As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Lin Chen thought about it and couldn't help but think it was a good idea. However, he knew all too well that gamblers never met a good end. He planned to wait and see how things went, but as soon as he spread his senses, he discovered the mutation in his abilities. Everyone's every move was exposed to his mental power. He could even precisely detect the dealer's subtle actions.

"One more round! I'm betting everything!" The man in the floral shirt earlier had bloodshot eyes. He pulled out a wad of Japanese yen from his bag and slammed it on the table, his eyes filled with a desperate madness.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, didn't refuse, and pushed out the money he had just won: "All in."

The surrounding crowd erupted in chaos. Some jeering, others quietly retreating, fearing they might get into trouble. The dealer took a deep breath and redealed the cards, deliberately speeding up his finger movements in an attempt to disrupt Lin Chen's rhythm. But Lin Chen's mental foresight made his subtle maneuvers impossible to miss.

With the first three cards, Lin Chen got a pair of Aces, and the man in the floral shirt got a pair of Kings, a smug smile spreading across his face. With the fourth card, Lin Chen got another Ace, making three Aces, while the man in the floral shirt got a Queen, his expression instantly darkening.

On the last card, the dealer deliberately dealt a King to the man in the floral shirt, making a three-of-a-kind, and then dealt Lin Chen a meaningless Ten. The man in the floral shirt burst into maniacal laughter: "Kid, you're doomed! You're dead this time!"

Lin Chen smiled faintly and turned over his cards: "Really? Take another look." Three Aces were clearly visible. The laughter in the floral shirt instantly froze on his face, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the crowd, and several men in black suits walked in. The leader had a sinister look in his eyes as he scanned the entire room before finally settling on Lin Chen.

"So it was you who won a lot of money here?" The leader walked up to the gambling table, his tone icy. "If you know what's good for you, hand over the money, or you'll be sent flying out of here."

Lin Chen slowly stood up, subtly channeling his mental energy to anticipate his opponent's movements. The leader raised his hand to attack, but Lin Chen dodged to the side, simultaneously pressing down on his wrist. The aura of a hunter emanated from him.

"roll."

A single, simple word, yet it carried an undeniable authority. The leader's wrist ached from being squeezed, and sensing the dangerous aura, he knew he'd met his match. He uttered, "You just wait," and led his men away in a sorry state.

No one around dared to provoke Lin Chen anymore, and the dealer obediently pushed the money in front of him. Lin Chen put the money away; it was probably several hundred thousand yen, enough to pay the deposit and cover his living expenses for a while. He didn't linger any longer, turned around and walked out of the casino, the noise behind him gradually shut out by the iron gate.

The wind in the alley was still slightly cool. Lin Chen touched the thick wad of money in his inner pocket, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

For now, the immediate problem was solved. He looked up in the direction of Narumi Detective Agency, thinking to himself that he would give the deposit to Shotaro Satoshi first thing tomorrow morning, and then just wait for Sherrard's news.

Chapter 109 Philip and Takoyaki

The autumn night breeze, carrying a cool dampness, swirled up the withered yellow sycamore leaves at the alley entrance.

Lin Chen walked slowly down the alley where the main entrance of the Narumi Detective Agency was located.

After winning money at the casino during the day, he planned to find a hotel to stay in and then formally discuss the commission with Shotaro the next day. However, reality dealt him a series of blows—the lack of identification became the biggest obstacle.

He went to several small hotels, but the owners immediately became wary when they heard that he couldn't produce any identification and refused to take his place.

The second shop owner also waved his hand and said "no" directly, his tone cold and uncompromising.

The third place was the same. Lin Chen offered to pay double, but the other party stared at him like he was a fugitive, and secretly reached for the phone, seemingly preparing to call the police.

Helpless, Lin Chen had no choice but to say goodbye and leave.

After repeated setbacks, Lin Chen felt helpless and powerless. In the end, he wandered back to the entrance of the Narumi Detective Agency. The warm yellow light shone through the glass door, standing out in the dark night, yet also appearing exceptionally lonely.

From a distance, a dozen or so cardboard boxes of various sizes were piled up in front of the office. Akiko Narumi was standing next to the pile of boxes, standing on tiptoe, struggling to stack the last box, which was about half her height, on top.

Her bangs were damp with sweat and clung to her smooth forehead. Her cheeks were flushed and her nose was slightly red, clearly indicating that she was exhausted.

"Miss Akiko, what are you doing?" Lin Chen asked.

Hearing the voice, Akiko subconsciously turned around, but when she saw it was Lin Chen, she didn't react in any particular way: "Huh? It's you!"

Akiko turned around and went back into the office, and Lin Chen also started walking into the office.

At this moment, Akiko became furious, muttering, "I'm so angry! That guy, I'm going to make him pack his bags and leave today!"

He walked directly to a wooden door, took off the hats one by one, and threw them into a cardboard box.

Lin Chen wanted to ask what had happened, but wisely chose to keep quiet. Communicating with a woman who was angry was not a wise choice.

Akiko packed up all the hats, picked up the cardboard box, and hurried out, her steps quick and clearly still annoyed. Halfway there, she suddenly stopped, as if she had sensed something.

She slowly turned around, her gaze falling on the wooden door she had just seen. After hesitating for a moment, she walked over quietly, pressed her ear tightly against the door, and listened carefully to the sounds inside.

A moment later, Akiko's eyes narrowed, and she reached out and twisted the lock. The force was so great that the door swung open, and she lost her balance, stumbling forward and nearly falling flat on her face.

Lin Chen was behind her and originally wanted to help her up, but seeing that Akiko hadn't fallen, he withdrew his hand.

He had already heard the faint sounds coming from the side; inside was the place where Philip, another protagonist in the original work, often stayed.

At this moment, Philip was probably looking up some information, constantly mentioning what had happened at various points in time.

After regaining her balance, Akiko looked at the hidden space with shock on her face. She held onto the wall and walked up the stairs, curiously looking around. Lin Chen followed her.

The two arrived at an empty room upstairs and immediately spotted a slender young man.

He was wearing a black T-shirt with white stripes, long sleeves, and a thick book in one hand and a marker in the other, writing and drawing on the whiteboard.

The boy frowned slightly, muttering to himself, "Volcanic eruptions are mostly caused by the accumulation of magma, the compression of tectonic plates triggering the release of energy, accompanied by the eruption of volcanic ash..."

Akiko put her hand to her mouth, lowered her voice, and carefully began, "Excuse me..."

Hearing the noise, Philip turned around, his gaze sweeping over Akiko and Lin Chen, and said coldly, "Can you please not bother me?"

After saying that, he immediately turned back and continued writing and drawing on the whiteboard, his brows furrowed as if he had encountered an unsolvable problem.

He put down his marker, paced back and forth, and quickly flipped through the book in his hands, the pages rustling.

Lin Chen stood behind, his gaze falling on the book, only to find that the pages were all blank, clean and without a single word, like a wordless book.

Akiko looked at the boy and continued to ask in a low voice, "Are you Philip? The fake detective's partner?" She had learned from Shotaro's investigation during the day that he actually had a partner, but she hadn't seen him and thought he was somewhere else.

Philip continued writing and drawing on the whiteboard, the pen tip making a soft scratching sound as it glided across the surface. His tone was casual: "Narumi Akiko, I've read all your information. It's all worthless. Go back to that city called Osaka."

After saying that, he casually tossed the marker aside, and it landed on the table under the whiteboard with a soft thud. He then turned around, his gaze fixed on Lin Chen, and his tone became more inquisitive: "But you, Lin Chen, are quite strange."

“There’s no record of you in Earth’s memory, it’s like you appeared out of thin air.” He paused, his eyes focused. “Suddenly appearing in this world, then meeting Shotaro, and coming here with him, isn’t that interesting?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Philip walked up to Lin Chen and walked around him slowly with light steps.

He tilted his head, his gaze sweeping from Lin Chen's head to his feet, his eyes full of curiosity, like a child who had stumbled upon a novel toy he had never seen before. His fingertips moved unconsciously, pausing from time to time to examine it, his expression earnest and pure.

As for why there was no information about him in Earth's memory, Lin Chen was perfectly clear about it.

It's normal that I wasn't even in Earth's memories since Toma threw me here less than a day ago; it would be a miracle if I wasn't.

Akiko, standing nearby, interrupted Philip's inquiry, frowning as she asked, "What is this city called Osaka? Don't you know Osaka? Osaka is more famous than the wind!"

She paused, then added seriously, "For example, takoyaki!"

Philip, who was sizing up Lin Chen, suddenly stopped when he heard the words "takoyaki".

He instantly turned to look at Akiko, his previously indifferent gaze suddenly brightening, his curiosity focused entirely on the takoyaki.

Seeing his interest, Akiko immediately became excited and started talking about the flavors and fillings of takoyaki, as well as the street stalls in Osaka, getting more and more animated as she spoke. Philip listened with great interest, occasionally asking for details, having long forgotten his earlier doubts.

As he was talking, Philip suddenly turned around, picked up the whiteboard eraser, and wiped away all the volcano-related content he had just written in a few strokes.

Then he picked up the marker again and began to write and draw on the whiteboard seriously, muttering to himself as he wrote, his expression focused and earnest.

...

Just then, Lin Chen suddenly sensed Zuo Xiangtaro's presence and immediately turned to look at the door.

Not long after, they saw Shotaro Zuo running over and stopping behind Lin Chen and Akiko, his tone clearly questioning: "High school girl, and that strange person, what are you doing here?"

Akiko also heard the noise and looked towards Shotaro Hidari.

Philip, without turning his head or stopping writing with his chalk, spoke first before Lin Chen and Akiko could speak: "Hey, Shotaro, this girl is amazing! I'm so happy!" His tone was filled with indescribable excitement. "A completely new search experience, you probably don't know about it, right?"

As he spoke, he turned around, placed his hand on the whiteboard, and pointed to the words on it.

"This food called takoyaki..."

Shotaro followed his finger and looked around at the whiteboards throughout the space. All the whiteboards were densely covered with writing about takoyaki, from the fillings and cooking time to the stall location—it was all written down. His mouth slowly opened wide, his face filled with disbelief.

Philip was still rambling on about the details of takoyaki, but Shotaro wasn't listening at all. He was trembling with anger and turned to Akiko, his voice urgent and furious: "Look what you've done! You've made Philip focus all his attention on this!"

After saying that, he stormed off towards Akiko. Akiko, seeing his angry expression, felt a little scared and instinctively hid behind Lin Chen, cautiously peeking out without daring to speak.

Shotaro walked up to Lin Chen, looking at Akiko hiding behind him, feeling both angry and helpless. He knew he couldn't actually hurt Akiko, but he was anxious about the investigation's progress. He took a deep breath, turned around, and complained, "If he keeps acting like this, we won't be able to continue investigating Dopant!"

"Dopant?" Akiko emerged from behind Lin Chen, grabbed Shotaro's shoulder with a puzzled look, and asked curiously, "What exactly is a Dopant?"

Lin Chen also frowned at the right moment, showing a puzzled expression, and looked at Zuo Xiangtaro in response.

Seeing the two looking completely bewildered, Shotaro Zuo went to the computer and opened the file. He patiently explained simply, "Right now, in this city, a group of people are spreading rumors about something called the Gaia Memory." He then pulled up an image, showing something resembling a USB drive.

"This thing can turn the user into a superhuman. We call this kind of superhuman a Dopant!"

Upon hearing this, Akiko immediately shook her head, looking incredulous: "How could such a thing be possible!"

Shotaro frowned and retorted, "Have you forgotten? Weren't you just attacked during the day?"

Philip, standing to the side, ignored their conversation, his back to the three of them still turned away, his hand constantly scribbling with chalk, absorbed in the takoyaki information, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Chapter 110 Unknown Warning

Just then, Lin Chen spoke up, pointing to the image of the Gaia Memory on the screen: "Hey, tough detective, I have something to remind you."

Upon hearing the title "Hard-Blooded Detective," a smile suddenly appeared on Shotaro's face, and he and Akiko turned to look at Lin Chen at the same time.

Lin Chen said calmly, "I think I saw this thing in that lady's bag during the day."

Shotaro's smile froze instantly, his expression turning serious: "What did you say? That lady from earlier today?"

Akiko was also stunned, blinking in confusion: "Which lady from during the day?"

Lin Chen calmly said, "It's that Marina who asked you to find a boyfriend during the day!"

"What?!" Shotaro exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?! How could Marina have something like this?"

Lin Chen's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was indifferent: "It's true, there's no benefit for me to lie to you. During the day, I accidentally glimpsed a USB flash drive-shaped object in her bag that looked exactly like this."

"How is this possible..." Shotaro panicked completely. The shock on his face faded, replaced by anxiety. "How could she have gotten involved with this kind of thing?"

His mind went blank for a second, completely lost. He instinctively turned to Philip and shouted, "Philip! Forget about the takoyaki! Stop it! Check the information on Marina. Is she related to the Gaia Memory?"

But Philip ignored them, his back to them, the chalk still scratching on the whiteboard, absorbed in the takoyaki recipe, paying no heed to their urging.

Shotaro was pacing anxiously, his brows furrowed tightly. He always relied on Philip's intelligence, but now that the other was completely absorbed in something else, he was at a loss and could only wait impatiently.

Lin Chen stood aside, calmly watching the flustered Zuo Xiangtaro, without saying anything more.

The three of them waited quietly in the empty room as the night outside the window gradually faded and the east began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Unable to withstand the exhaustion of staying up all night, Akiko leaned against the corner of the wall, her head nodding slowly, her eyes glazed over, occasionally letting out a small yawn, her cheeks still showing signs of drowsiness.

Shotaro paced back and forth anxiously, scratching his hair from time to time. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked haggard from not sleeping all night. He kept muttering, "How could Marina do this?" He was full of worry for his childhood friend, but he was helpless. He could only stare at Philip's back, hoping that he would give up his obsession with takoyaki soon.

Only Lin Chen, with a mental strength of over 100 points, remained energetic even after staying up all night.