As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

The night wind swept across the walls of Smart Brain Academy, carrying the stench of blood wafting from the underground laboratory and the burnt smell of Orphino factor remnants into the shadows of the teaching building.

Lin Chen pressed his back against the cold cement wall, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the skin on the side of his neck. Beneath his skin, a restless power lay dormant, like a sleeping beast, his only means of survival in this academy.

He didn't have the cheat codes that transmigrators usually have when they travel to this world.

Since awakening as a tiger-type Orphnoch six months ago and being forcibly taken to this academy by the disciplinary team led by Kurosawa, Lin Chen has come to fully understand the cruelest survival rule of this world in order to survive: the strong prey on the weak, and devour one's own kind.

Six months ago, he had just awakened his powers and was out of control, making it extremely difficult for him to even maintain his human form. If it weren't for Momose, the leader of the Lucky Clover, who saw his Tiger-type Orphnoch identity and wanted to cultivate him into a usable pawn, he would have been eliminated on the spot as an out-of-control species on the very first day he was captured, turning into ashes.

Kurosawa gave him the identity of a disciplinary inspector, and also gave him three ironclad rules: he was not allowed to reveal his true form as an Orphnoch in front of humans, he was not allowed to fight privately, and he was not allowed to disobey any orders from Lucky Clover or the Disciplinary Committee. At the core of all these rules was only one thing—to hunt down Kamen Rider Faiz and eliminate all out-of-control and disobedient Orphnochs in the school.

Lin Chen agreed to all of them without any expression.

It is not submission, nor surrender, but forbearance.

In this academy, the lucky four-leaf clover is the supreme ruler, the pinnacle of all Orphnochs. The tiger-type Momose is arrogant and sinister; the dragon-type Genta is brutal and easily angered; the lobster-type Shukawa is cunning and cold-blooded; and the centipede-type Shirogane is ruthless and vicious. These four dominate the academy, treating human life as worthless and lower-ranking Orphnochs as ants. Kurosawa, meanwhile, operates behind the scenes, wielding the disciplinary squad and conducting experimental research, turning the entire academy into a giant prison.

They all thought that Lin Chen was a domesticated hunting dog, an obedient tool, and a pawn that could be sacrificed at any time.

They had no idea that Lin Chen had already begun his hunt from the very first night he stepped into the academy.

Night patrols are his best cover.

The academy is vast, with blind spots in its surveillance system. The dense forest behind the mountain, the abandoned basketball court, the empty classrooms in the west teaching building, the alley behind the dormitory building... all these are his hunting grounds. Those low-ranking Orphnochs who have just awakened and cannot control their powers, those of his kind who have been suppressed by the Clover and have nowhere to turn but to hide in corners to survive, those weaklings who have broken the rules and gone out without permission, and who have been injured and abandoned by the disciplinary team, are all his prey.

During the gaps between patrol shifts late at night, Lin Chen would conceal all his presence, slip into the shadows, and wait for his prey to arrive.

There are no fancy moves, no energy effects, only the most primitive and brutal fighting.

The tiger's claws tore apart the prey's body. Just before the prey's essence dissipated and it was about to turn into black ash, Lin Chen would forcefully activate his power to absorb the pure Orphnoch factor into his body. The solid feeling of his power being gradually filled as the Orphnoch factor entered his body was irresistible.

He grows stronger with each of his own kind he devours.

Orphnoch was born with the destiny of becoming sand, and his life was short. He could turn to ashes at any moment due to loss of control of his power and depletion of his source. With no external force to rely on, he could only rely on the most cruel method to forcibly transform himself from a near-death state into a high-level combatant comparable to the lucky four-leaf clover.

In half a year, he secretly devoured no fewer than thirty low-level Orphnochs. On the surface, he remained the same taciturn, expressionless inspector, still respectful to Kurosawa and subservient to Clover.

Kurosawa thought he was loyal and useful, and wanted to train him to be a sharp weapon against Faiz; Momose thought he was docile and controllable, and treated him as an vassal of the same race; the other Clover never took him seriously, and only regarded him as a minor character with no threat.

Everyone misjudged the situation.

Lin Chen never pledged allegiance to anyone from beginning to end.

He knew that this world had the Faiz belt, the Delta belt, and the legendary Orga belt, which could grant emperors power.

But he didn't want any of that.

No matter how strong a knight is, it is still an external thing, a tool made by others, a shackle bound by rules.

Only the power that is absorbed into one's bones and integrated into one's blood truly belongs to oneself.

He endured six months of hardship, hunted for six months, and grew stronger in the academy, not to become anyone's pawn, nor to fight for control of the academy.

He had only one thought—to escape this world and find his way home.

He came from a completely different world. An accident transported him here, making him an Orphnoch, imprisoned in this cannibalistic academy. Going home was his only obsession for the past six months.

The chance to break free from this cage finally arrived on the day Tsukasa Kadoya and Daiki Kaito stormed into the academy.

From that day on, the peaceful campus order was completely shattered by the sudden appearance of a pink knight.

Tsukasa Kadoya, transformed into Decade, wields the Card Box Sword and clashes with the Lucky Four-Leaf Clover. Genda, in his dragon-like Orphnoch form, rampages through the garden, Momose's tiger claws tear through the air, and Sukawa's pincers and Shirokin's whip strike in turn. The sounds of photon energy colliding with Orphnoch factors echo throughout the garden.

Immediately afterwards, Takumi Onoue, transformed into Faiz, appeared. His silver-black armor was tinged with red from photon blood. In order to protect the human students around him, he joined the battle without hesitation.

Chaos spread like a tide, instantly engulfing the entire campus.

Narutaki also appears, secretly colluding with Kurosawa. This man, who sees Decade as his mortal enemy, wants to use Kurosawa's power to end Tsukasa Kadoya's journey; while Kurosawa wants to use Narutaki's intervention to completely control all the Rider Belts, eliminate Decade as a variable, and incidentally wipe out all unstable factors in the academy.

Kurosawa found Lin Chen immediately.

In the disciplinary team's office building, Kurosawa tossed a jet-black Delta belt in front of him, the photon patterns on its surface gleaming coldly. "Lin Chen, you're the person I have the most faith in. Now, take this belt, transform into Delta, and help me kill Decade."

His tone was authoritative and his eyes were full of confidence that he controlled everything: "As long as you complete the mission, this belt is yours. I can also promote you and let you get rid of the inspector's identity and become the core of the disciplinary team."

Lin Chen looked down at the Delta belt at his feet, his gaze calm and undisturbed.

He bowed slightly and replied in the most submissive tone, "Yes, Captain Kurosawa."

Kurosawa nodded in satisfaction.

He would never know that Lin Chen's gaze never lingered on any knight's belt.

In the chaos that swept through the entire academy, Lin Chen had already locked onto his only target.

It's not Decade, not Faiz, not Kurosawa, not Clover.

It is the treasure hunter who hides in the shadows and specializes in stealing the secret treasures of various worlds—Daiki Kaito.

The Diend-driven gun in Hai Dong Da Shu's hand is what Lin Chen has been obsessed with for half a year.

That gun can break through dimensional barriers and travel between countless parallel worlds.

That was the only key for him to escape this cage and find his way home.

The battlefield intensified, smoke filled the air, photon paralysis bullets were fired indiscriminately, and the roars of the Orphnochs, the electronic voices of the knights, and the screams of the human students mingled together. Kurosawa led the disciplinary squad to hold the line, Narutaki hid in the shadows waiting for his chance, and Decade and Faiz were tightly surrounded by Clover. Everyone was deeply engrossed in the melee and had no time to spare.

This was the perfect opportunity that Lin Chen had been waiting for.

Instead of charging towards Decade as ordered by Kurosawa, he took advantage of the chaos to lower his body and, like a cheetah in the dark, silently darted toward the roof of the teaching building.

He harnessed his hunter's instinct for stealth to its fullest extent, his footsteps so light they made no sound. In just one minute, he had reached the top floor of the teaching building, standing at the boundary between shadow and moonlight.

Kaito Daiki leaned against the railing, watching the battlefield below. He had no interest in the more precious treasure that Kadoya Tsukasa had mentioned, and the blue and white Diend drive gun hung casually at his side.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Chen suddenly darted out of the shadows.

Silver-black scales instantly covered its body, its amber vertical pupils were as cold as knives, and its tiger claws flashed with a chilling light. Its speed was pushed to the limit, and its figure was so fast that only a faint black afterimage remained.

Hai Dong Da Shu's reaction was far beyond that of ordinary people; almost the instant Lin Chen moved, he suddenly turned his head.

"you--"

His fingertip was already on the trigger of the Diend gun.

But his speed was too slow compared to Lin Chen's.

Having absorbed a large amount of similar origins, Lin Chen's physical strength, speed, and reaction have long surpassed the limits of ordinary high-level Orphnochs. Even if the Lucky Four-Leaf Clover joined forces, they might not be able to defeat him.

Lin Chen strode to the tree in front of Hai Dong, his right hand suddenly rising, his tiger claw like an iron clamp, tightly gripping Hai Dong's wrist that was holding the gun. The force exerted by his knuckles made Hai Dong's face turn pale, and his wrist bones made a cracking sound as they could not bear the weight.

"Let go." Lin Chen's voice was low.

"Impossible!" Kaito Daiki exclaimed in shock and anger. He struggled desperately, trying to summon the knight.

But Lin Chen wouldn't give him any chance.

His left hand moved smoothly upwards, precisely grabbing the Diend gun and snatching it away with a swift motion.

"Smack."

With a soft click, the Diend drive gun was forcibly snatched into Lin Chen's hands.

The cold gun barrel fell into my palm.

"Give me back my gun!" Hai Dong Daishu was completely enraged, and reached out with his other hand to grab Lin Chen's face.

Lin Chen easily dodged to the side, then gathered his strength in his tiger claws and slammed them mercilessly into Hai Dong's chest.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Hai Dong Da Shu's body, like a kite with a broken string, crashed through the metal railing of the roof and fell heavily from the third floor, landing in the bushes below with a painful groan. He was unable to get up for a while.

Lin Chen didn't look at him again.

Objective achieved, Diend gun acquired.

He looked down at the blue and white gun in his hand, his fingertips gently tracing the patterns on the gun barrel. For the first time, a ripple of emotion flashed in his amber vertical pupils.

I finally got the key to leave.

The battlefield below continued, with Kurosawa, Narutaki, Lucky Clover, Decade, and Faiz still locked in a fierce struggle, entangled in battle, and scheming. Their ambitions, hatreds, rules, and constraints, in Lin Chen's eyes, had become insignificant dust.

But he won't just leave like that.

These people treated him as a pawn, a tool, and prey, wantonly trampling on, controlling, and exploiting him.

This debt must be settled.

Lin Chen gripped the Diend gun and leaped off the roof.

Its body was still covered in silver-black scales, and the pressure of the high-level tiger-type Orphnoch erupted without reservation, sweeping across the entire battlefield like a tsunami.

All the figures who were locked in combat suddenly stopped moving.

All eyes instantly focused on Lin Chen.

Momose, in her tiger form, abruptly turned her head, her amber vertical pupils filled with disbelief and rage: "Lin Chen? You dare to betray us! Do you know what you're doing?!"

Xuan Tian roared, his dragon claw pointing at Lin Chen, his fury overwhelming: "A wild creature dares to defy us! You're courting death!"

Kurosawa's face instantly turned ashen, becoming extremely ugly. He roared at the armed disciplinary team members beside him, "Shoot! Kill him! Eliminate this out-of-control traitor! All photon paralysis rounds, indiscriminate firing!"

A dense barrage of photon paralysis projectiles shot towards Lin Chen in an instant, their pale blue energy trajectories tearing through the battlefield like a dense rain curtain.

Lin Chen flashed, his speed pushed to the limit.

All the bullets missed their mark, hitting the ground and exploding into pale blue energy ripples.

His first target was Kurosawa.

This man, who stands behind the scenes, controls everything, and treats everyone as pawns, must die.

Without pausing, Lin Chen unleashed his tiger claw, charging straight towards Hei Ze. The disciplinary team members blocking his path were torn to shreds like paper before his absolute power.

Kurosawa was terrified and retreated repeatedly. He never imagined that the pawn he controlled would possess such terrifying power. He wanted to draw his gun to fight back and call for backup, but it was all too late.

Lin Chen took a step forward and stood in front of him, the tiger's claw piercing his chest.

"You..." Kurosawa looked down at the tiger claw on his chest, his eyes filled with resentment and disbelief. Black blood gushed from his mouth, and before he could finish speaking, his body went limp and collapsed.

The moment he turned to ash, Lin Chen directly devoured his life energy and Orpheus factor.

"Captain Kurosawa has been killed!"

The disciplinary team's armed personnel instantly collapsed, scattered in terror, and lost all will to fight.

Upon seeing this, Narutaki tore open a dimensional barrier and turned to leave without looking back.

Having dealt with Kurosawa, Lin Chen's gaze slowly turned to Lucky Four-Leaf Clover.

Momose, Genda, Shukawa, and Shirokin remained arrogant and violent. They exchanged a glance and then surrounded Lin Chen.

Tiger Claw, Dragon Blade, Lobster Claw Pincers, Centipede Whip – the power of four high-level Orphnochs intertwined, forming an impenetrable net of attacks that crushed towards Lin Chen.

"Attack him together and kill him!" Momose roared.

Three years ago, Lin Chen would have had no chance of winning against four people surrounding him.

But now, his power has already surpassed that of any one of the four.

Genda's arm armor slammed down with tremendous force, but Lin Chen easily dodged it by sidestepping. His tiger claw followed the momentum, tearing through Genda's tough scales and piercing deep into his heart. Genda let out a piercing scream, his body instantly stiffening before turning to ashes.

Cheng Jin's centipede-like venomous stinger came cunningly, but Lin Chen grabbed his long whip and pulled him directly in front of him. His tiger claws crushed Cheng Jin's limbs, and Cheng Jin didn't even have time to struggle before he too met his end.

Zhu Chuan screamed as her lobster claws swept across. Lin Chen leaped into the air, dodging the attack, while his tiger claws pierced her skull. Zhu Chuan's movements came to an abrupt halt.

In the end, only Momose remained.

This tiger-type Orphnoch, of the same species as him, was also the one who initially regarded him as a pawn.

Momose had lost all her former arrogance: "Lin Chen, we are the same kind! You can't kill me! We can join forces and rule this academy, rule all the Orphnochs!"

"The same kind?" Lin Chen walked slowly towards him, his amber vertical pupils devoid of any pity. "From the day you treated me as a pawn and kept me in this cage, we were no longer the same kind."

"I have no interest in ruling."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tiger's claws came crashing down.

Momose's body froze on the spot, the despair in her eyes forever frozen, and her very essence was completely devoured by Lin Chen.

In just a few dozen seconds, the once all-powerful Lucky Four-Leaf Clover, who had controlled the entire Smart Brain Academy, was completely wiped out, with no survivors.

The battlefield fell into complete silence.

Faiz, transformed from Takumi Onoue, and Decade, transformed from Tsukasa Kadoya, stood there, staring blankly at Lin Chen, their eyes filled with shock, astonishment, and disbelief.

Tsukasa Kadoya was the first to recover, his expression wary: "You've been hiding your true intentions for a while now."

Takumi Onoue was also on high alert.

Lin Chen ignored Tsukasa Kadoya and Takumi Onoue, and didn't even glance at the battlefield again.

He gripped the Diend drive gun in his hand, turned around, and walked away.