Bad luck plagues him, he refuses to become a Kamen Rider.

Sengoku Ryoma's fingers flew across the keyboard, but his gaze shifted to the other end of the lab bench, where a lockseed was being cultivated.

The color of this lock is unlike any other on the market; it is an almost solidified dark yellow, paired with dark red, exuding an ominous aura.

[Lock in the Underworld]

In theory, this lock can convert the user's life force into absolute power, at the cost of the user's life fading away as quickly as autumn leaves.

And Yuuki's power is perfectly suited to this lock.

"Dr. Ling Ma."

A sound suddenly came from the laboratory doorway, and Sengoku Ryoma's fingers paused slightly.

He quickly closed the blood analysis data interface and switched to a regular lock-seeding research report.

Then he turned around, and Wu Daogui was standing in the doorway.

"Kihiro? What brings you here so late?" Sengoku Ryoma's expression was natural and gentle, as if he were simply conducting some routine research.

Guihu walked into the laboratory, his eyes scanning the various instruments in the room.

“Yuxing, let me see what you’re researching,” he said. “You’ve been staying here a lot lately and rarely show your face.”

"Oh?" Sengoku Ryoma smiled. "Is he just concerned about what I'm doing?"

“He cares about many things.” Gui Hu walked to the lab table, his gaze falling on the Yellow Spring Lock Seed. “What is this?”

“A failed experiment.” Zhanji Lingma sighed. “I tried to create a lock that could rival the Overlord Aliens, but its stability was too poor.”

He picked up the Yellow Springs Lock Seed and placed it in front of Guihu so that he could examine it closely.

"If used, the user's life force will be rapidly drained, and they can only maintain combat status for a maximum of thirty seconds. After thirty seconds, the user will die due to the exhaustion of life force."

Guihu frowned: "Is there any need to continue researching this kind of thing?"

“I think so too.” Zhanji Lingma put the Yellow Spring Lock Seed back in its original place. “So I’m already prepared to terminate this project, but I’m a little unwilling, after all, so much time and energy has been spent.”

His tone carried just the right amount of regret.

Guihu looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Lingma, how long have we known each other?"

"It's been three years, hasn't it?" Zhanji Lingma was somewhat surprised that he would suddenly ask this. "What's wrong?"

“Three years.” Guihu repeated the number. “I hope that our three years of friendship will make you think about the trust between us before making any decisions.”

Sengoku Ryoma's smile froze slightly.

"Are you doubting me?"

“I don’t doubt you,” Guihu shook his head. “I’m just reminding you.”

Guihu had never doubted Zhanji Lingma before, but recent events have made him somewhat uneasy.

A brief silence fell over the laboratory.

Finally, Sengoku Ryoma broke the deadlock, smiling as he patted Takato on the shoulder: "Don't worry, everything I do is for the World Tree, for the future of humanity. That will never change."

Guihu looked into his eyes, trying to find something in them.

But Sengoku Ryoma's eyes are like a mirror, reflecting only himself.

"That's good." Guihu turned and walked towards the door. "Get some rest, don't overwork yourself."

"You too."

The laboratory door closed behind Gui Hu.

The smile on Zhanji Lingma's face gradually disappeared.

He walked to the experimental table, looked at the Yellow Springs Lock Seed, and his eyes rekindled that almost insane light.

“Trust?” he said softly. “Trust cannot grant immortality, Guihu.”

He reopened the blood analysis data interface, and strings of numbers were jumping on the screen.

Only power can achieve this.

He said in a low voice, his fingers continuing to tap on the keyboard.

Even late at night, the neon lights of Zeya City still flicker.

Yuuki stood on the rooftop of a tall building, overlooking the brightly lit city.

Hino Eiji sat on the edge of the rooftop behind him, staring at the broken red coin in his hand.

“Your attitude towards those two young men tonight was very different,” Eiji said.

“Because they are different,” Yuuki said. “Kumen Kaito is more like a monster like me, Eiji, do you understand? I saw endless ambition and indifference in his eyes.”

Yuuki didn't know what Kaito was planning, but as long as the source of his power was cut off in advance, the flames of his ambition would be like a rootless duckweed, and would soon be extinguished.

"Of course I know."

Having once been a greedy person himself, Eiji understood that monstrous feeling better than anyone else; he put the coin back in his pocket.

“You should focus more on yourself now. He is still a human being with normal emotions. You are the one who is out of balance.”

Eiji knew from the first moment he met Yuuki that Yuuki was emotionally deficient.

Yu Xing remained silent, then nodded: "I'll be more careful in the future."

"You may need to meet more people and travel to more places."

"Let's finish dealing with things here first."

Yuuki did not refute Eiji. A gust of wind swept by, and the two disappeared from the high-rise building.

Chapter 97 Exploring the Dinosaur Greedy One

Baron's training ground

Clutching the deep purple lock, the humiliation of defeat still surged through Quwen Jiedou's heart.

"Will this power allow me to defeat that guy and achieve my goal?"

He stared at the lock in his hand, a chill running down his spine.

At that moment, Kouta Kuzuha rushed in, panting heavily.

"Kaito!" He glanced around the rehearsal area, and when he saw the chain weapon in Kaito's hand, he was clearly taken aback. "What kind of chain weapon is that?"

Kaito quickly pocketed the Lockseed, but Kouta Kazuha still noticed that the Lockseed's shell was decorated with the Helheim Fruit.

What are you doing here?

Before Kouta could think further, Kaito's voice was as cold as ice as he asked.

"Did he take your driver and lock?"

Kouta Kuzuha looked at Kaito's empty hands and asked.

Upon hearing this, Jie Dou became somewhat embarrassed and angry: "What do you mean by that? If you're here to mock me, then you can get lost!"

"I did not mean that."

Kouta tried to approach and explain, but Kaito's eyes, which were practically spitting out fury, forced him to stop.

"I just want to say that that power is indeed very dangerous, and there's a reason why Yuuki took back the driver."

"Shut up." Kaito interrupted him, his eyes piercing Kouta like knives. "That's for you, but I don't think so."

Kouta opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Kaito stopped looking at Kouta and turned around, gazing at the stage with a sense of resentment.

After a moment, he slowly spoke: "Go. I don't need anyone's pity or comfort. The law of the jungle is an immutable law. Sooner or later, I will surpass him and become a true strongman."

He put his hand in his pocket and gripped the dark purple lock so tightly it creaked.

"Jiedou, that Lockseed..."

Kouta noticed Kaito's actions, and he frowned, somewhat worried.

Although they compete within the dance troupe, they are not irreconcilable enemies in their daily lives.

"This has nothing to do with you, and don't come looking for me again!"

Kaito coldly uttered four words and strode out of the rehearsal room, leaving only Kouta Kazuha standing there dumbfounded.

He watched Kaito's departing figure and realized that the two of them were growing further and further apart.

"Jiedou, don't do anything foolish."

He turned and left in the opposite direction from Jiedou.

the other side

In the conference room of the World Tree Foundation

Yuuki stood in front of the long table and spread out Rin's leaf map.

Guihu and Eiji stood on his left and right sides respectively, their eyes fixed on the dense markings on the map.

“Here, and here, is a spacetime anomaly zone marked by Rin.” Yuuki’s fingertips moved across the map. “The flow of time and spatial coordinates are constantly changing. He traversed the entire Helheim under such conditions and drew this map.”

Guihu bent down to examine him closely, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "Is this guy courting death?"

"The legendary investigator lives up to his name."

Yuuki gave a thumbs up, saying, "I have to say, Rin Ichijo is really awesome."

Yuuki's words made Eiji look away from the map. He looked at Yuuki and asked, "So what's your plan?"

“Let’s go in.” Yu Xing said directly, “Do you remember the ruins we passed by last time? I want to go there and take a look, after all, those ruins are in the center of this map.”

Guihu nodded, offering no objection.

Eiji gently touched the broken red coin in his pocket without saying a word, but there was no doubt that he was going to take a look too.

"When do we depart?" Guihu asked.

"Let's go now."

Helheim