As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

The next day, during the day, Lin Chen continued his patrol along the route given to him by Kurosawa. Looking at the vibrant, youthful figures on campus, Lin Chen didn't know whether to envy them or pity them.

Night fell quickly. The students who had been coming and going during the day had long since dispersed, and the entire building was so quiet that only the soft sound of the night wind rustling through the window sills could be heard.

Lin Chen's figure emerged from behind the roadside trees on the west side of the teaching building, his black uniform blending into the night.

He slowed his pace, his fingertips lightly touching the wall, his senses expanding to the extreme, taking in all the movements within a hundred meters—the disciplinary team's patrol was still near the dormitory building on the south side, and he had left the hidden eyes behind under the pretext of taking a detour for inspection. This main teaching building was currently a surveillance vacuum.

His destination was the underground area of ​​the teaching building.

After transforming into Faiz and killing two Orphnochs last night, Lin Chen had a flashback to the Orga belt and put investigating the main teaching building on his agenda.

During his afternoon patrol, he happened to glimpse the disciplinary team members checking the side door of the teaching building. They just left it slightly open and didn't lock it properly. That half-open door became the perfect opportunity for him to sneak in.

Lin Chen walked to the side door and pushed it open with a little force, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

The teaching building was pitch black, with only the faint light from the emergency lights seeping through the gaps in the corridor, barely enough to see the path beneath his feet. Like a cheetah darting through the darkness, he moved silently toward the stairwell.

The stairwell door was ajar. The moment he pushed it open, a chilly draft rushed out, carrying the dampness and oppressive feeling unique to underground spaces. Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Chen stepped inside.

He descended the stairs and soon reached the corner of the basement level. Just as he was about to turn the corner and continue exploring the second basement level, his mental energy suddenly issued a frantic warning, as if he had been pricked by a needle, instantly freezing his body in place.

Ten meters ahead, a familiar aura reached me through my senses—it was Kurosawa!

Behind them, in the previously silent stairwell, came the sound of rapid footsteps and the clanging of metal. The sound grew closer, clearly indicating that a large number of armed personnel were heading in this direction. The footsteps were steady and orderly, carrying a well-trained and menacing aura.

With Kurosawa in front and pursuers behind, he was surrounded from both sides and had no room to retreat.

Lin Chen's mind raced, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his temple. He never expected Kurosawa to suddenly appear in the underground area; he usually stayed in his private office. He also hadn't anticipated a large group of armed men arriving from behind. If he turned around now, he would surely be stopped by the armed men; if he remained still, he would only arouse Kurosawa's suspicion, and given Kurosawa's cautious nature, he would never overlook anything unusual.

The only way out is to pretend to have "stumbled in by mistake".

Lin Chen made the decision almost instantly, putting on an appearance of investigating something unusual and being completely unprepared, and slowly turned the corner with the momentum.

The space beyond the corner was slightly brighter than the stairwell, with an emergency light hanging on the wall, casting a dim yellow glow. Kurosawa stood beneath the emergency light, dressed in a black suit, his tall and straight figure accentuated by his sharp, cold eyes fixed on the corner, his gaze filled with scrutiny and icy questioning, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"This area is not your patrol route. Why are you here?"

Kurosawa's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, exploding in the deathly silent underground space like a block of ice hitting water, instantly freezing the air. His gaze, like a searchlight, swept over Lin Chen's entire body, trying to find a flaw in his expression and movements.

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his flustered yet cautious demeanor. He quickly stopped, lowered his head slightly, and hunched his back, adopting a posture of fear of authority. His voice carried a deliberate tension and hesitation: "Captain Kurosawa, I... I was patrolling outside the teaching building when I vaguely heard strange noises underground, like something hitting the wall, or like someone whispering. I was worried that an out-of-control Orphnoch might have sneaked underground, or that some unruly human student might have wandered into the restricted area, so I thought I'd come in to check. I didn't expect to disturb you, Captain. Please forgive me."

His words were half true and half false, providing a plausible excuse while demonstrating his duty as a patrol member. More importantly, his flustered and fearful demeanor perfectly matched his identity as a "wild Orphnoch who had just been recruited and was wary of the school's rules," leaving no room for criticism.

Lin Chen lowered his head, but out of the corner of his eye he secretly observed Hei Ze, while sensing the movement behind him—the footsteps of the armed men had reached the door of the stairwell, only a few meters away from him, and the clanging of metal instruments was becoming clearer.

Kurosawa stared at Lin Chen for a long time. He was obviously suspicious of Lin Chen's words, but he couldn't find any flaws—Lin Chen's breathing was steady, and his flustered expression was not pretentious. He looked exactly like someone who had accidentally entered a restricted area and was caught and was feeling fear.

Just then, from the stairwell behind them came the heavy thud of dragging chains, followed by a low growl filled with anger and helplessness—the voice of the Orphnoch. Immediately afterward, a large group of armed men appeared at the stairwell entrance. Dressed in uniform black combat suits and wearing black masks, they carried specially made stun batons and chains, marching in orderly formation around a massive figure in the center, heading towards the corner.

It was an elephant-shaped Orphnoch.

Its size was enormous, more than twice the height of an average adult male. Its body was covered in a thick layer of grayish-brown keratin, like a hard armor, and a pair of enormous tusks protruded from its mouth, gleaming with a cold, yellowish light. But at this moment, this elephant-like Orphnoch was firmly bound by several specially made alloy chains, the chains deeply embedded in its keratin, oozing black blood. Its limbs were chained shut, making even lifting its head extremely difficult. Its eyes were bloodshot, revealing ferocity and resentment, yet it could only be dragged forward by armed personnel, each step producing a heavy thud, carrying endless humiliation and helplessness.

Clearly, this elephant-shaped Orphnoch did not come here voluntarily, but was forcibly brought here by the armed members of the Disciplinary Committee.

Lin Chen's gaze swept over the elephant-shaped Orphnoch, and his heart sank slightly. He could clearly sense that this elephant-shaped Orphnoch was quite powerful, yet it was so easily bound and escorted.

Kurosawa glanced at the Orphnoch being escorted over, his eyes completely unmoved, as if he were already used to it. He withdrew his gaze from Lin Chen, his tone still icy, but less questioning and more reprimanding: "The underground area is the core controlled zone of the academy. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Do I need to remind you of this rule repeatedly?"

"Your subordinate knows his mistake. Your subordinate will never dare to trespass again next time." Lin Chen quickly lowered his head, his tone respectful, without any explanation, fully displaying his "fear" and "admission of wrongdoing".

"Hmph." Kurosawa snorted coldly, pointed to the stairs above, and said, "This is none of your business. Go back to your original route and continue patrolling immediately. If I find you deviating from the route again, you will be dealt with according to the school's ironclad rules, and I will not let you off lightly."

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys and will leave immediately." Lin Chen quickly replied, not daring to linger for a moment. After bowing slightly, he turned and walked quickly up the stairs.

He deliberately quickened his pace, but showed no sign of panic. As he passed the armed men, he even lowered his head to avoid their gaze. The armed men watched him walk by expressionlessly, offering no resistance. They simply stared intently at the elephant-shaped Orphnoch being escorted, dragging it towards the second basement level. The condensed primordial energy fluctuations extended deeper underground with each step they took.

Lin Chen hurried upstairs, exited the stairwell, pushed open the side door of the teaching building, and stepped back into the night. His back was already soaked with cold sweat. He leaned against the cold wall, panting heavily, his heart still pounding.

He looked up at the dark building of the main teaching building. The half-closed side door looked like a gaping maw in the night, and deep underground, the unwilling roar of the Orphnoch seemed to still echo in his ears.

Lin Chen's gaze gradually turned serious, and he had already made up his mind.

Even if the Earth Emperor's Belt isn't hidden beneath this school building, it still holds a major secret of the academy. The Disciplinary Committee detains and deals with Orphnochs here, with Kurosawa personally overseeing the operation, and a large number of armed personnel guarding the area—this speaks volumes about its importance. Perhaps it's for secret experiments, perhaps for sealing away power, or perhaps for a brutal purge of the Orphnochs.

Lin Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He wiped the cold sweat from his temples, readjusted his mind, and headed towards the planned patrol route. His steps remained steady, but a hint of determination and calculation appeared deep in his eyes.

Today's initial exploration, though not reaching the core, has already given us a general understanding of the underground area and confirmed the existence of the secret. That's enough.

He would no longer act rashly. In the days to come, he planned to continue to secretly investigate the defenses of the teaching building under the guise of patrols, find out the shift change times of the armed personnel and the guard layout of the underground area, and wait for a suitable opportunity.