As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

The lifespan value, like a red-hot branding iron, pierced his eyes, and his blood seemed to freeze instantly, even his breathing stopped for a moment.

Wait, how could it be 16?!

He shook his head violently, thinking that he had lost too much blood and his eyes were playing tricks on him. He repeatedly focused on the number in his mind, but no matter how many times he looked at it, the cold "16 years" remained unchanged.

He is 25 years old this year.

With only 16 years left to live, it means he will die at the age of 41 at most.

A bone-chilling cold instantly shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, his scalp tingled, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. He had spent fifteen years traversing time, barely surviving in this foreign land without an Eastern Kingdom. What kept him going, besides his obsession with returning home, was the very act of "living." But now, having awakened his powers and gained hope of returning home, he was told that he only had sixteen years left to live?

In a flash, he remembered the cruelest plot point in Kamen Rider 555—the Orphnochs, the evolved form of humanity, yet also a cursed race. Every awakened Orphnoch must pay the price of a drastically reduced lifespan, ultimately meeting their end in sandification, without exception.

He thought he was a time traveler, an exception, but reality slapped him hard in the face.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, oblivious to the pain from the wound on his shoulder. Sixteen years—too short. Forget finding his way home; he might not even survive the dangers of this world before ending up like that leopard-shaped Orphnoch, reduced to ashes scattered by the wind.

Then, he recalled those fragmented pieces of information about the Orphnochs—the power of the Orphnochs originated from the Source, and at the core of the Source was the King of the Orphnochs. Only by coming into contact with the Source power of the King of the Orphnochs could one touch the essence of lifespan, and even rewrite life and death.

Finding the king and extending his lifespan are his top priorities, and finding the king requires finding the main characters. A series of unexpected events has made Lin Chen unable to continue researching the system. He's only thinking about how to survive.

The exhaustion from his initial awakening caused him to quickly fall into a deep sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, a black minivan had been parked silently downstairs at his rented apartment for half an hour.

In the back seat of the car, a man in a black suit looked at the two sets of abnormal signals flickering on the detector—one was the energy fluctuation of a newly awakened tiger-type Orphnoch, and the other was a spatial distortion fluctuation that did not belong to this world. He spoke coldly into the walkie-talkie, his voice devoid of any warmth:

"Target locked, Smart Brain School Discipline Team, prepare to close in."

The moonlight outside the window was suddenly completely obscured by dark clouds.

Chapter 4 The Hunt

At six o'clock in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The alleyways of Setagaya Ward in Tokyo were still shrouded in morning mist, carrying a damp, chilly air that seeped in through the window cracks and brushed against Lin Chen's face.

He opened his eyes almost instantly, his body tensing before his mind, his hand already reaching for the fruit knife hidden under his pillow—an instinct he had developed during his fifteen years of living alone in Tokyo, and even after awakening the power of the Orphnoch, this ingrained vigilance remained undiminished.

Only when the familiar musty smell lingered around his nose and the familiar alleyway outline outside the window came into view did he slowly relax his tense shoulders and back, lean against the headboard and take a deep breath.

Last night's life-or-death struggle, the system's awakening, and the sixteen-year lifespan constraint were not a nightmare, but a bloody reality.

Lin Chen raised his hand and touched his shoulder. The wound under the gauze had mostly healed, leaving only a faint itch. His fingertips brushed against the pocket of his wallet, and the cool touch of the five-cent coin seeped through the fabric, completely calming his wildly beating heart.

He summoned the system panel in his mind; the pale blue text remained clear as ever:

[Host: Lin Chen]

[Race: Tiger-type Orphnoch (Primary Form)]

[Core Attributes: Constitution 16, Agility 19, Spirit 21]

Lifespan: 16 years

Evolution Points: 10

The number sixteen years is still glaring, like a sword hanging over his head, constantly reminding him that he doesn't have much time left.

Lin Chen took a deep breath, turned off the control panel, and got out of bed. He drew back the curtains, and the morning sunlight streamed in through the glass, falling on him, but it couldn't dispel the chill in his heart.

He has made his decision.

He could no longer do the part-time job at the convenience store; he didn't have time to waste on the same part-time job day after day.

He must find the main characters of Faiz as soon as possible, find Takumi Inui and Mari Sonoda, find Kikuchi Laundry Shop—that is the core starting point of the Faiz plot in his memory, and also the only clue he can grasp now about the location of the King of Orphnoch.

Lin Chen quickly changed into clean clothes, stuffed his blood-stained work clothes and old clothes into his backpack, carefully placed the five-cent coin close to his body, checked the doors and windows, and pushed open the wooden door of the rented room.

The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, and the alley was deserted, save for the early-rising sparrows chirping on the telephone poles. But as soon as Lin Chen stepped out of the alley, a black minivan pulled up behind him.

Twenty minutes later, Lin Chen stood at the entrance of the convenience store.

The convenience store was nearly empty in the early morning. Only the owner, Uncle Sato, was behind the counter organizing the ingredients for oden. When he saw Lin Chen come in, he paused for a moment, then greeted him with a smile, "Lin? Didn't you just finish your night shift last night? Why are you here so early? Did you forget something?"

Lin Chen walked to the counter, bowed slightly to the old man who had taken care of him for two years, and said sincerely, "Sato-san, I'm very sorry, I'm here to resign."

Uncle Sato paused, his smile vanished, and he stared at him in astonishment: "Resign? Why are you suddenly resigning? Are you dissatisfied with your salary? Or have you run into some trouble?"

"No, Sato-san has always taken good care of me, and I'm very grateful." Lin Chen shook his head, not explaining much, but only giving the safest reason, "I'm leaving Tokyo to find someone elsewhere, and I may never come back."

He couldn't say that he was being targeted by a monster, nor could he say that he was going to find Kamen Rider; if he said those things, he would just be seen as having mental problems.

Looking into his determined eyes, Uncle Sato knew he had made up his mind. He sighed, didn't try to persuade him further, and turned to the cash register to settle his wages for the past two weeks. "You're always so independent. You must take good care of yourself out here. If things don't go well for you, you can always come back. There's always a part-time job for you here."

The old man's words were like a warm current, striking into Lin Chen's frozen heart.

Having traversed fifteen years, in this world without the Eastern Kingdom, he was like a rootless duckweed, rarely experiencing such kindness. He took the envelope from Uncle Sato, which contained his salary and a few extra 10,000 yen bills. His fingertips tightened slightly, and he bowed deeply again: "Thank you, Sato-san. Take care."

He didn't linger any longer and turned to walk out of the convenience store.

As soon as he pushed open the glass door, the morning breeze blew in, and those pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows instantly locked onto him again. Lin Chen could clearly feel that the black van was following him slowly across two streets, like a lurking beast patiently waiting for him to walk into an empty trap.

Lin Chen remained expressionless, took out his phone, opened the map, and entered the address he had recalled yesterday—Kikuchi Laundry Shop, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.

This is where Sonoda Mari landed in the Faiz storyline, where Inui Takumi first transformed into Faiz, and where the whole story begins.

The location quickly appeared on the map; it was only four kilometers away, less than an hour's walk.

Lin Chen's heart began to race uncontrollably, and his fingertips trembled slightly.

Once they get there, and once they find Sonoda Mari and Inui Takumi, he can follow the protagonist all the way to the King of Orphnoch.

The hope of survival lies just four kilometers away.

He put away his phone, quickened his pace, and walked briskly in the direction indicated by the map navigation.

The number of pedestrians on the road gradually increased, and the streets were bustling with traffic and noise during the morning rush hour. The van following him maintained a safe distance and did not make a move rashly.

An hour later, Lin Chen stood in front of the destination marked on the navigation.

But the scene before him froze the anticipation on his face, as if the blood in his body had turned to ice.

There was no Kikuchi Laundry Shop as clean and tidy as he remembered, no warm yellow sign hanging at the door, no neatly folded clothes behind the glass door, and certainly no Sonoda Mari and Inui Takumi, whom he longed for.

All that could be seen was a dilapidated, abandoned warehouse.

The rusty roller shutter door was pried open and deformed, hanging crookedly on the frame. All the warehouse windows were smashed, and the floor was covered with glass shards and garbage. The walls were covered with graffiti and moss, and the air was filled with a damp, musty, and rusty smell. It looked like it had been abandoned for many years.

The surrounding area is an old urban area slated for demolition. There are no proper shops, let alone laundromats. Only a few elderly people scavenging for scraps are searching through piles of garbage in the distance.

How could this be?

Lin Chen suddenly pulled out his phone and repeatedly checked the address on the map. The house number and street name were exactly the same as the location of Kikuchi Laundry in his memory.

Undeterred, he quickly walked to a nearby newsstand and, addressing the owner who was arranging newspapers, asked in fluent Japanese, "Excuse me, do you know where Kikuchi Laundry is? It's at this address."

He handed over the address on his phone. The shop owner glanced at it, frowned, and shook his head: "Kikuchi Laundry? Never heard of it. This neighborhood has been abandoned for almost ten years; it's always been an old warehouse. There's never been a laundry shop here. Young man, you must have the wrong place."

Never.

These seven words struck Lin Chen's heart like a heavy hammer, shattering his last hope.

He staggered back two steps, leaning against the cold wall, his mind blank.

How could there not be?

This is clearly the address, the most important location in the Faiz storyline, so how did it become an abandoned warehouse?

He traveled through fifteen years, surviving alone in this world without the Eastern Kingdom for fifteen years. He finally awakened his power, found the only clue, and came here with all his hope, only to find ruins.

Where should he go?

Where should he look for Takumi Inui, or Mari Sonoda? Where should he look for the King of Orphnoch? Is he destined to spend these sixteen years wandering aimlessly like a headless fly, only to turn into a handful of ashes that dissipate in the wind at the moment his lifespan ends?

A bone-chilling coldness shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, filling him with even more despair than the fear he felt when facing the leopard-shaped Orphnoch the previous night.

He gripped the five-cent coin in his pocket tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palm, oblivious to the fact that the edge of the coin had scratched his skin and caused blood to seep out.

Just as his mind was reeling and his emotions were at their lowest point, his heightened perception, granted by his mental attributes, suddenly triggered a frantic warning!

From all directions, at least six pairs of eyes, filled with intense killing intent, instantly locked onto him!

Six men dressed in matching black suits suddenly emerged from the exits of several alleyways around the previously empty abandoned warehouse. Each of them wore sunglasses, exuded a cold and hard aura, and had bulging waistbands, clearly concealing weapons.

They surrounded Lin Chen, closing in step by step and completely blocking all his escape routes.

At the distant intersection, the black van that had been following him all the way slowly drove up and stopped outside the encirclement. The door opened, and a tall man in a white suit got out, playing with a black detector in his hand, with a glaring red signal flashing on the screen.

Lin Chen instantly snapped out of his dejected mood, pressed his back tightly against the wall, and his eyes turned cold, a flash of wild, amber-colored killing intent crossing his face.

The tiger-type Orphnoch power within him was beginning to stir, and the berserk factors in his blood were completely awakened by the overwhelming killing intent.

The man in the white suit walked up to the circle of people, stopped, looked up at Lin Chen, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Lin Chen's ears:

"Tiger-type Orphnoch, Awakened Lin Chen."

"I am Kurosawa, the captain of the Smart Brain School Disciplinary Team."

"You have violated the academy's ironclad rules by awakening in a residential area without authorization, killing a registered Orphnoch, and exposing the existence of your race. Now, come back to the academy with us to be dealt with, or we will treat you as scrap and eliminate you on the spot."

As soon as Kurosawa finished speaking, the six men in black around him simultaneously reached for their waists, revealing specially made firearms that gleamed coldly inside, and pointed the muzzles at Lin Chen.

The morning mist completely dissipated, and sunlight streamed over the warehouse roof, falling on Lin Chen's face, half in light and half in shadow.

Looking at the discipline team standing ready in front of him, and at the detector in Kurosawa's hand, he finally understood something.

This world may not be the Faiz world he remembers at all.

Chapter 5 Arrest

The sunlight after the morning mist dissipated was so intense that it was dazzling, falling on the rust of the abandoned warehouse and reflecting a blinding light.

Six men in black had their guns locked on his limbs, while the man in the white suit named Kurosawa was playing with a detector, looking completely at ease, as if he didn't care about him at all.

"You have three seconds to think it over." Kurosawa's voice was as cold as ice. He glanced at his watch. "Three, two—"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Chen's body suddenly tensed up.

A wild, cold light shone over his amber pupils. Silver-black scales rapidly emerged from his neck and wrists, spreading down his skin to his forearms and shoulders. Bones cracked softly, muscles tensed, straining against his clothes, and sharp claws, each an inch long, gleamed with a chilling light, extended from his fingertips. Sharp tiger ears stood erect on his head, and a beastly pressure belonging to the Orphnoch quietly spread out, causing the withered leaves on the ground to tremble slightly in the air currents.

Kurosawa's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his fingers gripping the detector tightened slightly. The energy value on the screen soared and steadily stopped above the peak value of a normal Orphnoch in its initial form, and was even fluctuating slowly.

"Tiger-type Orphnoch, even in its initial form, it possesses such an energy level..." he murmured, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before he coldly shouted, "Fire! Leave them alive!"