As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Lin Chen froze on the spot, his expression turning to astonishment—he had clearly just explained Philip's background and the secrets of the Sonozaki family, so why did the two of them seem to have completely ignored him?

“I already said that,” Lin Chen suppressed his doubts and repeated his words again, “Your name is Sonozaki Laijin, the youngest son of the Sonozaki family. The Sonozaki family is the mastermind behind the sale of Gaia Memories. That’s what’s going on with your family.”

"Are you kidding us?" Shotaro frowned, his tone impatient. "What kind of gibberish are you spouting? We can't understand a word! If you don't know, just say so. Don't try to fool us with this nonsense!"

Philip shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with disappointment: "Lin Chensang, I still don't understand. What you're saying has nothing to do with my family."

Lin Chen's face darkened. He instinctively grabbed Zuo Xiangtaro's arm: "You really didn't understand a single thing I said? I was clearly talking about Philip's background, his family!"

“I really didn’t understand,” Shotaro said helplessly, shaking off his hand. “We’ve never heard of any of the words you just used. We have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lin Chen suddenly remembered something and quickly borrowed paper and pen from Zuo Xiangtaro: "Give me a pen and a piece of paper, and I'll write it down for you to see."

Although Shotaro Zuo had some doubts, he still handed over the notebook and pen.

Lin Chen took the paper and pen, took a deep breath, and wrote down the keywords "Zonozaki's person," "Zonozaki's family," and "the mastermind behind the Gaia Memory" stroke by stroke. But the moment he finished writing and let go, the handwriting on the paper suddenly twisted and deformed. The originally neat words gradually turned into a mess of scribbles that were completely unrecognizable.

Looking at the strange marks on the paper, Lin Chen's expression grew increasingly grim.

He then looked at the English notes that Shotaro had used to record the case, and a thought struck him. He tried to write down Philip's background in English letters, but the result was still the same.

"Hey, what are you doing? What kind of nonsense are you writing?" Zuo Xiangtaro couldn't help but ask, his voice tinged with worry, as he watched Lin Chen repeatedly writing and his face growing increasingly pale.

Lin Chen slowly put down his pen, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down. He looked up at Zuo Xiangtaro and Philip, his eyes serious, and his tone solemn: "Zuo Xiangtaro, Philip, do you believe me?"

The two exchanged a glance and nodded. Shotaro scratched his head, his tone a little awkward: "Although you're always mysterious and talk in strange ways, the information you've given us these past few times has been very accurate and has helped us a lot, so of course we can trust you."

Philip nodded slightly.

Having gained their trust, Lin Chen breathed a slight sigh of relief. He picked up the piece of paper covered in scribbles and handed it to them.

Lin Chen said in a heavy tone, "It's not that I deliberately didn't talk about the Philip family, nor that I didn't know. It's that I was affected by something unknown—I couldn't speak or write it down. Whenever I tried to mention or write down related information, I would be interfered with and end up like what you see now."

Shotaro took the paper, stared at the scribbled mess on it, and exclaimed in disbelief, "How is this possible? Such a thing exists?"

Philip, on the other hand, appeared quite calm. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke: "Earth's memories are very magical, containing countless unknown powers. Perhaps Lin Chensang's cognition has been covered by some special memory or some unknown power, blocking information about my family and preventing it from being revealed."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light in Philip's eyes gradually dimmed again. The hope that had been rekindled was shattered once more, and he slowly fell into an emo state again, silently squatting back in the corner without saying a word.

Seeing his dejected appearance, Lin Chen felt a pang of sadness. At this moment, he was unable to break through that mysterious barrier and could only put the matter aside for the time being.

Just then, Shotaro's phone rang, displaying Akiko's name on the screen. Shotaro quickly answered, and Akiko's urgent and angry voice came through: "Shotaro! Something terrible has happened! Yuko Wada has gone mad! She secretly took all her parents' savings and is going to gamble at the Million Arena again! I can't stop her no matter what I do!"

Hearing this, Lin Chen showed no surprise. Gamblers are all like this; once they get deeply involved, they become reckless and will do anything to turn the tables.

Shotaro, however, looked anxious and shouted into the phone, "Don't worry, I'm coming right away!" After hanging up, he grabbed his helmet from the table, got up, and rushed out the door, muttering as he ran, "Honestly, why won't he listen to advice!"

Lin Chen watched his retreating figure and shook his head. What a half-baked tough guy.

He walked to the sofa and sat down, resting his hands on his forehead, seemingly deep in thought, and a heavy atmosphere enveloped him.

Time passed slowly, and as the sun set in the west, a faint orange-red glow appeared on the horizon.

The office door was pushed open, and Shotaro Hidari and Akiko walked in. Both of them had their faces full of dejection and frustration. Even Akiko, who was usually full of energy, had her head down and looked dejected.

Shotaro tossed his helmet onto the table, slumped into a chair, grabbed his hair with both hands, and looked at him with self-reproach: "I was still a step too late. It's all my fault. If I had been a little faster, I might have been able to stop her."

When Shotaro arrived, Kaga Tai had already returned to the casino. Although Lin Chen had warned the staff not to exchange chips for Wada Yuko, they didn't dare disobey Kaga Tai's orders and still exchanged them for her.

Yuko Wada ultimately participated in the final challenge, only to lose completely, with Kaga Tai extracting her life force on the spot.

Shotaro tried to transform to stop them, but was threatened by Yasushi Kaga with the Life Coin inside him. He said that if he made a move, all the sealed people would die together. He could only watch helplessly as Yuko Wada's life force was drained and she fell unconscious on the ground.

That guy even publicly mocked Shotaro, saying he was a penniless wretch.

Akiko immediately threatened Kaga Tai, saying that they would bring a super genius gambler over tomorrow and make him pay the price by winning all his casino assets!

Shotaro turned to Akiko: "Do you think Akiko is crazy? Where did we get a super genius gambler?"

Philip's voice, which had been on the phone the whole time, came through calmly but with a hint of confidence: "That super genius is me."

Shotaro and Akiko were both stunned. Philip's tone was firm: he had watched the entire betting game through the Bat camera, but calculating the most likely outcome by observing the angle at which the marbles landed was a piece of cake for him.

But Kaga Tai scoffed: "Trying to find a genius gambler to beat him? That's wishful thinking! What makes them think they can gamble with him?"

Philip ignored his sarcasm and said calmly: "Six Gaia Memory Cores, that's enough for a gamble with you, isn't it?"

Recalling their previous battle, with Kaga Tai's frequent switching of memories, he fell silent for a moment on the other end of the phone. After a brief pause, his voice, both sinister and excited, came through: "Good! Very good! I'll be waiting for you at the Million Arena tomorrow. I hope you won't back out!"

As soon as he entered, Shotaro strode up to Philip and asked urgently, "Philip, are you crazy? How can you use those six memory chips as gambling chips? Besides, we don't know anything about gambling. Even if you can calculate it, it's too risky!"

Just then, Akiko suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Shotaro's tie, and yanked him hard, dragging him in front of Lin Chen. Pointing at Lin Chen, she shouted, "What are you afraid of? We have Lin Chen! Lin Chen won so much money at the casino during the day, his gambling skills are amazing. With him here, we can definitely win!"

Shotaro looked at Lin Chen with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism in his eyes—he had not personally witnessed Lin Chen's performance at the casino during the day. Although he had heard Akiko's description, he was still somewhat uneasy. In comparison, he trusted Philip's predictive abilities more.

So, Shotaro ignored Akiko's words, pulled Philip aside, and began to discuss the details of tomorrow's betting game in a low voice, completely ignoring Akiko who was standing next to him.

Feeling ignored, Akiko was a little unwilling. She turned to look at Lin Chen, who was still deep in thought on the sofa. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over and said urgently, "Lin Chen-kun, can I borrow your briefcase that holds your money?"

At this moment, Lin Chen was still pondering the interference of that unknown force and what to do next. When he heard Akiko's request, he simply waved his hand and said indifferently, "Take it and use it as you like."

Having received permission, Akiko excitedly picked up her suitcase, strode over to Shotaro and Philip, yanked the suitcase open, and exclaimed, "Stop discussing! Look at this!"

Shotaro and Philip instinctively looked over, and when they saw the neatly stacked stacks of brand-new banknotes in the suitcase, they were both stunned and shocked.

Shotaro Sakata instinctively asked, his voice full of confusion, "Where...where did this money come from? So much of it?"

Akiko proudly raised her chin and pointed at Lin Chen, saying, "This is what Lin Chen won in the Million Arena during the day! I told you, with Lin Chen around, we don't have to worry about the betting funds or whether we can beat Kaga Tai!"

Shotaro and Philip turned their heads in unison, their gazes falling on Lin Chen on the sofa, their eyes filled with shock and confusion.

At this moment, Lin Chen finally snapped out of his reverie. He looked at the two of them staring at him, then at the open briefcase, completely bewildered. What was going on?

Chapter 119 The Cunning Money Admixture

Upon arriving at the Million Arena, the group had barely pushed open the casino doors when they saw Kaga Tai, dressed in a sharp suit, standing leisurely in the center of the hall with his hands behind his back, clearly having been waiting for some time.

The casino, which was usually bustling and crowded with gamblers, was deserted today, with only a few waiters standing trembling in the corner.

Kaga Tai had been wearing a confident smile, his eyes sweeping contemptuously over Shotaro, Philip, and Akiko. But when his gaze fell on Lin Chen, who was walking behind the three, his smile froze instantly. His lips twitched a few times, and his previous smugness and arrogance vanished without a trace. His face darkened immediately: "Why are you here?"

Lin Chen glanced at him but didn't respond.

He sat down at the gambling table, tapping the surface lightly with his fingertips, and said in a calm tone, "Boss Kaga, shouldn't this casino be mine now? You lost that bet a few days ago."

Kaga Tai's face instantly turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth.

Taking a deep breath, he forcibly suppressed the anger and panic in his heart, forced a stiff smile onto his face, and said with a hint of sophistry, "Guest, you are joking. The last game of gambling has not really ended, it has only temporarily come to a close. Since it has not ended, it is naturally not my loss. This casino is not for you to decide."

As he spoke, he secretly touched the money memory device hidden behind his back, staring at Lin Chen with a sinister look, afraid that the other party would make trouble on the spot.

Lin Chen had anticipated that Kaga Tai would deny it, so there was no surprise on his face. He just curled his lips in disdain, and his mocking look, as if he had known that Kaga Tai would do this, was like a needle piercing Kaga Tai's heart.

Kaga Tai felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, wishing he could transform into a hybrid and rush up to punch Lin Chen in the face a few times.

Shotaro stepped forward, frowning impatiently, and said, "Stop talking nonsense, are you going to play or not? Stop dawdling and wasting time!"

His words extinguished most of Kaga Tai's anger. Kaga Tai took a deep breath, his gaze passing over Lin Chen and landing on Zuo Xiangtaro, Philip, and Akiko. He forced a fake smile back onto his face and slowly said, "Welcome, all three of you. Of course, we'll have some fun. However, this gentleman cannot participate."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to Lin Chen beside him.

"Why?!" Akiko immediately exploded, hands on her hips, demanding, "We agreed to the bet together, why can't Lin Chen participate? Are you scared?!"

Kaga Tai shrugged and replied matter-of-factly, "Of course it's because I'm the house, and I set the rules here. Besides, I hold the biggest stakes, so I have the right to decide who gets to play and who doesn't."

He paused, then added hypocritically, "But it's okay. As compensation, you can choose any game you want, whether it's blackjack, roulette, or anything else. I'll play with you to the end, as long as you want to."

Upon hearing this, neither Shotaro nor Philip showed any surprise; their expressions remained calm.

In fact, Lin Chen had already communicated with them last night and had anticipated that Kaga Tai would make such a move. After all, Kaga Tai held a large number of Life Coins as hostages. If Lin Chen were to participate, he would undoubtedly lose. Therefore, he would definitely try to restrict Lin Chen and prevent him from participating in the gambling game.

That's why, after Lin Chen's reminder last night, Philip mobilized the resources of the Earth Library overnight to frantically search for all gambling methods and rules in the world. At the same time, he also consulted a vast number of books on gambling techniques and psychological games. Overnight, he had already grasped the core logic of all gambling games, and against Kaga Tai, he had at least a 50/50 chance of winning.

Akiko wanted to argue, but Shotaro grabbed her arm. He shook his head at Akiko, signaling her to calm down, then looked at Kaga Tai and said in a deep voice, "Alright, we'll do it your way. We'll choose the rules, but if you lose, you must release everyone whose life force you extracted and hand over the Gaia Memory of Money!"

Kaga Tai readily agreed, "No problem, I'll use these Life Coins as the stake. But you also have to wager all the Gaia Memories you promised before, no take-backs allowed."

As he finished speaking, he raised his hand and opened his palm, revealing a series of life coins gleaming coldly.

Seeing the other party reveal their chips, Philip smiled and said, "Since the stakes are set, how about we just play Russian roulette?"

Upon hearing this, Kaga Tai burst into laughter.

"Of course, no problem. It's your right, guests, and I'll gladly oblige."

At the gambling table, Kaga Tai deftly and neatly stacked six piles of gleaming silver Life Coins, their quantity and value exactly matching the Gaia Memory that everyone had bet on. The bets between the two sides were thus finalized.

He raised his chin and gave a look to the waiting staff, signaling them to start the roulette machine immediately.

The staff member didn't dare to delay and stepped forward to skillfully activate the mechanism. The huge wheel started spinning rapidly, and the metal balls rolled and collided inside the wheel, making a crisp and rapid sound.

The moment the roulette wheel spun, Philip immediately focused his mind and immersed himself in the calculations.

Relying on the massive amount of data stored in the Earth Library, he first quickly identified the specific model and manufacturing date of the roulette wheel. Combining the airflow speed and table friction, he accurately calculated the rotation angle and rebound force of the ball. A series of precise calculations were completed in his mind in an instant, and in just a few seconds he was certain that the final landing point would be red number twenty-one.

Without the slightest hesitation, Philip reached out and picked up a Gaia Memory, placing it firmly on the area of ​​Red Twenty-One.

Kaga Tai, sitting opposite him, looked calm and casually placed his bet on point seventeen, his face full of confident assurance.

Before long, the rapidly spinning roulette wheel gradually slowed down, and the ball bounced and wobbled several times before finally coming to a steady stop at the red number twenty-one. The outcome of the first game was decided, and Philip easily won the opening match.

With accurate probability calculations as a foundation, the outcome of the next round was a foregone conclusion. Round after round, Kaga Tai's chips dwindled, and his once full stack of life coins dwindled with each loss. In the end, he was left with only a solitary stack of chips, and the situation completely turned against him.

The series of defeats made Kagatai completely abandon his contempt. He knew that in a simple contest of probability calculations, he was no match for Philip.

The quick-witted man immediately changed his approach, put on a fake smile, and began a psychological game with Philip.

Instead of placing bets, he kept trying to probe Philip's emotions by saying various things, sometimes pretending to lament the cruelty of the game, and sometimes telling stories of people who were trapped in the quagmire, gradually disturbing Philip's mind.

Through a series of progressively deeper conversations, Kaga Tai pinpointed Philip's most vulnerable and tender spot, deliberately bringing up the gamblers imprisoned in the coin of life, each word telling the story of how the desperate pleas of these people's families forced Philip to step onto the gambling table.

The word "family" pierced Philip's heart like a sharp blade. Philip, who had been able to remain calm and perform calculations, was instantly thrown into chaos. His usually stable thoughts completely collapsed, and his mind was filled with blankness and confusion about his family. The intense emotional fluctuations made it impossible for him to concentrate on completing the precise calculations.

Kaga Tai seized this perfect opening and refused to give up, repeatedly provoking Philip with words related to family. Philip held his head in his hands, his eyes glazed over, completely losing his focus to continue the game.

Seeing that Philip's condition was getting worse and worse, and that continuing to gamble would only lead to a complete loss, Lin Chen, who had been watching silently, quickly stepped forward, reached out and pulled the dazed Philip up, and brought him to Zuo Xiangtaro's side.

Shotaro immediately noticed Philip's unusual state. He quickly calmed down, recalled the many contingency plans that everyone had made in advance, and immediately decided to step forward.

Shotaro looked directly at Kaga Tai across from him, his tone firm and steady, and took the initiative to accept the bet: "I will be your opponent in the next match."

He finalized the rules directly, betting all of both sides' Life Coins and Gaia Memory, using a single-round elimination method to determine the final winner, and even proposed changing to a completely new gameplay - drawing ace cards.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shotaro took out a brand-new deck of cards from his pocket and placed it on the gambling table. Drawing ace cards was one of Shotaro's favorite casual games, and he thought he could gain the upper hand with his skill. However, he underestimated his veteran opponent, Yasushi Kaga, who had been in the casino for many years.

Having been a seasoned casino veteran, Kaga Tai was well-versed in the art of manipulating people's hearts. He noticed every subtle change in Shotaro's expression and the slightest hint of nervousness in his heart.