Kamen Rider ZZZ from the American comic book world

"Everyone on the rugby team calls me Lightning, you can call me that too." The blond boy who called himself Lightning proudly raised his chin, patted his well-developed biceps, and then enthusiastically invited again:

"With a physique like yours, it's a real shame you're not on a rugby team."

"I'm sorry, I'm already a member of the photography group, and I'm in eleventh grade this year, so I haven't considered changing clubs."

Li Ai politely declined the offer and then walked towards the cafeteria.

"What a pity," sighed the blond boy who called himself Lightning.

When Li Ai arrived at the cafeteria, she ran into Peter. After they found a table and sat down, Peter took the initiative to say:

“Mr. Stark’s internship contract is really good. When I showed it to Uncle Ben, his jaw almost dropped. I feel like after these four years, I won’t have to worry about college tuition. I can even buy Uncle Ben a new pickup truck and Aunt May a new set of kitchen utensils.”

Peter was referring to the internship contract that each of the Young Avengers had, which ostensibly provided them with internship opportunities and paid them a full salary every week.

This contract was sent to them privately by Tony and Steve, and it requires the signature of a guardian, except for those with special circumstances.

"Then you'd better do a good job from now on," Li Ai said.

Upon hearing this, Peter glanced around, then lowered his voice and asked Li Ai:

"Senior, Mr. Stark told me that once I sign the contract, I have to undergo training, so when does this training start?"

"Don't worry, the base isn't finished yet," Li Ai reassured them. "We'll let you know when it's ready."

Building the Avengers base is no small matter; if a conventional construction team were to come, it would take three to five years to complete.

But the Avengers have Dr. Pym. They just need to wait for the base design to be completed, build a life-size model, and then use Pym Particles to enlarge it. The whole process can be reduced to one or two months.

Even if it takes one or two months, that's because the internal equipment needs to be debugged; otherwise, the time would be even shorter.

"A secret base? That's so cool!" Peter excitedly pounded his thigh, but he kept his voice down, which looked a little strange.

"Peter, who are you talking to?"

Just then, an untimely voice rang out. The two turned around and saw that 'Lightning,' who had tried to recruit Li Ai into the rugby team, was walking towards them with a girl.

“Lightning, I don’t have time for you right now.” Peter frowned unhappily and waved his hand, trying to get rid of him.

"Peter, you've been very naughty lately."

Lightning quickened his pace toward the two men, raising the plate with his fingers slightly twitching, as if he were about to dump the entire plate of food on Peter's head.

Seeing the 'unfriendly' lightning, Peter didn't tolerate him. The moment the other party approached, Peter dodged slightly, and the cunning lightning tripped and fell on the spot, spilling the baked beans in tomato sauce all over himself.

Li Ai couldn't help but chuckle, then got up from her seat and picked up Lightning, who had fallen to the ground.

"How come it's happening again? Peter, are you having too much luck?" Lightning hadn't noticed anything amiss, only that Peter had been having incredible luck lately, always managing to dodge his jokes.

"Let's go, I'm done eating." Li Ai glanced at the not-so-bright Lightning, and after leaving the restaurant with Peter, she rubbed her temples and asked:

"Is there something wrong with that guy called Lightning just now?"

“There is definitely a problem.” Peter pursed his lips and explained, “Everyone in my grade knows his IQ is only 77, and you know how intense football is, if he gets hit a few more times…”

“I understand, no need to say more.” As she spoke, Li Ai returned to her personal counter.

The courses for ninth grade and eleventh grade are different. After lunch, Li Ai will go to another classroom for class.

After pushing open the classroom door, Li Ai saw Daisy, who was already waiting there, and casually greeted her:

Hey, good afternoon.

"Huh?!" Daisy, who was looking down at her calculator to plan her living expenses, suddenly looked up. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was someone she knew. "Oh, it's you, Li Ai."

Daisy has now lost her status as a S.H.I.E.L.D. reserve agent and accepted the Stark intern contract that Steve handed over to her. As long as she attends training on time, she will receive a generous salary every month.

The awkward thing is that this salary won't be paid until January next year, and Daisy won't get paid in December. Nick Fury last paid her in November, so she needs to be careful with her money this month.

"What are you doing?" Li Ai asked curiously.

Daisy sighed and said helplessly, "I'm planning my living expenses. I'm a bit strapped for cash lately, and I don't think I'll be able to rent a dress for the Christmas party."

“So that’s how it is…” Li Ai nodded.

By this time, Daisy had also received the result: she would simply have to be frugal this month, and next month she would receive a much larger salary.

"By the way, have you received an internship offer from Stark International?" Daisy asked casually, but her eyes were fixed on Li Ai's expression.

Among the current group of teenage Avengers at Midtown High School, Daisy and Gwen are unaware of Li Ai's identity; they only know that Kamen Rider ZZZ is also at the school.

Daisy came to Midtown High School in the first place to find Kamen Rider ZZZ. Although she was no longer a prospective agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., she still had some obsessions.

Li Ai said without changing her expression, "An internship invitation from Stark International? No, I was an intern at Osborne before."

Li Ai did not deceive Daisy; he indeed did not take the internship contract.

Since Li Ai is legally an adult, he receives the same treatment as the official Avengers, so he naturally cannot say that he has received an intern invitation.

"That's such a pity..." Daisy said helplessly.

"Stop talking, class is about to start."

After all the classes for the day were over, Li Ai carried her schoolbag and returned home.

After dinner, he chatted briefly with Leon and Ada about school matters before returning to his room.

Li Ai lay on the bed, slowly closed his eyes, and the next second, he entered the dream world.

Chapter 122 No Harming Innocent Teenagers

Nighttime in San Bernardino, Southern California.

Sixteen-year-old high school student Victoria McEnroe is sitting at her bedroom dressing table, which has a fill light and a webcam pointing directly at her.

Victoria McEnroe, dressed stylishly with her hair pulled back and a radiant smile on her face, began introducing a new product to her fans.

“Okay, this is the ‘Sweet Invasion’ Dreamy Foundation Palette. I’ve recently become obsessed with this brand. I actually reviewed their shimmering contour foundation palette in one of my top 10 videos. They are just amazing.”

Her bedroom was decorated in a very girly style, with various posters on the walls and cosmetics and skincare products on the dressing table.

Victoria's parents travel frequently for work, so she has a relatively free life and even runs a personal beauty account on an online platform.

"Next, I plan to use this foundation to create a smoky eye look. You can use a circular motion instead of repeatedly brushing it back and forth like a windshield wiper..."

Just as she was explaining the texture of the eyeshadow to the camera, she suddenly heard a clear sound of a door opening downstairs. She stopped what she was doing, turned around to look at the door, and called out:

"Hey, I thought you guys would text me on your way back."

Victoria assumed her parents, who were away on a business trip, had returned early. She got up, left the room, stood at the top of the stairs, and said to the first floor:

"Dad? Mom? You..."

Victoria's voice suddenly stopped, and the expression on her face froze instantly.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a tall man wearing a black hoodie and a white mask with three holes cut out of it.

The masked man stared intently at Victoria, his gaze as if he were looking at prey, or rather... a sacrifice.

Victoria was startled by the strange man and instinctively ran back to her room, locking the door in her panic before taking out her phone to dial 911.

But just as Victoria was about to press the call button, the masked man kicked open the bedroom door.

With nowhere to run, Victoria kept backing away until her back hit the wall. Looking at the man who had barged into her home, she cried out in panic:

"No...don't come any closer...please..."

Victoria's voice trembled violently.

But the masked man showed no mercy. He raised his hand and pointed a small black pistol at Victoria.

boom--

Gunshots echoed in the small bedroom. The bullet struck Victoria, and she fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Blood gushed from the wound instantly, soaking even the carpet.

The masked man walked to Victoria's side, looked down at the target lying on the ground, and then fired a few more shots.

After shooting a sixteen-year-old high school girl with his own hands, the masked man appeared calm and collected. He turned around, looked at the dressing table, searched for a moment, and picked up a lipstick.

Next, the masked man used lipstick to draw a mysterious pattern on the wall.

The center of the pattern is a dot, the outer edge is an equilateral triangle, and three lines extend from the three corners, ending back at the dot.

The masked man was drawn with great care, every edge was straight and neat, just like a priest in an ancient temple performing a sacrificial ritual with piety.

The next moment, the masked man carried the dying Victoria to the bed and began chanting an ancient incantation.

An invisible force appeared in the room, and the camera that had been kept on recorded everything. However, as the incantation was perfected, the video suddenly began to malfunction violently, and even the sound could not be recorded completely.

After doing all this, the masked man left the scene.

Li Ai also suddenly opened his eyes, his chest heaving slightly, as if he were personally experiencing Victoria McEnroe's tragic experience.

“An assassin with some kind of magical power…” Li Ai rubbed his temples, recalling what he had seen in his dream.

Because of the assassin's supernatural powers, Victoria McEnroe's dream became somewhat different. Therefore, when Li Ai entered her dream, she did not receive a new identity, but instead directly merged into Victoria's first-person perspective.

Li Ai saw the white mask through Victoria's eyes, felt the burning heat of the bullet entering her body through her skin, and endured the bone-chilling fear through her consciousness.

After recalling what she saw in her dream, Li Ai used pen and paper to reproduce the mysterious triangular pattern left on the wall by the masked man, took a picture, and sent it to Dr. Banner, who had regained his citizenship.

Dr. Banner is now a rising star in Kamar-Taj, and his magical knowledge is growing every day.

After handing over the relevant information to the professionals, Li Ai attached the smart receiver to the Mithril Glasses and made a request to Asurada:

"Asrada, now search for information on a 16-year-old high school girl named Victoria McEnroe in San Bernardino, Southern California."

"Searching," Aslarda replied mechanically, as it began to pinpoint the information and draw conclusions.

“Victoria McEnroe, female, 16 years old, was shot last night and is currently in the intensive care unit at San Bernardino Medical Center. She is still in critical condition.”

Meanwhile, footage of local media reports was projected onto the lens.

[Mr. Shining's victim escaped unscathed]

Li Ai's eyelids twitched slightly, and a sense of irritation rose from the bottom of her heart.

“Aren’t these media outlets basically telling the killer that the victim isn’t dead yet?” Li Ai said with a dark face.

"Mr. Shining" seems to be the local name for the masked man in San Bernardino, and Li Ai is 100% certain that this Mr. Shining has mastered some kind of unorthodox ritual.

These kinds of rituals usually refer to some ancient beings unknown to the general public, and would seem very bloody to modern humans.

With this in mind, Li Ai was certain that Mr. Shining would definitely go back to complete the ritual, which meant killing Victoria McEnroe completely.

....................................

Meanwhile, at the San Bernardino Medical Center.

To protect the only survivor of Mr. Shining's attack, police are guarding all entrances and exits, and anyone entering the hospital is required to show identification and undergo a check.

Just when the police thought everything was foolproof, Mr. Shining had already infiltrated the hospital. He attacked a nurse who was about to leave work in the hospital parking lot, changed into the nurse's uniform, and swaggered into the hospital using the nurse's identification.

Using his nurse's identity, Mr. Shining inquired about Victoria McEnroe's whereabouts. He arrived at the police-guarded intensive care unit, presented his nursing license, and spoke in a voice that seemed to possess some kind of magic:

"Good evening, gentlemen. I'm here to change the dressing for the patient in room 3."

The police checked his work ID, found nothing unusual, and let him in.

Mr. Shining walked into the intensive care unit and saw Victoria lying on the hospital bed, barely alive. His mind raced, and just as he was about to take Victoria's life, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Innocent teenagers must not be harmed."

Chapter 123 Mr. Shining

In an instant, Mr. Shining assumed a fighting stance. He looked around and noticed that the light in one spot was a bit strange, and the air there was slightly distorted, like heated asphalt.

Before Mr. Shining could react, a punch left him dizzy and disoriented. He tried to draw his gun, but someone was faster than him.

boom--

With a single gunshot, the optical camouflage created by Li Ai using the projection capsule vanished completely. The nine-millimeter bullet fired by the Silver Ghost pierced into Mr. Shining's flesh, but no blood gushed out.

“You really aren’t human.” Li Ai’s eyes narrowed, and she turned the barrier capsule before Mr. Shining could react.

Barrier!

A green barrier enveloped the entire intensive care unit, completely blocking Mr. Shining's escape route.

Police officers outside the door, hearing the gunshots, tried to come in to check the situation but were blocked by the green barrier.

Mr. Shining pulled out his pistol and confronted Li Ai, saying jealously, "Are you human? You must have sacrificed a lot of things to gain this power, right?"

Seeing that Mr. Shining thought he also gained power through sacrifice, Li Ai retorted with a cold laugh: