As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

A pungent, burnt smell lingered in the air, mixed with the lingering sweet aroma of bread, creating a strange and nauseating atmosphere.

Lin Chen and Hojo Toru walked to the cordon together. The police officers on duty saw Hojo Toru with Lin Chen, but did not stop Lin Chen and let him bend down and walk in.

Hikawa Makoto, dressed in a blue investigation uniform, was standing at the scene, speaking quietly with the forensic pathologist. He caught sight of Lin Chen and Hojo Toru approaching and immediately went to greet them.

"You've arrived."

"How is the situation?" Lin Chen asked.

"This is highly unusual." Hikawa Makoto's expression was grave and serious. "The deceased, Hanamura Hisashi, had been running this bakery for several years. He had an excellent reputation among the neighbors, was always kind and gentle, and had no enemies or disputes. This morning at eight o'clock, when the staff came to work, they found the shop door ajar. Upon entering, they discovered the body in the kitchen. The forensic doctor has preliminarily determined that the time of death was around midnight last night, and the cause of death was spontaneous combustion. The body was completely burned, leaving only the skeleton and some charred tissue."

As he spoke, he led Lin Chen and the other man slowly into the control room at the back.

The operating room was a mess, with black char marks covering the floor and walls, and the smell of burning in the air grew stronger. The remains of the deceased lay quietly on a small stool next to the control panel, in an unusually peaceful and upright posture—sitting properly, hands resting naturally on his knees, back straight, head slightly lowered, as if taking a nap with his eyes closed.

“This is also the most unusual thing about the scene.” Bingchuan Cheng pointed to the wreckage on the ground, his tone calm and solemn, without any extra emotion. “When a normal human body spontaneously combusts, the person will struggle violently due to severe pain, with muscle spasms and twisting, and the skeletal posture will inevitably be disordered and deformed. But he is different. The position of his bones is intact without any displacement, without the slightest trace of struggle, as if he is peacefully and silently submerged in the flames, without any pain.”

Lin Chen didn't follow Hikawa's line of thought in his investigation. He wasn't a detective, nor did he possess any professional knowledge of criminal investigation. If Hikawa hadn't judged that it was related to superpowered individuals, he wouldn't have been called over at all. The reason Hikawa explained things in such detail was to inform Hojo Toru about the situation at the scene.

Lin Chen surveyed the scene.

The scorch marks on the ground were extremely neat, precisely covering only the deceased and the small stool beneath him, with an error of less than a centimeter. Half a meter away, several unopened bags of powder were piled up, the bags intact, even the paper labels on the surface were not charred by the high temperature.

A tray of bread dough, ready to be baked, was placed on the worktable, less than a meter away from the deceased, and showed no signs of burning.

A small section of the metal workbench edge was scorched and deformed by the high temperature, and the deformed outline perfectly matched the shape of the deceased.

"The combustion temperature is extremely high, at least 1,500 degrees Celsius or higher, enough to melt ordinary steel." The forensic doctor slowly approached and shook his head slightly. "But what defies common sense is that the high temperature is precisely confined and directed, focusing only on the body of the deceased, which is completely inconsistent with the physical laws of natural combustion."

Lin Chen nodded slightly, stood up, and looked around the entire operating room.

The windows were locked from the inside, and there were no signs of forced entry on the shop door.

There were no signs of a struggle, no bloodstains, and no footprints left by outsiders at the scene.

All signs pointed to Hanamura Hisashi spontaneously combusting and dying silently. Seeing this, Lin Chen was certain that this was the work of a superhuman.

Now all that's needed is to confirm their identity.

“We’ve retrieved all the security footage from the store.” Bingchuan Cheng led Lin Chen to the cashier and opened his office computer. “You guys watch it too.”

Click on the surveillance footage from midnight last night.

The camera footage was clear, and everything in the work area appeared normal. Hisashi Hanamura was tidying up the equipment in preparation for closing, placing the finished bread into the display case, and carefully wiping the worktable with calm and steady movements.

12:07.

A dark figure wearing a black hoodie quietly appeared in the corner of the surveillance camera.

He stood behind the doorpost of the control room, his hat pulled low to completely obscure his face, his hands tucked into his sleeves, not a sliver of skin showing. He stood motionless, silently gazing at Hanamura Hisashi, like a silent ghost.

Hanamura Hisashi remained oblivious, continuing to tidy up the shop at his leisure.

12:09.

The shadowy figure slowly raised its right hand.

The moment he raised his hand, flames suddenly erupted from Hanamura Hisashi's body, instantly engulfing his entire form.

Throughout the entire ordeal, he did not struggle or make any unusual movements. He simply sat there quietly, letting the flames consume him until his body was reduced to charcoal.

The whole process took less than ten seconds.

Then the shadowy figure turned around and slowly walked out of the surveillance camera's view, and the scene remained normal.

Lin Chen was about to speak when he was interrupted by Hojo Toru.

Hojo Toru said he would be handling the case from now on. Lin Chen was happy to have some free time and didn't care why Hojo had suddenly changed his mind. Hikawa wanted to say something, but Lin Chen stopped him. They should spend more time training instead of looking for the culprit.

While Lin Chen and Bingchuan were unaware, Hojo Toru's expression turned extremely ugly.

Chapter 81 Chaos

In the morning, at the main control conference room of the G3 underground base, an entire wall of LCD screens was divided into thirty-two small windows, each measuring four by eight, silently looping surveillance footage from various parts of Tokyo over the past seventy-two hours. Most of the images were blurry, some covered by static, others only showing a swaying shadow, and the occasional glimpse of bloodstains gleamed darkly in the dim light.

The electronic case file system on the control panel refreshed automatically, with photos of the deceased and case files neatly arranged according to the time of the incident. Red "unsolved" markers flashed continuously against the black background, like densely packed blood nails nailed to the screen.

Sumiko Ozawa stood at the front of the stage, still wearing the same white lab coat with a coffee stain on the left cuff from yesterday, and a noticeable bluish-black ring around her eyes. The third mug in her hand was empty, its sides covered in a layer of brownish coffee residue. She didn't look at the audience; her gaze was fixed on the statistics at the top of the screen, her finger hovering over the remote control.

Hikawa Makoto sat on the far left of the first row. A list of cases, sorted by severity, appeared on the electronic tablet in front of him. His fingers swiped rapidly, occasionally pausing to type a few words in the notes section. Next to him sat Takahiro Omuro, a thick, coiled notebook spread out before him, filled with neat formulas and data. The sound of his pen gliding across the paper was exceptionally clear in the silence. He occasionally adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, but his eyes never left the notebook.

Hojo Toru leaned back in the last row, in the far corner, arms crossed, chair reclined at its maximum angle. His gaze was fixed on a faint water stain on the ceiling vent. In the entire conference room, he was the only one not looking at the screen, nor at anyone else, as if everything happening here was none of his concern. His right hand was in his uniform pocket, his fingers unconsciously rubbing something.

Xiaoze pressed the remote control, and the surveillance footage disappeared, replaced by a statistical report with black text on a white background. The cold numbers cast a pale blue light in the dimly lit room, reflecting on everyone's faces.

"As of 8 a.m. today, 42 supernatural-related crimes have occurred in Tokyo in the past 72 hours, averaging one every four hours." Her voice was calm, as if she were reading a regular work report. "These crimes have resulted in 17 deaths and 29 serious injuries. The police clearance rate is 3%. The only case that was solved involved the perpetrator losing control and exploding on the spot, making it impossible for him to deny his identity."

She paused, pressed the remote control, and the categorized data popped up at the bottom of the report.

"Nineteen of these cases involved injuries caused by loss of control over superpowers. The victims were mostly ordinary people who had just awakened their abilities and acted unconsciously when they were emotionally agitated, resulting in injuries or deaths to those around them. Eighteen of these cases were premeditated crimes, including theft, retaliatory assault, and murder. The nature of the remaining five cases is unclear, and no traces were left at the scene."

“The most crucial issue,” Ozawa glanced at the audience, his gaze lingering on Hojo Toru for half a second, “is that almost all of these cases lack physical evidence of foul play. Surveillance equipment is either damaged by strong electromagnetic interference or only captures victims being injured or killed out of nowhere. Traditional investigative methods like fingerprints, footprints, and DNA are completely ineffective. All twelve police stations in the jurisdiction have collectively submitted requests for assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department; they have no equipment whatsoever to combat superpowered individuals, and they can't even protect themselves in a basic way.”

The conference room was deathly silent. A faint hum emanated from the air conditioning vents. Hikawa Makoto frowned, his fingers tapping lightly on the edge of his tablet. Omuro Takahiro swallowed hard, his pen moving faster across the paper, leaving a deep ink mark.

Only Hojo Toru remained in that position, without even moving his eyelids.

Ozawa switched to the next page, and photos of the three cases appeared on the screen.

“The first one is the Shinjuku Mitsubishi Bank vault robbery. It happened at 2:17 a.m. the day before yesterday.” She pointed to the photo with a laser pointer. “There were no signs of forced entry on the vault door, walls, or safe. The pressure sensors, infrared alarms, and vibration sensors were not triggered at all. 300 million yen in cash was missing, and there were no fingerprints or footprints. An energy detector detected a very faint trace of purple light in the center of the vault.”

"The second case is the revenge attack at Shibuya Ward No. 3 Junior High School. The incident occurred yesterday afternoon at 3:40 PM, during recess." A photo of the school playground appeared on the screen, showing several obvious dents in the synthetic track. "Three eighth-grade students had their limbs broken by an unseen force in the northwest corner of the playground. There were no second footprints. Twelve witnesses stated that the three victims suddenly floated to about two meters off the ground before being slammed down. The perpetrator did not appear throughout the incident. After investigating their social connections, three students who had been bullied for a long time were identified. Two of them showed signs of awakening, but there was no evidence linking them to the case."

"The third case is the Sakuragaoka apartment building fall in Setagaya Ward. The incident occurred at 1:05 AM today." The screen shows a messy bedroom with the window wide open. "The deceased was a 28-year-old office worker who fell to his death from his 12th-floor apartment. The window was locked from the inside, and the door lock showed no signs of forced entry. The forensic examination revealed that the deceased had 23 fractures and severely ruptured internal organs before the fall, suggesting he was thrown out of the window after his bones were compressed from the inside by immense force. A faint purple light was also detected at the scene."

Xiaoze put down the laser pointer and placed his hands on the podium.

“These three cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Anyone could be a superhuman, and crimes can happen anywhere. We don’t know who they are, where they are, or when they will strike.”

Hikawa Makoto looked up: "What's the response from the Metropolitan Police Department?"

"They set up a special countermeasures headquarters, with the Superintendent General himself serving as the head," Ozawa said, his tone unchanged. "But apart from a few strongly worded documents, there was no real support whatsoever. There was no equipment to detect superpowers, no weapons to counter them, and the police officers they sent out were just sitting ducks."

She took a deep breath, switched to the deployment interface, and her eyes sharpened again.

"From now on, G3 team is on high alert. All personnel are canceling their leave and are on standby 24 hours a day."

"Glacier, you will be driving the G3-X and patrolling the main urban area, focusing on densely populated areas such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro. Prioritize high-risk cases and intervene immediately if you encounter any ongoing crimes. Change the patrol route every two hours."

"Lin Chen, you will be part of the mobile force, not stationed in a fixed area. The tail chamber will push abnormal energy radar signals to your phone in real time. Go to provide support wherever energy fluctuations occur. You are faster than the G3-X, and will be responsible for emergencies."

"Takahiro Omuro, you will remain in the main control room and monitor the energy radar and communication channels continuously. Report any abnormalities immediately. You will also be responsible for liaising with the Metropolitan Police Department's Countermeasures Headquarters."

She paused, then added, "Let me reiterate the rules of engagement: prioritize subduing, and try to keep as many alive as possible for ability testing. But protecting the lives of innocent civilians is paramount. If the other side continues to attack civilians or threaten the lives of our personnel, lethal force may be used."

Hikawa Makoto nodded, then frowned: "We don't have enough manpower. There are already over three hundred registered Awakened, and the number is increasing by dozens every day. With the large number of unregistered ones, we only have two people available to go to the battlefield, which is not enough to cover the entire Tokyo."

“I know.” Ozawa paused for a moment. “We have requested the Metropolitan Police Department to send an additional 100 special police officers to be responsible for evacuating the crowd, sealing off the scene, and maintaining order. In addition, the technical department is manufacturing 20 portable energy detectors and aims to establish a preliminary early warning network in major transportation hubs and public places throughout the city within a week.”

She glanced at her watch: "9:15. Glacier, depart for the first patrol at 9:30. Lin Chen, stand by. Tail Chamber, immediately adjust the energy radar sensitivity, set the detection threshold to the lowest level, and don't miss any weak signals."

After the deployment was complete, Hikawa Makoto stood up and walked over to Ozawa. The two quietly confirmed the patrol area, response priority, and backup communication channel. Once everything was confirmed, Hikawa saluted and quickly walked towards the hangar.

Takahiro Omuro closed his laptop and returned to the main control panel to begin adjusting the energy radar. The keyboard clattered as he typed, and the screen displayed a dense array of waveforms.

Only Lin Chen and Ozawa Sumiko remained in the conference room. The screen was still updating case information, with the red "unsolved" markers almost filling the entire screen.

Lin Chen looked at the screen and said, "Xiao Ze, I probably won't be staying at the base for a long time from now on."

Ozawa turned his head, expressionless: "Reason."

“There are more and more people with superpowers, and social order is starting to break down. The noodle shop is in a residential area, and Grandpa and Xiaoxue are just ordinary people with no ability to protect themselves. If someone causes trouble, I can't be left out.” He paused. “I plan to guard the noodle shop during the day. If there's an emergency, call me and I'll get there as quickly as possible. At night, I'll go back to the base to stand by and take turns patrolling with Bingchuan.”

Xiaoze nodded, took out a black communicator from his pocket and handed it to him: "It's encrypted, the signal is more stable than before, and it's not affected by electromagnetic interference. Keep it on 24 hours a day. The energy radar will push abnormal signals in real time, with the highest priority triggering a red alert."

Lin Chen took it and put it in his pocket: "Okay."

"Be careful," Xiaoze said, then turned back to look at the screen.

Lin Chen didn't say anything more and turned to leave the conference room.

Stepping out of the base, the sunlight was somewhat dazzling. Lin Chen squinted at the sky. The sky was overcast, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the street than usual. Everyone walked quickly, heads down, their expressions wary. Several shops along the roadside were closed, with signs saying "Temporarily Closed" posted on their glass doors.

Lin Chen got on his motorcycle and drove towards the noodle shop.

Over the next two days, crimes involving supernatural abilities only increased. Television broadcast related news 24/7, the anchors' tone shifting from shock to numbness. Newspapers changed their front pages daily with crime scene photos and sensational headlines. Fewer and fewer people walked the streets; supermarkets were emptied of instant noodles, bottled water, and canned goods, and long lines formed at gas stations. Schools closed, factories shut down, and Tokyo descended into unprecedented panic.

Lin Chen stayed at the noodle shop the whole time. During the day, he helped the old man knead the dough, cook the noodles, and clean the tables. Business was much worse than usual; only a few regular customers came, sat down to eat their noodles in silence, and left in a hurry after finishing. While working, Lin Chen kept an eye on the door, constantly listening to the communicator in his pocket.

After the noodle shop closed for the night, the old man and Xiaoxue went back to their room to rest. Lin Chen rode his motorcycle back to the base and took turns patrolling with Bingchuan Cheng, one in the first half of the night and the other in the second half. Most of the time, by the time they arrived at the scene, the crime was over, leaving only a mess and the victim's body. Occasionally, they would encounter people committing crimes, but these were usually ordinary people who had just awakened to their true nature and were easy to subdue.

Hojo Toru hasn't shown up for the past two days. Ozawa called him several times, but no one answered. The Metropolitan Police Department doesn't know where he is either, only saying that he hasn't asked for leave or reported for duty. Lin Chen didn't ask, and Ozawa didn't mention it either. Everyone is too busy to care about other people's business.

That afternoon, Lin Chen sat behind the counter of the noodle shop watching the midday news.

"Yesterday afternoon at 5 PM, a case of arson by supernatural forces occurred in Edogawa Ward, resulting in two deaths and five injuries. Police are conducting a full investigation..."

"The Metropolitan Police Department's Countermeasures Headquarters issued a notice reminding citizens to reduce outings and avoid crowded places..."

The old man was clearing the dishes in the kitchen, the clinking and clattering making a sound. Xiaoxue sat beside him doing her homework. Sunlight streamed in through the window; if it weren't for the constant stream of bad news on television, it would have been a very peaceful afternoon.

Lin Chen picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea had gone cold and tasted bitter.

Just then, the TV screen suddenly started shaking.

The female anchor froze, her eyes widened suddenly, and she looked to the right of the camera.

The next second, a man wearing a black mask burst into the live stream. He was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled down low, and a gleaming dagger was held to the female streamer's neck.

Chaos erupted in the live stream room, with screams clearly audible. The camera fell to the ground, and the image shifted to a swaying ceiling.

Chapter 82 The Out-of-Control Situation

The old-fashioned television screen shook violently, and a camera lying on the floor was filming a corner of the ceiling. A glint of cold light flashed, and the news anchor's cries mingled with the screams of the staff.

Lin Chen suddenly stood up, his hand on the communicator at his waist. But the next second, he stopped.

The masked man did not harm the female anchor. He pushed her behind the camera, turned to face the camera, and threw away the dagger. He took out a thick stack of documents from his backpack and held them up to the camera one by one.

The paper trembled violently in his hand, the printed words and red seal clearly visible.

“My name is Kurago Genshu, number 73.” His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. “One year and three months ago, I was kidnapped on my way home from get off work. When I woke up, I was in an underground laboratory.”

He held up an experimental record sheet, which read, "73rd experiment to induce superpowers, subject: Genshu Kurago, age 27."