I said you are all war criminals

The technology used by that mechanical monster does not seem to be the curse beads, nor the technology of the Quincy, but something else.

...Shoko Toyokawa couldn't recognize what kind of technology that was.

"Something unexpected..."

Deng heard Toyokawa Shoko talking to herself.

These weren't her planned words, but rather the words produced by the simulated character's personality when it wasn't being manipulated. The purpose was simple: to make the simulated player feel more real.

Deng didn't continue to listen to Xiangzi's mumbling, but instead looked at everything in front of him. The mechanical monster and the monster transformed by Shenmu Guang were only human-sized, but their destructive power was no less.

In less than half a minute, the entire park was almost destroyed.

Tall trees were broken in half, fragile bushes were crushed into powder, and even the smooth stone road became bumpy, with cracks spreading like spider webs, like shocking scars. The lawn that was once carefully trimmed was now razed to the ground, and black smoke was still rising.

Hmm... Riki, Aine and the others should have run away by now, right?

Deng knew that Li Xi's current physical condition wasn't strong enough for her to transform again. She'd been injured by a bomb Deng had deliberately detonated, and now she couldn't do anything... Deng had done this deliberately so that Li Xi could sit down and talk with Akito. Unexpectedly, this had become the unexpected event that forced Li Xi to leave.

This can't be helped—

"Transform--"

The lamp, and Xiangzi who was controlled by the lamp, turned their heads together.

They saw Shiina Riki rushing towards the two monsters——

With that tattered body.

"Kamen Rider Cry!"

48

Chapter 48: Beheading.

My whole body aches.

My breathing was hoarse and erratic, and I felt something blocking my throat, like I was drowning. The feeling in my hands and feet was fading away, and even now, my thoughts were flickering and almost fading.

No matter how you think about it, now is not the time to fight.

Say.

Shiina Riki had no reason to fight.

Li Xi is not a policeman, nor is he a superhero.

She had no responsibility to fight, no obligation to fight, and no reason to fight.

——She is just an ordinary person.

When faced with an unexpected situation like a natural disaster, there is only one thing that ordinary people like Shiina Riki should do.

That's escape.

There is no shame in running away.

Rather, from ancient times to the present, how many people have survived by "escaping"?

Escape from the fire.

Escape from the flood.

Flee from the plague.

Escape from famine.

——Escape is human instinct.

Rather, choosing to fight requires a reason.

"Lixi, your body is already in tatters. If you continue to fight--"

Li Xi ran forward quickly.

She put Aine's voice behind her.

"Hey! Lixi! You're going to die!"

Aine called out from behind, her voice becoming a little sharp with anxiety.

However, Lixi did not look back.

She could feel her muscles protesting, every step felt like walking on knife-edge. The wounds from the bomb fragments still ached, and her lungs burned, making it difficult to breathe.

But she couldn't stop.

Even if there is no reason to fight, she will still fight.

because--

"Transform!"

Li Xi held his waist and shouted out the power contained in the curse beads, called "Kamen Rider".

"Kamen Rider, Cry!"

Countless tears flowed from Lixi's chest.

Those tears gradually replaced Lixi's flesh and blood, forming a new body and new armor.

In just a moment, the transformation was complete. Without even a millisecond of hesitation, Li Xi jumped up and kicked the monster.

"Goo!"

The monster, covered in sticky green liquid, screamed and was kicked several meters away. It only came to a stop when it hit a big tree.

Then, Li Xi took a look at the mechanical monster that was probably the transformed form of Toyokawa Shoko, and asked in a voice that sounded like he was vomiting blood, "What are you waiting for? Defeat that guy quickly!"

The mechanical monster was obviously startled by Li Xi's actions, "What are you doing...We are enemies, right?"

"say what!"

Li Xi stood up and rushed towards the green monster again, "We are friends!"

——Lixi hopes that he and Xiangzi can still be friends.

Even if Xiangzi really did these things, she must have had some difficulties. Didn't we say it before, Xiangzi's mother... Yes, isn't this a reason? Even if Xiangzi's actions were somewhat extreme, Lixi could understand her.

after all.

Xiangzi...even if she did something wrong, there must be a reason——

Lixi gritted his teeth, ignored the tearing pain in his body, and rushed towards the green monster again.

Her attacks were completely unstructured, relying solely on instinct and a reckless ferocity. Every punch and kick seemed to unleash all her strength.

"Aha!"

A heavy punch hit the monster's abdomen.

"Gululu..."

The monster let out an incomprehensible growl, its huge body shook, green slime splashed out, and a foul odor filled the air.

"go to hell!"

Li Xi did not retreat but advanced, kicking the monster in the face again. This kick hit the monster's eye, causing it to let out a shrill scream.

"Ow!"

The green monster felt pain and swung its huge arms towards Lixi.

Li Xi had no time to dodge and could only take the blow head-on. She was knocked back by the immense force and fell heavily to the ground. Because her entire body had turned to liquid, she bounced several times.

The green monster roared, its huge and ugly body leaping high into the air, pressing down on the fallen Lixi like a small mountain. Thick green slime dripped from its body, emitting a disgusting stench and corroding the entire ground into pits.

At the critical moment, a flash of metallic luster appeared.

The mechanical monster blocked Li Xi's way. Its steel arms acted like a shield, steadily blocking the green monster's attack. A teeth-grinding sound of metal rubbing echoed, and sparks flew everywhere.

"Boom!"

There was a muffled thud, and the ground seemed to tremble. The mechanical monster was clearly stronger than the green monster; it remained motionless, while the green monster was thrown back several steps by the immense force, letting out a roar of unwillingness.

The mechanical monster slowly turned its head and looked at Lixi with its electronic eyes that were flashing red light.

At that moment, Li Xi seemed to see the complex emotions hidden under Xiangzi's cold mask, including worry, hesitation, and even a hint of... guilt?

Li Xi struggled to get up from the ground, but the severe pain from all over her body prevented her from doing so. However, Li Xi still endured the pain and said to the mechanical monster: "Well done!"

"I haven't done anything for you to thank me for."

The mechanical monster turned around and faced Li Xi with its back.

"...Shiina Riki."

She said Lixi's name. As expected, she was Xiangzi...

Li Xi smiled.

"Ah, I didn't thank you either... Just do what you have to do."

The mechanical monster didn't turn around. Its massive frame remained motionless, like a steel sculpture, its arms emitting only the faint hum of mechanical components. Click, click, click... the subtle creaking sound was remarkably clear in the still night, like a countdown to impending destruction. Its arm deformed, its metal shell folding and spinning, revealing the dark muzzle, like a beast from the abyss, its bloody mouth wide open for all-consuming devouring. A dazzling light converged at the muzzle, energy fluctuations visible to the naked eye, and the very air seemed to distort.

"boom!"

The green monster completely vanished, leaving behind only a pool of bubbling green slime on the ground, emitting a pungent stench. The surrounding buildings were also affected, leaving them in ruins and devastation.

That's how it ended.

Li Xi lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The battle had drained all her strength. Every bone in her body felt like it was falling apart, and the intense pain made it almost impossible for her to move. She looked down at her hands. The surface of her liquid body was covered with cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment.

"Hey……"

Li Xi spoke weakly, but found that his voice was terribly hoarse, "You guy..."

She looked towards the mechanical monster...but saw it suddenly leap up.

Xiangzi left again.

...What is her purpose?

49

Chapter 49 Reunion.

"How is the patient?"

Mingpiao Qiuren was outside the ward, asking the doctor questions.

"Can this be called a miracle? Or is this also the effect of what you call a 'curse'? The patient has many injuries, but none are fatal. To put it another way, it's as if someone is inflicting the greatest possible pain on the patient, preserving his life."

The doctor, who had just finished the operation, responded to Akito in a slow voice.

"However, our East Police Hospital is, after all, a police hospital. We are better at dealing with knife and gunshot wounds than delicate injuries like these. If possible, it might be better to take her to a medical university."

In order to avoid infection and to be able to detect subtle changes in the patient from the outside, Tatsuki Shiina was placed in an intensive care unit completely isolated by glass. Electrodes were attached to his body, he wore an oxygen mask on his mouth, and a blood transfusion catheter and other medical equipment were connected to his right elbow.

The vital signs displayed on the screen are very stable. However, from a medical point of view, overly stable vital signs are not a good thing. Instead, it means that the patient has not yet regained consciousness.

"However, I heard that this little girl was also a survivor of the Nakawakoshi Case... Is she going to be imprisoned directly?"

"The matter of the Supernatural Countermeasures Room has nothing to do with me."

Akito said in annoyance, "After all, that guy is just a bird... He's called a shikigami, but in reality, he's just a parrot."

The sound faded away.

After confirming that there was no one around, Li Xi slowly opened his eyes.

Although she wanted to immediately tear off the oxygen mask, disconnect the electrodes and blood transfusion tubes, and rush out of the hospital, if any vital signs showed any abnormality, the doctors would probably rush to the intensive care unit, so she had to first make sure how much she could move.

Just by exerting a little strength on his abdominal muscles to pick up his body lying on the bed, dull pain burst out from his body.

It feels like there is some kind of thin membrane tightly wrapping the fluid in the body. If you force yourself to move, it will rupture somewhere and cause heavy bleeding.

and……

"Handcuffs?"

Li Xi noticed that he was handcuffed... No, considering that his ankles were handcuffed to the hospital bed, perhaps it would be more appropriate to use "cuffs".

Never mind, these are just details.