As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

The apartment was quiet for a while.

Kiba originally intended to keep this matter to himself. The internal strife within Smart Brain, the destiny of desertification, the potions and the knight system—these things were too dangerous and too heavy. He didn't want to drag Kaidou and Yuka into this mess.

After a long silence, he remembered Lin Chen's words before leaving: "It will be announced to all Orphnochs soon." He knew in his heart that the truth could not be hidden in the end, and the two of them would have to face their own fate sooner or later.

He finally relented.

The story begins with the ultimate fate of the Orphnoch after its awakening: genetic collapse and death by desertification. It then goes on to discuss Smart Brain's decades of deliberate neglect, the factional divisions within the company, and finally, Lin Chen's efforts to mass-produce the desertification inhibitor, as well as the choice to "give up power in exchange for a stable lifespan."

Kiba spoke calmly and deliberately, without embellishment, revealing everything word by word.

After he finished speaking, the apartment fell into dead silence.

"Bullshit!" Haitang slammed his hand on the coffee table, making the glass rattle. He stood up abruptly, his voice rising a notch, "This is absolutely a lie made up by Smart Brain! They just want to trick us into giving up our powers and submitting to their control! Sandification, genetic collapse, I think it's all a conspiracy by that new president!"

He rolled up his sleeves, his anger flaring: "Let's go! We're going to Smart Brain right now to settle accounts with him! I want to see what he's up to!"

On the other side, Nagata Yuka remained silent. She lowered her eyes, repeatedly confirming, "Kiba, you mean... all Orphnochs, regardless of their strength or whether they harm anyone, will eventually... turn to sand and die?"

Her voice was soft, with a barely perceptible tremor. She had suffered too much in her life. She had finally met Kiba and Haitang, and finally found a place to stay. She thought she could live a peaceful life, but it turned out that even surviving was a luxury.

“I didn’t believe it at first either.” Kiba raised his hand to hold down the agitated Kaido and handed him the simple research data that Lin Chen had given him. “This is the original data from the lab. I’ve checked the sample numbers of several of them, and they are all real experimental subjects. He wouldn’t go to such lengths to make up such a huge lie to deceive three small fry like us.”

Haitang grabbed the documents and frowned more and more as she flipped through them. The words of cursing stuck in her throat and she couldn't utter them for a long time.

In the midst of the argument, Kiba remembered the commission he had accepted. He took a deep breath, reached out and placed the black briefcase beside his legs on the coffee table, then gently lifted the lid with his fingertips.

A soft click.

Inside the box lay a brass belt, its metallic texture gleaming coldly under the living room lights. Lin Chen had given it to him before he left.

The curse that Haitang was about to utter stopped abruptly. Her eyes widened, and she pointed at the belt in the box, blurting out, "What... what is this?! A knight's belt?!"

Yuka also looked up at the belt, her eyes filled with astonishment.

Seeing the two men's shocked expressions, Kiba's Adam's apple bobbed, and his tone was heavy: "President Lin Chen needs help. There are a lot of radicals resisting the drug promotion, and he wants me... to step forward and become the captain of a small team to help him stabilize the situation."

The light fell on the three people's faces, and for the first time, the weight of fate pressed down so clearly on this small apartment.

After Lin Chen and Hua Xing disappeared at the end of the street, the air in the laundromat froze, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Sonoda Mari slumped onto the bench by the window, her eyes glazed over, repeatedly muttering, "Dad is an Orphnoch," unable to recover for a long time. The truth that her adoptive father, who had raised her for over a decade, was actually the monster they had been fighting against, hit her like a boulder, leaving her mind blank.

Kikuchi Keitaro sat next to her, at a loss for words, wanting to comfort her but unable to find the words. He could only sit there, occasionally handing her a glass of water.

Kusaka Masato leaned against the doorframe, one hand in his pocket. His eyes were fixed on the direction the two had left, his expression unreadable, and no one knew what he was thinking. Hanagata's identity was indeed a huge shock, but he was more concerned about Lin Chen, this suddenly appearing new president, whose side even his own father was willing to side with. What exactly was he planning?

Recalling his adoptive father's last words, he instinctively clenched his fists. Kimura Saya sat quietly in the corner, her eyes downcast and saying nothing.

No one spoke first to break the silence.

Just then, Qian Qiao suddenly stood up, grabbed her coat draped over the back of the chair, and walked toward the door.

"Ah Qiao? Where are you going?" Zhenli, who had just come to her senses after hearing the noise, quickly asked him.

Qian Qiao didn't stop walking; her hand was already on the doorknob. She simply said, "Going out for a walk," and pushed the door open and walked out. The door closed gently behind her, the wind chimes tinkled once, and then quickly fell silent again.

Not long after Qian Qiao left, the oppressive atmosphere in the laundromat suddenly changed.

"Crack-!"

Suddenly, all the windows of the laundromat shattered, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. The next second, a violent explosion ripped open the store door and the walls on both sides, the roar echoing throughout the street! The massive shockwave overturned the washing machines and shelves inside, sending bricks, clothes, and debris flying everywhere, and smoke and dust instantly engulfed the entire store.

"careful!"

Kusaka reacted the fastest, immediately pulling out his Kaixa phone and pressing the transformation command.

"Standing by!"

"Complete!"

Before the armor fully covered his body, he darted in front of Mari and Keitaro, shielding them as they retreated towards the kitchen. Saya also ducked behind the counter, clutching the black briefcase her adoptive father had brought back. The attack, aimed directly at the building's structure, caused the main beam to snap under the strain with a resounding crash.

The entire Kikuchi Laundry shop collapsed into ruins amidst smoke and noise.

After an unknown amount of time, the dust gradually settled.

A few coughs came from the rubble, followed by the sound of bricks being moved. Kusaka, using a broken water pipe as support, stood up from the ruins, his Kaixa armor covered in dust. Behind him, Mari protected Keitaro as they crawled out from the broken bricks, both of them covered in dust and dirt, coughing incessantly, but thankfully only suffering minor abrasions.

On the other side, Saya pushed aside the wooden planks pressing down on her and crawled out of the rubble as well.

Before they could catch their breath, footsteps came from the intersection not far away.

Three figures walked slowly against the sunlight, their silhouettes appearing oppressive in the backlight. Kitasaki walked in front, hands in his pockets, a nonchalant smile on his baby face. Looking at the four who were getting up in a disheveled state, his tone was flippant yet cruel: "They're not dead? That's surprising. I thought they'd be buried right there."

Saeko Kageyama, standing beside him, crossed her arms and coldly observed the ruins and the four disheveled figures before her, her eyes devoid of any emotion, as if watching an insignificant play. The remaining figure, Itachi Takuma, stood silently behind the two.

"Did you do this?" Kusaka gritted his teeth, raising his hand to take the Caesar Blade Pistol. His face beneath the armor was filled with solemnity. He knew that with Takumi Inui gone, although the Faiz belt was left in the shop, no one could use it.

Kitasaki chuckled but didn't reply.

The next second, thick gray energy surged around him, and his bones and muscles rapidly distorted in the stream of light. In the blink of an eye, the ferocious dragon-shaped Orphnoch stood in place, and a terrifying sense of oppression pressed down on the four of them as if it were a tangible reality.

"Game time, let's begin."

The black sedan stopped in front of the Smart Brain headquarters building. Lin Chen and Hanagata got out of the car and went straight into the elevator.

The elevator ascended rapidly, the numbers jumping all the way to the top floor. With a soft ding, the elevator doors slowly slid open to both sides.

The Smart Lady, who was waiting at the entrance, immediately rushed over. Her usual gentle smile was gone, and her tone was unusually urgent: "President, President Hanagata, something bad has happened. The company's core decision-making team, together with Murakami Kyoji, has called a meeting at the last minute. All the company's senior executives are already here, except for the two of you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen raised an eyebrow and turned to exchange a glance with Hanagata beside him.

He had anticipated that the opposition would first secretly collude and engage in some underhanded tactics, but he hadn't expected Murakami Kyoji to be so hasty, skipping all the groundwork and openly forcing him to resign under the guise of a shareholders' meeting. This do-or-die courage was far greater than he had anticipated.

"Understood." Lin Chen's tone was calm, showing no sign of panic. "Lead the way."

The two didn't stop and walked side by side towards the conference room. The motion-sensor lights on both sides of the corridor turned on one by one.

The conference room doors were pushed open from both sides by staff.

The long table was filled with company executives in suits, a dense, dark mass of people, all their eyes instantly turning to the entrance. Murakami Kyoji didn't sit in his usual spot, but instead took the guest seat to the left of the head of the table, adopting an air of "taking charge." Seeing Lin Chen and Hanagata enter, a confident smile curled at the corner of his lips.

The entire conference room was eerily quiet, the air thick with a tense, impending storm.

Lin Chen remained expressionless.

He walked slowly towards the head seat at the end of the long table, facing all the probing, hostile, and observing gazes of the room. His leather shoes made almost no sound on the thick carpet, yet each step felt like a blow to the hearts of everyone present.

Chapter 218 Murakami's Scheme

In the Smart Brain conference room, cool white light shone on the extra-long ebony conference table. Dozens of decision-makers sat upright, their eyes occasionally drifting between the head of the table and Murakami Kyoji. No one dared to break the tense silence.

Lin Chen walked slowly to the head seat, pulled out a chair and sat down, the back of the chair creaking slightly. He broke the silence first, his tone calm but carrying a sense of pressure: "Judging from this, everyone gathered here today having already chosen their sides in advance."

Before he could finish speaking, Murakami Kyoji stood up from his seat, braced himself on the edge of the table, and launched his attack in front of everyone.

He laid out a list of accusations against Lin Chen, saying that Lin Chen was an outsider who betrayed the very foundation of the Orphic race's survival, that Hua Xing was senile and allowed outsiders to seize power, and that he had abandoned the plan to resurrect the Orphic King and make the Orphic Enoch perfect beings.

Finally, they described the desertification inhibitor as a "slow-acting poison that destroys the power of one's own kind," claiming that Lin Chen and Hua Xing were traitors to Orphino.

His eyes kept darting to the decision-makers present, hoping someone would stand up and agree with him.

After delivering his lengthy accusations, Murakami awaited the crowd's response, but the meeting room remained eerily quiet. The old foxes in the decision-making ranks all kept their eyes down, staring intently at the documents on their desks, not one daring to step forward and take sides.

Lin Chen remained calm throughout, and only after he finished shouting did he casually raise his hand and say, "Are you done? Sit down."

Murakami's face froze, turning pale and then flushed, before he finally slumped back into his chair. Lin Chen's gaze slowly swept over everyone on either side, and he asked in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, do you also think we are traitors to the Orphnoch, just like him?"

The huge conference room was so quiet you could hear someone breathing, and dozens of senior executives all lowered their heads to avoid eye contact.

Standing before the ruins of the laundromat, watching Kitasaki complete his transformation, Saeko Kageyama and Itaro Takuma didn't hesitate, simultaneously activating the Orpheus power within them. Layers of silver-gray lobster armor covered Saeko's body, her pincers gleaming with a cold light, and she wielded a rapier with a sharp, imposing presence.

On the other side, the centipede Orpheus appeared, its multi-segmented limbs outstretched, its long whip cracking, stirring up fine sand and pebbles.

On the side of the ruins, upon seeing this, Kimura Saya immediately rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a Delta belt, quickly fastening it around her waist.

"Standing by!"

"Complete!"

A stream of silver photons flowed through the pipes, covering her entire body. Black armor rapidly took shape. She walked to Kusaka Masato's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with Kaixa, and raised her hands to assume a fighting stance.

Zhuomo glanced at the two knights opposite him, chuckled, and said in a flippant tone, "Murakami was right after all. That new president will definitely return the belt. Sending us here was the right move."

Upon hearing this, Saeko Kageyama corrected him, saying, "From now on, stop calling that traitorous president. A person who betrays his people has no right to lead Smart Brain."

Kitasaki completely ignored their conversation, his gaze sweeping across the ruins before finally settling on the two knights. His tone was full of mockery and disdain: "Just the two of you? Faiz isn't even here. This game is so boring."

"Don't look down on me!" Kusaka was already holding back his anger, and these words provoked him, causing a fierce glint to flash in his eyes.

He gritted his teeth and roared, stomping his foot and kicking up a cloud of dust as he charged forward, Caesar Blade Pistol in hand. Kimura Saya simultaneously drew her Delta pistol from her waist, aimed, and fired a series of shots to hold off the other two.

Behind a half-open counter not far away, Sonoda Mari and Kikuchi Keitaro huddled in cover. Neither of them could fight, and their first instinct was to pull out their phones and call for help. Keitaro frantically paced around, yelling, "Answer it! Takumi, answer the phone!"

On the sea embankment.

The sea breeze whipped the waves against the rocks. Kiyoshi leaned against the railing, hands in his pockets, gazing absently at the endless sea. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He glanced at it; it was a call from Keitaro. Annoyed, he immediately hung up.

But less than two seconds later, the phone vibrated again, and the word "Truth" appeared on the screen.

Two consecutive emergency calls jolted him into a frenzy. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately pressed the answer button. On the other end came Zhenli's plea for help, accompanied by the sounds of explosions and collapsing debris. Qian Qiao's face paled instantly. He turned and rushed towards his motorized Pegasus parked by the roadside. The engine roared, its tires scraping black smoke as it sped back towards the city.

On the battlefield, the first round of combat easily determined the victor.

Kusaka rushed in front of Kitasaki, using the Caesar Blade to feint and distract him before kicking the dragon-shaped Orpheus hard in the chest. With a dull thud, his foot slammed into the hard carapace, the recoil making his leg go numb and almost causing him to lose his balance.

Kitasaki snorted disdainfully, and his giant claw lashed out fiercely. Kusaka hastily raised his arm to block, but was swept away by the force and crashed heavily into the broken wall, kicking up a cloud of gravel and dust.

On the other side, Kimura Saya, relying on Delta's performance, maneuvered sideways, raising her hand to fire a series of light bullets at Kageyama Saeko and Takuma Ittaro. Kageyama Saeko easily blocked the light bullets with her lobster claws, sparks flying everywhere, without even leaving a mark on her claws; Takuma swung his centipede whip, the whip curling to scatter the incoming beams.

The two men pressed forward relentlessly, and Saya retreated while firing, barely managing to maintain a safe distance and desperately hold off their attacks.

Before long, a second encirclement pressed in.

Impatient with this entanglement, Zhuomo clicked his tongue, and the long whip in his hand suddenly grew larger, shooting out at high speed along the gravel ground. It wrapped around Delta's ankle and pulled her back sharply. Saya instantly lost her balance, and one knee slammed heavily to the ground. She immediately raised her hand to shoot and break free of the restraints, but her agile movements were now blocked.

Saeko Kageyama moved silently to Delta's side and behind, thrusting her rapier straight into Saya's back.

Takuma then lashed out with his long whip from the front, wrapping it around her arm. Caught between two attacks, Saya was trapped in place, unable to move.

Kitasaki strolled leisurely up to Soga and stepped on Caesar's chest: "You're so weak. How come you don't have that thing? Caesar like this is really boring."

With Kitasaki trampling under his feet, Soga desperately struck Kitasaki's legs, trying to break free.

Seemingly sensing Kusaka's thoughts, Kitasaki removed his foot from Kusaka, but before Kusaka could get up and create distance, a heavy blow slammed into Kaixa's chest armor.