Kamen Rider ZZZ, the American comic book spiritual mentor

Three days after the chain of events, the black-armored man did not appear in official news reports.

Mainstream media reports described it as an accident caused by a gang fight.

But Lin Nan knew that things wouldn't end so simply.

In the past two days, he has twice sensed subtle gazes. In his heightened senses, these two gazes clearly carried a sense of surveillance.

Is it S.H.I.E.L.D.? Or some intelligence agency?

This means that someone has already begun a subjective investigation into this matter, and that a certain astute individual has already noticed his connection to the incident.

After his battle with the whip, his causality value jumped to 263.

The key point is that through this real-world experience, his understanding and application of impact force have reached a new level.

In his lucid dream, he repeatedly reviewed his battles with the whip and chains. He also absorbed a lot from Ivan Vanko's fighting style.

On Friday afternoon, Peter's voice interrupted Lin Nan's thoughts in the gymnasium of Midtown High School.

"Lin! Over here!"

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Peter and Gwen waving at him from the entrance not far away.

The abrasions on Peter's face were barely visible, but he walked a little unnaturally.

Gwen had her blonde hair tied in a neat bun and was holding a folder in her hand.

Lin Nan gathered her thoughts, stood up, and walked over.

"Parker, is there something you need?" Lin Nan asked.

Gwen smiled and said, "I guess so."

Peter said you have a deep understanding of physics and engineering. Our science club has a small project next week and would like to hear your opinion.

She paused for a moment, then continued, "And about the bombing at the dock a few days ago, I found something interesting. Let's talk about it privately."

Lin Nan's heart skipped a beat. Without a doubt, Gwen Stacy was a very intelligent girl. She had also inherited her father's genes, being curious and observant.

Did she discover something?

"Okay, Gwen, let's go to the usual place."

"Old Place" refers to a dessert shop that specializes in donuts; the donuts are quite good, but a bit too sweet.

The shop is small and decorated in a retro style from the last century.

The three of them chose a booth at the very back, each ordered a drink, and sat down.

Gwen didn't beat around the bush; she simply pulled out a few sheets of paper from the newspaper folder.

"I hacked in... I borrowed my dad's access privileges and viewed the preliminary report and list of evidence related to the explosion."

"Although the official conclusion is that the gang fight was caused by an illegal arms deal, I think there are many suspicious points."

Lin Nan looked down at the few pages of paper. Although the photos were blurry, he could clearly see the exaggerated dent caused by his knight kick, as well as the marks left by Ivan Vanko's impact with the wall.

Gwen circled the photo with her pen: "See this dent? It's 4 meters in diameter and 1.2 meters deep at its deepest point. The police's professional estimate is that it would take a lot of TNT to create this effect."

“I don’t think it’s like a regular explosive; it’s more like… some kind of energy weapon, or a super-powered malfunction.”

Peter didn't reply, but secretly glanced at Lin Nan.

Gwen's eyes sharpened as she pulled out another piece of paper with a complex energy waveform analysis diagram drawn on it.

"This is a partial spectrum extracted from the residual energy at the scene. It was found that this energy is neither thermal nor electrical, but rather a physical imprint left after a concentrated burst of kinetic energy."

"This technology has no matching data in the existing police database."

She raised her head, her azure gaze fixed on Lin Nan: "Lin, there were similar traces in my father's files in the abandoned office building that night."

"Can you tell me the truth? What exactly did you see after you went in that day?"

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward. Peter wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but he didn't know what to say.

Lin Nan remained silent, picking up the photos and examining them repeatedly.

But inwardly he thought to himself, "It seems there are really a lot of super geniuses in this world."

Lin Nan pondered for a moment and then said, "Actually, when I went in, a conflict had already broken out inside."

"I saw two groups fighting over weapons, and then a third party appeared."

Gwen's eyes lit up: "Is it this black armor?"

"His speed was too fast and his strength was too great. I couldn't see the details clearly and was afraid of being affected, so I stepped back."

Gwen sighed and asked again, "Did you get a clear look at the shape of that armor? Even just a few features?"

"It was probably... a person? Black, I didn't see anything else."

That's as good as saying nothing at all.

But Gwen leaned back in her booth, seemingly deep in thought: "Humanoid, black armor, capable of releasing high-intensity physical shockwaves..."

"This technology is different from the others on the market. Is it Stark Industries? Osborn Corporation? Or some kind of military modification project?"

She muttered to herself, making Peter Parker break out in a cold sweat.

Chapter 11 Conversation

Lin Nan suddenly asked, "Gwen, why are you so interested in this?"

Gwen paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Because my father might get involved. Although the case has been taken over by higher authorities, given his personality, he certainly won't let it go easily."

Lin Nan glanced at Gwen, thinking to herself, "Genetics are truly powerful. You two really do look alike."

Gwen continued, "And I have a feeling that something big is about to happen. In recent days, although Tony Stark has closed its military industry, there have been eyewitnesses who have seen gold and red armor flying in the sky, which may be Tony Stark."

"There's also the Mutant Act, which is being debated in Congress every day, and now there are all sorts of unknown, powerful black armors appearing."

"New York may be heading for a rough patch."

This girl's intuition was frighteningly sharp; even in a world before Michael Jackson, it still shone brightly.

Lin Nan asked, "So you need to find out what that black armor is, right?"

Gwen nodded: "At least we need to know which side he's from and whether he poses a threat to my father. Peter said you're good at analysis, and I'd like to hear your opinion."

Lin Nan subconsciously tapped the table lightly and began to think.

As it stands, Gwen's attitude is not hostile, but rather filled with curiosity and concern.

Should we subtly reveal some information to steer her toward our side?

Gwen Stacy, who stands on their side, possesses valuable resources within the police force, and has keen insight, is also a very valuable ally.

He then said, "My view is to observe until we have more information and not to make any proactive contact."

"Judging from the report, the damage it caused was quite terrifying, and it would be very dangerous to make contact with it rashly. But considering that it attacked arms dealers and disrupted a transaction..."

“He is at least not a terrorist criminal, but that does not mean he is safe.”

Gwen took a sip of her milkshake and concluded, "Neutral, leaning towards the side of order?"

Lin Nan nodded: "You could say that. If possible, I suggest your father not to investigate further. Judging from the destructive power of this black armor, this incident has exceeded the scope of what ordinary police can handle."

“I understand, and if possible, I will remind him…”

Then, that topic ended, and the three began discussing the relatively safe academic field.

Peter breathed a sigh of relief and actively participated in the discussion, fully demonstrating his ingenious ideas as a technical genius.

Lin Nan also offered several feasible improvement ideas, which gave the two of them a pleasant surprise.

Although the atmosphere became more relaxed again, Lin Nan felt a bit more pressure.

Gwen Stacy noticed this, but what about the others?

Did that bald, one-eyed man suspect him?

Late at night, Lin Nan once again entered the red space of lucid dreaming for training.

This time he didn't rush to start the activity, and the synchronization rate has now been maintained at over 20%.

Today he decided to explore the inside of the dream capsule.

The original work didn't provide much detail about the dream capsule, but this is a real world.

He needs to understand the tools he has in detail in order to uncover all the potential power they can possess.

Lin Nan completely immersed his consciousness into the chibi-style figure, where crimson light flowed, forming an extremely complex crystalline structure.

Continuing deeper, he discovered a huge spot of light.

"This is... the state inside the capsule. What does this point of light represent?"

Lin Nan tried to touch the point of light with her consciousness.

With a whoosh, an even more violent impact force than usual surged into his consciousness.

Like a wild beast unleashed, it wanted to crush and destroy everything.

Lin Nan's body swayed a few times in her dream, and she quickly cut off the connection.

The slightest touch nearly crushed his body with that violent force.

Lin Nan gasped for breath, wiping away non-existent cold sweat.

"Is this the other side of the shock? If I trigger it in reality, will my abilities go out of control?"

In the original work, each dream capsule comes from the power of nightmares. Under the concept that enemies and allies share the same origin, the possibility of losing control is not impossible.

He no longer dared to touch the light spot easily, and instead invaded other areas with his consciousness.

Speed, explosiveness, breakthrough, shockwave—various concepts flooded my mind, making them extremely obscure and difficult to understand.

"Could it be that the first one drawn in the original work wasn't the basic form?"

This discovery greatly encouraged Lin Nan, as it meant that the potential of the impact pattern was far greater than he had imagined.

Even without a new form, he can gain more power.