As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

Chapter 81 Chaos

In the morning, at the main control conference room of the G3 underground base, an entire wall of LCD screens was divided into thirty-two small windows, each measuring four by eight, silently looping surveillance footage from various parts of Tokyo over the past seventy-two hours. Most of the images were blurry, some covered by static, others only showing a swaying shadow, and the occasional glimpse of bloodstains gleamed darkly in the dim light.

The electronic case file system on the control panel refreshed automatically. The photos of the deceased and the case files were neatly arranged according to the time of the incident. The red "unsolved" markers flashed continuously against the black background, like densely packed blood nails nailed to the screen.

Sumiko Ozawa stood at the front of the stage, still wearing the same white lab coat with a coffee stain on the left cuff from yesterday, and a noticeable bluish-black ring around her eyes. The third mug in her hand was empty, its sides covered in a layer of brownish coffee residue. She didn't look at the audience; her gaze was fixed on the statistics at the top of the screen, her finger hovering over the remote control.

Hikawa Makoto sat on the far left of the first row. A list of cases, sorted by severity, appeared on the electronic tablet in front of him. His fingers swiped rapidly, occasionally pausing to type a few words in the notes section. Next to him sat Takahiro Omuro, a thick, coiled notebook spread out before him, filled with neat formulas and data. The sound of his pen gliding across the paper was exceptionally clear in the silence. He occasionally adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, but his eyes never left the notebook.

Hojo Toru leaned back in the last row, in the far corner, arms crossed, chair reclined at its maximum angle. His own light fell on the ceiling vent, where a faint water stain lingered. In the entire conference room, he was the only one not looking at the screen, nor at anyone else, as if everything happening here was none of his concern. His right hand was in his uniform pocket, his fingers unconsciously rubbing something.

Xiaoze pressed the remote control, and the surveillance footage disappeared, replaced by a statistical report with black text on a white background. The cold numbers cast a pale blue light in the dimly lit room, reflecting on everyone's faces.

"As of 8 a.m. today, 42 supernatural-related crimes have occurred in Tokyo in the past 72 hours, averaging one every four hours." Her voice was calm, as if she were reading a regular work report. "These crimes have resulted in 17 deaths and 29 serious injuries. The police clearance rate is 3%. The only case that was solved involved the perpetrator losing control and exploding on the spot, making it impossible for him to deny his identity."

She paused, pressed the remote control, and the categorized data popped up at the bottom of the report.

"Nineteen of these cases involved injuries caused by uncontrolled superpowers, mostly by ordinary people who had just awakened their abilities and acted unconsciously when emotionally agitated, resulting in injuries or deaths among those around them. Eighteen cases were premeditated crimes, including theft, retaliatory assault, and murder. The remaining five cases are of unknown nature, with no traces left at the scene."

"The most crucial issue," Ozawa glanced at the audience, his gaze lingering on Hojo Toru for half a second, "is that almost all of the cases lack any physical evidence of foul play. The surveillance equipment was either damaged by strong electromagnetic interference or only captured the victims being injured or killed out of nowhere. Traditional investigative methods like fingerprints, footprints, and DNA are completely ineffective. All twelve police stations in the jurisdiction have collectively submitted requests for assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department; they have no equipment whatsoever to combat superpowered individuals, and they can't even protect themselves in a basic way."

The conference room was deathly silent. A faint hum emanated from the air conditioning vents. Hikawa Makoto frowned, his fingers tapping lightly on the edge of his tablet. Omuro Takahiro swallowed hard, his pen moving faster across the paper, leaving a deep ink mark.

Only Hojo Toru remained in that position, without even moving his eyelids.

Ozawa switched to the next page, and photos of the three cases appeared on the screen.

"The first one is the Shinjuku Mitsubishi Bank vault robbery. It happened at 2:17 AM the day before yesterday." She pointed to the photo with a laser pointer. "There were no signs of forced entry on the vault door, walls, or safe. The pressure sensors, infrared alarms, and vibration sensors were not triggered at all. 300 million yen in cash was missing, and there were no fingerprints or footprints. An energy detector detected a very faint trace of purple light in the center of the vault."

"The second case is the revenge attack at Shibuya Ward No. 3 Junior High School. The incident occurred yesterday afternoon at 3:40 PM, during recess." A photo of the school playground appeared on the screen, showing several obvious dents in the synthetic track. "Three eighth-grade students were found with their limbs broken by an unseen force in the northwest corner of the playground. There were no second footprints. Twelve witnesses stated that the three victims suddenly floated to about two meters off the ground before being slammed down. The perpetrator did not appear at any point. After investigating their social relationships, three students who had been bullied for a long time were identified. Two of them showed signs of awakening, but there was no evidence linking them to the case."

"The third case is the Sakuragaoka apartment building fall in Setagaya Ward. The incident occurred at 1:05 AM today." The screen shows a messy bedroom with the window wide open. "The deceased was a 28-year-old office worker who fell to his death from his 12th-floor apartment. The window was locked from the inside, and the door lock showed no signs of forced entry. The forensic examination revealed that the deceased had 23 fractures and severely ruptured internal organs before the fall, suggesting he was thrown out of the window after his bones were compressed from the inside by immense force. A faint purple light was also detected at the scene."

Xiaoze put down the laser pointer and placed his hands on the podium.

"These three cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Anyone can have superpowers, and crime can happen anywhere."

We don't know who they are, where they are, or when they will make their move.

Hikawa Makoto looked up: "What's the Metropolitan Police Department's response?"

"They set up a special countermeasures headquarters, with the Superintendent General himself serving as its head," Ozawa said, his tone unchanged. "But apart from a few strongly worded documents, there was no real support whatsoever. There was no equipment to detect superpowers, no weapons to counter them, and the police officers they sent out were just sitting ducks."

She took a deep breath, switched to the deployment interface, and her eyes sharpened again.

"From now on, G3 team is on high alert. All personnel are canceling leave and on standby 24 hours a day."

"Glacier, you will be driving the G3-X and responsible for patrolling the main urban area, focusing on densely populated areas such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro."

High-risk cases are prioritized, and immediate intervention is required for any ongoing crimes. Patrol routes change every two hours.

"Lin Chen, you'll be part of the mobile force, not stationed in a fixed area. The tail chamber will send real-time alerts to your phone for any energy radar anomalies. Go wherever energy fluctuations occur to provide support. You're faster than the G3-X, so you'll be in charge of emergencies."

"Takahiro Omuro, you will remain in the main control room, monitoring the energy radar and communication channels continuously. Report any abnormalities immediately. You will also be responsible for liaising with the Metropolitan Police Department's Countermeasures Headquarters."

She paused, then added, "Let me reiterate the rules of engagement: prioritize subduing, and try to keep as many alive as possible for ability and trait research. But protecting the lives of innocent civilians is paramount. If the other side continues to attack civilians or threaten the lives of our personnel, lethal force may be used."

Hikawa Makoto nodded, then frowned: "We don't have enough manpower. There are already over three hundred registered Awakened, and the number is increasing by dozens every day. Adding the large number of unregistered ones, we only have two people available to go to the battlefield, which isn't enough to cover the entire Tokyo area."

"I know." Ozawa paused for a moment. "We have requested the Metropolitan Police Department to send an additional 100 special police officers to evacuate the crowd, cordon off the scene, and maintain order. In addition, the technical department is manufacturing 20 portable energy detectors, aiming to establish a preliminary early warning network in major transportation hubs and public places throughout the city within a week."

She glanced at her watch: "9:15. Glacier, depart for the first patrol at 9:30. Lin Chen, stand by. Tail Chamber, immediately adjust the energy radar sensitivity, set the detection threshold to the lowest level, and don't miss any weak signals."

After the deployment was complete, Hikawa Makoto stood up and walked over to Ozawa. The two quietly confirmed the patrol area, response priority, and backup communication channel. Once everything was confirmed, Hikawa saluted and quickly walked towards the hangar.

Takahiro Omuro closed his laptop and returned to the main control panel to begin adjusting the energy radar. The keyboard clicked rapidly, and the screen displayed a dense array of waveforms.

Only Lin Chen and Ozawa Sumiko remained in the conference room. The screen was still updating case information, with the red "unsolved" markers almost filling the entire screen.

Lin Chen looked at the screen and said, "Xiao Ze, I probably won't be staying at the base for a long time from now on."

Ozawa turned his head, expressionless: "Reason."

"There are more and more people with superpowers, and social order is starting to break down. The noodle shop is in a residential area, and Grandpa and Xiaoxue are just ordinary people with no ability to protect themselves. If someone causes trouble, I can't be left out." He paused, "I plan to guard the noodle shop during the day. If there's an emergency, call me, and I'll get there as quickly as possible. At night, I'll go back to base and stand by, taking turns patrolling with Bingchuan."

Xiaoze nodded, took out a black communicator from his pocket and handed it to him: "It's encrypted, the signal is more stable than before, and it's not affected by electromagnetic interference. Keep it on 24 hours a day. The energy radar will push abnormal signals in real time, with the highest priority triggering a red alert."

Lin Chen took it and put it in his pocket: "Okay."

"Be careful," Xiaoze said, then turned back to look at the screen.

Lin Chen didn't say anything more and turned to leave the conference room.

Stepping out of the base, the sunlight was somewhat dazzling. Lin Chen squinted at the sky. The sky was hazy, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the street than usual. Everyone walked quickly, heads down, their expressions wary. Several shops along the roadside were closed, with "Temporarily Closed" signs posted on their glass doors.

Lin Chen got on his motorcycle and drove towards the noodle shop.

Over the next two days, crimes involving supernatural abilities only increased. Television broadcast related news 24/7, the anchors' tone shifting from shock to numbness. Newspapers changed their front pages daily with crime scene photos and sensational headlines. Fewer and fewer people walked the streets; supermarkets were emptied of instant noodles, bottled water, and canned goods, and long lines formed at gas stations. Schools closed, factories shut down, and Tokyo descended into unprecedented panic.

Lin Chen stayed at the noodle shop. During the day, he helped the old man knead dough, cook noodles, and clean tables. Business was much worse than usual; only a few regular customers came, sat down, ate their noodles in silence, and left in a hurry. While working, Lin Chen kept an eye on the door, constantly listening to the communicator in his pocket.

After the noodle shop closed for the night, the old man and Xiaoxue went back to their room to rest. Lin Chen rode his motorcycle back to the base and took turns patrolling with Bingchuan Cheng, one in the first half of the night and the other in the second half. Most of the time, by the time they arrived at the scene, the crime was already over, leaving only a mess and the victim's body. Occasionally, they would encounter criminals in the act, but these were usually ordinary people who had just awakened to their true nature and were easy to subdue.

Hojo Toru hasn't shown up for the past two days. Ozawa called him several times, but no one answered. The Metropolitan Police Department doesn't know where he is either, only saying that he hasn't asked for leave or reported for duty. Lin Chen didn't ask, and Ozawa didn't mention it either. Everyone is too busy to care about other people's business.

That afternoon, Lin Chen sat behind the counter of the noodle shop watching the midday news.

"Yesterday afternoon at 5 PM, a case of arson committed by supernatural forces occurred in Edogawa Ward, resulting in two deaths and five injuries. Police are conducting a full investigation—"

"The Metropolitan Police Department's Countermeasures Headquarters issued a notice reminding citizens to reduce outings and avoid crowded places —"

The old man was clearing the dishes in the kitchen, the table clinking and clanging. Xiaoxue sat beside him doing her homework. Sunlight streamed in through the window; if it weren't for the constant stream of bad news on television, it would have been a very peaceful afternoon.

Lin Chen picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea had gone cold and tasted bitter.

Just then, the TV screen suddenly started shaking.

The female anchor froze, her eyes widened suddenly, and she looked to the right of the camera.

The next second, a man wearing a black mask burst into the live stream. He was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled down low, and a gleaming dagger was held to the female streamer's neck.

Chaos erupted in the live stream room, with screams clearly audible. The camera fell to the ground, and the image shifted to a swaying ceiling.