As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

The girl invited the three of them to sit down at her family's oden shop.

Tsukasa Kadoya crossed his arms, a playful smile playing on his lips, his gaze sweeping over the girl—not for the oden, of course, but to find out what her relationship was with Kabuto. "Sure, I've got nothing else to do anyway."

The two readily agreed, but Lin Chen took a small step back and shook his head.

Although he had transformed into the Earth Emperor, he was still in the form of an Orphnoch after the transformation ended. He couldn't even transform back into human form, so he naturally couldn't go along.

"I have something to do, so I won't go. You guys go ahead."

Hikari Natsumi paused for a moment, and was about to say something to persuade him, but Tsukasa Kadoya gently pulled her aside and raised an eyebrow at Lin Chen: "Okay, then let's go first, and go back to the photo studio later."

The two followed the girl and turned to leave, their figures quickly disappearing around the street corner.

Lin Chen stood alone, watching the three people walk away. He didn't linger and turned to walk towards the Guangzhao Photo Studio.

Push open the door of the photo studio.

The new one hasn't left yet.

He was having a quiet conversation with Onodera at the table. Hearing the door open, they both looked up at the same time.

A new gaze fell upon Lin Chen, and he visibly paused, instinctively sitting up straight. The sight of him in full silver armor, with its flowing tiger-stripes, still made him somewhat uncomfortable.

But Xin quickly composed himself and asked, "Is the matter resolved? That mimicking alien insect..."

"It's resolved." Lin Chen nodded calmly.

Xin breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and straightened his clothes. "That's good. I should take my leave now; I have some things to take care of. See you next time."

He nodded slightly to the two of them, and without lingering, pushed open the door and left the photo studio.

The store fell silent instantly.

Onodera yawned, his eyes showing obvious fatigue, and waved to Lin Chen: "Lin-kun, I'm going back to my room to catch up on some sleep."

"Okay, get some rest."

Onodera turned and went upstairs. His footsteps gradually faded away, leaving Lin Chen alone in the entire photo studio.

He leaned against the doorframe, quietly sensing the changes within his body. The power fluctuations brought about by evolution gradually stabilized, the luster on the surface of his silver armor subsided slightly, and his taut muscles slowly relaxed. He tried to silently recite "disengage form" in his mind, and the next second, his silver armor slowly dissipated like shattered pieces of light, his muscles contracted, his claws disappeared, and in just a few seconds, he transformed back into his human form.

Lin Chen stretched his neck and looked up at the time on the clock.

A full twelve hours have passed since the evolution was completed.

Things are finally back to normal.

He stretched, his bones cracking slightly. His evolved body was light yet powerful, his senses several times sharper than before, especially his Tiger Hunting Domain - Critical Premonition, which made him exceptionally sensitive to any malicious intent around him.

It's just that its abilities are much weaker than in its Orphnoch form.

He was bored. He remembered that in this world, just like in the world of Den-O, he could easily discover those non-human individuals.

Why not take advantage of this convenient capability?

A glint of light flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. Since he was idle anyway, he might as well go out and hunt in the wild.

It can both harvest evolution points to increase strength and eliminate lurking alien insects, killing two birds with one stone.

Without the slightest hesitation, he gently closed the door of the photo studio, and his figure quickly blended into the crowd on the street.

Meanwhile, Tsukasa Kadoya and Natsumi Hikari followed the little girl and learned that her name was Mayu. Before long, a small shop appeared before them, with a sign that read "Paradise House," and the aroma of oden wafted from it.

Inside the store, there was only one elderly person busy at work.

Mayu warmly invited the two to sit down, and Tsukasa Kadoya casually asked, "Do you have a menu?"

Mayu blinked: "Our shop only sells oden, nothing else."

She turned to the counter and called out, "Grandma, two servings of oden!"

"Okay," the busy old man at the counter replied.

The store's old television suddenly broadcast an emergency news report—an unexplained explosion had occurred in Shibuya, suspected to be caused by Kamen Rider Kabuto. The report stated that the Kabuto system malfunctioned, causing him to enter a super-fast world from which he could not leave. Due to the extreme speed, he was completely invisible to the naked eye, and his identity and purpose remained a mystery.

Mayu's right hand clenched suddenly, her fingertips digging deep into her palm until her knuckles turned white. Tsukasa Kadoya caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of his eye and was very puzzled.

Just then, an elderly woman with white hair came over carrying two steaming bowls of oden and slowly said, "There are two things in this world you shouldn't believe in haste: one is the news on TV, and the other is New Year's cake." She gently put the bowls down, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Just as Tsukasa Kadoya was about to speak, his grandmother interrupted him with a smile: "Don't speak. The food tastes best the moment it's served."

Tsukasa Kadoya couldn't help but laugh out loud, and he and Natsumi said in unison, "I'm starting!" He took a bite and then asked, "Is there anything else to eat?"

Grandma raised her eyelids slightly: "We only have eggs, tofu buns, and radishes here. If you don't like them, go somewhere else."

Upon hearing his grandmother's somewhat domineering reply, Tsukasa Kadoya expressed his admiration to Natsumi Hikari: "What an amazing old lady."

Mayu suddenly noticed the camera on Tsukasa Kadoya's chest: "Are you a photographer?"

Tsukasa Kadoya immediately puffed out his chest and raised his head: "Of course!"

Hikari Natsumi turned her head and looked at Tsukasa Kadoya in surprise, as if to say, "How dare you do this?"

Mayu's eyes lit up, and she asked Tsukasa Kadoya to take her picture. Tsukasa Kadoya readily agreed and took her straight back to the Hikari Photo Studio.

Mayu changed into various mannequin outfits and posed in front of the screen. Tsukasa Kadoya kept snapping photos with his camera, and Onodera, woken up by the noise, came out to help with the lighting. Koeijiro dug out some of Hikari Natsumi's old dresses, praising their cuteness as he helped Mayu put them on. Hikari Natsumi looked at the old clothes, her eyes filled with nostalgia.

The photos were developed quickly, but the images were still blurry.

Onodera muttered to himself, "Such a good model, what a waste to shoot her..." He then quickly apologized.

Mayu, however, didn't find it unattractive at all. Instead, she smiled and praised, "You took such a great photo! It has such a wonderful feel to it!"

Tsukasa Kadoya spat out the black tea he had just drunk, rushed to Mayu, and exclaimed, his eyes shining, "Really?! This is the first time anyone has ever complimented my photography!"

Mayu nodded earnestly.

Then she started talking about what her grandmother had said.

Grandma once said: "There are very few truly talented people, and even fewer discerning mentors who can recognize their talent!"

Tsukasa Kadoya instantly became smug again.

...

Lin Chen strolled slowly through the streets and alleys, his senses fully activated.

The life force fluctuations of the Zerg were like lights in the darkness to him; no matter how much they mimicked humans, their alien aura couldn't be hidden. He acted swiftly and decisively, firing directly. In less than half a day, system notifications rang out one after another, and he had steadily accumulated 26 evolution points.

As the sunlight began to slant, he turned into a residential alley and bumped into a couple who were arm in arm, seemingly taking an ordinary stroll.

Lin Chen paused in his steps.

The life force emanating from these two was far more intense than any of the alien insects he had previously hunted. Just as he was about to make his move, two violent bursts of energy suddenly erupted from their bodies!

"Buzz—!"

A surge of green light erupted, and the human outer shell vanished, replaced by a fully green, hardened adult insect. Molting was complete.

The two alien insects emitted sharp hissing sounds, and the next second, their figures suddenly blurred—

Clock Up, speeds up startup.

The world suddenly became bizarre in Lin Chen's eyes.

Two green afterimages flashed wildly in his vision, moving so fast that only trails remained. Although not as fast as the previous Kabuto King, their speed was still beyond his reach. He instantly transformed into the Earth Emperor. The Earth Emperor Sword swung instinctively, but only struck thin air. The feeling of his attack missing its mark was particularly unpleasant.

Two molting insects circled him at high speed, their sharp claws occasionally grazing his body with a hissing sound.

Lin Chen frowned.

It's not that we can't beat them, it's that we can't catch up with them or lock them down.

His physique and strength far surpassed his opponent's, but faced with an absolute speed difference, even the strongest attack couldn't touch the enemy's clothes. The opponent's attacks hit him, but were blocked by the Earth Emperor Armor, leaving not even a scratch; yet he couldn't touch his opponent either, and could only passively take the hits. If this continued, it would never end.

He suddenly remembered the ability he had just unlocked after evolving—

Tiger Hunting Domain: Critical Prediction.

The explanation flashed through my mind:

Unfold a "Tiger Hunting Domain" centered on yourself with a radius of 500 meters. Within the domain, you can sense all deadly threats to yourself or the object you are protecting in advance and can predict the "future" 3 seconds in advance. At the same time, within the domain, your speed, explosive power, and dynamic vision will be doubled.

The only limitation is that it can only be activated in Orphnoch form.

Human perception is so weak that it is impossible to predict such high-speed movement.

Seeing the two flashing green lights in front of him, Lin Chen no longer hesitated.

Remove the Earth Emperor's armor.

Silver-white scales instantly enveloped his entire body, covering him in gleaming silver armor. His tiger ears stood up, and his amber vertical pupils were as cold as knives. Silver-Armored Tiger Orphnoch, complete form.

Almost the instant the transformation was complete, Lin Chen had a sudden thought:

Tiger Hunting Territory, unfold!

An invisible energy wave spread out from him, and the air within a 500-meter radius seemed to be frozen in place.

A clear sense of premonition surged into my mind—a vision of the future three seconds from now appeared in my consciousness like a slow-motion video.

The two alien insects, thinking he had only transformed to bolster his courage and still couldn't catch them, hissed and charged at him simultaneously from both sides, their sharp claws aimed straight at his chest.

In their eyes, this strike was sure to hit.

In Lin Chen's precognitive vision, their landing points were already precisely marked, as clear as could be.

Lin Chen didn't move at all, he just casually stretched his arms forward.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled thuds exploded almost simultaneously.

The two alien insects seemed to have crashed into him, slamming heavily into his claws. His body was instantly sent flying, rolling several meters on the ground before coming to a stop.

They got up, completely bewildered.

It must be a coincidence!

They accelerated again, the green afterimages becoming faster and more chaotic, launching a frenzied attack from all directions.

Lin Chen simply closed his eyes.

In his mind, the premonition kept refreshing, and every landing point and every trajectory of the attack was firmly locked by the red cursor.

He doesn't need to look; he just needs to follow the predictions.

Sidestep, tilt head, raise claws... every movement is slow and deliberate, yet each time it accurately strikes the attacking insect.

"Bang! Bang!"

The attack hit again.

The two alien insects were completely panicked.

They were clearly accelerating, so fast they were invisible to the naked eye, so why were they always hit so precisely?

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in his amber vertical pupils.

The game should end now.

He stomped his feet hard on the ground, the stone slabs cracked open, and the Orphnoch factor frantically condensed on his claw blades, gleaming silver.

In his mind, the landing point of the next double attack by the insects had already appeared.

Right now.

Lin Chen pushed off the ground with both legs, lunged forward, and thrust out both arms simultaneously!

"puff--!!"

The claws pierced through the chests of the two alien insects without any resistance, tearing the hard exoskeletons of the adults as easily as paper.

The two alien insects stood frozen in place, looking down at the sharp claws piercing their chests, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two explosions rang out simultaneously, and the green insect body exploded, turning into ashes and dissipating in the wind.

[Ding! Defeat 2 molting adult insects, gain 40 evolution points!]

Current evolution points: 72

Lin Chen slowly withdrew his hands, released the domain, and was slightly out of breath.

He immediately brought up the system panel and his gaze fell on the lifespan column—lifespan value: 52 years.

I just activated Orphnoch Complete Form + Tiger Hunt Domain, which consumed a total of 3 years of my lifespan.

But you get 40 evolution points in return, and your attributes can continue to improve, so it's a huge win no matter how you look at it.