Starting with the Decade Driver, Messing with School Beauty

Qing Mu is not an unreasonable person. Thinking about his past dealings with Lì huā, he understood her cautious and cunning nature.

“You’re right. That woman is very cunning, and she won’t take risks easily. It might not be easy to arrange this, Uncle. You do your best, and if she doesn’t take the bait, it’s okay. I’ll think of another way to talk to her in person,” Qing Mu replied.

“Thank you for your understanding. Rest assured, I’ll take this matter seriously,” Lin Zhendong said. He was counting on Qing Mu’s help to deal with Eternal Technology Inc. and expose their deceitful actions. Naturally, he couldn’t afford to take it lightly.

Qing Mu understood this and didn’t press the matter further.

“Alright, Uncle, I assume you called me here today for this matter only? If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave and get some rest. Today, I’ve absorbed a lot of information, and I need some time to digest it and make sense of everything.”

Today, he had received an overwhelming amount of information, and Qing Mu felt the need to process it all and piece together the puzzle of his past.

“Of course, you’ve done enough for today. You can go rest. Thanks for your time,” Lin Zhendong replied. Then, he turned to Lin Qianqian and said, “Qianqian, can you escort Qing Mu back?”

“Sure thing, Dad.”

“Goodbye, Uncle,” Qing Mu bid farewell to Lin Zhendong. Afterward, he left the office with Lin Qianqian.

Once Qing Mu had left, Lin Zhendong took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

“From the looks of it, this Qing Mu should be somewhat trustworthy. However, I wonder who his parents really are and why they are so mysterious. I hope they aren’t our enemies. Having such formidable adversaries would not only be a misfortune for Dragon Country but for all of humanity,” he pondered aloud.

Even though he spoke optimistically, Lin Zhendong couldn’t shake the feeling of unease about Qing Mu’s enigmatic origins.

People like Lin Zhendong are indeed skilled at reading others, and they wouldn’t easily place complete trust in someone like Qing Mu. Both parties were aware that their cooperation was based on mutual interests, and they were careful not to let their guard down.

In such a relationship, trust is fragile and can be easily shattered if any unexpected events or revelations occur. For now, they maintained a working alliance, but the depth of trust between them was limited, and both Qing Mu and Lin Zhendong knew it. The true test of their collaboration would come when faced with critical challenges or unforeseen circumstances.

………

“Qing Mu, I didn’t know you had such a background. I used to think your personality was a bit difficult to get along with, but now I understand.”

As they walked along the street, Lin Qianqian observed Qing Mu’s changed demeanor and couldn’t resist breaking the silence with a conversation.

Qing Mu managed to force a slight smile. “It’s alright. I already knew some of it before, and while today’s revelations were shocking, I can still accept them, at least well enough not to have a breakdown.”

He had indeed come dangerously close to a breakdown earlier, but he remembered certain things that helped him regain his composure. Otherwise, he might have resorted to causing a scene and venting his frustrations.

“So, what are your plans moving forward? If your parents really… How would you choose?” Lin Qianqian cautiously probed Qing Mu’s attitude.

Lin Qianqian wasn’t naturally suited for intelligence-gathering work. She couldn’t help but ask such a direct question about Qing Mu’s feelings.

Qing Mu threw the question back at her. “Let me ask you then. If you were in this situation, what would you choose?”

“Me?” Lin Qianqian hesitated for a moment, considering Qing Mu’s ordeal. She then shook her head. “I can’t say for sure. I wouldn’t know what to do either. It’s like every choice feels right and wrong at the same time.”

“You can’t even decide for yourself, yet you’re asking me? Are you trying to provoke me?” Qing Mu rolled his eyes.

He wasn’t as morally upright as a typical hero. A regular protagonist in this situation would unhesitatingly stand on the side of justice and pledge to eliminate evil, even if it meant confronting their own parents. But Qing Mu was still grappling with his emotions.

If his parents were indeed villains, true demons, what should he do? Should he maintain a united family front, or should he embrace filial piety and righteousness, even if it meant turning against his own flesh and blood? After all, his parents had shown him love and warmth throughout his life. If he hadn’t experienced all this firsthand, he wouldn’t have believed the horrifying past his parents seemed to have.

Lin Qianqian almost lost her temper at Qing Mu’s response, but she reconsidered when she thought about Qing Mu’s formidable strength compared to her own. She realized that she couldn’t afford to provoke him.

Miss Lin had no choice but to acquiesce quietly.

In an effort to alleviate the awkward atmosphere, she shifted to a lighter topic.

“By the way, I heard that you’ve been getting close to Li Ling’er these past few days? What’s going on between you two? Have you developed a mutual attraction? If so, congratulations are in order. Li Mingwei, Li Ling’er’s father, ranks among the top ten wealthiest individuals in Dragon Country. Being with Li Ling’er would certainly bring you substantial benefits.”

“You’re overthinking it,” Qing Mu replied. “I do have a connection with Li Ling’er, but not the type you’re thinking of. You could say I’m her mentor.”

Intrigued, Lin Qianqian gazed at Qing Mu and asked, “Her mentor? What kind of mentor are you? What can you teach her?”

“What if I told you that Li Ling’er is also a Masked Rider?” Qing Mu raised an eyebrow. “And not just any Masked Rider, but a very special one.”

“A special Masked Rider?” Lin Qianqian inquired further. “Please, do tell.”

“Li Ling’er, along with her best friend, are descendants with the bloodline of the gods, carrying the power of Masked Rider Agito.”

Qing Mu’s words brought Lin Qianqian to a halt, and she stared at him in astonishment. “Bloodline of the gods? Qing Mu, you can’t be serious, right? Isn’t this the stuff of fantasy novels? It doesn’t seem to fit with our world. Awakening the power of Agito is exceedingly rare here, and there are already numerous Masked Riders. Many people can’t even distinguish Agito from the others. As a result, there is no detailed information about Masked Rider Agito provided by the Dragon Country authorities.”

Qing Mu smiled and explained, “Although it may be difficult to accept, it’s true.”

“She possesses the bloodline of the divine Light God, and upon awakening, she gained the power to transform into Masked Rider Agito.”

“Because this ability comes from the bloodline of the gods, it grants her unlimited potential.”

“I didn’t want her to waste this power, so I became her mentor, teaching her how to harness this strength and become stronger.”

Lin Qianqian listened in disbelief, struggling to absorb this newfound information.

“So, Li Ling’er’s transformation into a Masked Rider isn’t achieved through technology but through her own awakening, is that what you mean? Is she still considered human? Based on this, she should be… categorized as something extraordinary,” Lin Qianqian mused.

In her eyes, regular humans were supposed to have no special abilities and be entirely ordinary. Anyone with abilities surpassing the norm should be classified as extraordinary. Li Ling’er, who could transform into a formidable Masked Rider, certainly fell into that category.

Qing Mu hadn’t anticipated Lin Qianqian’s keen insight, as she seemed to grasp some fundamental principles of the situation. He proceeded to explain,

“Actually, if you think about it, Masked Riders themselves are a kind of anomaly, aren’t they? For instance, Masked Riders who use the Sengoku Driver derive their powers from LockSeeds, which are created from unknown fruits. Inves creatures also feed on these unknown fruits and thrive on the energy they provide. When you consider it carefully, there’s not much of a difference between the two. Humans could be considered a form of humanoid monsters.”

It was the first time Lin Qianqian had heard such a perspective. Although it sounded somewhat absurd, it also made a peculiar kind of sense.

Lin Qianqian scratched her head, “So, are all Masked Riders and monsters essentially the same? It feels both odd and yet oddly acceptable.”

Seeing Lin Qianqian caught up in this dilemma, Qing Mu gently patted her shoulder, “Well, let’s not dwell on these questions for now. Anything that’s unclear can be pondered later. Instead, focus on honing yourself and becoming stronger.”

“Fair enough,” Lin Qianqian readily set aside that question and shifted her focus to another matter, “By the way, you mentioned earlier that Li Ling’er possesses the bloodline of the divine Light God, allowing her to transform into a Masked Rider. So, are there truly gods in this world? Besides the Light God, are there any other gods?”

Qing Mu affirmed, “Yes, I can say with certainty that there is more than one god in this world. Some of them are currently dormant, others have disappeared from this world, and some might have even perished. But every god possesses tremendous power. Even with the power of my Muteki Gamer form, which is formidable, I can’t say I’m confident in defeating a god.”

Muteki Gamer’s form was indeed powerful, but Qing Mu had not yet perfected his control over it. While he had confidence in contending with a god, actually defeating or killing one was a different matter.

“Even if you were to unleash the brilliant power we just witnessed, you still couldn’t defeat a god? Are gods really that powerful? If we used the most potent human weapons available, is there any hope of defeating a god?” Lin Qianqian became increasingly animated.

As a product of modern scientific education, she believed that there was likely nothing in this world that couldn’t be resolved with a nuclear bomb, or if necessary, a hydrogen bomb.

“Hahaha!” Qing Mu suddenly burst into laughter, “Let me put it this way, even if I were to employ the dazzling power we just witnessed, and you placed every hydrogen bomb and nuclear bomb in the world around me, simultaneously detonating them, not a single scratch would come my way. Do you think human strength alone could defeat a god?”

He continued, “Forget hydrogen bombs and nuclear bombs. With the power of my Muteki Gamer form alone, I’d be impervious. Gods are on an entirely different level. So, the idea of defeating them with human weaponry is out of the question.”

Qing Mu had ventured into black holes unscathed and surfed the fiery seas of the sun without a hitch. However, his “modest” statement was primarily to ease Lin Qianqian’s concerns.

“???”

Lin Qianqian was left with three giant question marks hovering above her head.

“Qing Mu, are you kidding me? Your power is this incredible, yet it might not necessarily defeat a god? How insanely powerful are these gods you’re talking about?”

It was beyond her imagination. Lin Qianqian, with her scientific upbringing, couldn’t fathom just how formidable these gods might be.

Listening to Lin Qianqian’s questions, Qing Mu recalled the confrontation in Kamen Rider Gaim where White Armored Rider, as a god wielding the power of the Golden Fruit, effortlessly obliterated hundreds of missiles with a mere gesture. Human methods were utterly futile against White Armored Rider. If he wished, he could likely reduce the entire world to rubble within ten minutes, turning it into a wasteland.

That was the true power and ability befitting a god.

And later, the antics of the Orange God, who was even more outrageous. To permanently eliminate the Dogma Ghouls, who possessed the power of three thousand worlds, he casually delivered a Rider Kick that shattered three thousand worlds simultaneously, preventing their revival.

In the world of Riders, anyone affiliated with gods boasted terrifying strength.

Qing Mu refrained from disclosing these awe-inspiring feats of the gods, fearing that they might be too overwhelming for Lin Qianqian to handle.

“You won’t be able to imagine it fully until you encounter those gods in person,” Qing Mu responded. “I believe that day might not be too far off. Given the time that has passed, some of these gods are likely becoming impatient.”

“Qing Mu, will these gods stand with humanity? Or will they help humanity eliminate the monsters?”

“It’s uncertain. Some gods are fond of humanity and willingly offer their aid selflessly. However, there are also gods who harbor deep resentment toward humanity and wish to annihilate them all. You’d better work hard, enhance your abilities, and strive to acquire the power to slay gods. Otherwise, your fate might ultimately be at the mercy of these gods.”

Qing Mu’s words weighed heavily on Lin Qianqian’s heart, like a massive stone. She believed that Qing Mu wouldn’t fabricate such matters to deceive her. If Qing Mu had said it, it was likely true.

Previously, she had believed that monsters were humanity’s greatest threat, and that eliminating all the monsters would bring peace to the world. Now, she realized that monsters might not be the greatest threat after all. The true menace, one that had yet to reveal itself, was even more daunting.

As the gods began to reveal themselves one by one, it marked the true beginning of a catastrophe.

“Qing Mu, can I tell my father about all this?” Lin Qianqian asked.

“It’s up to you. If you want to, go ahead. It’s not really a secret, and the sooner you all know, the better prepared you’ll be,” Qing Mu replied.

“Thank you, Qing Mu. However, I have one more question for you,” Lin Qianqian continued.

“Go ahead,” Qing Mu replied.

“How do you know all of this? Did your parents tell you?” Lin Qianqian was curious about the source of Qing Mu’s information. These things were unknown even to their Dragon Country officials. How did Qing Mu come to know about them?

The only plausible explanation was that Qing Mu’s enigmatic parents had informed him.

Little did she know that this information was readily available online in another world.

Of course, Qing Mu couldn’t reveal this to Lin Qianqian.

“Some of it I heard from others, some I researched myself, and some I witnessed with my own eyes,” Qing Mu admitted.

He explained further, “I discussed it on forums, read through formula books, and followed TV show plots.”

Qing Mu had essentially divulged the truth to Lin Qianqian. How she chose to interpret it was up to her.

“Witnessed it? Does that mean you’ve actually seen a god?” Lin Qianqian asked, her eyes widening in astonishment.

She had just learned of the existence of gods in this world, and Qing Mu claimed to have seen one. The disparity between people’s experiences seemed almost unbelievable.

“I saw them from a distance, but there was no direct contact. At that time, I was still weak and powerless,” Qing Mu explained.

Seeing a god through a television screen meant there was no opportunity for personal interaction. Moreover, at that time, Qing Mu was just an ordinary person without the ability to transform into a Masked Rider, making him quite powerless.

Qing Mu continued to maintain an air of mystery, subtly revealing tidbits of truth in a cryptic manner.

“I’m becoming more and more curious about you, Qing Mu. What have you experienced in your past? It feels like your life in the past ten years has been more exciting than most people’s entire lifetimes,” Lin Qianqian said, her gaze fixed on Qing Mu, as if trying to see through him.