As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

Chapter 71 A Kind Reward

The afternoon sun pierced through the leaves of the plane trees lining the street, casting dappled light spots on the ground.

The residential area was quiet and peaceful on Saturday. There were few pedestrians on the road, and occasionally a bicycle would pass by, its crisp bell ringing softly in the air. Watanabe Miyo walked slowly, carrying a shopping basket filled with freshly bought tomatoes, potatoes, and scallions, planning to go home and cook a simple dinner. The old woman walked with a leisurely pace, softly humming an old tune from decades ago, her life peaceful and undisturbed.

No one expected that danger would strike without warning.

The shadows at the alley entrance shifted abruptly, and a figure rushed out, blocking the old man's path. The person wore a dark coat, and their body twisted violently in an instant, revealing unknown dark gold patterns surging beneath their skin. Their aura changed in the blink of an eye.

In just one second, the human form completely disintegrated, replaced by the ant-like Venerable.

Without any hesitation, Unknown arched his body and, with deadly intent, lunged straight at the defenseless old man.

"ah--!"

A gasp shattered the silence. The vegetable basket fell to the ground, scattering fresh fruits and vegetables everywhere.

In that critical moment, a figure rushed in from the other side of the street. It was Lin Chen.

The old man must have been lucky; Lin Chen just happened to be passing by.

He was on his day off and was returning from running errands in the city. He was heading back to Sato's noodle shop when a scream stopped him in his tracks.

Without the slightest hesitation, he flashed forward and, just before the Venerable One's claws fell, stepped aside to block the old man.

In his physical form, he neither dodged nor evaded, but instead focused his waist and exerted force, concentrating his right fist to precisely strike the Venerable's chest.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud. The ant-like Venerable was forced back several steps, its ferocious aura momentarily halted, clearly not expecting to be repelled head-on by a human. Completely enraged, it roared and pounced again, its claws slicing through the air with a sharp, tearing sound.

Lin Chen's eyes were calm, his fingertips already touching the Orga phone in his pocket.

"Standing By."

A low, electronic sound flashed through the air. He fastened his phone to his belt.

"Complete."

A torrent of dark golden photons erupted, covering the body in layers of armor with a black base and golden patterns.

The ant-like Venerable was fast, but it was no match for Orga. Lin Chen neither retreated nor dodged, stepping forward to meet the Venerable's attack. As he sidestepped the claws, he gathered power in his right hand and delivered a precise chop to the Venerable's joint. The Venerable's movements faltered, and its power instantly dissipated. Lin Chen then raised his hand, and the Earth Emperor Sword's photon blood energy condensed into a blade of light, piercing straight into the Venerable's body.

Golden particles of light exploded in the sunlight and slowly drifted away.

Almost at the same moment the monster died, the sound of armored footsteps rushing by came from afar. When Hikawa Makoto, dressed in full G3 armor, arrived at the scene, the battle was already over, leaving only a mess and a terrified old man.

"Lin Chen?" Bingchuan Cheng was taken aback and subconsciously connected to the base communication. "Xiao Ze, the target has been eliminated. The civilians are safe and there were no casualties."

On the other end of the communicator, Sumiko Ozawa's voice was calm and clear: "Received. Hand over the evidence at the scene to the local police officers. Mission complete. Dismissed."

Bingchuan Cheng glanced at the messy scene and nodded: "Understood." He looked at Lin Chen, "You just happen to be here?"

""

"Just passing by," Lin Chen replied casually, raising his hand to deactivate his transformation.

The armor dissipated into particles of light, and he returned to his everyday attire, looking at Watanabe Miyo beside him.

The old man's face was still a little pale, but he had gradually calmed down and was bending down to pick up the scattered fruits and vegetables on the ground.

Lin Chen stepped forward, silently bent down, and helped her pick up the vegetables that had rolled away and put them back into the basket.

Miyo Watanabe let out a soft breath, looked up at him, her eyes gentle and filled with genuine gratitude: "Child, thank you so much. If it weren't for you—"

"Of course." Lin Chen nodded gently, his tone calm.

He had intended to take his leave, since the battle was over and the G3 team had arrived. As a non-staff member, he didn't need to stay any longer.

But the old man looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then said softly, "Child, you must be tired after all this work."

My house is right next door. If you don't mind, would you like to come upstairs for a cup of tea and rest for a while before you leave?

Lin Chen initially wanted to refuse. He wasn't used to entering a stranger's home, nor was he comfortable accepting overly friendly offers. But looking into the old man's sincere eyes, he finally nodded gently.

"Thank you for your help."

The old man's home is right by the roadside, an old-style two-story house, small, clean, and quiet.

Pushing open the door, the room was spotless, the furniture simple yet cozy, and sunlight streamed in through the windows, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. There was no sign of a struggle or any damage whatsoever.

Grandma asked him to sit down in the living room, then turned and went into the kitchen, returning shortly with a cup of warm tea.

"Drink slowly, warm yourself up."

Lin Chen took the teacup and thanked him in a low voice.

The two sat quietly for a while. The old man looked at him with gentle eyes and slowly began to talk about everyday things.

The old man spoke gently about the little things in his life.

As they chatted, Lin Chen's gaze inadvertently swept across the wall and landed on an old black and white photograph.

The photo shows a young man in a police uniform with a bright and sunny smile, whose eyebrows and eyes are very similar to those of Miyo Watanabe.

The old man's gaze followed, and he spoke softly, with a deep tenderness: "That's my son. He was a policeman when he was young."

Lin Chen's hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly.

"Ten years ago, he passed away during a capture mission." She gently stroked the edge of the photo frame. "That child, he never backed down when faced with danger."

She raised her head and looked at Lin Chen, her eyes gentle yet resolute.

"You and he are very similar."

"They will all stand up when danger comes."

"You are all good people."

Lin Chen remained silent.

The old man didn't say anything more, but just sat quietly with him for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, he got up and went into the kitchen.

"You sit down, I'll be done soon."

Lin Chen didn't ask what was going on; he simply waited quietly.

A short while later, a faint aroma wafted from the kitchen. The old man came out carrying a small plate of cookies and placed it in front of him.

"It's freshly baked, have a taste."

The cookies are golden and crumbly, with a simple and warm aroma.

Lin Chen picked up a piece and took a small bite.

It has just the right amount of sweetness, and is crispy, fragrant, and soft.

"Delicious." He rarely said more than two words.

Grandma smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes softening: "Eat more if you like it."

After sitting for a while, Lin Chen got up to say goodbye. He didn't want to disturb the old man's life too much.

"I should go back now."

"9

"Okay." Grandma didn't insist that she stay. She just turned around and went into the house, took out an old tin can with faded cherry blossoms printed on it, and wiped it clean.

"These are freshly baked cookies. Take them home and enjoy them." The old man gently placed the jar into his hand. "If you have time—you can come and visit anytime."

Lin Chen looked down at the jar in his arms, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"Thanks."

He turned and walked out of the small house, stepping into the street bathed in the setting sun.

A cool evening breeze carried the faint scent of grass and trees. The setting sun cast a long, slender shadow of him. He carried the old tin can, walking forward step by step.

The sunset painted the entire sky.

The next day, Lin Chen returned to the G3 team; there was an important matter that required his cooperation.

The silent space of the Metropolitan Police Department's underground G3 squad's private hangar was completely illuminated by a central beam of light.

All the lighting focused on the brand-new armor in the arena. The silver-gray base color was more streamlined than the old G3. Multi-layered honeycomb composite protective layers covered the vital areas of the shoulders and chest. The arms were equipped with the new GM-02 beam rifle, and the propulsion device on the back glowed with a faint blue light. The overall lines were sharp and restrained.

The robotic arms slowly returned to their positions, and Sumiko Ozawa stood in front of the armor, her white lab coat spotless, her expression calm. Her face was serene as her fingertips lightly slid across the tablet screen, confirming that the last set of parameters had been calibrated.

"All indicators are stable, and the final debugging is complete."

Her voice was clear: "This is the G3-X. Based on the old system, the circuit has been reconstructed with reference to the photon energy conduction logic of the Orga armor. The overall output, defense, mobility, and endurance have all been upgraded to a new generation."

She raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the two people beside her, and said objectively, "Defense has been increased by 4.7 times, mobility by 2.3 times, maximum speed of advance is 71 kilometers per hour, and continuous combat time has been extended to 3 hours and 50 minutes. System reaction delay has been reduced to less than 0.15 seconds, which can keep up with most of the Unknown's surprise attacks."

Hikawa Makoto stood to the side, his posture upright, his gaze steadily fixed on the G3-X.

His eyes gleamed slightly. As the second wearer of the G3 series, he understood better than anyone what this suit of armor meant—no longer passively parrying, no longer barely holding back, but a force that could truly stand on the front lines and confront the Unknown head-on.

He looked at Lin Chen, nodded slightly, and said in a calm and firm tone, "Mr. Lin Chen, with this G3-X system, I can take on more frontline missions. From now on, I will be in a more prominent position."

Lin Chen nodded slightly.

He understood the Iceberg's obsession, and he also understood the inadequacy of the old G3 version.

Sumiko Ozawa put away her tablet, breaking the silence between the two, and said crisply, "The testing process remains unchanged. Lin Chen, you will be the target for the simulated battle."

She looked at Lin Chen, her eyes serious. "No need to hold back. Apply pressure according to real combat standards. I want the actual maximum performance data, not a performance result."

Lin Chen replied calmly, "Understood."

Sumiko Ozawa turned and walked to the control panel, putting on her communication headset: "Once preparations are complete, the test will begin immediately."

Staff quickly evacuated the battle area, clearing the center of the hangar and leaving only two figures standing opposite each other.

The lights were cold, and the air was slightly tense.

A test that will determine the future combat strength of the G3 team is about to begin.