As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

The sunlight after the morning mist dissipated was so intense that it was dazzling, falling on the rusty iron of the abandoned warehouse and reflecting a blinding light.

Six men in black had their guns locked on his limbs, while the man in the white suit named Kurosawa was playing with a detector, looking completely at ease, as if he didn't care about him at all.

"You have three seconds to think it over." Kurosawa's voice was as cold as ice. He glanced at his watch. "Three, two—"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Chen's body suddenly tensed up.

A wild, cold light shone over his amber pupils. Silver-black scales rapidly emerged from his neck and wrists, spreading down his skin to his forearms and shoulders. Bones cracked softly, muscles tensed, straining against his clothes, and sharp claws, each an inch long, gleamed with a chilling light, extended from his fingertips. Sharp tiger ears stood erect on his head, and a beastly pressure belonging to the Orphnoch quietly spread out, causing the withered leaves on the ground to tremble slightly in the air currents.

Kurosawa's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his fingers gripping the detector tightened slightly. The energy value on the screen soared and steadily stopped above the peak value of a normal Orphnoch in its initial form, and was even fluctuating slowly.

"Tiger-type Orphnoch, even in its initial form, it possesses such an energy level..." he murmured, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before he coldly ordered, "Fire! Leave them alive!"

The specially made bullet hurtled through the air. Lin Chen pushed off with his feet, and the extreme burst of his agility made his figure a faint shadow. In the instant he barely dodged the bullet, he flipped his wrist, and his tiger claw struck the nearest man in black with fierce force.

Caught off guard, the man was grazed on the arm by the claw blade, his specially made suit was ripped open with a large gash, the flesh turned inside out, and blood gushed out instantly. He staggered back several steps.

Seeing this, the other five immediately adjusted their formation, and the bullets were so dense that they blocked all angles of evasion. Lin Chen curled up, and the silver-black scales on his shoulders and back withstood two bullets. The crisp sound of metal colliding rang out, leaving only shallow white marks on the scales, but it still made his blood surge.

Those guns seemed to have some kind of restraint on the power of the Orphnoch. Every time he was hit, he felt a sharp pain. If this continued, he would eventually be defeated because he was outnumbered.

The only way to survive is to break out.

A deep tiger roar escaped from Lin Chen's throat. The sound was not overwhelming, but it carried the unique intimidation of a high-level species, causing the man in black to hesitate slightly.

In that split second, he leaped off the wall, his tiger claws slashing at the gap in the encirclement. A man in black reacted, raising his gun to aim at his back. The bullet grazed his side, sending a burning pain through him, but Lin Chen didn't dare to stop. Using the momentum, he smashed through the fence, about to escape the abandoned warehouse.

But just then, Kurosawa made a move.

The figure in the white suit moved with uncanny speed, a black energy whip appearing in his hand at some unknown time, its tip crackling with purple electricity. He lashed it out from mid-air and slammed it hard into Lin Chen's back.

With a loud "bang," lightning exploded, and Lin Chen trembled. The silver-black scales on his body instantly dimmed, his claws retracted slightly, and a numbing sensation spread throughout his body along his spine. The Orphnoch power within him receded rapidly like a tide.

He crashed heavily to the ground, his tiger ears disappearing, leaving only aches and numbness all over his body, and he almost lost the strength to lift his hand. Kurosawa slowly walked up to him, his energy whip pressed against his neck, purple lightning crackling, and with just a little force, he could slit his throat.

"A wild tiger-type Orphnoch, indeed a high-level species." Kurosawa's lips curled into a playful smile as he glanced at the values ​​on the detector. "To have such strength in its initial form, it's a pity to kill it."

He coldly said into the walkie-talkie, "Subdue the target and take him back."

Cold metal handcuffs fastened to Lin Chen's wrists. The specially made alloy material seemed capable of suppressing the primal power of the Orphnoch. The moment they touched his skin, the last vestige of power within Lin Chen was firmly locked away. He was dragged and shoved into a black van. The instant the door closed, the last ray of sunlight was cut off, and the darkness inside the van engulfed him like a tide. Only the coldness on his wrists reminded him that he was now a prisoner.

The van drove smoothly, and Lin Chen leaned back in his seat, his mind hazy but not daring to relax in the slightest.

He could hear the conversation between Kurosawa and his subordinates in the front row. "High-level tiger-type species," "Explosive combat power in the initial form," and "Extremely valuable for training"—these words were like shackles, tightly binding him.

He didn't know what awaited him, but he knew that a lifespan of sixteen years was short. If he were kept as an experimental subject, he would probably never have the chance to find the King of Orphnoch, let alone extend his life or find his way home.

The car drove over a smooth paved road, then over a section of gravel road, the bumps becoming increasingly noticeable. Lin Chen was bound to the center of the back seat, with a man in black sitting on either side of him, his arms pressed tightly against his shoulders, as if afraid he might suddenly attack. The specially made alloy handcuffs clung to his skin like blocks of ice.

He tilted his head slightly and looked out through the crack in the car window. The morning mist had long since dissipated, and the sunlight was blindingly white. The trees on both sides of the road rushed past, gradually being replaced by tall walls. The walls were covered with fine barbed wire, and surveillance cameras could be vaguely seen standing around the corners. A sense of oppression and sternness permeated the air.

The car eventually stopped in front of a huge iron gate.

The iron gate slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a spacious school grounds. Several well-maintained teaching buildings stood in the distance, complete with a playground and basketball courts. If it weren't for the faint scent of Orphnoch in the air, Lin Chen would almost have thought he had been sent to an ordinary full-time high school.

But this is not an ordinary place.

He could clearly sense several strong, unusual fluctuations hidden deep within the campus, four of which were particularly concentrated, carrying an arrogant and oppressive air, like beast kings occupying their territory, coldly watching the intruders.

"get off."

The man in black next to him shoved him roughly.

Lin Chen staggered to the ground, his legs still numb, and the spot on his back where the energy whip had struck him throbbed with pain. His scales had completely retracted under the suppression, leaving only a bluish-purple bruise. He glanced around; there was no school name at the school gate, only an inconspicuous metal sign with a line of English letters engraved on it—Smart Brain.

Kurosawa straightened his slightly disheveled white suit, put away the detector, walked up to him, and spoke in a calm but undeniable tone:

"Welcome to Smart Brain Academy. From today onwards, you are no longer a wandering Orphnoch, but a 'special recruit' here."

Lin Chen's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and a fierce glint surged in his amber eyes: "What do you want to do to me?"