As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Glacier paused for half a second, then withdrew his fist and stood up straight, offering no rebuttal.

Lin Chen also stopped. "No traces of their actions were detected. That's not your responsibility."

“I know,” Bingchuan said. But his clenched fist betrayed him.

After a moment of silence, Lin Chen resumed his starting stance. "Again."

...

The morning's routine proceeded as planned: case file organization, equipment maintenance, and duty reporting. The on-site investigation reports for the two attacks in Shibuya Ward reached the G3 terminal at 10:20 AM—Ozawa Sumiko noted several anomalies: the two victims were attacked less than 300 meters apart, and the attacks occurred almost simultaneously. This meant that at least two "Unknown" entities were operating in concert in Shibuya Ward at the same time yesterday.

“Coordinated action.” Sumiko Ozawa placed the tablet on the table, her tone a shade colder than usual. “They’ve never appeared together before. This is the first time.”

"Could it be a coincidence?" Takahiro Omuro asked cautiously.

“The probability is too small.” Xiaoze shook his head. “Two Unknowns appearing at the same time in different locations in the same block, accurately finding two unrelated targets, and then attacking at the same time—this is not random hunting.”

She looked at Lin Chen and Bingchuan. "This is not good news."

...

In the evening, Xiaoze called Lin Chen back before she left work. Unlike usual, she didn't give instructions in a commanding tone. Instead, she leaned against the control room door, holding her black coffee, and said, "Just keep the terminal running. You need to have your own time."

Lin Chen nodded and turned to leave.

As they reached the door, Ozawa added, "When are you going to take me to eat at Sato's tonkotsu ramen?"

Lin Chen paused, but didn't turn around. "Anytime."

...

It was 11:03 PM, after the noodle shop closed. The temperature had started to drop after late autumn. There was a level 4 northwest wind, and a strong wind was blowing outside the window. The leaves were rustling against the glass, making a "shush" sound, like someone was gently tapping on the window.

An old Toshiba CRT television was broadcasting breaking news. The female news anchor's voice carried a hint of gravity: "Last night, two unknown attacks occurred in Shibuya Ward, resulting in two deaths. The Metropolitan Police Department reminds the public to avoid going out at night. If you encounter any suspicious persons, please call the Metropolitan Police Department immediately."

Lin Chen had just finished washing the dishes and was wiping the stove. There was a little flour on his apron, which he had gotten on it that afternoon when he helped Grandpa Sato knead dough. He was watching the news on TV and remembered the files on the deceased that he had seen at the G3 base that morning. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The patterns of attacks by the unknown have been completely altered.

Initially, the Unknown attackers targeted only passengers and their families from the Dawn incident. However, starting about two weeks ago, they began indiscriminately hunting ordinary humans. The two victims in Shibuya Ward today, one a company employee and the other a student, had no connection to the Dawn incident.

I don't know what happened.

Lin Chen felt a little heavy-hearted. Although the G3 team had prevented many unknown attacks with his addition, people still kept dying in unknown places.

Genji Sato picked up the remote and turned off the TV. The shop instantly fell silent, save for the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace. The orange glow of the fire cast long shadows of the two men on the wall, swaying slightly with the flickering flames.

He went to the back kitchen and took out a bottle of sake that had been stored for ten years from the back of the cabinet. The bottle had a faded cherry blossom label on it; it was a gift from his son, Takeru Satoh, for his wedding, and he had always been reluctant to drink it. He placed the bottle in hot water for five minutes, and the rich aroma of the sake slowly filled the air.

Then he took two rough porcelain cups and sat down opposite Lin Chen. He poured Lin Chen a full cup and himself half a cup. The sake swirled gently in the cups, reflecting the firelight from the brazier and gleaming with an amber luster.

Lin Chen put down the rag, took off his apron, and folded it neatly, placing it to the side. He sat down quietly, resting his hands on his knees, and looked at the sake in his glass.

The old man took a sip of his drink, his gaze falling on the photograph hanging on the wall. The photograph was yellowed and worn at the edges; it showed a young couple holding a baby in swaddling clothes, smiling happily. The man's features bore a resemblance to Bingchuan Cheng, exuding a dashing air. The woman held the child, her eyes gentle, a blissful smile on her lips.

“This is my son, Takeru Satoh, and his wife, Shuko Suzuki.” The old man’s voice was a little hoarse as he gently stroked the glass surface of the photograph. “Five years ago, they were driving to the countryside to visit relatives when they had a car accident and died instantly. Little Yuki was left behind; she was only two years old at the time.”

He took another sip of sake, the spiciness making him cough a few times. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, looked out at the dark night sky, and said in an even lower voice, "I used to think that life would just go on like this. Raise Xiaoxue, watch her go to elementary school, middle school, get married, and then I can close my eyes and see them. But now there are more and more monsters..."

"Last night, I got up to close the window and saw a dark shadow running in the alley. It ran incredibly fast and disappeared in an instant. I was so scared that I didn't dare sleep all night, and I sat up for half the night holding Xiaoxue. I'm old, I have a bad heart, and I also have high blood pressure. I don't know when I'll be gone."

He paused, turned his head, and his gaze fell on Lin Chen. His cloudy eyes were full of pleading, and a hint of barely perceptible fear. He looked at Lin Chen as if he had grasped at the last straw.

“Lin Jun, I know you don’t do ordinary work.” The old man’s voice trembled slightly. “I won’t ask who you are or where you come from. I only ask you one thing—if one day I’m gone, could you… help me take care of Xiaoxue?”

Lin Chen's fingers tightened suddenly around the wine glass. Water droplets from the glass trickled down his fingers, dripping onto the wooden table and spreading into a small stain.

He looked into the old man's eyes. In those eyes were fear, reluctance, and the last hope of an old man. He had experienced too many partings and deaths in his life, and now his only concern was Xiaoxue.

The sound of Xiaoxue's even breathing came from the inner room. She was already asleep, still clutching the painting in her hand.

Lin Chen did not speak.

He put down his wine glass, looked into Genji Sato's eyes, and nodded solemnly.

There were no promises, no vows, just this nod. But this nod carried more weight than any words.

Grandpa Sato let out a long sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease. He raised his glass to Lin Chen: "Thank you, Mr. Lin. I'd like to toast you."

After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.

Lin Chen also picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. The spiciness of the sake slid down his throat into his stomach, carrying a hint of warmth.

The wind was still blowing outside the window, swirling up fallen leaves that rustled against the glass. Only the rich aroma of sake and the silent breathing of the two remained in the noodle shop. The firelight from the fireplace cast a glow on Lin Chen's face, half bright, half shadow.

...

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Chen finished washing up. The warmth of the sake from the previous night had long since dissipated, replaced by a heavy, sober feeling on his shoulders.

He had just stepped off his motorcycle when the communicator on his waist suddenly vibrated. A red emergency command light illuminated—

"Attention all team members! An unidentified body has been found on a rocky beach along the Tokyo Bay coast. The body has extensive abnormal tissue proliferation, and three incompletely degenerated spiky protrusions remain on its back. This closely matches the characteristics of the green humanoid unknown creature recently sighted in multiple locations. Lin Chen and Bingchuan Cheng, proceed to the scene immediately for investigation!"

Lin Chen paused for a moment.

Green carcasses with spiky protrusions. These are Gills' biological characteristics.

Is Gills in trouble too?

Chapter 77 The Death of Ashihara Ryo

When Lin Chen arrived at the beach, the morning mist over Tokyo Bay had not yet dissipated.

The salty sea breeze, carrying icy moisture, pounded against the jagged black rocks on the reef beach, producing a muffled wailing sound.

Lin Chen rode his old Honda CB400 through the fog, the tires rolling over the wet gravel road, splashing up a string of water droplets mixed with mud and sand.

He took off his helmet, and the stray hairs on his forehead were dampened by the mist and stuck to his brow.

"Mr. Lin Chen, you've arrived."

Hikawa Makoto's voice came through. He was wearing the standard combat uniform of G3 Squad, with two police cars and a G3 armored personnel carrier parked behind him. Hojo Toru leaned against the hood of a police car, his hands in his pockets, his jaw taut and hard. Several officers in protective suits were surrounding something in the middle of the rocky beach, moving so quietly as if afraid of disturbing the dead.

Lin Chen hung his helmet on the handlebars and strode over. The rocks beneath his feet were slippery and cold, stained with dark brown blood, stretching all the way to the area cordoned off by police tape. He lifted the yellow tape and stopped.

It was a mangled corpse.

Where the two iconic thorns should have stood proudly on his back, only a broken stump remained, the cut still scabbed with blood. His left arm was twisted unnaturally, the bone protruding from the flesh, his left hand half-extended, fingertips scraping against the rocks, leaving several deep, bloody scratches that exposed bone. Most shockingly, his chest—there was a gaping hole running through it.

Even in this state, Lin Chen still recognized him at a glance.

Kamen Rider Gills. Ryo Ashihara.

His pupils contracted slightly, and his right hand unconsciously pressed against the Emperor's belt at his waist, which was hidden by his coat.

His face was expressionless, except for a very slight movement of his Adam's apple. He had imagined countless scenarios of finding Ashihara Ryo: perhaps he would bump into him hunting the Unknown in some dark alley, perhaps he would brush past him in the dense forest of the Hachioji Mountains, or perhaps he would come to him on his own initiative and ask him about the truth of the power of light.

He never imagined it would turn out like this.

This lonely knight, cursed by the power of light, this man who hunted monsters alone in the darkness, ultimately died in such a tragic manner on this deserted rocky beach.

"The deceased has been preliminarily identified as Ryo Ashihara, a missing student from Johoku University." Toru Hojo's voice broke the silence, his tone as cold as ice, devoid of any emotion. "In addition, energy reactions consistent with the unidentified life form Ozawa mentioned earlier were detected at the scene. It seems that it is him."

Hikawa Makoto crouched down and carefully parted the seaweed beside the corpse, his voice low and deep: "His physical condition is very poor. Look at this skin, it's not damage from the battle, it's spontaneous cell death. And his bones are much more fragile than normal people's, as if he aged decades prematurely."

Lin Chen didn't speak. He squatted down, his gaze falling on Wei Yuanliang's face. That once gloomy and stubborn face was now twisted and deformed. Only those tightly closed eyes, even in death, still exuded a fierce and unyielding spirit.

He remembered what Miho Kato had said at the convenience store, the little boy with the green big brother drawing, and the fleeting green figure in the Hachioji mountains. The knight who had single-handedly carried all the pain and loneliness, risking his life to protect strangers, was dead.

There's something here!

A police officer's voice came from not far away. Lin Chen looked up sharply and saw the officer squatting next to a huge rock, reaching into a crevice in the rock and pulling out something wrapped tightly in a waterproof cloth.

Hikawa Makoto immediately went over and took the package. The tarpaulin was wrinkled from being soaked in seawater, but he didn't untangle it. He put it directly into an evidence bag, quickly wrote down the number and the time of discovery with a marker, and handed it to the evidence officer next to him: "Seal it well, take it back to base, and prioritize its processing."

Just as the officers were carefully lifting Ashihara Ryo's body, a rusty swimming medal fell out of the body's pocket and rolled to Lin Chen's feet.

Lin Chen bent down and picked up the medal. It was engraved with "National University Swimming Championships 100m Freestyle Champion" and dated last year.

He gripped the medal tightly, the coolness of the metal seeping into his heart through his palm.

Half an hour later, the G3 armored personnel carrier slowly drove away from the rocky beach in Tokyo Bay. Lin Chen sat in the passenger seat, clutching the cold medal in his hand, his gaze fixed on the rapidly receding coastline outside the window. The morning mist gradually dissipated, the sun rose from the sea, and golden sunlight spilled onto the shimmering water.

But this beautiful sea swallowed up the last bit of warmth from that lonely knight.

When they returned to the G3 underground base, Sumiko Ozawa was already waiting for them at the entrance of the autopsy room with the forensic team. She was wearing a white coat, her hair was casually tied back, and her face was devoid of its usual playful smile; her eyes were unusually serious.

"Give me the body." She took the body bag from the officer, then tossed another sealed bag to Takahiro Omuro beside her. "Take this diary to the technical team. Prioritize drying and handwriting restoration. Give me a scanned copy within half an hour. Meet in the conference room in three hours, and I'll give you the results."

Lin Chen stood there, watching Takahiro Omuro hurriedly run towards the technical team with a sealed bag, without saying a word.

Bingchuan Cheng patted him on the shoulder: "Mr. Lin Chen, why don't you go to the conference room and rest for a bit? I'll go and organize the on-site investigation report."

As the crowd dispersed, the door to the dissection room slowly closed, and the indicator light turned red. Lin Chen stood in the corridor, staring at the closed door, feeling as if a thousand-pound stone was pressing down on his heart.

He knew what Ashihara Ryo's death meant.

The last person in the world capable of evolving into an Agito has also died.

The remaining survivors, oblivious to their fate, remained in the darkness, awaiting their destiny.

When no one was around, Lin Chen made a decision: he wanted to see if he could revive Ashihara Ryo.

Ryo Ashihara's body lay on the autopsy table, covered with a white sheet.

Lin Chen walked to the dissection table and slowly lifted the white sheet. Looking at the distorted face, in the blind spot of the monitor, the Orphnoch form appeared, and life energy factors began to be transmitted into Ashihara Ryo's body.

Just as the life energy was about to touch Ashihara Ryo's corpse.

"boom--!"

A blinding golden light suddenly erupted from Ashihara Ryo's body, like a burning flame, instantly devouring Lin Chen's life energy. Lin Chen felt a piercing pain in his palm, as if he had been burned by a red-hot iron. He quickly pulled his hand back, his palm already scorched red and covered with blisters.

The golden light danced on the autopsy table for a few seconds before slowly dissipating. Ashihara Ryo's body remained lying there, unchanged.

Lin Chen looked at his burned palm, his face instantly turning ashen.

He remembered.

In another parallel world of Agito, he was also burned by the power of light within Ashikaga Shoichi's body.

Orphnoch is a product of death, while Agito is the inheritor of the power of light. These two forces are incompatible; his life energy not only cannot revive Ashihara Ryo, but will instead be completely burned away by the remaining power of light within him.

Lin Chen leaned against the cold wall. Looking at his still throbbing hands, he felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

The last bit of light that was actively burning was extinguished.