As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

Chapter 72 The New G3-X

Hikawa Makoto took a deep breath and stepped into the G3-X suit compartment.

The hatch slowly closed, and the internal mechanical structure activated in sync. The armor components fitted the upper body with precise trajectories, securing, locking, and synchronizing energy output. The metallic joints clicked together with a fine, steady sound, and the photon energy circuit inside the armor glowed with a pale blue light, flickering gently like breathing.

A few seconds later, the electronic voice announced smoothly: "G3-X, dressed complete."

The hatch slid open to the side.

The silver-gray armor gleamed with a cold, hard metallic sheen under the lights. Bingchuan Cheng slowly stepped out, stretching his shoulders, elbows, knees, and arms, feeling the feedback of power throughout his body. The new armor was more form-fitting and streamlined than the old G3, without any bulk or sluggishness. Every bit of force was clearly transmitted to the nerve endings, as if this steel shell was an extension of his body.

"How does the new armor feel?" Sumiko Ozawa's voice came from the control panel.

"The operation is smoother than the G3, and the power output is also very stable," Hikawa Makoto replied in a deep voice, his tone steady.

"Then, let the test begin."

The moment the command was given, Lin Chen was the first to move.

He transformed into the Earth Emperor and charged forward with a straight punch, wanting to see just how powerful the G3-X, developed with the Earth Emperor as a reference, could be.

Upon seeing the approaching Earth Emperor, Hikawa Makoto's eyes narrowed, and he neither retreated nor dodged.

The speed that the old G3 could never avoid becomes clearly discernible within the G3-X's reaction framework. (Armor-assisted AI)

The system performs real-time calculations and predictions, and the propeller micro-jet adjusts the center of gravity; the entire process is accomplished by a combination of mechanical and human will.

He shifted his weight to the side, raised his hand to block, and the armored arm collided with Lin Chen's fist, producing a low, muffled sound.

The impact was absorbed by the layers of armor, and Hikawa Makoto only took half a step back to stabilize himself, leaving a shallow mark on the ground with his feet.

Lin Chen's gaze remained unchanged as he retracted his fist, shifted his body, and delivered a series of elbow strikes, his movements fluid and concise. However, he did not use his full strength, controlling each strike to about 60% of his power, creating pressure without truly crossing the line, like a strict examiner.

Using the G3-X's mobility, Hikawa Makoto nimbly dodged, his beam rifle firing instantly. The energy blast grazed the Earth Emperor's armor, striking the target behind him and exploding in a pale blue flash. The explosion echoed in the empty hangar, but it did nothing to disrupt their rhythm.

"Reaction speed is acceptable, ballistic prediction is stable." Sumiko Ozawa recorded in a low voice at the control panel, her fingertips quickly sliding across the tablet. "Dynamic balance is normal, energy consumption is within the expected range."

Taking advantage of an opening, Hikawa Makoto charged forward, closed in, and unleashed his fighting techniques.

The fists, elbows, knees, and legs work together to propel the vehicle, while the back thrusters provide a short burst of power.

Lin Chen retreated steadily, without holding back. To a truly qualified soldier, holding back would be disrespectful. He could reduce his strength, after all, this was not a real life-or-death battle.

Hikawa Makoto's attack landed squarely on the armor, leaving clear force feedback.

Once, twice, three times.

Hikawa Makoto's movements became increasingly fluid, and his predictions became increasingly accurate. He gradually shifted from passively parrying to engaging in a more balanced maneuver.

He had thoroughly mastered every aspect of the armor's performance, including the timing of the thruster's injection, the rapid-fire rhythm of the beam gun, and the angle of force in close combat—all of which were rapidly honed and perfected in actual combat.

He has been able to keep up with Lin Chen's pace, stabilize the front line, and launch effective counterattacks.

Lin Chen observed his condition.

His left shoulder dipped slightly, creating a momentary opening. The shift in his center of gravity was so minute that it was almost imperceptible to an ordinary person, yet it was enough for an experienced warrior to seize the opportunity.

Bingchuan Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not hesitate.

He lunged forward, turned, and unleashed a powerful right punch, which landed precisely on Lin Chen's left shoulder.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed, the force traveling through muscles and bones. Lin Chen's left shoulder sank slightly, and the impact of the punch sent him staggering backward.

Lin Chen took three steps back to steady himself and raised his hand to signal to stop.

That's all.

Hikawa Makoto stood there, slightly out of breath. He simply removed his helmet, revealing a forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat. His hair was damp with sweat and clung to his temples, but his eyes were bright and clear.

He looked at Lin Chen, his tone calm and frank: "You held back just now."

Lin Chen did not deny it, but simply said, "You caught up."

A simple comment is worth more than any encouragement.

Hikawa Makoto lowered his head slightly, looking at his hands covered by armor. When he looked up again, his resolve was stronger than ever: "Next time, I will stand firm on the real battlefield. I will not rely on your concessions again."

Lin Chen nodded slightly: "I look forward to it."

Recognition among the strong never needs to be made public.

Takahiro Omuro, standing to the side, breathed a sigh of relief and gently clapped his hands. The applause was exceptionally clear in the quiet hangar. He didn't shout or yell; he simply expressed his heartfelt joy in the simplest way.

As Sumiko Ozawa watched the steadily rising data on the screen, a barely perceptible smile flickered across her lips before she quickly regained her composure: "Data is acceptable. G3-X, ready for official mission deployment."

The test ended, the hangar lights returned to normal, and the tense atmosphere gradually dissipated.

Hikawa Makoto and Omuro Takahiro nodded to the two men, then turned and headed to the equipment room to conduct post-battle checks and recharge the armor. Their footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only Lin Chen and Ozawa Sumiko in the hangar.

Sumiko Ozawa did not leave.

She remained in the control room, reviewing the battle data from the previous engagement. The waveforms on the screen flickered, and all the numerical values ​​were clearly displayed. Peak output, reaction delay, armor load, energy consumption—all the indicators were readily apparent, and all were several levels better than the old G3.

She compared the G3-X with the old G3, watching the steadily improving curve, tapping her fingertips on the table to confirm the final assessment. The new armor's stability, explosive power, and endurance all met the standards.

Just as she was about to close the window and archive the data, a pop-up window of historical data that had been automatically archived by the system suddenly appeared in the corner of the screen.

Time stamp: Six months ago.

Location: Hachioji Mountain area.

Source: Automatic recorder of G3 patrol aircraft.

An unusually sharp energy peak suddenly pierced into view.

Sumiko Ozawa paused, then clicked to zoom in on the waveform.

The peak lasted for a full ten seconds, exceeding the upper limit of normal energy fluctuations by ten times.

She checked the sensor calibration records, timestamps, and signal filtering logs three times.

No errors, no interference, no misjudgments.

That was a real high-energy signal.

Sumiko Ozawa took off her glasses, gently rubbed her brow with her fingertips, and when she put them back on, her eyes were completely serious.

She exported this waveform separately, labeled it as: Unknown·001, encrypted it, and stored it in her private file, with access restricted to her alone.

The matter was not reported to senior management.

There is no point in panicking before the nature, threat, and source of the threat are determined.

She turned and walked out of the control room, where she met Lin Chen, who was preparing to return to the noodle shop, at the corner of the corridor.

Lin Chen draped his jacket over his arm, preparing to leave. The day's training and testing were over, and there shouldn't be any further problems. He needed to go back and help the old man.

Sumiko Ozawa came up to him and said, "There's a mission tomorrow that requires you to come out with me. If you can, come early."

Lin Chen frowned almost imperceptibly, but still agreed.

"Can."

The following morning, in the Hachioji mountain area.

The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated from the mountains, the dampness carrying the astringent scent of grass and trees, permeating the winding mountain path. All around was so quiet that only the rustling of leaves in the wind could be heard, and the occasional bird call was quickly swallowed by the boundless silence. Far from the city, sparsely populated, and with excellent cell phone signal, it was an ideal place to hide secrets.

Sumiko Ozawa walked ahead, carrying a portable monitoring terminal in her hand. The screen showed only a few smooth, undulating baselines.

Lin Chen lagged half a step behind her, not asking any questions, but keeping his senses fully open, so that no slightest movement around him could escape his mental range.

The mountain road wound its way uphill, and after walking for about ten minutes, Sumiko Ozawa suddenly stopped.

She crouched down, placed the terminal on the ground, and then scanned it across the tree trunk and rocks. The waveform on the screen remained stable.

Lin Chen watched her series of somewhat unusual actions and finally spoke calmly.

"What are you looking for?"

Sumiko Ozawa paused in her work, without trying to hide or conceal anything.

She stood up, turned off the terminal screen, turned to Lin Chen, and spoke in a calm but unusually serious tone.

"While organizing the data yesterday, I found an automatic recording from six months ago. Right here in these mountains, the patrol drone captured a ten-second high-energy signal. The energy intensity was more than ten times that of the ordinary Unknown signal, but it was completely different from the Unknown signal."

Lin Chen's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Was it Agito?

"Are there any signs of a fight?"

"There's nothing there." Sumiko Ozawa shook her head. "Nothing at all, just like it appeared out of thin air and disappeared into thin air."

She paused.

"I suspect that it might very well be the power of light you mentioned a few days ago."

Lin Chen gazed at the misty depths of the mountain forest without saying a word.

"Why didn't you tell Hikawa and Oemuro?"

"Telling them will only distract them from their mission," Sumiko Ozawa said calmly. "There's no need to create panic before the truth is clear. You're steady, quiet, and reliable in combat; I trust you."

Lin Chen nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

He didn't ask any more questions, but simply took a step forward and stood in front of Sumiko Ozawa.

I'll go first.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chen suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A hundred meters away, deep in the dense forest, a faint yet painful life force flashed by. The energy was chaotic and fragmented, carrying an undisguised struggle, like a severely wounded person on the verge of collapse.

At the same time, the screen on the terminal in Sumiko Ozawa's hand suddenly lit up with a sharp spike.

"There's a signal!" she whispered. "The characteristics are the same as the one six months ago!"

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. Without hesitation, he slowly approached the source of the aura.

The trees grew denser, and the light grew dimmer.

After turning past a huge rock, the two stopped at the same time.

There was nothing there; the unidentified object from before had simply vanished.