As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

“That’s right, Lady Shrine Maiden, our Orpheus clan finally has hope of survival.”

"Don't be too happy yet." Yako gently stroked his blond hair, his eyes filled with complex thoughts. "In the end, he came into this world with good intentions, just this time it's different."

Unwanted memories flooded back, the scene of their first encounter at the Clover Bar resurfacing. This time, he was determined to change the future. Besides, it seemed he was still incomplete.

Chapter 187 First Day in Office

A black Toyota sedan drove into the underground passage of the Smart Brain headquarters. The automatic access control scanned the car, and the heavy alloy gates slowly slid open to both sides.

The top-floor elevator, which was usually only accessible to Murakami Kyoji, now carried Hanagata, Lin Chen, and the cowering snail Orpheus following behind, directly to the top-floor boardroom.

The entire building's security system had been taken over by Hanagata in advance using the highest authority of the original founder, and no one stepped forward to stop it.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a bright and spacious circular boardroom. Long, black conference tables were lined with veteran directors and middle-level managers handpicked by Murakami; everyone wore tense expressions.

Murakami Kyoji sat upright in the president's chair, unconsciously stroking the table, a shadow of gloom hidden in his eyes. He had received a notification that morning that the long-lost first president, Hanagata, had reappeared and was going to hold a board meeting.

Moreover, there are two strange creatures following Hanagata now. He knows one of them, it is the snail Orpheus that never attacked humans a few days ago; as for the other, his aura is obscure and he is no different from a human, but how could he be a simple human if he can follow Hanagata?

Hanagata stepped into the hall first, and the directors on both sides subconsciously stood up to greet him. He ignored their greetings, walked straight to the front of the conference table, turned to look at the whole room, and spoke in a calm and deep voice, without the slightest ripple.

"Gentlemen, it's been a long time since I've returned to Smart Brain. Also, thank you for your hard work, Murakami."

As soon as the words were spoken, the decision-makers present began to whisper among themselves: "President Hanagata is back? That's wonderful!"

Hanagata raised his hand, signaling for silence, and his gaze swept over everyone: "I've gathered you all here today for two matters. First, to immediately terminate all of Murakami Kyoji's powers as interim president. Second, I have more important things to do and will not continue as president, but a young person will temporarily assume the position of acting president of Smart Brain, taking full control of all company affairs."

The words had barely left his lips when the entire room erupted in commotion. Murakami's face darkened as he stared at Hanagata: "The new president? What's going on!"

Hua Xing stepped aside, revealing Lin Chen behind him, and all the directors and management's eyes fell on this unfamiliar young man. Snail Orpheus timidly shrank behind Lin Chen, not daring to look up and meet the gazes of the room full of executives.

"This Mr. Lin Chen is the temporary acting president I have chosen."

These words caused an uproar in the hall, with a chorus of questions and doubts.

"What gives an outsider of unknown origin the right to take charge of our Smart Brain?"

Lin Chen remained calm despite the skepticism from the crowd. Hua Xing stepped forward and raised his hand to quiet the commotion.

"Everyone, this is an announcement, not a discussion. Alright, President Lin Chen, now do what you need to do."

Upon hearing this, Murakami Kyoji clenched his fist and couldn't help but slam his fist on the desk in front of him.

The president's office on the top floor was simply decorated. The large black leather president's chair originally belonged to Murakami, but now Lin Chen sat leisurely on it, his gaze indifferently falling on the Smart Lady who was bowing and waiting in front of him.

Lin Chen raised his eyelids slightly, his tone completely flat, and directly issued the order: "Pass down the notice that, effective today, the execution order of 'executing Orphnochs that do not attack humans' is hereby revoked. All teams currently pursuing such targets must immediately cease operations and withdraw completely."

Upon hearing this, Smart Lady paused slightly, her brows furrowing gently. She hesitated before speaking, "But..."

"But what?"

Lin Chen interrupted her coldly, slamming his hand heavily on the table. "I am now the acting president. These are the new president's orders. As his secretary, you just need to carry them out. There's no need for any further questions."

Smart Lady's heart tightened, and she immediately suppressed all hesitation, bowing her head respectfully: "Yes."

...

Lin Chen had visited Bar Clover a few days ago. What he didn't know was that this bar was a gathering place for the top Orphnoch members, the members of Lucky Clover, in the original storyline. And the Orphnoch waitress from before was none other than Saeko Kageyama, the only female member of Lucky Clover.

Bar Clover during the day is devoid of the nighttime hustle and bustle. Inside, sheer curtains partially block out the light, creating a soft, dim ambiance, while soothing jazz music plays on a low loop. Behind the bar, Saeko Kageyama slowly and methodically wipes wine glasses, her movements elegant and composed.

The sudden sound of the door opening startled Saeko Kageyama, who could clearly see Takuma Itsuki's figure through the transparent glass partition.

"Oh! It's Takuma! Welcome!" Saeko Kageyama said with a smile.

Takuma Itsuro walked in. He was dressed in a sharp suit, having just come from a battle, yet without a single wrinkle. This was the new mission he had just received from Murakami: to execute Kiba Yuji and Kaidou Naoya, two members of the Kiba trio.

“I’d like a Monkey Lunch,” he said directly.

Hearing his words, Saeko Kageyama spoke up: "Now? Isn't it too early to drink?"

"Work's done, let's have a drink to celebrate!" Takuma Itsuki said with a smile.

"Really? As expected of you." Saeko Kageyama smiled. Takuma Itsuki also placed the Yeats poetry collection he was holding on the table and casually pulled out a chair to sit down.

Before he could even sit down, he heard Saeko Kageyama ask, "By the way, how was it? Did you have fun?"

"It wasn't enough fun. The time was too short. We didn't even have time to finish reading a single poem before it was over. But I believe there will be a next time. I held back, you know."

As the two were chatting, the door opened again. Both of them turned to look at the door at the same time.

Murakami Kyoji walked slowly into the bar. His usually impeccably groomed suit was now slightly wrinkled, and a lingering gloom hung over his eyes.

Saeko Kageyama paused in wiping the wine glass, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes, but her face still wore a gentle and polite smile: "Murakami, why did you come over during the day? Shouldn't you be handling work at Smart Brain right now?"

He picked up the prepared "monkey lunch" and took a small sip, with Yeats's poetry collection spread out beside him.

Murakami walked to the bar and stood there, his fists clenched tightly, suppressing the surging anger in his chest. His voice was low and hoarse: "Hanagata is back. He revoked all my president's authority and put forward a young man of unknown origin as the acting president of Smart Brain. Just now, Smart Lady issued a notice to the entire region, abolishing the orders I previously issued. From now on, we are no longer allowed to execute Orphnochs who do not attack humans."

Upon hearing this, Tsuo's fingers, which were holding the wine glass, paused slightly. He looked up at Murakami, his tone hesitant: "Is that so? It's not easy to find something interesting. However, even so, I will still continue to fulfill your previous request."

Saeko Kageyama gently placed the cleaned wine glass on the table, her expression calm: "Has Hanagata returned? He even appointed a new president. It seems he's about to make a big move."

"He's just an outsider who appeared out of nowhere." Murakami's tone was full of resentment. "What right does a mere outsider have to take charge of Smart Brain?"

Just then, a soft snort came from the booth by the window. Kitasaki had been sitting there at some point, toying with an ice cube with his fingertips, his eyes full of cruel interest: "Power taken away? How boring. If that new president dares to stop me, I'll just kill him."

Upon suddenly hearing Kitasaki's voice, Takuma froze, his hand holding the wine glass tightened slightly, his shoulders involuntarily shrank back, and he subconsciously moved half a step towards the inside of the bar, not daring to look in Kitasaki's direction for even a second.

He had always been afraid of Kitasaki, fearing that the other party might take his anger out on him on a whim, so he began to shut his mouth and stop talking, only staring at the pages of the poetry collection in front of him.

Murakami frowned immediately upon hearing Kitasaki's words and quickly advised him, his tone tinged with apprehension: "Kitasaki, please don't act impulsively. Now that old bastard Hanagata is back and backing you up behind the scenes, it's best not to make a move against the new president right now."

Kitasaki simply clicked his tongue impatiently, completely ignoring the advice, and continued playing with the ice cubes, no longer joining in their conversation.

Saeko Kageyama pushed a glass of Murakami's usual drink, which she had just mixed, to the bar. Then she continued mixing Kitasaki's usual martini.

Murakami raised his glass, a dark cloud still lingering in his eyes.

A brief silence fell over the bar, broken only by the soft strains of soothing jazz music. Murakami leaned against the bar, gazing out at the street, his heart filled with resentment and bitterness at losing power, constantly plotting how to check and balance the new acting president.

Saeko Kageyama gazed into the distance, gently wiping her cocktail spoon, and muttered to herself thoughtfully.

A mysterious young man, the new president? He might be quite interesting.

The heavy alloy door slid open slowly, and a chill, mixed with disinfectant and biological reagents, rushed out.

This is the deepest underground core laboratory of the Smart Brain building, isolated from all external signals year-round. The walls are covered with silver-gray radiation-proof metal panels, and dozens of giant gene analyzers are neatly arranged along the corridor. The genetic sequence patterns of Orphino are constantly scrolling on the screens, and the cold blue light makes the entire space feel deathly silent and oppressive.

Several researchers dressed in white sterile protective suits were engrossed in calculations at the workbench when they saw Hua Xing enter. They all stopped what they were doing and bowed in greeting.

Hanagata raised his hand to indicate that everyone didn't need to be so polite. He was carrying the briefcase that Lin Chen had given him last night, containing a gene modification plan that could suppress the Orphinosaurus. Although the plan wasn't perfect, it was enough for him.

Last night, he stayed alone in his mountain mansion until the early hours of the morning, repeatedly reviewing and analyzing the text. Even though he had a glimmer of hope in his heart, he still dared not be certain that this hope truly existed.

He spread a thick stack of documents on the central experimental table: "This document contains a complete set of derivation formulas for a desertification inhibitor. We need to gather everyone together to verify and calculate the probability of the entire plan being successfully implemented as soon as possible. We cannot overlook even the smallest detail."

The lead researcher quickly stepped forward to take the document, scanned the core formula at the beginning, and immediately assigned everyone to break down the data. Multiple supercomputing devices were started simultaneously, and the data stream on the screen surged rapidly.

Hanagata stood alone by the control panel, his eyes fixed on the fluctuating numbers, repeatedly asking himself: Could the fate of the Orpheus clan's inevitable demise really be broken by a single plan? He had reviewed the logical deductions countless times, but he still needed an objective conclusion from someone else to confirm that this was not just a fantasy he had been yearning for day and night.

The lengthy calculations lasted nearly two hours before the instrument's beeping finally broke the silence of the laboratory. The lead researcher removed his protective goggles, strode to Hanagata, and said with barely concealed excitement, "President Hanagata, all the data has been cross-checked. The theoretical model is completely self-consistent. The material ratios and gene stabilization process have no flaws. The plan is feasible. As long as it's put into production, we can test the reagent. But..."

The researchers hesitated to speak.

"Just what? Speak!" Seeing his reaction, Hanagata ordered him to speak.

“Although the plan is feasible, after using the drug, the lifespan of an Orphnoch will return to the level of a normal human, but its strength will be greatly reduced. Even with your strength, you will only be slightly stronger than an ordinary human,” the researcher said.

"Is that so? That's good enough." Hanagata had witnessed far too many people lose themselves in the power of the Orphnoch, gradually losing their humanity. In his untold thoughts to the priestess, even if the prophesied Orphnoch didn't destroy the Orphnoch race, he would still personally push for it. The reason he acted according to the priestess's prophecy was simply because he didn't want to see a future where humanity was nearly wiped out.

Hearing the definitive answer, Hanagata suppressed her inner turmoil and calmed herself down before pressing for the most crucial question: "With the laboratory's existing equipment and raw material reserves, how long would it take to produce the first complete and usable inhibitor from scratch?"

Researchers quickly calculated the material and process cycles and gave a precise answer: "The entire process, from gene culture and photon stabilizer purification to in vivo adaptation testing, will take at least two months to complete."

The flower stood quietly in the cold blue light of the instrument, its gaze fixed on the densely packed calculations on the table, and murmured to itself.

Two months?

Chapter 188 Qian Qiao

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight began to spread through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the president's office on the top floor of Smart Brain, Lin Chen appeared in the office area on time.

As for Snail Orpheus, he has now successfully become a corporate slave at Smart Brain Company.

Last night, Huaxing arranged for department heads to wait for reports. Stacks of thick documents, concerning the field operations management regulations, the company's external business cooperation, and the resettlement plan for lower-level employees, filled the large desk. The heads of the four major departments—marketing, research, security, and administration—took turns to explain the tasks at hand, one by one.

Lin Chen simply leaned back in his leather chair and listened quietly, occasionally glancing up to flip through a couple of pages of documents, offering no suggestions for revisions or interfering in any specific tasks. Once everyone had finished reporting, the large office fell silent, and the entire management team awaited the new president's instructions.

He casually pushed the mountain of documents onto the edge of the table, in front of the group of supervisors, and said in a calm tone: "The order to abolish the execution of Orphnochs that do not attack humans has been issued yesterday. All other routine matters shall be decided independently by your respective departments according to the original procedures. You do not need to report to me for approval for everything."

As soon as the words were spoken, all the managers in the room were stunned and looked at each other in bewilderment. When Murakami was in charge, he personally handled all matters, big and small. Now, this acting president was directly delegating authority?

Someone hesitated before stepping forward: "President, do we not need to report core matters such as project budgets and field operation approvals to you?"

“You shall bear the responsibility for your own decisions.” Lin Chen tapped the table lightly with his fingertip. “But I have new instructions: starting today, no more attacks on humans without cause. As for converting our people, very few have been able to successfully convert to Orphnoch; it’s just pointless slaughter.”

Hanagata stood aside, not saying anything to stop him. However, he was somewhat surprised by the new instructions Lin Chen gave. It was indeed very different from what was predicted. You see, in the prophecy, his first suggestion was to start mass-producing Orphnoch, and he also brought the technology that could successfully manufacture Orphnoch on a large scale.

But this time, the technology and instructions were different.

However, the priestess is right; it doesn't prevent people who seem kind now from showing their fangs later.

"President Hanagata, do you have any questions about my instructions?" Lin Chen asked Hanagata directly.

"Of course, no problem, President Lin Chen. You're absolutely right, attacking humans doesn't really make much sense right now." Hanagata said, giving Lin Chen face by standing up for him.

Seeing that Hanagata had confirmed Lin Chen's instructions, the rest of the people said nothing more.

After everyone left, Hanagata also took his leave. Lin Chen then directly instructed Smart Lady:

"Drive that blue sports car downstairs and take me to Kikuchi Laundry."

Smart Lady was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting the new president to abandon such a large company and instead go to a laundromat in an ordinary residential area. She didn't dare to ask any more questions and bowed, replying, "Understood, President."

The blue sports car in the underground parking garage hummed softly as it smoothly drove out of the Smart Brain headquarters building. It drove through bustling commercial areas and into residential streets. Inside the car, the atmosphere was quiet; Smart Lady focused intently on the steering wheel, not initiating conversation as she had with Murakami.

Lin Chen leaned against the passenger window, his gaze sweeping across the street as he pondered his next move.

Although he was now the president of Smart Brain and had issued an order forbidding further attacks on humans without cause, he didn't have high hopes for its implementation. After all, the Meteor Academy students were Hanagata's most beloved adopted children. The Smart Brain members could still attack them and conduct experiments without Hanagata's knowledge.

Now that I hold the authority of the president of Smart Brain, it's perfect timing; the Knight System can return to Smart Brain. It will serve as a sharp blade to execute those Orphnochs who dare to attack humans without authorization.

The sports car slowly stopped on the side of the street next to Kikuchi Laundry. The sunlight fell perfectly on the shop's yellowish signboard, and rows of clean clothes were drying in front of the shop. You could vaguely hear Keitaro's loud and boisterous voice coming from inside the shop.