Am I a Kamen Rider or the real young master who was switched at birth?

Ye Yang and Lin Ying walked side by side toward the main entrance of the Star-Picking Pavilion. The marble floor gleamed with a warm, ivory-white luster in the morning light, and the long shadows cast by the Roman columns swayed gently with their steps.

"Younger brother Ye Yang—!"

A clear female voice pierced through all the noise of people and cars in the square, landing precisely in Ye Yang's ears.

He stopped and turned around, just in time to see the Han siblings walking towards him from the other side of the square.

Han Li was wearing a dark gray stand-up collar casual suit today, with several dark-colored armor plates embedded on the inside of the fabric at the shoulders, clearly a design for easy handling.

Han Shuang walked beside him, her short hair neatly combed.

She wore a silver-gray short jacket with black trousers and a pair of high-heeled ankle boots that looked extremely uncomfortable, but she walked with quick and steady strides, showing no sign of being hindered by her shoes.

Han Shuang strode up to Ye Yang, tilted her head and looked him up and down, then asked with some curiosity, "Little brother Ye Yang, why are you still wearing the same outfit? You wore the same one to the banquet last time, and you're wearing the same one today."

"Magenta is a very selective color. Although it looks really good on you, you can't always wear the same thing—you have to give other colors a chance. After the auction, I'll take you shopping. You like magenta, right? I know a brand that specializes in dark red menswear—"

Before Ye Yang could even open his mouth, Lin Xingran had already taken a step forward and stood between him and Han Shuang.

She stood with her hands on her hips, chin held high, her deep red short jacket fluttering in the morning breeze as she moved vigorously.

She had already gotten up early today, and Lin Yumin had made her stand in front of the mirror and comb her hair for several minutes. She had been holding back her morning grumpiness for a long time, and Han Shuang's words were like pouring gasoline on Mars.

"So what? So what? So what!" Lin Xing shouted "So what?" several times in one breath with great momentum.

The sound was so loud that Mi Xiaomi, who was holding a microphone and preparing to interview other guests, couldn't help but turn around and take a look.

"My brother can wear whatever he wants! And why do you keep calling him 'Ye Yang's brother'? Who's your brother? He's my brother! I have a DNA test report! What do you have? Did you get my permission to call him 'brother' before you did?"

Han Shuang was forced to take a half step back by her barrage of questions, but her smile only grew brighter, as if she were enjoying some kind of fun game.

She tilted her head and peered behind Lin Xingran, then waved to Ye Yang, saying with an expression that showed no fear of Lin Xingran whatsoever:

"Ye Yang, say something! Look how fierce your second sister is. She even stops me when I try to greet you. By the way, you still haven't answered that question I asked you last time—do you have a girlfriend or not? If not, consider me."

Lin Xingran's eyes widened even more. She pointed a finger at Han Shuang's nose and growled angrily, "Han Shuang, if you make another move on my brother, I'm cutting ties with you—I'm cutting ties with you! Don't even think about walking around the exhibition area with me later!"

Lin Yumin walked up from behind, then put one hand on Lin Xingran's shoulder and gently pulled her back two steps.

"Alright, alright, stop talking. The auction is about to start, what kind of behavior is this, making such a fuss at the entrance? Han Shuang, you should stop teasing her. Xing Ran, you too, don't explode every time Han Shuang says something, she's figured out the pattern."

Lin Xingran wanted to say something more, but her older sister pressed down lightly on her shoulder, so she could only let out a loud groan.

She crossed her arms over her chest, then turned her head to the side, her short, deep red hair whipping out a defiant arc with her movement.

Han Shuang stuck out her tongue and made a face at her from the opposite side before quickly retreating behind Han Li.

Han Li stood by and witnessed everything, a faint bitter smile appearing on his lips.

"My dear sister—please excuse me. She's like this at home too; I'm used to it."

Ye Yang shrugged and gave Han Li a "long live understanding" smile.

Just then, a figure in moon-white robes calmly walked over from the other end of the square.

Zhou Zhi didn't wear a cheongsam today; instead, she wore a minimalist moon-white long gown.

The long robe was made of a light and breathable fabric, and a thin belt of the same color was tied around the waist.

Her clothes fluttered as she walked, making her look exceptionally poised and elegant.

She was carrying a small medicine box, about the size of a palm, with the Zhou family's pestle emblem embedded on it.

She walked up to the group, first nodding slightly to Lin Yumin, then nodding to Ye Yang and the Han siblings, and finally speaking in a gentle voice:

"Good morning, Sister Lin, Brother Han, Sister Han, Ye Yang, Sister Lin. I was a little delayed on the way—I received some data from the lab before leaving, a preliminary analysis of the crystal core's composition. I thought it might come in handy at the auction, so I took a closer look. Everyone arrived quite early."

Ye Yang looked at the group of people in front of him. Han Li stood calmly on the far left, while Han Shuang peeked out from behind Han Li and was winking at Lin Xingran.

Lin Yumin stood upright on the far right, with one hand casually resting on Lin Xingran's shoulder.

Lin Xingran crossed her arms and turned her face to the side. Lin Ying stood next to Ye Yang, holding the pale gold invitation in her hands, her light gray eyes quietly sweeping over everyone present.

Ye Yang smiled and then gestured "please" towards the main entrance: "Since we're so destined to meet, let's go in together."

The check-in area is located inside the main entrance, and it is spacious enough to accommodate dozens of lanes operating simultaneously.

Several thin metal guide lines were embedded in the dark marble floor, and all the guests lined up along these lines.

Each passageway ends with a sophisticated security system.

As Ye Yang walked down the front aisle, a woman dressed in a high-class waitress uniform stood up from behind the counter.

She looked to be under thirty, with her hair neatly styled in a bun, and a silver star-shaped brooch pinned to the chest of her dark blue uniform.

Her voice was gentle yet professional as she said, "Welcome to the Star-Picking Pavilion. Please show me your invitation."

Ye Yang took out a pale gold invitation from the inside pocket of his suit. The Lin family's silver eagle emblem on the letter shimmered slightly under the light of the corridor's overhead lamp.

The woman took the invitation and then placed it in a recessed slot on the counter that contained a sensor.

A precise blue light swept across the invitation, and the sensor emitted a crisp beep.

After returning the invitation to Ye Yang, her smile deepened: "Okay, verification successful. Welcome, Mr. Ye Yang. You are one of the Lin family's representatives tonight, and we have reserved a VIP box on the second floor for you. Please proceed to the round stage for security check."

After accepting the invitation, Ye Yang stood on the circular metal platform embedded in the center of the passageway.

When you step on it, you can feel a very subtle vibration coming from the soles of your feet, as if something is slowly rotating under the surface.

As soon as he stood firm, a pale blue ring of light beam shot out from the sensor above the platform, enveloping him from head to toe.

Standing next to the round platform, a security guard who looked to be in his early forties and had a sturdy build glanced down at the data on the sensor screen, then looked up and nodded to Ye Yang.

He pointed to the long table behind the round table, which was filled with small dishes, and said in a steady voice, "You may come in, Mr. Ye Yang. But before that—please take your pill."

Ye Yang looked in the direction the security guard was pointing.

On the long table were hundreds of small dishes, each containing a small, dark brown pill.

The pill looks about the same size as a regular chocolate bean, but if you look closely, you can see a very faint golden pattern on the surface, which reflects light slightly when it is shone on.

He blinked and pointed at the pill, asking, "What's this?"

Before he could answer, Zhou Zhi had already walked calmly to his side.

She picked up a pill from the plate in front of her and placed it in her palm, explaining in a tone as if introducing some interesting experimental result:

"This is a pill that temporarily suppresses supernatural abilities. Its main ingredients are datura extract and several neurotransmission inhibitors, which can temporarily reduce the energy fluctuations of an awakened person to the level of an ordinary person."

"The effects of the drug will last for several hours, just enough to cover the entire auction. After taking it, you'll be no different from an ordinary person during the auction—of course, only temporarily."

She turned the pill over and then gently tapped the small ring of gold patterns on the bottom of the pill with her finger.

"And this one is chocolate flavored. I analyzed the formula of this kind of pill in my pharmacology class last year. The outer gold coating is a mixture of cocoa butter and honey, and you can still taste the chocolate aftertaste after the medicinal effect is released. Zhaixing Pavilion has really put a lot of effort into this aspect."

Ye Yang picked up a pill from the plate in front of him and twirled it between his fingertips.

The pills have a smooth, slightly cool surface and a faint sweet aroma when brought close.

He looked up at the long corridor leading to the auction hall, then looked down at the pills in his hand, his brow furrowing very slightly.

"What if bad guys try to attack during the auction? Everyone's taken this pill and turned into ordinary people, who's going to protect the venue? What if someone swaps the power-compressing pills for poison?"

The security guard chuckled, then explained in a tone of someone who had been through it all:

"Mr. Ye, you're quite humorous. But we hear these concerns every day, so please rest assured. The biometric locking system and omnidirectional sensor array used by Zhaixing Pavilion have never had any problems in the past few auctions."

"A small number of security personnel on duty have not yet taken their medication, but their activity area is strictly restricted to the back area."

"Furthermore, the emergency energy shield above the dome can cover the entire building once activated, enough to withstand a strong external attack. So no matter what happens outside, the venue is absolutely safe. The Star-Picking Pavilion is absolutely the safest auction venue in the world, bar none."

Ye Yang muttered something no one could understand: "The last time I heard that was in Jackie Chan Adventures—the chief kept saying 'District 13 is the safest place in the world,' and every time he got attacked."

The security guard blinked, looking confused, as if he couldn't quite grasp what Ye Yang was saying.

Lin Yumin walked over from the side. The pills in the dish in front of her were gone, obviously she had already taken them.

"Hurry up and take your medicine. You can't enter without it. Don't worry about the efficacy. The pill formulas used in each auction at Zhaixing Pavilion have been jointly verified by the Zhou family and several other medical institutions. The ingredient analysis that Zhou Zhi mentioned earlier was done by her own judgment. I trust her assessment."

Zhou Zhi nodded beside her, a subtle smile on her lips, without saying anything more.

Ye Yang glanced at Lin Yumin, then at Zhou Zhi, before looking down at the dark brown chocolate-flavored pill in his hand.

He shrugged and then popped the pill into his mouth.

The moment the pill's outer shell shattered between my teeth, a rich chocolate flavor melted on my tongue.

He chewed it, swallowed it, and nodded, a hint of surprise in his voice, saying, "It's alright—it really does taste like chocolate."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xingran walked over from the side passage, still holding the pill she had just picked up in her hand.

After popping the pill into her mouth, she chewed it while frowning and commenting, "This doesn't taste as good as it did five years ago—it was strawberry flavored five years ago, I remember it clearly. Back then, Han Shuang and I were running around in the exhibition area, and when we got tired, we came back and ate one."

"I ate two strawberry-flavored ones last time, and my dad scolded me when I got home. Why are they chocolate this time? Did the pharmaceutical department change suppliers?"

Han Shuang leaned over from the side and replied in a very serious tone:

"I also remember it was strawberry flavored. That year, you were punished by Uncle Lin for eating too much and had to stand in the corridor for almost an hour. When I passed by, you grabbed me and cried, saying, 'Strawberry flavor is really delicious, do you want one too?'"

Lin Xingran turned around to hit her, but Lin Yumin pressed down on her shoulder with one hand. She could only grit her teeth and point at Han Shuang, meaning "You wait."

After taking the pill, Ye Yang moved his wrists around.

He raised his right hand in front of him, his five fingers slightly curled up, and his knuckles made a few soft clicking sounds.

Then he raised his arm and moved his shoulder, and then turned his waist to the side. All his bodily functions were completely normal.

He blinked, looked down at his hands, then at Lin Xingran beside him who was repeatedly clenching his fists to test the drug's effects, and suddenly thought of something.

He is not an awakened one.

His power comes from the Decade Driver and the Rider Card system; the armor does not require any special ability to operate.

Moreover, although his physical abilities under normal circumstances far exceed those of ordinary people, that is the result of long-term training and not an awakened person's special ability.

In other words, the pill that suppressed his superpowers had no effect on him at all.

Lin Xingran, who was jumping around next to her, was still complaining: "I don't have any superpowers anymore—it's so annoying! It's so uncomfortable! This feeling is so frustrating! If someone really comes to cause trouble later, what am I going to fight with? My shoes?"

After Ye Yang lowered his hand, he quietly leaned close to Lin Ying's ear and whispered something only she could hear:

"Actually, this pill has absolutely no effect on me. I don't have any special abilities at all. My stats are based on my physical attributes and equipment, which are not the same system as what this pill is trying to suppress. But let's not make a fuss yet. In case something really happens, at least there will be someone who can still act normally."

Lin Ying slightly raised her head and glanced at him, a faint smile flashing in her light gray eyes. Then she nodded gently without saying anything.

Ye Yang followed Lin Yumin through the security checkpoint, where they found themselves in a long corridor covered with a deep red carpet.

The walls on both sides of the corridor are adorned with portraits of the most expensive items sold at auctions throughout history, each accompanied by a small gold plaque.

At the end of the corridor was a huge carved wooden door, the brass handle polished smooth and shiny, reflecting a warm golden luster under the light.

Two uniformed waiters stood on either side of the door, simultaneously grasping the doorknob and pushing the door open inwards.

The moment the door hinges turned, light surged out from behind the door like a tide, falling on Ye Yang's face.

He squinted instinctively, then took in the world before him.

The interior of the Star-Picking Pavilion was far more magnificent than he had imagined.

At the center of the circular building is a high atrium that extends to the dome.

Morning light streamed down from the transparent dome, refracting countless tiny rainbow-colored spots onto the crystal chandelier.

The walls around the courtyard are covered with dark wood paneling, and every few steps a warm golden wall lamp is embedded in them.

The exhibition area is located on the first floor of the atrium, with hundreds of glass display cases arranged neatly. Each display case contains an item for auction, and some items are even surrounded by a faint energy shield.

The second floor features a circular VIP suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows on the side facing the atrium, offering a panoramic view of the entire auction hall.

There were already quite a few people in the hall.

Some were studying the auction items around the display cases, while others stood in twos and threes in the corners talking quietly. Several waiters in auction house uniforms were carrying trays and moving around among them.

A faint scent of sandalwood wafts in the air, making one feel as if they have stepped into a carefully crafted, quiet, and elegant world.

Ye Yang stood at the doorway, took a deep breath, then raised the magenta camera on his chest, aimed it at the largest crystal chandelier on the dome, and pressed the shutter.

With a click, the photo popped out from the bottom of the camera.

He pinched the edge and shook it, and the light from the crystal chandelier in the photo was stretched into countless thin threads, overlapping with the blurry figures around it, with a very faint magenta shadow at the edge.

He put the photo in his pocket, a faint smile appearing on his lips, and then strode into the bustling crowd at the Star-Picking Pavilion.