As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Turning around, he walked out of the convenience store, the cold wind whipping fallen leaves against his face. Lin Chen leaned against the patrol car, unscrewed the bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and pressed the button on his headset.

“Ozawa, investigate one person. Ryo Ashihara, a student at Johoku University. Focus on investigating the green humanoid sightings reported in the Shinjuku, Johoku, and Hachioji districts over the past month. I suspect he is the owner of that unusual energy fluctuation in the Hachioji mountain area a couple of days ago.”

The clatter of Ozawa Sumiko's fingers on an old-fashioned mechanical keyboard came through the headset. "Received."

Lin Chen hung up the call, took out a hot coffee from his shopping bag, and took a sip. The bitterness washed over his tongue, dispelling a slight chill.

He looked up towards the Hachioji Mountains. It was pitch black there, like a lurking beast.

Deep in the dense forests of the mountains, where no one could see, a green figure flashed by.

Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving news from Ashihara Ryo; it turned out there was another person capable of evolving into Agito.

He started the patrol car, its white headlights piercing the darkness, and drove towards the Metropolitan Police Department. He was about to relieve Hikawa.

On the streets of Tokyo late at night, the only sounds besides the engine noise are the wind and the rustling of falling leaves.

After successfully handing over the glacier, Lin Chen got on his motorcycle and prepared to return to Sato's noodle shop.

Driving through the streets of Shinjuku, most of the shops were closed, with only a few izakayas (Japanese pubs) lit up with warm yellow lights. Those lights were warm and distant, like a scene from another world.

The car gradually slowed down and finally stopped in front of Sato's noodle shop. The roller shutter was already down, leaving only a small window with a faint light shining through—a light that Grandpa Sato had specially left on for him. He knew there would always be a light on when he returned from his late-night patrol.

Lin Chen turned off the engine and leaned back in his seat in silence for a moment. He touched his inside pocket; a five-cent coin and a piece of drawing paper lay there quietly. The hot coffee had gone cold, but he felt something slowly melting in his heart.

He walked to the entrance of the noodle shop and gently knocked on the roller shutter. After a short while, he heard the slow footsteps of Grandpa Sato inside, and then the small window was pulled open, revealing the old man's kind face in the light.

"You're back?" The old man's voice was gentle, tinged with sleepiness, but without the slightest impatience. "There's some miso soup warming in the pot. Would you like a bowl before you go to sleep?"

Lin Chen gently shook his head and said in a low voice, "No need, Grandpa, you should get some rest."

"Okay." The old man nodded, without asking any further questions, and simply opened the side door. "You must be tired, get some rest."

Lin Chen walked into the noodle shop. Only one light was on, casting a warm yellow glow over the small space. On the wall hung a faded family photo; in the picture, Xiaoxue was still an infant in swaddling clothes.

He gently closed the side door, paused at the top of the stairs, and glanced up at the second floor. Xiaoxue's room door was closed, and the sound of her even, soft breathing came from inside.

Go upstairs and into the room.

He drifted off to sleep, his nerves, which had been tense all night, finally relaxing.

...

The next afternoon, the aroma of miso soup and fried pork cutlet wafted from Sato's noodle shop. Lin Chen finished dinner and picked up his G3 uniform jacket draped over the back of his chair. Sato Genji, clearing away the dishes, nodded slightly—a tacit understanding between them.

As I stepped out of the noodle shop, the setting sun cast long shadows. Just as I reached the alley entrance, a small figure rushed towards me, holding a soft vinyl figure of Ultraman Tiga—it was Takuma Matsumoto, the child of Kana Matsumoto whom he had rescued at the East City Shopping Center.

"Big brother!"

Lin Chen stopped and gently touched Takuma's hair. Matsumoto Kana caught up, wearing a beige trench coat, and bowed deeply: "I'm sorry, this child talks about you every day. We just arrived at Grandma's house today, what a coincidence."

Lin Chen nodded slightly, turned around, and mounted the old Honda CB400 at the alley entrance. He put on his helmet and twisted the throttle. Takuma waved his little hand behind him and shouted, "Goodbye, big brother!"

Lin Chen didn't turn around, he just waved his hand gently.

19:30 PM, G3 underground base main control room. Sumiko Ozawa is hunched over an old CRT monitor, typing away on a keyboard. Makoto Hikawa stands beside her, a cup of instant coffee in hand, his forehead still glistening with sweat from training.

"Found it." Ozawa pressed Enter, and the monitor displayed Ashihara Ryo's student photo—a gloomy-eyed man with short hair and no smile on his lips.

"Ashihara Ryo, a 21-year-old third-year student in the Department of Biology at Johoku University. He suddenly disappeared three months ago. He was a key member of the school's swimming team and had just won the 100-meter freestyle championship at the National University Swimming Championships a week before he disappeared."

Hikawa Makoto took a sip of coffee: "I went to Johoku University today to find his swimming coach, who only said that he had taken leave to go back to his hometown. I checked, and there is no record of him going back to his hometown in Hokkaido, nor is there any information about him purchasing tickets."

“Moreover,” Ozawa pulled up a medical record, “he went to the hospital about two weeks before he went missing because of a persistent high fever and body pain. His temperature remained around 38 degrees Celsius for a whole week. The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong, only that he was overworked.”

Lin Chen stared at the photo on the screen, his fingers lightly tapping the table. Three months ago, the Unknown attacks began to erupt on a large scale. High fever and excruciating body pain were common characteristics of all inheritors of the power of light.

"In addition, there have been many reports of green humanoid sightings in the past month, all concentrated in the Hachioji mountain area and near the North Park.

Lin Chen took out the torn drawing from his inner pocket and placed it on the table: "This is a drawing of the monster by the younger brother of an eyewitness."

Ozawa's eyes lit up, and he picked up the drawing to examine it carefully: "Ooshimura, scan it immediately, generate a composite image, and send it to the police stations in each district."

“Received!” Takahiro Omuro took the drawing and walked towards the scanner.

Bingchuan Cheng stared thoughtfully at the green figure in the painting: "He's hunting the Unknown, doing the same thing we do. Why are we looking for him?"

“Because he’s dangerous.” Ozawa became serious. “Also, regarding the matter of the power of light you mentioned the other day, Lin Chen, Hojo has already made some progress in his investigation, and it’s pretty much what you said. Thank you very much for the information you provided.”

Lin Chen simply smiled and nodded without saying a word.

Chapter 74 G3-X's First Match

One afternoon, Lin Chen noticed a group of children from the neighborhood gathering in front of the noodle shop. At first, there were three, then six, the oldest seven and the youngest four. They hid behind telephone poles, peeking out to watch him wipe tables, serve noodles, and clear away dishes. Occasionally, one of the bolder ones would throw a folded paper airplane at his feet.

Sato Yuki was also among the children, clutching a piece of orange-flavored milk candy. Seeing Lin Chen looking over, she blushed, put the candy down on the counter, and quickly ran back to the group of children, peeking out with half her head. Lin Chen picked up the candy, put it in his pocket, and nodded slightly in Yuki's direction. Yuki smiled happily, revealing two small tiger teeth.

For the next two days, the children appeared promptly every evening. Most of the drawings on the paper depicted Lin Chen fighting a monster.

Takuma tossed over an A4 sheet of paper. Lin Chen bent down to pick it up. Besides Lin Chen, the drawing showed a small green figure with three spikes on its back, also throwing punches at a monster. Two giants were holding hands, and next to them, in crooked hiragana, was the caption: "Two big brothers fighting a monster!"

Lin Chen stepped forward and asked when he had seen the little green figure.

"Big brother!" Takuma looked up, his eyes sparkling. "I saw him last night! A big brother who can turn green like a monster! At the garbage dump behind our neighborhood, he chased away a monster and then climbed up a tree and ran away! His eyes were red, like a little rabbit's!"

Grandpa Sato came over with a glass of warm water: "The kids are just fooling around. But it's been really unsettling at night lately. I don't let Yuki go downstairs alone. Mrs. Ryota next door said she saw a dark shadow looming downstairs last night and was too scared to sleep all night."

Lin Chen returned the painting to him and gave some candy to the children. Lin Chen's thoughts drifted away. The G3 team hadn't detected any Unknown energy fluctuations for several days, but there were still victims. There was a sense that a storm was brewing.

...

One evening, a light drizzle was falling. The fine rain enveloped the entire street, the sky was tinged with a gloomy gray, and a cold wind carrying dampness blew through the streets and alleys, bringing a chilly feeling.

Lin Chen was about to go out when he saw Takuma standing alone in front of the noodle shop, holding a small yellow plastic umbrella. His trousers and shoes were wet from the rain and covered in mud.

Upon seeing Lin Chen, he immediately trotted over through the puddles, ignoring the snot dripping from his nose to his mouth. He looked up at Lin Chen with a worried expression, asking, "Big brother! The adults on the street all say that monsters like to come out on rainy days and will grab and eat children. Will you and that green-clad big brother always protect us?"

Lin Chen squatted down, gently wiped the rain and snot from his face with his sleeve, took the orange-flavored milk candy he was offered, put it casually into his pocket, and then gently rubbed his wet hair with his fingertips.

He didn't speak, nor did he nod deliberately. But Tuozhen seemed to understand his silent agreement, immediately grinning and shouting while holding up the Ultraman toy he was holding, "Big brother promised! Both big brothers will protect us!"

After saying that, he gripped the small umbrella handle tightly, turned around, and ran away, splashing through the puddles. His small figure quickly disappeared into the misty rain.

Lin Chen put on a simple raincoat and stood quietly in the drizzling rain, his gaze fixed on Tuo Zhen's departing figure. He silently followed, escorting the child all the way until he watched the child safely enter his building.

Kana Matsumoto happened to be at the door, presumably about to go out to look for him. Seeing Lin Chen escorting Takuma back, she quickly stepped forward, wanting to invite him inside to take shelter from the rain. Lin Chen simply waved his hand, politely declining the offer, and turned to leave.

Just then, the police communicator at her waist suddenly vibrated, and the screen instantly lit up with a glaring red alarm. Sumiko Ozawa's serious voice came through the radio waves, carrying a hint of solemnity:

"Unknown energy fluctuation detected. Location locked at Lane 3, East of the city. Immediately rendezvous with Bingchuan Cheng and launch an attack."

Lin Chen's expression instantly turned serious.

Without further delay, he quickly returned to the noodle shop, pulled out his motorcycle, put on his helmet, twisted the throttle, and sped off into the fine rain towards Lane 3.

At this moment, Lane 3 was completely shrouded in rain.

At 6:09 PM, a light drizzle fell, and the evening breeze, carrying a damp chill, seeped into the deep alley. The three-meter-high concrete walls on both sides were damp with rainwater, and the mottled graffiti on the walls was blurred in the rain and mist, with small streams of water constantly trickling down the base of the walls. The garbage cans at the end of the alley were full of rainwater, and the stench of rotting debris permeated the damp air, making it particularly pungent.

The alleyway was dimly lit and oppressive, with strings of raindrops hanging from the crisscrossing black power lines overhead. Occasionally, a few crows would land on the wires, their hoarse cries amplified by the sound of the rain, adding to the eeriness. The ground was covered in puddles, slippery and muddy, every corner exuding a cold and damp atmosphere—perfect hunting grounds for the aquatic Unknown.

The G3 command transport vehicle slowly stopped at the roadside at the alley entrance.

Hikawa Makoto has donned the G3-X armor and is ready to launch an attack.

Lin Chen also arrived quickly and reported to Xiao Ze that he had reached the target location.

“Listen up, Glacier,” Ozawa’s voice, tinged with the slight static of the communicator, was firm and unquestionable. “The target is an Unknown aquatic type that has never been recorded before. Rainy weather will interfere with radar detection and will also limit the armor’s anti-slip properties and mobility.”

"Lin Chen, you stay at the outer perimeter of the alley and keep watch to prevent the target from breaking through and escaping. Remember, no matter what happens inside, you are not allowed to interfere. This time, I want the G3-X to demonstrate its true combat potential in extreme rainy conditions, not your personal show."

"Glacier, received."

Bingchuan Cheng responded in a deep voice, fastened his helmet buckle, picked up the GM-02 beam rifle from his shoulder, and pushed open the car door to step into the rain. He walked steadily into the depths of the alley, his feet treading on the slippery ground.

Lin Chen leaned against the door of the patrol car, letting the drizzle soak his raincoat, his gaze fixed on the dark alley, his fingertips always close to his Orga phone, just in case something unexpected happened.

From the quiet end of the alley, a low, hoarse roar suddenly rang out, like the muffled cry of a strange fish in a deep abyss, chilling and piercing, mixed with the sound of rain, making one's scalp tingle.

Under the cover of the rain, a fish-shaped Unknown slowly turned around.

It possessed a humanoid body covered in fine, bluish-gray scales, its muscles taut, exuding the explosive power of a predator; its head was the sharp outline of a fish, with a row of hard dorsal fins rising from the back of its head, and a pair of vertical pupils gleaming with a cold, dark golden light. Its arms were thick and powerful, its knuckles covered with sharp, horny claws, and bony spikes protruding from the back of its fists.

It had just knocked down a trembling middle-aged man in the shadows at the end of the alley. The man was a mental patient recovering in the neighborhood who often muttered to himself that he "could see things that others couldn't"—the police all thought he was crazy, but no one knew that he actually possessed a very faint potential for superpowers.

Having successfully landed its blow, the Fish Venerable prepared to leave—mission accomplished, target executed, it only needed to await the command for the next trial.

Hikawa Makoto raised his rifle, aimed at the strange man in front of him, and shouted through the helmet's loudspeaker: "Stop! Surrender immediately!"

The Fish Venerable ignored them, leaping forward like a fish skimming the slippery wall, intending to break through by scaling it. His speed was extremely fast.

Iceberg immediately pulled the trigger, and three beams shot towards the base of the wall where it was standing, exploding into pale blue flames. Raindrops were scattered by the shockwave, cutting off its escape route.

Enraged by being blocked, the Fish-King spun around abruptly, letting out a furious growl. It no longer tried to escape—this armored human had become an obstacle and had to be eliminated.

It stomped its legs hard on the ground, the water beneath its feet bursting open with tremendous force, and the entire fish-like shadow rushed straight towards the glacier. The water was split into two white waves by its momentum, carrying a stench that swept towards us.

Hyakusei lowered his center of gravity and barely avoided the head-on impact. But he didn't completely dodge it—the moment the Fish Venerable rushed past him, his right fist swept out horizontally, the thick arm with serrated horny spikes slamming hard into the G3-X's left arm armor.

"clang!!"

A piercing metallic clang echoed through the rain-soaked alley. The Fish Master's punch far exceeded Hikawa Makoto's expectations, leaving a deep white gash on the left arm of the G3-X reinforced armor. Had it not been for the armor upgrade, this punch would have torn the old G3's arm apart entirely.

Having missed his first strike, Venerable Fish didn't hesitate. He spun halfway around on his left foot, and his right leg swept like a whip towards Hyakusei's ribs—a kick. It was faster and more powerful than a punch.

Hikawa Makoto leaped backward to create distance, simultaneously regaining his footing and pulling the trigger. Three beam bullets accurately struck the monster's torso. Fish Master dodged to the side, the beam bullets grazing his ribs before exploding into pale blue flames against the wall behind him.

Having missed its close-range attacks twice, the Fish Venerable ceased its reckless advance. It arched its dorsal fin, its scarlet vertical pupils fixed on Iceberg Cheng, and moved slowly, searching for the next opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

The battle reached a stalemate.

Fish Master fully utilized the advantages of his aquatic nature, gliding nimbly across the puddles and constantly flanking to find an angle to attack. Each attack was aimed at Hikawa Makoto's vital points: his head, throat, and heart.

However, Bingchuan Cheng remained calm and composed, relying on the mobility of the G3-X to evade attacks time and time again, never rushing or getting impatient, and calmly searching for weaknesses to counterattack.

Lin Chen, standing at the alley entrance, watched the entire scene quietly, his gaze fixed on the movements of the Fish Venerable. His senses were fully activated as he repeatedly confirmed one thing.

Two minutes later, it was confirmed.

Whenever the Fish Venerable throws a punch or turns to kick, its jaw is briefly exposed—there are no fine water scales covering it, only a very thin mucous membrane, and you can vaguely see the bluish-black body fluid pulsating in the blood vessels.

“Glacier,” Lin Chen pressed the communicator, his voice extremely low, “under the jaw. About two finger widths away.”

Hikawa Makoto didn't reply. But his eyes changed.

Three minutes and twelve seconds later, the Fish Venerable exerted its power again. It lowered its body, gathered strength in its legs, and the water beneath its feet rippled outwards due to the energy fluctuations. Then, it shot out like a torpedo, its fists striking straight at Bingchuan Cheng's chest.