As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Just then, Philip finally put down his marker, turned around, and said in a calm tone, "I have finished reading the information about takoyaki."

These words immediately jolted the groggy Akiko awake and the anxious Shotaro Hidari awake. Akiko rubbed her sleepy eyes;

Shotaro, as if grasping at a straw, strode up to Philip, his tone urgent yet pleading, and yawned widely: "Great! Philip, hurry into the Earth Library and help me check Marina's information. Is she related to the Gaia Memory?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Philip softly replied, "Understood," then slowly closed his eyes, naturally spread his hands with palms slightly upward, and instantly entered a state of emptiness, as if his soul had been drawn out of his body, wandering in the heavens.

Lin Chen's senses instantly sharpened, and he clearly detected an extremely complex aura emanating from Philip. Unlike ordinary human auras, it was more like countless fragmented information symbols intertwining and flowing.

Then, something even stranger happened—Philip's aura gradually faded until it disappeared completely, as if he had never existed, leaving only a soulless shell standing silently in place.

Lin Chen understood. He knew that at this moment, Philip's soul had transformed into countless tiny information symbols and entered the "Earth Library" that belonged only to him.

In the vast ocean of information, Philip quickly searched for all the information about Marina Tsumura. The room instantly became exceptionally quiet, with only Akiko's soft breathing and Shotaro's slightly rapid heartbeat remaining.

Shotaro stared at Philip's body, barely daring to breathe, afraid of disturbing Philip's search. Akiko was also fully awake, her face no longer sleepy but filled with confusion. She whispered to Shotaro, "What is that Earth Library?"

Shotaro Sato explained that Philip's mind contains all the knowledge on Earth, which he can access whenever needed.

He said only that one sentence and then fell silent.

He and Marina grew up together. In his heart, Marina was gentle and kind. He simply couldn't believe that Marina was related to the Gaia Memory.

About ten minutes later, Philip slowly opened his eyes, the blankness in his eyes gradually fading and his eyes regaining their clarity.

Without pausing, he began to speak clearly, word by word, all the information he had found in the Earth Library: "Maria Tsumura, designer at Wind Scale Corporation."

Not long ago, a director within the company, for personal gain, forcibly stripped her of her work achievements and design credits, appropriating them for himself. Under this workplace bullying and oppression, Marina was ultimately ruthlessly expelled from the company.

Marina harbored resentment and, in order to take revenge on Wind Scale, purchased Tyrannosaurus Gaia Memory through underground channels.

Her boyfriend, Yosuke Togawa, was also implicated and ultimately unjustly dismissed from his job. The blow of unemployment, coupled with his resentment towards the company, plunged him into extreme anger and despair.

After being fired from his job, a furious Yosuke Togawa, at Marina's urging, purchased a Magma Memory on the black market. Driven by a thirst for revenge, he used the Memory to modify his own body, transforming into a "Magma Dopant"—the same one Shotaro encountered during the day.

"How could this be..." Upon hearing this, Zuo Xiangtaro was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, his face filled with shock and disbelief, his mouth slightly open, unable to utter a word for a long time.

A moment later, Shotaro suddenly came to his senses, his eyes becoming urgent. Without thinking any further, he turned and ran towards the door, muttering repeatedly, "I have to find Marina, I have to stop her!"

"Wait." Just as Shotaro was about to rush to the door, Philip spoke up to remind him, his tone still calm, "Marina's Tyrannosaurus Memory power is about to go out of control. Before long, she will be completely devoured by the Tyrannosaurus's power. If you go over there, you might get eaten by her!"

"Impossible!" Shotaro stopped abruptly, turned to look at Philip, his eyes filled with stubbornness.

He didn't believe Philip at all and rushed out of the room. His hurried steps quickly disappeared from everyone's sight, leaving only the sound of his rapid footsteps.

Watching Shotaro Zuo's hurried figure disappear into the distance, Philip didn't try to stop him anymore. He simply shook his head slightly, his face expressionless, as if he had already anticipated this outcome.

He turned around, his gaze fixed on Lin Chen, the probing in his eyes even more intense than before, and his tone more serious: "Hey, Lin Chen-san, who exactly are you?"

Lin Chen remained calm and composed, without offering any reply.

Philip paused, then continued, "Not only does Earth's memory contain no information about you, but it also tells me not to pay attention to your actions or investigate your origins. However, there is one thing I must convey to you—please do not disrupt this experiment."

Akiko stood to the side, completely bewildered. She looked at Lin Chen, then at Philip, and asked in a low voice, "Experiment? What experiment?"

Philip shrugged, his tone flat and casual: "I don't know either. Earth's memories only tell me to convey this sentence; there's no other relevant information."

After speaking, he turned around, his gaze fixed on Lin Chen, his eyes filled with undisguised inquiry and expectation, quietly waiting for Lin Chen's answer.

Lin Chen's expression instantly turned ugly, his brows furrowed tightly, and a sense of gloom settled in his heart.

An experiment? Gaia's memory? Gaia? He wondered to himself, had he accidentally stumbled into some strange parallel world again?

Recalling his experiences in the world of Agito, a sense of unease welled up in his heart. He pursed his lips, not immediately responding to Philip's expectations, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

...

The next morning, Lin Chen walked out of the Narumi Detective Agency and was blocked by a group of thugs as soon as he turned into the alley.

The one leading the group was none other than the thug he had subdued yesterday.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, secretly thinking: This thug is quite capable. Yesterday, I didn't even realize I was being followed, yet he managed to find this place. It seems he's here for revenge.

But the next second, the thug suddenly shouted to his henchmen behind him, "Call me Boss!"

These words left Lin Chen completely dumbfounded, frozen in place, utterly confused about what was going on.

At this moment, the thug quickly stepped forward and explained in a respectful yet urgent tone: "Brother, my name is Tian Zhuyilang. The casino I took you to yesterday was actually my father's old place. It wasn't originally a casino, but a nightclub. Later, my father suddenly disappeared for some reason, and his underlings took the opportunity to betray him, seize the place, and turn it into the casino it is now."

He paused, then added, "I didn't actually go far yesterday, but I saw you dominating the gambling scene with your skills. As for those people who caused you trouble yesterday, they saw you follow me inside and assumed you were there to cause trouble. I'm not here for revenge, nor to ask you for help in taking back the place; I'm here to beg you to save my father."

Before Lin Chen could speak, he immediately launched into a long speech and then performed a full-body kowtow.

"I inquired for a long time and finally found his whereabouts. My father was desperate because the nightclub was not doing well, so he went to the legendary Million Colosseo casino, where it is said that you can become rich overnight. But after he went in, he never came out again. I hope you can use your gambling skills to rescue my father. As for the reward, please take a look." After saying that, he presented a gem with both hands.

After listening, Lin Chen didn't feel anything for the gems, but he was slightly interested in the Dream Casino. If he remembered correctly, this so-called Dream Casino was also created by Dopant, so he might as well go and take a look.

Chapter 111 Dream Casino

Lin Chen followed Tian Zhuyilang and his group toward the legendary "Million Dollar Arena".

Along the way, Ichiro Tatake completely revealed his talkative nature, his mouth never stopping. From being beaten for stealing fruit from his neighbor's house when he was a child, to the girl he had a crush on in school, to the little trouble he and his gang got into, he kept rambling on and on, chattering like a sparrow that never stops.

Lin Chen occasionally listened, and from the interjections of his younger brother, he gradually figured out the past of Tian Zhuyilang and his father, Tian Zhubuer. In his mind, there was only the word "weirdo".

The nightclub went bankrupt not because of poor management, but because Tian Zhu Bu Er was too stubborn—he resolutely refused to let the girls in the club drink with customers, even if customers complained and left.

Even more outrageous, he also paid the girls a fixed base salary, and he never missed a payment, even when the club was losing money. Eventually, the nightclub was unable to survive.

As they were talking, Tian Zhuyilang suddenly stopped joking and became serious: "Big brother, don't think my dad is stupid. Those young ladies are really pitiful. Most of them are seventeen or eighteen-year-old students. Either their families are sick or they are in debt and have nowhere else to turn, so they come here. My dad said that they should not waste their best years in this kind of place. We should help them if we can."

The henchmen who accompanied him echoed, saying that back then they were either homeless or bullied, and it was Tian Zhu Bu Er who helped them. That's why they followed the Tian family wholeheartedly. Even when the family fell apart, they never thought of leaving. They only wanted to find Tian Zhu Bu Er and repay his kindness.

Lin Chen felt a surge of surprise. He hadn't expected that this hoodlum's father was actually a "saint." He couldn't help but mutter to himself: Since he's so soft-hearted and wants to help those girls, why doesn't he open a maid cafe? It would be respectable, and he could give them a legitimate job. It's much better than keeping a struggling nightclub afloat.

For some reason, the words just slipped out. Tian Zhuyilang and his gang froze instantly, their eyes widening in surprise as they exclaimed in unison, "That's right! How come we didn't think of that!"

Seeing their idiotic expressions of sudden realization mixed with a hint of annoyance, Lin Chen's forehead instantly creased with a few black lines. His lips twitched, and he silently turned his face away, too lazy to bother with these brainless guys anymore.

At the same time, he was also wondering what was wrong with him. This wasn't his character at all! Had Toma driven him crazy?

Finally, we arrived at the legendary dream casino. Pushing open the door, a cacophony of sounds immediately filled our ears—the celebratory shouts of gamblers after winning money, the dejected cries of those who had lost all their chips, and the crisp sound of dice clashing, all intertwined, creating an atmosphere of extravagance and restlessness.

Lin Chen and Tian Zhuyilang casually picked up masks from the tray by the door, put them on, covering most of their faces, and blended into the bustling crowd. Their underlings, however, stopped at the door, waving their hands: "Boss, we're not going in. We're sworn enemies with gambling and drugs!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, feeling that there was something strange about what he said, but he didn't delve into it. He turned and followed Tian Zhuyilang deeper into the casino.

The two wandered around the casino, observing the various expressions on the faces of the people at each gambling table. Tian Zhuyilang leaned close to Lin Chen's ear and whispered, "Big brother, I've found out. To meet the casino owner and find my dad, you have to stand out from the crowd in the casino to be selected as a challenger and participate in the final game."

Lin Chen's mind raced, and he instantly came up with an idea, a faint smile curving his lips.

He and Ichiro Tadachi walked to the service counter to exchange for chips. Lin Chen was thinking of using the deposit he had prepared for Shotaro Sato, but Ichiro Tadachi beat him to it, took out a stack of cash, and readily paid for all the chip costs.

This puzzled Lin Chen, who couldn't help but ask, "If you have money, why did you rob someone yesterday?"

Tian Zhuyilang looked embarrassed, scratched his head, and stammered, "Robbery wasn't my goal. I just wanted to use the robbery to lure out some powerful people, and then bring them to that casino to test them out. After all, I'm not capable, so I can only use this clumsy method to find someone who can help me save my dad."

After hearing this, Lin Chen's mind was instantly filled with question marks—what kind of bizarre thought process is this?

"Wait a minute, your father is almost desperate and has to gamble. Where did your money come from, and what about that gemstone?" As if he had discovered something important, Lin Chen asked.

"Uh, this...that..." Tian Zhuyi stammered a bit, but still told the truth. They had picked up the gemstone not long ago; it just looked pretty, but it wasn't worth much after appraisal. As for the money, they had borrowed it from loan sharks using the nightclub's property deed. In their words, they couldn't get that place back anyway, so they might as well let them fight like dogs.

Lin Chen asked why he didn't call the police, and Tian Zhuyilang replied that as a member of the yakuza, how could he call the police?

He shook his head, said nothing more, took the chips, and walked towards the busiest gambling table not far away.

This table is used for Texas Hold'em. It is surrounded by gamblers with different expressions. Some are flushed and full of vigor, while others are pale and depressed. The chips on the table are piled up like mountains, and the atmosphere is extremely tense.

One of the gamblers suffered a series of losses, losing all his chips, and dejectedly got up and left the game.

Seeing this, Lin Chen pushed through the crowd and walked straight over, calmly sitting down in the empty seat.

With his exceptional mental power, he could clearly perceive every subtle change in the expressions, finger movements, breathing, and even the shifts in the eyes of everyone around him. He could also discern the arrangement of every card on the table and the movement of the bottom cards.

At first, Lin Chen did not rush to make a move, which was typical of a novice gambler.

When he had a weak hand, he would fold without hesitation and run away. He did this for several rounds in a row. When the other gamblers saw this, they all lowered their guard and assumed that he was a novice who didn't know how to play and had mediocre luck. They secretly looked down on him and even made sarcastic remarks in whispers.

Lin Chen ignored the mockery, but Tian Zhuyilang, who was standing next to him, was quite indignant.

After several rounds of feigned weakness and laying the groundwork, once everyone present had figured out his simple "run when you have a small hand" strategy, they completely lowered their guard. Lin Chen instantly changed his tactics, abandoning his previous approach and launching a fierce offensive.

Whenever it was his turn to bet, no matter how others tried to raise the price or bluff, he would go all in without hesitation, pushing all the chips in front of him to the center of the table, and his aura suddenly became strong and imposing.

This decisive and domineering style of play instantly made the group of veteran gamblers at the table suffer, and everyone felt uneasy, disrupting their original rhythm.

Some players, holding a medium-strength hand, were planning to slowly raise their bets to accumulate chips, but faced with Lin Chen's reckless all-in approach, they were instantly caught in a dilemma and hesitated.

Some people deliberately imitated seasoned gamblers, mimicking the tactics in movies to feign composure, suppressing their emotions, and pretending to hold top-tier cards in an attempt to scare Lin Chen away. However, under Lin Chen's extremely keen mental insight, the other party's slightly tense jaw, the unconscious tapping of their fingers on the table, and their deliberately slowed but slightly disordered breathing revealed their inner panic and unease.

He remained calm and composed, observing the other party's feigned dominance without yielding an inch, stubbornly clinging to the bet.

After several rounds of psychological warfare, the opponent was the first to lose his composure, realizing that his hand was mediocre and he was powerless to fight back. He had no choice but to fold and admit defeat, handing over his chips for nothing.

When faced with an opponent who holds a strong hand and is determined to fight, Lin Chen remains calm and collected, subtly using subtle movements within the game to disrupt the opponent's concentration.

After several rounds of games, the gamblers at the table suffered defeat after defeat. Some folded and dared not play, while others gritted their teeth and played but suffered repeated defeats. Large amounts of chips on the table kept flowing into front of Lin Chen.

Those who had previously looked down on him now all abandoned their contempt and looked at Lin Chen with fear and awe.

Standing beside the gambling table, Ichiro Tatake was dazzled and utterly shocked.

Having secured his position, Lin Chen unleashed his full potential, no longer holding back, and officially began his sweeping dominance.

This casino offers a variety of games commonly found in Japanese casinos, including Texas Hold'em, Hanafuda, dice games, blackjack, baccarat, and other classic games.

Lin Chen moved among them, and was familiar with everything.

On the dice table, he could precisely discern the arc of the dealer's wrist rotation, the rhythm of the dice cup's shaking, and even the subtle sounds of the dice colliding inside the cup. He could clearly see the numbers and ensured that his bets were accurate every time. Even when the dealer changed his methods and rhythm, he could not hide anything from his ears and eyes.

When it came to Hanafuda games, he was well-versed in the playing patterns and scoring rules of Japanese Hanafuda, and he was also well-versed in the tricks of card combination and the art of restraint. He could quickly form high-scoring card combinations to win or lose, and he could also accurately cut off his opponent's card combination ideas and suppress the opponent's rhythm. Even veterans who had been in the casino for many years could not keep up with his playing rhythm and were defeated one after another and left the game.

When he switched to baccarat and blackjack, Lin Chen took psychological warfare to the extreme. He memorized the remaining card values, accurately calculated the probability of winning or losing, decisively raised his bet when he should call, and calmly retreated when he should withdraw, keeping his opponents in a state of panic.

Many renowned experts in the casino, upon hearing that an outsider was sweeping the tables, eagerly stepped forward to play against Lin Chen, hoping to dampen his arrogance.

Some deliberately slowed down the betting pace to test his intentions, some colluded to sabotage him, and others deliberately disrupted the atmosphere to try and distract him, but all these tactics were ineffective against Lin Chen.

Within a few hours, no one in the entire casino dared to gamble with him anymore, and the once bustling and lively gambling tables became deserted and silent.

Countless chips of various colors and denominations flowed in, densely covering the entire gambling table where he first sat down. Red, blue, and gold chips were stacked layer upon layer, piled up like a small mountain.

Just then, a series of crisp "clap clap clap" applause suddenly rang out.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man dressed in a black tuxedo with a gold lining, clapping as he slowly walked down the stairs from the second floor. His eyebrows were straight and slightly raised, which, combined with his round face, gave him a somewhat comical appearance.