As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

"Don't bother trying, it won't work."

Lin Chen, who had been leaning against the wall without speaking, finally spoke: "Give up on that idea. These knight belts were never designed for ordinary humans; they were made specifically for Orphnochs. Let alone humans, even among Orphnochs, very few can fit into the Emperor's Belt."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, chilling everyone to the bone.

Sonoda Mari paused, as if suddenly grasping something important. She looked up sharply at Lin Chen, her voice trembling slightly, "Wait, you said 'these belts'? What do you mean? Could it be... the Faiz belt too?"

A wild guess popped into her mind that she dared not even think about; the answer was almost on the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn't believe it.

Lin Chen smiled faintly: "Of course. Otherwise, why do you think that after Qian Qiao died, you searched for so many people, but not a single one of them could use the Faiz belt?"

He looked at the people in the room who had suddenly frozen in place, and spoke out the shocking truth, word by word:

"The answer is simple: Takumi Inui is not an ordinary human. He is an Orphnoch, just like Kiba and the others."

These words struck like a thunderbolt, resounding directly in the command center.

Since Qian Qiao of this world is dead, Lin Chen has no intention of keeping it a secret.

Chapter 257 The Resurrected Inui Takumi

As night fell heavily, only two or three kerosene lamps were lit in the command center of the rebel base.

The flames flickered in the wild wind seeping through the crack in the door, casting distorted shadows of everyone in the room onto the mottled wall, making them look like a group of menacing monsters.

The silver-white Heavenly Emperor's belt sat in the very center of the table, like a magnet, firmly drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

Some people say the belt should be kept by Masato Soga, since he can transform into Caesar and is currently the most powerful fighter on the human side.

A dissenting voice arose, saying that it wouldn't work; Kusaka is now an Orphnoch, and who knows if he might betray them? They must be sealed away until a human compatible human is found.

Lin Chen leaned against the corner, arms crossed, watching coldly, feeling utterly bored.

He made it clear in the afternoon that ordinary humans simply couldn't use it. They'd fight tooth and nail over "ownership."

Listening to all that bickering, he felt nothing but annoyance.

Even a real battle with Smart Brain wasn't this tiring.

Too tired to listen anymore, he straightened up, pushed open the door, and walked out. The wooden door creaked softly, drowned out by the noisy argument, and no one noticed him leaving.

Only Kiba Yuji kept a close eye on his movements.

Seeing Lin Chen leave, Kiba paused for a moment, feeling a pang of guilt. He had asked Lin Chen for help, but instead of being respected, he had been subjected to these idle gossips for no reason. Anyone would feel uncomfortable in that situation.

He whispered a few words to Jiehua beside him, then got up and followed her out.

Lin Chen didn't go far. He found a secluded corner where no one was around, leaned against the cold earthen wall, and looked up at the gray night sky. He wondered if even the heavens were treating him differently; while it was sunny and bright on Orphnoch's side, it was lifeless and gloomy here, with not a single star in sight.

"Lin Chen-san." Kiba walked over and stood beside him, his tone tinged with apology. "I'm sorry. Bringing back the Emperor's Belt seems to have only caused more trouble. I didn't expect... them to turn out this way."

"What's wrong with that?" Lin Chen chuckled. "That's just human nature. Seeking advantage and avoiding harm, going for what's beneficial. It's realistic, and quite normal, isn't it?"

Kiba sighed, gazing at the dim yellow lights peeking out from the barracks in the distance, his eyes somewhat dazed.

“Yes, that’s what a human is like.” He seemed to have finally found someone to talk to, and slowly opened up. “Now imagine that I have been an Orphnoch for many years. Over the years, I have seen too many ugly faces of humans. Although I say every day that I want to coexist peacefully with humans, to be honest... sometimes it’s really tiring.”

Lin Chen turned his head to look at him: "Since it's so tiring, why insist on persisting? In this world now, the Orphnochs are the majority, and humans are the exception. If you just go back to the Orphnochs, there will be no problem in peacefully facing your own demise."

Yuji Kiba was stunned.

He seemed to have never seriously considered this question. For so many years, he had only clung to the idea of ​​"coexistence" and blindly followed it all the way to the end, without ever asking himself what it was all for.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that the wind swept through the dust several times, before finally speaking in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of bewilderment that he himself was unwilling to admit: "Perhaps... I've been running away all along."

He gave a wry smile: "I always felt that if I could really build a place where a person and an Orphnoch could live in peace, then whether I'm a monster or not wouldn't matter. I could get rid of the label of being an outsider and live like a normal person. To put it bluntly, I just don't want to admit my identity."

"Just for this?" Lin Chen said calmly. "Murakami Kyoji is right. You're pleasing neither side right now. Humans hate you, and the Orphnochs don't acknowledge you. Caught in the middle, you're like a candle burning at both ends. It looks like it's burning brightly, but it'll be gone in the blink of an eye."

Yuji Kiba lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

A night wind blew, carrying the chill of the deep night, and the two fell silent. The surroundings suddenly became quiet, save for the faint sounds of arguing from the distant command center and the howling of the wind through the ruins.

Just then, both of their ears twitched slightly.

Orphino's hearing, far exceeding that of ordinary people, clearly picked up a muffled sound coming from afar—a loud rumble, and even from a distance, one could feel the ground tremble slightly.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes darkening.

"Smart Brain is calling again?" Lin Chen frowned.

Yuji Kiba turned to look in the direction from which the explosion came, but his expression changed: "That direction... that's where Mari held her masquerade ball! Oh no, something's happened to her!"

The moment the idea took hold, Kiba couldn't wait any longer.

Gray patterns spread across his body, his bones cracked and popped, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a horse-shaped Orphnoch. He pushed off the ground with all four hooves, kicking up a cloud of dust, and galloped wildly toward the direction of the explosion.

Lin Chen didn't move. Without the dimensional barrier as a strategic weapon, it would be too late for him to get there now. In this world, one more Sonoda Mari wouldn't make a difference, and one less wouldn't matter either.

She even wondered if Sonoda Mari had anticipated what kind of people these were and had slipped away beforehand.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he summoned the consciousness of Earth in his mind.

They asked if there was any way to turn these people who had been turned into Orphnochs back into Orphnochs.

If the situation could be reversed, all the problems would be solved, saving him from arguing with a bunch of people.

The Earth consciousness answered decisively: Impossible.

It gave its reasons: firstly, the number of Orphnochs in this world was too vast, and their conversion covered the entire globe, leaving insufficient resources and technology to produce the reversal potion; secondly, all core resources and pharmaceutical equipment were in the hands of Smart Brain, making them inaccessible. Furthermore, the forces of darkness had already blocked his path to seeking help from other worlds.

There's another path: like in the previous world, become the leader of Smart Brain and drive change from the top down. But this path is impossible in this world. In the previous world, Smart Brain was just a company; the number of Orphino was limited, and with the support of its founder, Hanagi, the opposition could be forcibly suppressed.

But the Orphnochs have already ruled the world, and their numbers are simply too large. Moreover, Lin Chen has already witnessed the endless power of sheer numbers, so no matter how strong he is, he cannot possibly confront the entire world head-on.

Lin Chen wasn't too disappointed. Things were already done, and regret was useless. Besides, the root cause of the world becoming like this wasn't him. The reason he felt it was his fault before was simply because he felt guilty about how the world had become like this.

Do your best, and if all else fails, sending the last few living people to another world and finding them a peaceful place to live is not a difficult task.

While this may not be the optimal solution for him, it is definitely the most convenient fallback option.

Changing the subject, he asked the question that had been nagging at him for a long time: "Speaking of which, what exactly is this trial that Touma organized? He inexplicably threw me into this world and then suddenly caused it to turn into this kind of ending. There has to be an explanation, right?"

From the moment he entered this world, he was puzzled. It was supposed to be a trial, but there were no mission objectives or conditions for passing it. He was just left to wander around aimlessly, which was really baffling.

But Earth's consciousness didn't give a definite answer: "You need to find the answer yourself. Just remember, whatever choice you make, follow your own heart."

"...Fine, that's the same as saying nothing at all." Lin Chen clicked his tongue, somewhat speechless.

These high-ranking figures love to play coy and speak in riddles; none of them will say anything directly. He was too lazy to ask any more questions; asking wouldn't do any good. He'd just take it one step at a time.

Just then, the roar of a motorcycle came from afar. The clattering of the engine was particularly jarring in the quiet night, interspersed with the sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground, growing louder as it approached the camp.

Lin Chen looked up.

A motorcycle sped along the dirt road, with Sonoda Mari in a white tuxedo sitting on the back, her arms tightly wrapped around the driver's waist, her long hair blowing back in the wind. The driver was a man in a white tuxedo, but his face was obscured by a helmet.

Meanwhile, Yuji Kiba, in the form of a horse-shaped Orphnoch, followed beside the motorcycle, its hooves flying as it ran incredibly fast.

The motorcycle quickly stopped in front of the command center. The man turned off the engine, got off, and took off his helmet.

The moment Lin Chen saw his face clearly, his brows furrowed.

It was actually Takumi Inui.

Wasn't it said that Inui Takumi of this world died in battle long ago? How come he suddenly reappeared, alive and kicking?

......

Inside the rebel command center, a group of people all turned their attention to the man sitting at the central table, blowing on his cup of water to cool it down because it was too hot.

Lin Chen looked at Kiba Yuji, but this time Kiba Yuji didn't respond. Instead, he stared at the man with a look of delight, and there was something else mixed in with his eyes. Lin Chen seemed to remember something and felt a chill run down his spine. Kiba in this world seemed a bit gay.

Qian Qiao seemed to realize that he had become the center of attention. So he made eye contact with everyone.

Finally, Mizuhara broke the silence. He curled his lip and whispered to the short-haired youth next to him who had been saved by Lin Chen, but his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear: "This is Faiz? The legendary savior? I don't think he's anything special. He's just an ordinary guy. What makes him seem like he can save the world?" His tone was full of disdain and skepticism.

Qian Qiao overheard this and looked completely bewildered: "Savior? What are you talking about?"

He was completely baffled and had no idea when he had acquired such a prestigious title.

Mizuhara didn't mince words, saying directly, "Everyone in the various resistance camps is saying that Faiz's reappearance can bring peace to the world and that she is humanity's savior. These words first came from her mouth." As he spoke, he pointed at Sonoda Mari.

"What accusations are you making against me now?" Qian Qiao immediately looked at Zhenli, her face full of resentment and impatience. "What kind of savior am I? Stop joking, I'm not cut out for that at all."

He had absolutely no interest in such empty fame, finding it utterly troublesome.

But Sonoda Mari and Kikuchi Keitaro didn't think so.

Zhenli looked at Qian Qiao with bright, trusting eyes: "Qiao, you can do it! You can definitely lead everyone to defeat Smart Brain and bring hope to everyone!"

"Yes, yes!" Keitaro nodded vigorously from the side. "We all believe in you!"

“Takumi Inui, I believe in you too.” Yuji Kiba nodded earnestly, his tone solemn, as if Takumi Inui’s nod would immediately end the war.

Lin Chen rolled his eyes as he listened, finding the plot utterly absurd.

If Inui Takumi really was a savior, he wouldn't have "died" in battle. Placing hope in a baseless legend is incredibly foolish. Looking at Kiba's unwavering belief, he was practically speechless. He patted Kiba's shoulder, pointed to his own head, and mouthed, "Are you sure there's nothing wrong here?"

However, Yuji Kiba didn't understand what he meant at all. He blinked blankly, thinking that Yuji was not feeling well.

Seeing this, Lin Chen shrugged, too lazy to say anything more. Whatever makes you happy.

Just as the two were having a meaningless conversation, another argument broke out on the field.

Mizuhara slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Inui, saying, "Since you say you're not the savior and don't want to be, fine, hand over the Faiz belt. I don't trust the belt to be in the hands of the Orphnochs. It's safest to entrust it to us humans for safekeeping."

These words immediately caused an uproar. Then this guy brought up what Lin Chen had said that afternoon.

"Hmph, hand it over to you? What good would it do you?"

With a cold laugh, the door to the command center was pushed open with a bang.

Chapter 258 Traitor

Kusaka Masato walked in with a gloomy face, clearly having just emerged from a state of self-isolation, his aura intimidating. He first glanced at Inui Takumi: "I didn't expect you to still be alive, Inui! Looks like you've become a monster like me!" This was his simple greeting.

Then, he swept his gaze across the room, his tone sarcastic: "You can't transform, so why are you all scrambling for the belts? To treat them like decorations?"

He raised his hand and patted the Caesar's belt around his waist, his eyes filled with a mixture of self-mockery and provocation. "Now I'm an Orphnoch too. What, you want to take this Caesar's belt from me too? Let me tell you, no way. If you've got the guts, come and take it yourselves."

Kusaka's words were like pouring hot oil into a frying pan, making the situation even more chaotic.

Mizuhara was so angry that his face turned red, and he pointed at Kusaka, unable to speak; the people on both sides stood on opposite sides, arguing heatedly, and the entire command center was as chaotic as a vegetable market.