodera.

"No, that's ordinary coolant. Once released, it creates low temperatures for a short time," Qiao Qiao replied.

"And the spirit will freeze to death?" Eiji Onodera pressed.

"Mr. Onodera, you're quite the joker. A spirit can't freeze to death," Qiao Qiao chuckled. "I've infused it with spiritual force so it can temporarily restrict the spirit's movements. It's a precaution."

Next, Qiao Qiao infused the entire costume with spiritual force. Given the material's limits, each costume could only hold a standard unit of spiritual energy. As for armor, he removed the excess, keeping only the vital protections and reinforcing them with spiritual force.

For the helmet, Qiao Qiao removed the bulbous eyes and replaced them with tactical goggles to ensure clear vision.

The flashy weapons were discarded. The holster now held his own revolver.

After these preparations, three hours had passed. Qiao Qiao donned the costume again. This time, he was not a false Super Combat Hero, but a fully equipped, genuine Super Combat Hero ready for exorcism.

He proceeded to the filming set arranged according to his instructions. It was a miniature city model, where actors would perform, creating scenes of giant monsters battling heroes.

Qiao Qiao stood in the city.

Soon after, one of the monster costumes quietly resting on the edge of the set moved.