As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

Chapter 89 The Hidden Dangers of the Alliance

The battlefield quickly returned to calm, leaving only scattered rubble, metal fragments, and the faint smell of gunpowder in the air.

Kurosaki gathered the remaining superpowered individuals. The elite force of two hundred men had dwindled to less than 150, all wounded, demoralized, and in a sorry state. He faced off against Lin Chen and Hikawa Makoto, who were guarding the base entrance. His arrogance had vanished, leaving only apprehension and resentment.

He knew that if he attacked now, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock, and would only result in the annihilation of his remaining troops.

After a moment of silence, Kurosaki abandoned all his arrogance and ambition, lowered his posture, and shouted at Lin Chen with an extremely seductive tone.

"Your power shouldn't be confined to that tiny underground base! Following G3, you'll only be able to eke out a living with a bunch of civilians!"

"If you cooperate with me, the two of us will rule Tokyo, and even dominate the entire world! Power, resources, and the submission of all superpowered beings—we'll share it all! You will become the emperor of this new world!"

These words are undeniably tempting.

Lin Chen didn't respond at all. He slowly raised the Earth Emperor Sword, and dark golden photon blood condensed on the blade again, its light flowing.

He directly rejected Kurosaki's offer with his actions.

Kurosaki's face instantly turned extremely gloomy. He clenched his teeth, and the wound at the corner of his mouth reopened, oozing blood.

He knew that there was no way to reverse the situation today.

The siege failed, many of his elite troops were lost, and he witnessed Orga's terrifying combat power. He no longer had the resources to contend with the G3 base.

With a cold snort and no further words, he waved his hand, turned around with the remaining superpowered individuals, and staggered away with the wounded towards the Ginza Fortress. His figure disappeared into the depths of the ruins, and the siege crisis was finally temporarily averted.

Lin Chen sheathed the Earth Emperor Sword, the Orga armor dissipated, and he turned to walk towards the G3 base.

The energy barrier slowly retracted, and Bingchuan Cheng quickly followed.

Inside the underground shelter, Sato Yuki, holding a crayon drawing, peeked out and saw Lin Chen return safely. She immediately smiled sweetly. Sato Genji breathed a sigh of relief, silently turned around and went back to the kitchen to prepare a pot of hot soup for everyone.

In the control room, Sumiko Ozawa watched the monitor screen, her tense nerves finally relaxing as she raised her hand to rub her temples.

Takahiro Omuro looked at the disappearing signal on the radar, let out a long sigh of relief, and slumped into his chair.

The red alert at G3 base immediately ceased. The energy barrier slowly retracted, and the defense team immediately cleared the battlefield. The medical team carried the wounded and rushed to the treatment room.

The door to the underground conference room was pushed open.

Ozawa, Hikawa, Hojo, Omuro, and representatives of the awakened individuals who were assisting in the defense entered in turn.

All eyes were fixed on Lin Chen. Their gazes held gratitude and awe.

Today's battle has completely shocked everyone with Orga's combat power.

That blade of light that traversed the ruins wiped out more than thirty mutated monsters with a single strike.

They finally understood that Lin Chen's words before the war—that he could wipe out all the enemies—were not just empty boasts, but a proven ability. This power, used to defend the base, was everyone's source of confidence. But if it got out of control, it would be utter annihilation.

Bingchuan Cheng was the first to stand up and bow slightly to Lin Chen. His tone was sincere.

"Mr. Lin Chen, if it weren't for you today, the base would have already been breached. We will all remember this kindness."

He paused, struggling to change the subject.

"But the superpowered individuals of the Alliance are, after all, human. There are very few living people left in Tokyo. We are completely cut off from the outside world and know nothing about the situation there. The flame of humanity cannot withstand internal strife. I implore you to exercise restraint in the future. Do not kill unless the base is breached and civilians are in grave danger. Leave a sliver of hope."

Lin Chen glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He understood what the glacier was thinking.

Sumiko Ozawa chimed in, "The base is running out of supplies and medicine is scarce. Every person who survives is a better chance of survival."

Shiro Mizushiro, the representative of the superpowered individuals, also chimed in.

"Mr. Lin Chen, we know you're doing this to protect everyone. But we're human too, and we want to live. Many of those in the alliance were forced into this situation. Let's leave them a way to change."

Hojo Toru's expression remained cold and hard; he did not speak.

Takahiro Omuro huddled beside the control panel, not daring to lift his head. He pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and spoke in a barely audible voice.

"Mr. Lin Chen, everyone agrees—if we can avoid killing, let's not kill."

The meeting room fell silent instantly.

Everyone was waiting for Lin Chen's reply. The air seemed to freeze, and even breathing became clear.

Lin Chen sat in the corner, his fingertips gently stroking the Didi phone.

The cool metallic touch made his thoughts even clearer.

He is not a bloodthirsty person. The reason he spoke before the war was to give everyone a choice. Now that their meaning is clear, he will not object.

But he felt very uneasy.

Unknown has been silent for a long time.

As creations of the dark forces, their mission is to eliminate the light forces.

The power of light is now rampant, the entire population is awakening, and mutated monsters are running rampant. The power of darkness cannot stand idly by.

The silence is not disappearance, but a preparation for the final reckoning. Once the power of darkness awakens, the Unknown will unleash their full force. That will be the true cataclysmic crisis, far more terrifying than the Alliance or the mutated monsters.

If these words were spoken aloud, the morale of the people in the base, which had just been stabilized, would immediately crumble.

It would only create unnecessary panic, be pointless, and disrupt everyone's rhythm. Even if I were to speak to him, I could only do so privately with Ozawa.

The silence lasted for a full half minute.

Lin Chen finally nodded slightly without saying a word.

A simple action brought a sigh of relief to everyone. Sumiko Ozawa immediately began making arrangements.

"First, reinforce the base defenses and upgrade the energy barrier."

Then she instructed everyone in turn: "Oeshiro, keep a 24-hour watch on the radar. Mutant monsters, external superpowered beings..."

"Unknown - all three types of signals must be detected. Hikawa and Hojo will take turns leading patrols. While searching for supplies, they must remain vigilant against a potential Alliance counterattack. Lin Chen, you are the core mobile force. Be on standby at all times to respond to any unforeseen crisis."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "In addition, take inventory of all remaining supplies. Food rations and medicines should be distributed strictly according to quotas."

Starting today, the base is on Level Two alert. We will not launch an offensive, nor will we fear any invading enemy.

Everyone agreed in unison and turned to leave the meeting room.

On the other side, at the Ginza Fortress.

Ryuichi Kurosaki clutched his chest as he stepped off the chariot. The pain from the fractured bones in his chest was like a tearing ache in his nerves with every step.

That was the injury left by Lin Chen's punch.

A full-force attack, fifteen times stronger than an average person, nearly killed him.

Behind them were only a little over 150 remaining soldiers. Nearly a quarter of the two hundred elite troops had been lost before the battle even truly began, and their morale had completely collapsed.

The Awakened within the fortress erupted in chaos upon witnessing this scene. They sought out acquaintances among the elite to inquire about the situation.

Soon, rumors spread like wildfire, like a plague.

"Our leader failed. Are we finished?"

"Will the people from G3 base come to Ginza?"

Panic spread rapidly among the crowd.

Kurosaki Ryu's face was ashen, and he completely ignored the whispers. He walked steadily toward the top-floor command room.

The more desperate the situation, the more he needs to maintain his composure. If he shows any sign of weakness, the alliance will immediately fall apart.

Back in the command room, Kurosaki immediately pressed the communicator button.

"Summon all senior executives for an immediate meeting."

Within five minutes, the leaders of both the radical and moderate factions had arrived.

The atmosphere in the command center was oppressive. Everyone knew about today's crushing defeat and that a countermeasure had to be devised.

But as soon as they opened their mouths, the two factions immediately started arguing.

The radical leader was a burly man with a fiery temper.

He slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Kurosaki's nose, cursing.

"It's all because you underestimated the enemy and acted rashly that so many of our brothers have been lost!"

"Now we must unleash all our forces and wipe out all survivor strongholds!"

"Swallow their resources, incorporate their people! Then concentrate all our forces and raze the G3 base to the ground!"

"In chaotic times, the strong prey on the weak. Only by eliminating all those who resist can we unify Tokyo and accomplish our great cause!"

The moderate leader, a middle-aged man wearing glasses, immediately retorted.

"Kill everyone? Then who will grow the crops? Who will maintain the water and electricity?"

"Without civilian support, even if we occupy Tokyo, we won't last a month! We should send envoys to negotiate, exchange supplies, and restore basic order!"

"You can't win people's hearts with force; he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world! Your crazy methods will only lead the alliance to its destruction!"

Radicals criticize moderates as cowardly and incompetent. Moderates criticize radicals as short-sighted.

The verbal dispute escalated into a physical altercation. The command center was in complete chaos, filled with shouts and curses.

Kurosaki, whose head was already throbbing with pain, looked increasingly pale. The pain in his chest worsened due to his emotional distress.

"That's enough!"

Ryuichi Kurosaki slammed his hand on the table, the loud noise silencing the entire room.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him. He clutched his chest, coughed twice, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.

"Will arguing solve anything? Both of your proposals are nothing but empty, theoretical nonsense!"

Kurosaki's eyes were sinister as he swept over everyone present.

"A brute-force attack? That's suicide! If we exhaust our forces, the mutated monsters and G3 will only reap the benefits!"

"Peace talks? In chaotic times, there is no absolute power. Peace talks are a joke; no one will truly submit!"

"Get out of here, all of you!"

Kurosaki waved his hand, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"I will decide what to do next."

"You have no right to point fingers here!" The higher-ups, with varying expressions, turned and left angrily.

No one noticed the fleeting murderous intent in Kurosaki's eyes.

After leaving the house, the radical leader immediately gathered his cronies.

He planned to take matters into his own hands and forcibly clear out the surrounding small gathering points.

The moderate leader secretly organized supplies and contacted his subordinates.

He planned to secretly send envoys to make contact with other survivor factions.

Kurosaki sat in the commander's chair and let out a long sigh. He pressed the pager.

"Call medical staff to come and treat the wound."

Soon, two medical staff members carrying medicine kits pushed open the door and entered.

They carefully cut open Kurosaki's shirt, revealing his bruised chest.

The pain of the fracture was clear and piercing, but Kurosaki remained unfazed.

He stared intently at the map of Tokyo on the wall, his eyes deep in thought.

The radicals' madness, the moderates' naiveté.

He looks down on them all and will not accept any of them.

In chaotic times, only those who are patient and strategic can have the last laugh. This time, he became careless because the situation was too smooth.

Head-on confrontation has never been his style. No matter how strong Lin Chen is, he can't withstand prolonged exhaustion.

Even with its shortage of supplies, G3 base couldn't withstand the endless consumption.

Kurosaki already had a complete plan in mind.

The first step is to select loyal and elite members and eliminate the incompetent. There are too many mediocre people in the alliance, who only waste resources. Only by keeping loyal and capable members can we reduce internal strife.

The second step is to sit back and watch the two fight, letting G3 and the mutated monster wear each other down. Once they are both severely weakened, he will then strike and reap the rewards. Without losing a single soldier, he can weaken his two biggest opponents.

The third step is to secretly develop a device to suppress superpowers. This will allow them to control all awakened individuals at their source and eliminate any possibility of rebellion.

The fourth step is to firmly defend the core area of ​​Ginza and gradually encroach on surrounding resources.

Don't rush to attack G3 base; wait until the enemy runs out of supplies. Lin Chen is very strong, but he can't hold out forever. Prolong the battle, and victory will eventually be yours.