The Strange Cat from Fuuto

After the crimson light membrane covered Kurata Kenji, his figure rapidly stretched, and finally, the enhanced dopant—Arm—appeared in front of Shotaro and Philip.

Meanwhile, just as Miku returned to the Yuusaki Mansion and was heading to the Earth Well underground, Sougo Ichiro, who was downstairs at the DG building, received a phone call and a sickly smile appeared on his face.

"Kamen Rider, I wonder how it compares to my work?!"

Chapter Twenty-Three: A knight who never suffers a setback has no soul!

The Sonozaki Mansion, deep underground, lies the Well of the Earth.

The dazzling stream of data gushing from the Earth Well was like fireworks blooming on a summer night to Miku—beautiful, dazzling, and captivating. Staring intently at the surging data, Miku remained motionless in his squatting position. As for why he didn't get closer, Philip's example was right there; Miku didn't believe he had Philip's luck to be resurrected.

As for why he came here, it's because he didn't know where he was. Rather than lying around in the Experiment Department like a corpse, he figured he might as well come to the Earth Well. At least the old man had already brought him here once, so what was wrong with him coming back a few more times? At least besides being the guardian of the Experiment Department, he was also the executioner of the museum. To prevent that idiot from barging in, Miku felt it was necessary for him to come here.

"It's really rare for you to come here!"

The old man appeared behind Miku at some point, his hands behind his back, looking at the gushing data stream with a somber tone.

"Executioners, protect your families, protect your secrets!"

Miku looked at the old man, the bell around his neck jingling. The old man smiled and patted Miku's head.

"You're the one who makes my life so easy. I wish Wakana was like you!"

"Always so childish, he'll never be able to shoulder the responsibility of the family in the future!"

“Buzz.…”

The Earth Well slowly fell silent, and the gushing data stream gradually receded back into the well. The old man came to the Earth Well, reached out and touched the well wall, and said softly, "I heard from Saeko that a very remarkable woman emerged from the cage duel set up by Sougo Ichiro!"

"Hmm," Miku stood still, tugged at his ear, and said, "Very...fierce!"

"Keep a close eye on Sougo Ichiro, because although that guy is obsessed with the Memory, it is precisely this obsession that makes him so unpredictable!"

"I hope Sougo Ichiro won't cause any trouble!"

"Otherwise, I still really can't bear to part with him!"

After saying that, the old man left on his own, leaving Miku alone in the empty underground space.

"Even now you haven't forgotten to come and give me a lecture, old man...."

"The Emperor of Fear"

...........

On the ring road, the battle continued. The sudden transformation of Kurata Kenji made Shotaro feel extremely troubled. All of his and Philip's memories could not cause any real damage to this guy in front of him. On the contrary, the opponent's attacks often caused critical hits when they landed on him!

"Is that all you've got, Kamen Rider!"

Kurata Kenji laughed wildly, feeling invincible as both his hands transformed into guns. But then he thought of that guy, that cold beast. His smile vanished, and his hands returned to their original state.

"I'm bored, it's time to end this!"

After saying that, Kurata Kenji drew the broadsword that had been amplified and repaired by the memory enhancer from behind him, and as he ran, he dragged the broadsword backwards towards Shotaro.

"We can't defeat Shotaro by force, so let's retreat for now!"

Hearing Philip's advice, Shotaro let out a frustrated growl, but the next moment he honestly used the Luna Trigger's energy homing missile as cover. He then picked up his motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and drove away.

"boom!"

Kurata Kenji, who had smashed a large crater in the ground with his sword, angrily deactivated his transformation. He was now covered in dirt, his hair was unkempt as if he hadn't groomed it in a long time, and his stubble was unshaven. He wiped the stubble off his chin, feeling the sharp pain in his palm from the hard stubble, and a sickly smile appeared on his face. Ignoring the armored truck and the cashier who had collapsed on the ground, he drove away.

"Ugh!"

With a towel on his face, Shotaro slumped back in his chair, looking dejected. After a sigh, he recalled the previous battle. His opponent's strength was completely overwhelming; no matter what form he was in, he had no chance to fight back.

"My head hurts!"

Before Shotaro could even get a proper rest after groaning, Philip burst out of the garage, holding the blank book in his hand, and said to Shotaro with a beaming smile, "I have a lead on the client and the culprit!"

"what?!"

............

In a rock climbing club in Futo, Kurata Kenji's dirty appearance made people frown, but Kurata Kenji didn't care at all. His eyes searched around, and he eventually went in alone. Soon after, gunshots and screams rang out in the club.

Finally, after transforming, Kurata Kenji emerged from the room carrying the unconscious Aso Fuyumi. After looking around, he walked directly into a nearby alley and disappeared.

After some time, Shotaro arrived at the scene on his motorcycle wearing a helmet, only to find it in complete disarray. He could only slam his fist against the wall and mutter angrily, "Damn it, I'm too late!"

...............

In the experimental department, Saeko angrily confronted Sougo Ichiro. Unlike last time, she immediately questioned him, "What exactly did you give Kurata Kenji last time? Why did that guy turn out like this?!"

As he spoke, he tossed a stack of photos to Sougo Ichiro, who casually rummaged through them with his hand and looked at the contents of the photos. One of the photos was of Kurata Kenji, who looked dirty and like a homeless man, while the other was a woman with a beautiful figure.

"It's nothing, I just gave him a memory enhancer!"

"This guy is clearly a result of being corrupted by the toxins in his memory!"

"Besides, it's just a chess piece. Once it's used, it's discarded. The most valuable thing is the data collected from it!"

That nonchalant look infuriated Saeko. "You've been meddling in my affairs without permission, and you don't even care!"

"You need to understand, I'm cleaning up your mess right now. You're the one who acted on your own, not me!"

"Bringing people to the experimental department without authorization—do you know how much harm you'll cause the organization if the plan fails?!"

Sougo Ichiro, adjusting his glasses, stood rooted to the spot, staring at Saeko, his lenses reflecting a cold light. Faced with his merciless retort, Saeko was speechless. Indeed, bringing him into the experimental club in the first place was against the rules. Even if she blindfolded him on the way, Saeko still saw her face, and the faces of many other experimental staff members. If she failed, what would await her?

Saeko's face was deathly pale, while Sougo Ichiro straightened his cuffs and said bluntly, "So please just watch how things develop!"

"Miss Saeko!"

Sougo Ichiro waved to his men and asked them what was going on.

"ready or Not?"

"Everything is ready!"

He nudged Hua Lu again, his eyes wide with surprise, and Sougo Ichiro wore a strange smile on his face.

"Let's begin!"

"I'm really looking forward to it! Don't disappoint me, Kamen Rider!"

Once again losing his trail, Shotaro rushed into the second floor of the Seagull Billiards Hall, only to be greeted by a room full of masked men in suits, including Kurata Kenji and his client, Aso Fuyumi.

As for Akiko, she was already tied up like a dumpling, her eyes filled with anxiety as she looked at Shotaro.

"you....."

Just as Shotaro opened his mouth, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and slowly fell to the ground. He looked at a woman behind him, his eyes filled with resentment.

At the same time, Ootachi, who was driving, also received a call. After hanging up, he gripped the steering wheel, looked ahead, and spoke in a completely calm tone: "Lord Miku, Mr. Sougo called and said he needs your assistance!"

"it is good!"

The car sped along the road, and the sunlight streaming in through the window cast an unpredictable shadow on Miku's face. After a long while, a large arc appeared on the cat's face, revealing its sharp teeth.

"Looks like the real show is about to begin!!"

Chapter Twenty-Four: Hello, Philip!

In Fuuto, on a street, Shotaro and his crew's support vehicle, the RevolGarry, was driving smoothly. The vehicle's exterior resembled an enlarged version of Kamen Rider W's face. Philip was crouching inside the vehicle with his knees drawn up to his chest. Under the dim light inside the car, his face appeared to be indistinct.

"What should we do? What should we do? If nothing unexpected happens, Shotaro has already fallen into the organization's trap. And that red dopant is not someone we can defeat!"

"I...I...I don't want to be caught and taken back!"

The massive RevolGarry continued its mechanical journey through the streets, while inside the carriage, Philip looked conflicted and bewildered.

Inside the Narumi Detective Agency, Shotaro and Akiko were tied up like dumplings and hung from the ceiling. Kurata Kenji sat on the floor, watching the two in the air with a smile. In the sunlight streaming through the window, his pale teeth added a touch of ruthlessness to his appearance.

"Dong dong!"

A knock suddenly sounded, drawing everyone's attention. But when the door was opened, a man wearing a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses walked in.

The moment they saw the man, all the museum staff on the ground floor bowed respectfully, except for Kurata Kenji, who stared blankly at him with a cryptic smile. The woman mentioned in Saeko's photo stood at the far end of the office, gazing out the window.

"Hello, Mr. Detective!"

Ignoring the provocative smile on Kurata Kenji's face, Sougo Ichiro came to Shotaro's side, nudged Shotaro and Akiko, and then looked at the two who were spinning around in circles with a fake smile on his face.

"What an adorable little girl!" Sougo Ichiro gently stroked Akiko's face with his left hand, his smooth fingertips brushing against her delicate skin, causing goosebumps to visibly rise on Akiko's skin. "Hey, you bastard, come at me if you have a problem, don't bother him!" Shotaro, still spinning around, looked at Sougo Ichiro with great anger.

"It's not your turn yet, Mr. Detective, so please wait patiently!"

No sooner had Sougo Ichiro finished speaking than two henchmen came over, calmed Shotaro down, and then started beating him up with punches and kicks.

"Oh, and you too, my precious experimental subject!"

Suddenly stopping, Sougo Ichiro turned his gaze to Kurata Kenji, who was deeply poisoned and was playing with the Arm memory chip with the amplifier embedded in it.

"Is the enhancer I gave you working well?!"

To this, Kurata Kenji simply grinned. Just as he was about to press the memory chip with the enhancer embedded in his hand, Kurata Kenji was grabbed by the neck and pressed against the wall by a snake-haired dopant. Kurata Kenji's face turned as red as a pig's liver, his eyes widened, and his bloodshot eyes revealed madness and eagerness to fight the dopant in front of him.

"The poisoning is too deep; it seems there's no saving him!" Sougo Ichiro thought to himself as he looked at Kurata Kenji, his gaze shifting to the memory in Kurata Kenji's hand. He realized the crux of the matter: "While the enhancer amplifies the memory's abilities, it also amplifies the toxins contained within it. With the toxins already present in the memory being amplified, prolonged use will cause irreversible damage to the user's body and mind!"

"Is this yet another failure?"

Disheartened, Kurata Kenji gestured to Mi Genlinzi to release Kurata Kenji, leaving him to catch his breath on the ground.

"Where is that esteemed person now?"

"They're on their way!"

One of Sougo Ichiro's men, a man in a black suit who was in charge of contacting Otate, immediately stepped forward and replied. After thinking for a moment, Sougo Ichiro said, "Forget it, don't bother that person. Just tell Otate to take that person to meet up with the people outside. After all, I can't let the young lady's plan be disrupted by me!"

With his back to Kurata Kenji, Sougo Ichiro gave the order to the man in the black suit, who immediately began making contact.

"Alright, there's no point in staying here any longer. Let's go and leave the rest of the time for him!"

After Sougo Ichiro gave the order, everyone in the room followed him and left in a rush. In an instant, the once crowded office became deserted again.

"Ms. Aso Tomi, don't you feel any heartache for Kurata Kenji now!?"

"The sword in my heart is dead. It died the moment he used the Gaia Memory!"