As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Kitasaki's smile froze abruptly. All his efforts were still seen as "too slow" in the other's eyes. A surge of anger, stemming from being utterly disregarded, rushed to his head, and he was about to roar and charge forward again.

A sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the left.

Zhuomiao had already transformed at some point, and the gray-blue centipede Er'ino stood beside him, its body covered in dense, keratinous barbs that stood up and gleamed with a cold, eerie light.

With a flick of his right arm, the whip blade suddenly unfurled, its twenty-meter-long body lashing out like a living thing, sweeping straight at Lin Chen's ankle.

Almost simultaneously, Saeko Kageyama casually put down her wine glass. Layers of silver-gray lobster armor emerged from her body. She drew her sword from her waist with a backhand stroke, and in a single step, she closed in. With a flick of her wrist, the gleaming sword light formed a dense rain of silver.

Kitasaki was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "What are you doing? I can handle him myself!"

Leaping back, Saeko Kageyama came to Kitasaki's right side, her voice no longer gentle as usual: "Stop fooling around, Kitasaki. It's obvious that this time they're after our Clover. I didn't expect this new president to be so strong."

Upon hearing this, Kitasaki said no more. He leaped back into his dragon-human form, his lightweight body leaving a gray shadow in the night. His claws, crackling with purple lightning, lunged straight at Lin Chen's face.

The three-pronged attack converged perfectly, with the long whip restraining the lower body, the swordsmanship sealing the upper body, and the high-speed surprise attack pressing from the front.

Lin Chen's figure transformed into a golden streak of light, dodging the encirclement. Then...

Ding ding ding ding—

A series of crisp, metallic clangs rang out as Saeko Kageyama's sword rained down like a storm, all of its high-speed thrusts blocked by her dark gold arm armor, sparks flying into a fine curtain of light. Saeko's eyes narrowed slightly as she sheathed her sword and switched to a fist, her left arm whipping around in a gust of wind as she slammed it towards Lin Chen's side.

Lin Chen dodged to the side, and his right hand was about to grab her wrist when Kitasaki's dragon form rushed forward, his claws wrapped in lightning, aiming straight for her back.

Lin Chen's figure blurred again as he dodged the claw blades, while his elbow slammed heavily into Saeko's shoulder armor. Saeko groaned and staggered back two steps.

The centipede whip coiled around him again from behind, its winding, cunning blade trying to bind his wrist and restrict his movement. Lin Chen swiftly reached back and grabbed the whip. Zhuomo, seeing this, pulled back forcefully, trying to throw him off balance, but the whip remained taut, and Lin Chen didn't budge.

"Is that all the strength you have?"

Lin Chen flicked his wrist, and a tremendous force surged through the whip, pulling Zhuomo forward in a staggering motion. Kitasaki seized the opening, circled around to his side, and slashed at his waist with his claw blade once more.

Clang——

The claws grazed the armor plates, and just as he was about to follow up with a second strike, Lin Chen turned around and his heavy fist was already smashing down in front of him. He hurriedly switched back to his demon form and raised his claws to block, but his heavy fist slammed into the giant claw, making his entire arm go numb. He slid back several meters before regaining his footing.

The three stood in a triangle, all slightly out of breath.

Lin Chen stood in the center of the battlefield, cracking his knuckles as he moved them: "This is finally getting interesting. But... that's all."

Kitasaki's excitement intensified. "Don't be so smug! That was just a warm-up!" he growled, lightning crackling again on his claws. "Today, I'm going to tear off that hard shell of yours!"

Takuma and Saeko exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with seriousness. The Lucky Four-Leaf Clover never backs down.

The three of them moved at the same time.

Lightning bolts, whip shadows, and sword flashes crisscrossed, forming a net that pressed in from all directions. Lin Chen shifted his feet, his figure weaving rapidly through the attack net. Lightning bolts missed their mark repeatedly, blasting the ground into craters. The centipede whip grazed his armor several times, and Saeko's sword relentlessly stabbed him dozens of times, the crisp sounds echoing, yet it could never pierce the layer of dark gold armor.

"Is this never going to end?"

A calm voice rang out. The next second, Lin Chen suddenly stopped and gripped the centipede whip again. He twisted his wrist sharply and thrust it forward. A tremendous force surged through the whip, and Lin Chen felt a sharp pain in his tiger's mouth, his entire arm went numb, and he staggered forward involuntarily.

Lin Chen kicked him in the chest. The centipede's exoskeleton made a cracking sound as it could not bear the weight. Zhuomo groaned and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a pile of wrecked cars. Several wrecked cars collapsed with a bang, and dust billowed into the sky.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Chen turned to look at Saeko Kageyama.

Saeko's eyes narrowed. Instead of retreating, she advanced, thrusting her sword at high speed while her right fist slammed into Lin Chen's face with a whooshing sound. Lin Chen neither dodged nor evaded, raising his arm to take the blow head-on.

clang--

The dull thud made her eardrums ache. Saeko felt as if her fist had slammed into a solid alloy steel ingot, the recoil shooting straight into her shoulder and back, causing her to groan and stumble back three steps. Before she could regain her footing, Lin Chen had already closed in, his elbow slamming heavily into her abdomen. Saeko's body arched and flew sideways, crashing into a pile of rubble, her sword flying far from her hand.

In the blink of an eye, both were defeated, leaving only Kitasaki in the arena. He looked at his companion flying backward, but instead of being afraid, his eyes burned with excitement.

"Good...that's great!" he roared, his body covered in heavy armor, and his giant dragon claw in demon form materialized once more. "It's good that they've all fallen! I'll take care of the rest myself!"

Both claws simultaneously lit up with a dazzling silver light, and the two thick destructive light bullets merged into one, carrying the purple lightning gathered in the horns, and transformed into a lightning plasma that roared out.

Lin Chen stood still and drew the Earth Emperor Sword. Facing the oncoming lightning, he slashed out with his sword.

Bang——! !

The sword blade collided with the lightning plasma, creating a deafening explosion. The shockwave sent wrecked cars rattling and dust and debris flying everywhere. The lightning shattered inch by inch, the light bullets disintegrated, but the sword's attack remained unabated, piercing through the explosion and striking Kitazaki squarely in his demonic heavy armor.

Kitasaki's massive body flew backward more than ten meters, crashing heavily onto the concrete ground and carving a long furrow before finally coming to a stop against an abandoned wall. Amidst the billowing dust, Orphnoch could no longer maintain his form; his silver-gray exoskeleton rapidly faded, revealing him back to his baby-faced boy form.

Not far away, from a pile of wrecked cars, Takuma staggered out, clutching his chest, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. On the other side, Kageyama Saeko, leaning against the rubble, stood up, her hair disheveled and her face pale. The three of them were scattered messily across the ground, barely having the strength to stand.

The night wind swept away the smoke and dust, and the abandoned car park returned to silence, with only the crackling of embers from the wrecked cars in the distance.

Lin Chen walked slowly to Bei Qi's side, bent down and picked up the Delta belt from his side.

"I believe you all received the news about the Smart Brain meeting during the day." His voice was calm and even as his gaze swept over the three people on the ground. "The company needs to reorganize, and we need someone to take the lead. You lucky four-leaf clovers are just the right fit."

Kitasaki tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his chest, and he fell back down heavily. He gritted his teeth and looked up, his eyes still filled with defiance.

Takuma and Saeko exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes. The new president's strength was even more terrifying than they had originally anticipated.

Lin Chen didn't say anything more and tossed the Delta belt to Sudo Kirihiko, who was standing quietly to the side.

"Let's go." Wu Yan nodded slightly and stepped forward to follow behind him.

The dark gold armor slowly faded along the photon veins. Sudo Kirihiko followed closely behind, and the two figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the night, leaving behind only a messy abandoned car park and three disheveled and panting members of Lucky Clover.

Chapter 215 Actions of All Parties

The next morning, upon arriving at Smart Brain, Lin Chen went straight to the underground laboratory. The same cold, white lighting and pungent disinfectant smell filled the room.

As he pushed open the door carrying the metal case containing the Delta belt, Hanagata was standing with his back to him in front of the lab table, his fingertips rapidly swiping across the touchscreen, adjusting a set of gene sample data. His silver-white hair fell over his white lab coat shoulders. Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn around, his hands continuing their work without pause.

"Isn't the potion already finished? What are you still mixing?" Lin Chen walked to the edge of the table, placed the metal box in an empty space, and asked.

Hanagata stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around. His gaze swept over the metal box Lin Chen had brought, his face expressionless: "Keep a few control groups, just in case. Today, we're going to officially inform all the surviving Orphnochs about the potion. Why did you suddenly come here instead of staying to oversee things?"

Lin Chen raised his hand and tapped the box, getting straight to the point: "That guy Murakami Kyoji has been making a lot of moves behind the scenes, secretly collecting the scattered knight belts." He paused, then recounted to Hanagata what Inui Takumi had told him about his experience.

"The potion is now in mass production and will be available soon." Lin Chen tapped the lid of the box twice with his finger, his tone becoming more serious. "There are those who want to live a good life, but there will definitely be a large number of Orphnoch who are obsessed with their power and unwilling to give it up. At that time, those radicals will definitely not sit still and will cause trouble sooner or later. It may even trigger a war, and we need enough manpower to fight."

The Knight System is indispensable. Those who currently hold the belts don't trust me at all; most of them are your adopted children. You need to come with me and explain things clearly."

Hanagata didn't reply immediately after hearing this. He lowered his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding.

Seeing that he agreed, Lin Chen raised an eyebrow and then asked, "Speaking of which, what are your plans for your adopted sons and daughters? I recently looked into it, and quite a few people from Meteor Academy have died."

The moment those words were spoken, the air around the lab bench seemed to freeze for a moment.

Hanagata didn't respond to his words. Instead, she bent down and picked up the metal box, her knuckles brushing against the cold surface. Her tone was unreadable, only carrying an indescribable heaviness: "I just want to believe in a possibility."

He looked up at Lin Chen, his tone returning to its previous calm: "The finishing touches here are almost done. Once we're done, I'll go with you to see my adopted son and daughter. I'll say what needs to be said then."

Upon hearing his answer, Lin Chen gave him a deep look, then turned and walked out of the laboratory without pressing him further.

The blinds of the Clover Bar were half-drawn, and only a few dim rays of morning sunlight could seep in through the gaps, mixing with the warm light from the bar counter, making the whole space feel dull and oppressive.

The air was filled with the lingering aroma of alcohol, mixed with a very faint, dry, dusty smell—the residue left by the sand that Kitasaki had touched.

Kitazaki leaned back in the innermost booth, one leg dangling over another, against the glass wall behind him. The nonchalant air that usually clung to his baby face was completely gone.

He has dominated the world with the power of his dragon-type Orphnoch, always the one beating others, and has never suffered such a great loss before.

The three of them, working together, were completely overwhelmed by the opponent's single man. That dark gold armor stood before him like a mountain, crushing everything he was proud of. He was now seething with anger, with nowhere to vent it and unable to swallow it down.

Takuma Itsuro sat on the other side, away from Kitasaki, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, as if afraid that Kitasaki would take his anger out on him because of his defeat.

His head was hanging low, his eyes fixed on the grout lines in the floor tiles, his face filled with unconcealed fear. The moment that heavy blow struck his chest yesterday, he even thought he was going to die.

Saeko Kageyama had changed back into her bartender uniform, her long hair pulled back, and was standing behind the bar wiping glasses.

The white cloth rubbed against the cup, making a soft, rustling sound. Her movements were unhurried, but her shoulders were taut. Her gaze lingered on the smooth surface of the cup, but her mind was clearly elsewhere.

"Hey, Saeko-san." Takuma suddenly spoke, his voice a little hoarse, breaking the silence of the room.

Saeko paused for half a second, then looked up at him.

Zhuomo swallowed hard, his voice filled with unwavering confusion: "Tell me... what exactly is that Knight System? How can it be so powerful? Murakami has never mentioned it to us before. How come Smart Brain has something like this?"

Saeko turned the clean wine glass upside down on the glass rack: "What it is doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that the three of us combined couldn't beat him." She paused, a hint of self-deprecation in her voice, "And we call ourselves the strongest Clover, but it turns out the company has been hiding so many things that we knew nothing about."

Upon hearing this, Zhuomo's shoulders slumped even more, and his voice lowered even further: "Then... what about the potion? The potion that the new president mentioned can turn us back into ordinary people, what are we going to do? Are we really going to listen to him and take the lead in giving up our powers and turning back into ordinary people?"

As he spoke, he looked up at Saeko, his eyes filled with wavering hesitation.

"Whether we change or not, the choice is in our own hands." Saeko said calmly, picking up the next cup and continuing to wipe it. "If we really don't want to cooperate, we can just leave this city. The key now is to see what Murakami means. If he's determined to go against the new president, we can't keep being cannon fodder in the middle."

Kitazaki didn't utter a single word the entire time. He didn't care about the medicine or who was in the president's position. He only cared about the loss yesterday; that feeling of frustration was like a thorn stuck in his throat, neither rising nor falling, causing him extreme discomfort.

Just then, the bar door was pushed open with a bang. Murakami Kyoji strode in, a triumphant smile on his face. He immediately raised his voice, his tone brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "The opportunity has arrived! I'm sure you all know about yesterday's internal meeting of Smart Brian's upper management. That new president has been acting recklessly since taking office, and now he's pulled this stunt. He's damaged most of Orphino's interests, and now even that old fox Hanagata has been dragged into it. He's too busy protecting himself to do anything else—"

He stopped in his tracks halfway through his sentence.

The oppressive atmosphere of the room hit him hard, freezing his smile. He strode to the booth, his gaze sweeping over the three men's grim faces: "What's going on? What happened to you all?"

When Saeko Kageyama saw Murakami approaching, she quickly recounted the events of the previous night. At the end, she looked up at Murakami, her tone accusatory: "Even the three of us combined couldn't stop him. Mr. Murakami, what exactly happened? Why is there a hidden belt in the company that we had no idea about?"

Murakami's face darkened inch by inch. He clearly hadn't expected Lin Chen to be so powerful, let alone know about this mysterious belt. He remained silent for several seconds, then suddenly chuckled, took a step forward, and spoke in a low, menacing voice, tinged with a sinister edge: "I don't know anything about that belt either. It's most likely that old fox Hanagata's trump card. But so what if he can fight? Can he take on three, ten, or even a hundred?"

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a chip, and placed it on the bar.

"I've already contacted a large number of high-ranking company executives who are dissatisfied with his orders, and they all wield considerable power." Murakami's lips curled into a cold smile. "Once we've gathered all the manpower, we'll take action under the pretext of 'cleansing up traitors and correcting Smart Brain's direction.' We'll use a war of attrition, taking turns to wear him down. This time, it will be his death day."

The dim light fell on the four people's faces, casting shadows of varying depths.

The elevator dinged and stopped at the top floor. Lin Chen stepped into the president's office, but paused as soon as he turned the corner.

The city skyline stretches out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the afternoon sunlight slants in, falling on the corner by the window—where dozens of black suitcases are neatly stacked, their silver-gray Smart Brain logos gleaming coldly.

"What are these?" Lin Chen raised his chin, and the Smart Lady waiting beside him immediately stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Reporting to the president, it was President Hanagata who ordered people to bring it up from the deep underground laboratory early this morning, saying that it was all under your full control."

Lin Chen walked to the frontmost box, his fingertips gripping the edge of the lid as he gently lifted it. He saw the contents of the box, his eyes flickered slightly, his fingertips lingered on the edge for half a second, and then he closed the lid tightly.

"Notify Kiba Yuji and have him come to the president's office immediately." His tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

"Understood." The Smart Lady responded and withdrew, and the room quickly returned to silence.

Lin Chen stood in front of a row of boxes. He knew that Hanagata had some trump cards up his sleeve, but he didn't expect the other party to reveal everything so readily, and he certainly didn't expect that this former president had secretly amassed such a fortune.

The moment the soundproof door to the president's office closed behind him, the noise of the entire building was instantly cut off.

Yuji Kiba walked into the office with steady steps, stopped in front of Lin Chen's desk, and bowed slightly: "President Lin Chen, you wanted to see me?"

Lin Chen leaned back against his desk, arms crossed, and without any pleasantries, went straight to the point: "How's the work I assigned you going?"

Kiba paused slightly.