As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Just then, the boy suddenly smiled. He glanced back at the children who were hiding behind their teacher, trembling with fear, and a bright, pure smile appeared on his face. Then, he suddenly spread his arms wide, and flames erupted from his entire body without reservation, enveloping him in a dazzling fireball.

"I won't let you hurt them!"

With the last ounce of strength in his body, the boy let out his final shout and lunged at the steel-type psychic. The massive fireball enveloped the steel-type psychic, emitting a sizzling sound as it burned.

"No—!" The steel-type superpowered user let out a shrill scream.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening explosion rang out.

The fireball exploded with a deafening roar, and the scorching shockwave swept across the entire courtyard, scattering debris everywhere. Lin Chen and Bingchuan Cheng quickly shielded their faces with their arms, trying to protect themselves from the onslaught of heat.

When they opened their eyes again, all that remained was a charred ruin.

The boy and the steel-type superpowered individual both disappeared, leaving behind only a large crater more than three meters in diameter on the ground, with wisps of smoke still rising from the bottom of the crater.

The remaining two superpowered individuals were stunned by the sudden explosion, standing frozen in place, unsure of what to do. Lin Chen and Bingchuan Cheng seized the opportunity, quickly rushing forward and subduing them with a few punches and kicks.

The battle is over.

The courtyard was a scene of utter devastation. The orphanage building had been burned to the ground, and the air was thick with the smell of burning. The teachers, holding the terrified children, sat on the ground, weeping uncontrollably.

Lin Chen walked to the large pit, slowly squatted down, and picked up a charred fragment of a school uniform. A faint warmth still lingered on the fragment.

He looked up at the sky. The setting sun had dyed the entire sky a shocking blood red.

Hikawa Makoto stood beside him and took off his helmet. His face was expressionless, but his usually resolute eyes were now filled with an indescribable sorrow.

"What's his name?" Lin Chen asked.

A young female teacher walked over, wiped away her tears, and said in a choked voice, "His name is Shota, and he's a child from our orphanage. His parents died in a car accident last year, and he was sent here. He's usually very introverted and doesn't like to talk, but he's very kind and always secretly helps other children. Today... today is his seventeenth birthday."

Lin Chen fell silent.

He had seen many people with great power, and many people called heroes. But this boy named Shota was the one who shocked him the most. He didn't have world-destroying power, nor did he have extraordinary intelligence; he was just an ordinary child. Yet, when danger came, he used his most precious life to protect those who were weaker than him.

The sun gradually sank below the horizon, and darkness enveloped the entire city like a tide. Distant flames still burned, and sporadic gunshots and explosions still echoed in the air.

Order has completely collapsed, and darkness is devouring everything. But Lin Chen knows that as long as people like Shota Sato, Yuko Nakamura, and Kenta Tanaka exist, as long as there are people willing to use their strength to protect others, then hope will never be extinguished.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and looked towards the G3 base. There, more than two hundred people needed their protection.

"Let's go," Lin Chen said.

Hikawa Makoto nodded and put his helmet back on.

The two turned and walked to the motorcycle, starting the engine. The motorcycle's headlights pierced the deep night as it sped towards the G3 base.

Chapter 85 New Human Alliance

G3 Base Garage.

Hikawa Makoto removed his helmet, sweat trickling down his forehead. He looked down at the charred fragments stained the hem of his combat uniform, gently picking them up with his fingertips—the last traces left by the boy named Shota.

Having served as a police officer for many years, he had long been accustomed to life and death. But witnessing a seventeen-year-old boy burn his life to protect others still weighed heavily on his chest like a lead weight.

Lin Chen lightly pressed the Earth Emperor's phone in his pocket with his right hand, his senses silently spreading out, and the life force within a radius of 500 meters entered his mind. His expression was calm, and he only glanced at Bingchuan Cheng indifferently: "Don't let your guard down."

Hikawa Makoto nodded slightly, then looked down to inspect the damage to the armor. Only the soft clanging of metal parts filled the garage. The boy's sacrifice weighed heavily on their hearts; neither spoke—in this already broken world, grief was the greatest luxury.

The base's red alert level one suddenly sounded, a continuous low-frequency hum penetrating the entire underground space. Takahiro Omuro's tense yet calm voice came from the control room: "All personnel, assemble in the control room immediately! A large-scale cluster of light energy has appeared in the Ginza area; the threat level has been raised to the highest level."

Lin Chen and Bingchuan Cheng exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and strode towards the main control room. In the cold metal corridor, a group of researchers walked hurriedly with solemn expressions.

The lights in the control room were dimmed to their lowest setting, and a giant holographic screen covered the entire wall, with red energy dots converging at an astonishing speed in the core area of ​​Ginza.

Takahiro Omuro sat at the control panel, his face pale, his fingers flying across the buttons, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "Captain Ozawa, the current signal count is 827, and it's still increasing."

Sumiko Ozawa stood in the center of the control panel, her white lab coat spotless. She gazed at the fluctuating energy waveforms on the screen, her fingertips pausing for half a second before she calmly issued the command: "Mark the coordinates of all energy sources and immediately retrieve real-time monitoring data for the Ginza area."

The screen switches. A night view of Ginza comes into view—Marui Department Store has been transformed into a metal fortress.

Steel bars, discarded armor, and heavy building materials were neatly welded together to form a closed fortress over twenty meters high. A line of scarlet spray paint appeared on the outer wall: The old humans are dead, the new humans shall rise.

Outside the fortress, four guards clad in short metal armor stood at attention, spears in hand. Behind the ruins and broken walls, a mother held her child tightly in her arms, gently covering the child's mouth to stop the crying.

The surveillance footage was forcibly taken over.

Takahiro Omuro tried switching to another screen.

The entire city of Tokyo—public screens, hospital surveillance screens—was dominated by the same image.

A middle-aged man stood on the top platform of the metal fortress. He wore a neat black casual suit and a regular mechanical wristwatch on his left wrist. His back was to the city lights, and his face was stern.

He opened his mouth, and his voice traveled through the radio waves to every corner of Tokyo: "Tokyo, I am Ryuichi Kurosaki, head of the New Human Alliance."

"The old order has completely collapsed. The Metropolitan Police Department is experimenting on civilians, and the government only lies and shirks responsibility. The old humans are weak, selfish, and powerless to protect themselves, let alone maintain the order of survival. This world is no longer under their control."

"Superpowered individuals are a new form of humanity that has evolved, and are the only group qualified to survive and rule. Effective immediately, the New Human Alliance will take over the core area of ​​Tokyo and implement full control over the entire region."

His words were cold: "Those who obey the Alliance's control will receive food, water, and safety; those who resist will bear all the consequences themselves."

As the words fell, the camera slowly panned down, focusing on the plaza in front of the fortress. Three men attempting to organize a civilian uprising were being held down by two Awakened. Kurosaki Ryuichi gently raised his right hand.

“These aren’t just a few scattered thugs; they’re an organized armed force.” Hojo Toru leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his usual arrogance somewhat subdued. His left hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his gun, his knuckles turning slightly white. “Who did this?”

Two thick metal plates suddenly rose from the ground and closed in an instant at an extremely fast speed.

After a dull, soft thud.

The camera did not capture any gory scenes, only three bodies falling silently to the ground. Kurosaki Ryuichi's voice rang out again: "Those who obstruct control and resist the Alliance have been dealt with."

"Let me reiterate one last time." His voice was icy as he delivered his final declaration, "The old humanity is dead; the new humanity shall rise."

The screen returned to normal, but the air in the control room seemed to freeze.

"Ryuichi Kurosaki, 42 years old, former executive director of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries." Sumiko Ozawa pulled up a file, and a middle-aged man in a black suit with a cold face appeared on the screen. "He was involved in the supply chain of the Metropolitan Police Department's superpower experiments and knew some of the inside story of the red drug. After the chaos broke out, the light power latent in his body merged with the drug residue, awakening the ability to manipulate metal in all directions."

Lin Chen's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. — This didn't seem like a rioter looting and vandalizing; rather, it seemed like an ambitious man seeking to rebuild order, using power as the sole criterion.

Hikawa Makoto slammed his fist against the metal wall, his suppressed anger almost bursting forth—the order he had upheld for half his life was now being openly trampled upon before his very eyes.

Hojo Toru's expression was grave.

“These aren’t ordinary thugs; they’re an organized armed group.” His left hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his gun. “Who did this?”

"Ryuichi Kurosaki, 42 years old, former executive director of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries." Sumiko Ozawa pulled up a file, and a middle-aged man in a black suit with a cold face appeared on the screen. "He was involved in the supply chain of the Metropolitan Police Department's superpower experiments and knew some of the inside story of the red drug. After the chaos broke out, the light power latent in his body merged with the drug residue, awakening the ability to manipulate metal."

Lin Chen remained silent.

Sumiko Ozawa said, "Record: New Human Alliance forces, SS-level threat, be on high alert."

Having witnessed the execution, Takahiro Omuro's face turned as white as paper, but he still stared intently at the radar data, steadfastly holding his post and silently recording every move of the league.

Base shelter.

Holding a crayon drawing, Sato Koyuki nestled in her grandfather's arms and sobbed softly, "Grandpa, I'm scared..." Sato Genji gently stroked her hair to soothe her anxiety.

Inside the hospital.

Yuko Nakamura crouched beside the wounded, her hands moving constantly, only slightly furrowing her brow as she gently touched each of the frightened civilians with a healing glow.

In the midst of ruins.

After a moment of silence, Kenta Tanaka picked up the next concrete slab.

The ordinary people on the street looked in the direction of Ginza with complicated expressions.

The declaration of the New Human Alliance was like a sharp knife, tearing open the entire crumbling society.

Some people began to walk spontaneously toward Ginza.

In just one hour, the New Human Alliance's power began to expand rapidly.

The number of defectors exceeded 1,900, of which 500 were awakened individuals with superpowers, most of whom were violent rioters who had previously looted and vandalized, and were now being recruited by Kurosaki's power and ideology; the remaining 1,400 were ordinary civilians seeking refuge—in this precarious world, might makes right, and they would rather submit to a dictator than die in chaos.

Ryuichi Kurosaki divided the area under his control into clearly defined zones, with the Ginza Fortress at its core.

The core control zone is the Ginza Fortress, the alliance's command center; the controlled zone covers the three major commercial districts of Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro, where supplies are confiscated and armed patrols are conducted; the outer zone consists of residential areas, where only basic patrols are maintained, preventing superpowered individuals from committing violence at will, but suppressing all resistance. The alliance implements militarized management, with disciplined operations, completely replacing the ineffective Metropolitan Police Department and becoming the true controller of Tokyo.

...

Inside the G3 base.

After Kurosaki Ryuichi announced the declaration of the New Human Alliance, Ozawa Sumiko began to issue a series of orders: "Immediately activate the backup concrete barrier to block metal signals in order to prevent Kurosaki from directly controlling the metal structure of the base."

All civilians in the shelter were transferred to the underground safe house, accompanied by a medical team; Glacier, immediately replace the G3-X with non-metallic combat components to reduce the impact of ability counters; Tail Chamber, continuously monitor the Alliance's movements and report any attack signals immediately.

"Received." Bingchuan Cheng replied in a deep voice, then turned and walked towards the hangar. He suppressed his anger, because he knew that impulsiveness would only lead to everyone's deaths. At this moment, the only thing he could do was to hold the line and protect the civilians behind him.

Hojo Toru snorted coldly, drew his pistol, checked the magazine, and said with his usual arrogance, "I'll go check the patrol equipment."

Sumiko Ozawa looked up at Lin Chen, about to ask if he was completely countered by those with the ability to manipulate metal. —From the very beginning, when she referenced the Orga armor, she had discovered that only the outer layer of the Orga armor was made of a special alloy, providing stronger defense; the true energy source was photon blood and Lin Chen's unique body.

She had also tried to figure out who Lin Chen really was.

However, considering that Lin Chen had been fulfilling his duties since joining the G3 team, she didn't insist.

The situation is dire now, and she feels it's time to confront Lin Chen.

Before he could finish speaking, Takahiro Omuro exclaimed in alarm, "Chief Ozawa! The radar has detected a large number of Awakened individuals moving rapidly toward the base. The number... is no less than a hundred!"

Sumiko Ozawa's face darkened, and her fingers flew across the control panel: "All personnel on alert! Activate the perimeter security procedures, defense teams, take your positions!"

She turned to Lin Chen, her tone urgent yet steady: "Lin Chen, go to the main gate of the base immediately to check the situation. Remember to find out their intentions first, and don't act rashly."

"Understood." Lin Chen nodded lightly, then turned and strode quickly toward the base entrance.

In less than half a minute, Lin Chen was already standing behind the concrete barrier at the main gate of the base. His senses extended, and a dense aura of life was rapidly approaching from afar. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the surging crowd in the distance, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly—the number of people was far more than a hundred; at a rough estimate, there were at least three hundred.

Chapter 86 The Mutated Monster

Heavy armored footsteps sounded behind him. Hikawa Makoto, wearing the G3-X armor, came to Lin Chen's side, and a steady voice came from the armor's loudspeaker: "How is the situation?"

“Around three hundred people, they shouldn’t be enemies, they have no ill intentions,” Lin Chen replied.

As they spoke, the crowd had walked to within a hundred meters of the base and slowly came to a stop.

Lin Chen and Bingchuan Cheng immediately recognized that the leader was the female Awakened who had led the representatives into the base for negotiations not long ago. At this moment, she looked tired, her clothes were covered in dust, and the crowd behind her was crowded with people, mostly hunched old people, thin women, and children tightly clutching the hem of adults' clothes, all with fear on their faces.

The female Awakener took a deep breath, raised her hand to signal the crowd behind her to stop, and walked slowly forward alone. She stopped ten meters away from the base gate and raised her hands to indicate that she had no hostile intentions.

“I am Misaki Manase,” she said, her voice weary but still firm. “We mean no harm, we just want to seek shelter.”

Bingchuan Cheng turned his head slightly and exchanged a glance with Lin Chen. Lin Chen nodded slightly, signaling him to ask a question.