As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Zhuo Yilang is already trapped by Faiz and Maofi. If this drags on any longer, they will both be defeated.

She decisively withdrew from the battle, coldly calling out to Takuma Itsuki, who was still locked in combat, "Let's go!"

Takuma Itaro was filled with resentment and glared fiercely at Kiba, but he knew that continuing to fight would only lead to a crushing defeat. He suddenly swung his long whip and slammed it into the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust that obscured his vision. Using the dust as cover, he feinted a move to force Inui Takumi back, then turned and quickly retreated with Kageyama Saeko.

The two figures quickly retreated into the shadows on the side of the street and disappeared in a few breaths.

Lin Chen wanted to chase after them immediately and leave these two Clover members who were defying the rules behind. But just then, a strange and inexplicable aura quietly enveloped the surroundings.

He turned his head sharply to look in the direction from which the aura came, and a streak of white-gold light flashed by so fast that it was impossible to catch, leaving only a heart full of doubts.

On the driveway not far away, the Smart Lady in the blue sports car witnessed and recorded the entire battle, sending the video footage to Hanagata. With the two Clover members leaving, the fight ended, and silence returned to the scene.

Yuji Kiba immediately deactivated his transformation, raising his hand to cover his arm where he had been slashed by the whip; blood was seeping from the wound. Takumi Inui quickly walked to the black sedan and bent down to check on the occupants.

Kiba followed closely behind, and when he got closer and saw the face of the person inside the car, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked completely astonished: "Yoshimasa? How could it be him?"

Kiba nodded, reached out to check the other person's breathing, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the other person had simply fainted and was not in any danger.

Qian Qiao turned to look at Lin Chen, who had just deactivated his Orphnoch form, her tone full of doubt: "President Lin Chen, what exactly happened? You are the president of the AI ​​company, so why would they attack you, since you are also an Orphnoch?"

"I already told you, just call me Lin Chen." Lin Chen said casually, "I told you yesterday that I issued a new rule prohibiting Orphnochs from attacking humans. But there are always those who don't follow the rules, who think they are superior and are unwilling to be bound by them."

He looked at Qian Qiao and extended the invitation again: "That's why I need you. Think carefully about my proposal."

After saying that, he turned to look at Kiba Yuji, who was standing to the side with complicated thoughts: "You must be Kiba Yuji. You can come to Smart Brain sometime. I know you've always wanted to live peacefully as a human being. I have some jobs that might suit you. You can come and learn more about them."

After saying that, Lin Chen didn't linger any longer. He turned around and walked back to the blue sports car in the opposite lane, then got into the car.

"Go to Bar Clover."

Smart Lady was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and a clear look of fear appeared on her face. She quickly tried to dissuade her, saying, "President, that's Clover's territory. It's very dangerous!" She even showed a somewhat frightened expression when she mentioned Clover. You see, the reason she didn't get out of the car earlier was because she saw Takuma and Saeko Kageyama.

Seeing her wary look, Lin Chen said calmly, "Are you afraid of them? Don't worry, I'm here. Just lead the way."

Meanwhile, inside Bar Clover.

Saeko Kageyama and Itaro Takuma pushed open the door and entered. At the bar, Kitasaki leaned lazily against the counter, slowly swirling the drink in his glass. He glanced at the two of them, a mocking sneer playing on his lips: "What happened? You two went out on business and ended up in such a mess. You can't even handle a newly appointed president? You're both so useless."

Takuma Ichiro's face turned extremely ugly after hearing this, but his fear of Kitasaki kept him silent as he sat down to calm himself.

Saeko Kageyama walked to the bar, her tone calm but serious: "This new president is very strong. If it comes to a head-on fight, I'm no match for him."

"The stronger it is, the more interesting it becomes."

Kitasaki licked his lips, his eyes blazing with extreme excitement and fighting spirit: "I can't wait to meet this new president in person and see just how capable he really is."

Inside the bar's changing room, Saeko Kageyama changed into her usual waitress uniform and was fixing her appearance in front of a full-length mirror.

In the empty room, a strange ripple suddenly appeared on the mirror. The figure of a blonde woman slowly emerged, and most eerily, her face was exactly the same as his own.

The blonde woman's gaze was deep and unfathomable as she stared directly at Saeko Kageyama in front of the mirror. She spoke softly, "Hello, my other self. Watch out, he's coming."

As soon as she finished speaking, the image in the mirror vanished without a trace, leaving only a bewildered Saeko Kageyama standing there.

Chapter 193 Bar Clover

After the commotion on the street subsided, Kiba Yuji carefully helped the still unconscious Morishita Yoshimasa into the passenger seat of the car, and drove slowly back to the place where he and Nagata Yuka and the others were staying.

He settled Yoshimasa down, gently helped him lie on the bed, then pulled up a chair and sat down quietly, his eyes glazed over, falling into a long silence. His mind was a jumble of thoughts: Chie's death, Yoshimasa's questions, and his own identity as an Orphnoch—each event weighed heavily on him, making it hard to breathe.

Not long after, Yoshimasa Morishita slowly woke up on the bed.

He clutched his heavy, dizzy forehead, looking around blankly: "Where...where am I? How did I get here?"

He tried hard to recall, but his last memory was of driving when someone suddenly stopped his car, and then everything went black, and he lost consciousness. As for the Orphnoch attack and the street battle that followed, he had no recollection of them at all.

Seeing his blank expression, Yuji Kiba pressed him for an answer, asking if he couldn't remember anything. After receiving a definite answer, he sighed inwardly and made up an excuse: "You were robbed on the road by some thugs on motorcycles and were so scared that you fainted. I happened to need to talk to you, so I brought you back. Have some water to calm down first."

As he spoke, he handed him a glass of warm water. Yoshimasa took the water, not dwelling on the minor matter of fainting; his mind was solely focused on the cause of his sister Chie's death. After a few seconds, he immediately looked at Kiba, his eyes earnest and pleading: "Yoji, you came to me because you're willing to help me investigate and find the real culprit who killed Chie?"

Faced with Yoshimasa's expectation, Kiba Yuji was tormented. He took out the bracelet that Yoshimasa had left him the night before and handed it to Morishita Yoshimasa. "I just wanted to return this to you."

With just those one sentence, Yoshimasa instantly understood. Kiba was rejecting him. Yoshimasa's eyes dimmed, his face filled with disappointment, and he asked in a low voice, "Is that so...? You're planning to completely forget Chie and stop caring about this?"

Yuji Kiba turned his head away, filled with remorse, and could only apologize softly, "I'm sorry."

Yoshimasa Morishita shook his head, neither angry nor blaming him. "I don't blame you. You have your own choices. Even without your help, I would have investigated on my own and found the murderer who killed Chie."

Yuji Kiba looked up at him, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and couldn't help but ask, "If... you really find the culprit, what do you plan to do?"

Morishita Yoshimasa gripped the bracelet tightly in his hand, his eyes filled with unwavering determination and long-suppressed hatred. "What else can I do? A life for a life. I want revenge."

On the other side, Keitaro sat in the car, still in a daze, completely bewildered: "I really can't believe it... President Hayashi is really an Orphnoch! And Mr. Kiba, he looks so gentle and composed, he's also an Orphnoch..."

The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became, immediately worrying about Nagata Yuka's safety. "Takumi, Miss Nagata has been living with Mr. Kiba, isn't she in great danger? What if Kiba...?"

Qian Qiao sat calmly to the side and reassured him, "Don't worry, it's alright. If Kiba wanted to hurt Yuka, he would have done it already, he wouldn't have waited until now."

After saying that, he looked at Keitaro seriously and said, "Could you please not tell Mari and Soga about this for the time being? So much has happened these past few days that I haven't even fully sorted things out myself yet. Once I've sorted things out, I'll tell you and Mari everything."

After a pause, Qian Qiao still reminded him in advance: "Also, I know you like Nagata, but her identity is also very complicated... Try not to take the initiative to meet with her again."

Keitaro was instinctively puzzled and was about to ask why when the image of Kiba being an Orphnoch flashed through his mind. His face turned pale, and his lips began to tremble. He stiffly turned to look at Inui Takumi, his voice trembling: "Could it be... that Nagata-san, she is also?"

Qian Qiao didn't say anything, but gently patted his shoulder, tacitly agreeing to everything.

In an instant, Keitaro seemed to have lost his soul, muttering to himself, "How could this happen... how could this be..."

The group returned to Kikuchi Laundry, where Sonoda Mari was already waiting for them.

She could tell at a glance that Keitaro looked extremely pale and his whole demeanor was off, so she quickly went over to him with concern: "Keitaro, what's wrong? You look so pale, what happened?"

"N-nothing... I just ran into an Orphnoch on the way and got a fright." Remembering Takumi Inui's instructions, Keitaro could only force an awkward smile to get by.

After saying that, he didn't dare to talk any more. He turned around and hid in the backyard, squatting next to the laundry tub in a daze, clutching the clothes in his hand. He didn't move for a long time, his mind filled with the identity of Nagata Yuka.

Qian Qiao glanced at his dejected figure, said nothing more, simply greeted Mari, and turned to leave. Kiba's sudden stop earlier clearly indicated he wanted to speak to him privately, so he needed to go see Kiba. Moreover, Kiba was also an Orphnoch, and he needed to ascertain Kiba's stance.

Inside Bar Clover.

Saeko Kageyama changed into a waitress uniform. She dismissed the strange scene in the mirror as a hallucination caused by her intense fight with Lin Chen and didn't take it seriously.

She returned to the bar and found that Kitasaki, who had been sitting there, was nowhere to be seen.

Takuma Ichiro looked at her and casually explained, "Kitasaki felt the atmosphere was too dull and boring, so he left first." Kitasaki's departure also relieved him. If he had a choice, he would never want to see Kitasaki again.

Saeko Kageyama smiled faintly upon hearing this. She wasn't surprised; she knew Kitasaki's personality too well—capricious and restless. Picking up a glass cloth, she slowly wiped the glasses on the bar, then suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, Takumi, what's wrong with you today? Two little ones, and you ended up fighting like that?"

Zhuomo Yilang's face stiffened, a mixture of resentment and helplessness in his expression. "I didn't expect those two to be so difficult to deal with when they worked together. In the end, it was because I was too careless. I definitely won't fail again next time." After saying that, he turned to ask, "What about you? Is that newly appointed president really that strong? That he could force you to back down?"

Saeko Kageyama picked up the cleaned sake glass, examined it briefly under the light, a hint of undisguised seriousness flashing in her eyes. Recalling the oppressive feeling she had just experienced when fighting Lin Chen, she spoke in a low voice, "The feeling of facing him was very similar to when I faced Kitasaki. From beginning to end, I only felt powerless. I really don't know where Hanagata found such a monster."

Upon hearing the name "Kitasaki," Takuma Itarou felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively shuddered. To be compared to Kitasaki, the new president's strength was simply terrifying.

Not long after, the bar door was gently pushed open, and J slowly walked in carrying his dog Chuck, looking like he had just come back from walking the dog.

He nodded slightly to the two people at the bar, said nothing more, bent down and released the leash, letting Chuck run and play freely by the bar.

He had overheard their conversation about the new club president, but he hadn't said a word. In his eyes, who became president, who was stronger or weaker, was less important than his little dog, Chuck.

The bar was quiet during the day; no one was buying anything or making any noise. As the three of them sat there, the atmosphere gradually fell silent, becoming somewhat oppressively quiet.

Just then, a blue sports car pulled up outside the bar. Inside, the Smart Lady stared at the Bar Clover, clearly terrified, her body tense.

Lin Chen sat in the passenger seat, looking at her like this, feeling slightly puzzled. He had never understood what a Smart Lady really was.

She is human, yet lacks the life force of a human; she is an Orphnoch, yet completely devoid of any monstrous aura; she is artificial intelligence, yet possesses remarkably rich and realistic emotions, capable of fear, tension, and worry.

After a brief period of fruitless contemplation, Lin Chen simply stopped worrying about it. "You wait in the car," he said, "no need to come in with me." With that, he got out of the car and pushed open the bar's main door.

The sound of the door opening broke the silence inside the bar. At this time of day, there were practically no customers. The three people inside simultaneously looked up towards the door.

Lin Chen walked in casually, hands in his pockets. His gaze swept over the three men, first landing on the wary Takuma Itsuki, then on the smiling Kageyama Saeko, and finally on the silent, burly black man, J.

These were the early core members of Clover. His gaze finally settled on Saeko Kageyama, and Lin Chen's lips curled into a slight smile as he spoke softly, "This is our third meeting, Ms. Kageyama. I wonder if I could have a drink with you this time?"

Upon seeing Lin Chen's sudden arrival, Zhuo Yilang stood up, his face wary and his heart filled with displeasure. What was this new club president doing here all of a sudden? Had he won and come here specifically to swagger around?

In contrast, J remained calm and indifferent, only looking down at his dog running around.

Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, Saeko Kageyama's fingers, which were holding the glass-wiping cloth, paused slightly, and her movements as she wiped the wine glasses subtly slowed. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed all hostility, and an elegant and composed smile appeared on her face.

“I vaguely remember. Not long ago, not long after Murakami became the president, a stranger came into the bar for a drink, accompanied by an Orphnoch that was unusually afraid of him. I didn’t expect it to be you.” He gently turned the clean glass upside down on the table, his tone soft.

"Our store isn't officially open during the day yet, but since the new president of Smart Brain is here, we can make an exception and entertain him. Don't you know his name yet?"

Lin Chen walked straight to the bar and sat down. "Just call me President Lin Chen. Give me an LLB."

Upon hearing this, Takuma Itsuki, who was standing nearby with his body tense and ready to retort at any moment, was completely stunned. In his mind, an Orphnoch with such strong power who had just taken over the reins would definitely prefer strong liquor to project an aura of dominance and intimidation.

As it turned out, the other person ordered a low-alcohol soft drink that was mostly soda water with only a slight bitterness, completely shattering his expectations.

Saeko Kageyama quickly prepared a glass of LLB and gently placed it in front of Lin Chen, then took the opportunity to probe. "President Lin Chen came here specifically for more than just drinking, right? It's still daytime. Even if he wanted to call a meeting for us Clover members, it would usually be at night."

Lin Chen picked up his wine glass and swirled it, speaking casually: "Nothing much, just came to chat with everyone. I've only been in this position for a couple of days, and haven't had a chance to formally meet and get to know everyone in the Clover group yet."

Chapter 194 The Confession

In fact, Lin Chen's original plan was very simple.

Clover is the strongest group of Orphnochs currently existing in Smart Brain. Since they provoked him today, he could have easily taken the opportunity to wipe them all out. However, on his way here, Hanagata suddenly called him.

Hanagata had already watched the battle video reported by Smart Lady. He pretended to be worried about Lin Chen's safety, but in reality, he was trying to cover up the fact that he had been secretly monitoring and observing Lin Chen.

He knew very well that the "king" in the witch's prophecy could not die so easily, and Lin Chen would definitely not be in any danger.

So he pleaded with Lin Chen to spare the Clover group for the time being. The two had discussed the drug for treating Orphnoch-like necrosis the previous night; it was already in the research and development phase, and the first product was expected to be ready in two months.

To completely get the remaining Orphnochs to obediently reintegrate into human society using the potion, top-tier Orphnochs like Clover will need to take the lead.

Lin Chen thought about it carefully and also felt that it made sense.

A new leader taking office and immediately executing all of the company's top combatants may quickly establish authority, but it will only make the remaining Orphnochs feel insecure and trigger a large-scale rebellion, which is a losing proposition.

Moreover, his new rule prohibiting attacks on humans can be gradually implemented during this period to correct the Orphnochs' racial habits in advance, paving the way for the subsequent widespread use of the potion and the integration of all members into human society.

Hanagata even gave him a thick list, which recorded all the Orphnochs who had wantonly hunted humans and whose crimes were beyond redemption.

As for how to deal with these people, Hanagata left the decision entirely to Lin Chen.

After much deliberation, Lin Chen came up with the safest compromise.

Executing them all would inevitably cause unrest; letting them all go would be against morality and would also be unacceptable to humanity. The best solution is to convict and sentence Orphnoch according to human legal systems.