The next few days passed without any major incidents. Chen Ran attributed it to his exceptional luck that day. His life continued as usual: being a 'bounty hunter,' earning money while accumulating Hope Particles. His evolution progress increased daily.
Chen Ran woke up early and practiced a set of punches in the park downstairs. He felt energetic and refreshed. He habitually opened his personal panel. Recently, due to his evolution progress, Chen Ran found himself opening the system more frequently.
"Progress at 99%..." Chen Ran murmured.
Now, only 3 hours remained on the ten-day return countdown. It was about to hit zero. Once the countdown reached zero, Chen Ran would have to leave the Kabuto world and return to the Rider era. He didn't know when he would be able to return. The system offered no clear indication. However, based on Chen Ran's own estimation, there would definitely be a cooldown period. He would only know the exact duration after returning.
"I wonder how Grandma and Nannan are doing." Thinking of them brought an involuntary smile to Chen Ran's face. He realized he was quite the sister complex.
His phone in his pocket vibrated. It was from Mishima Masato, whom he had met earlier through Zect. The phone didn't have many contacts saved, only Kagami, his father, and Mishima Masato himself. The caller ID displayed Mishima Masato.
"Yo, got a mission." Chen Ran smiled slightly. Just in time. His evolution was also just a step away from reaching the second stage. If this bounty mission was successful, he would not only receive monetary rewards but also complete his evolution! His plan would then proceed smoothly. Chen Ran had initially thought he might get stuck at 99% and have to wait for the next time. He truly had good luck.
As for the Drake card... A few days ago, he encountered a young woman being attacked by an Worm. As he intervened, he met Kazama Daisuke, who had also transformed. After effortlessly eliminating the Worm, the two 'acquaintances' found themselves at odds. Kazama Daisuke felt Chen Ran had stolen his chance to be a hero twice. As fellow Kamen Riders, he believed they were destined to clash, and therefore, they had to fight.
After the Worm was eliminated, Kazama Daisuke immediately attacked Chen Ran, who had transformed into Decade. This suited Chen Ran perfectly. After all, even if it was just a chance encounter, to obtain the Drake card, he would have attacked even if Kazama Daisuke hadn't, just like when he fought The Bee that day. Kazama Daisuke was brave. Thus, Chen Ran's collection of cards increased by one again...
Drake, as a shooter, excelled at long-range attacks. However, Kazama Daisuke couldn't escape the age-old Kamen Rider paradox—shooters love close combat! Yet, their close-combat abilities were weak. Chen Ran easily knocked him out.
He pressed the answer button. Mishima Masato's emotionless voice came through. "There's an Worm at the G-ward dock. Go and deal with it." His words were as simple as ever. Mishima Masato was always like this; he disliked unnecessary talk.
"Alright." Chen Ran replied.
"Also, for any missions in the near future, just give them to Saber Scorpion," he added after a moment's thought.
"Hmm?"
"Actually, I'm an explorer. I'm going out for a bit, maybe to Shennongjia, maybe the Bermuda Triangle. If anything comes up, wait for me to get back~" Chen Ran said with a half-smile.
"..." Mishima Masato remained silent. It was easy to imagine his speechless exasperation. Chen Ran didn't wait for a reply. He shrugged and hung up the phone, unconcerned with Mishima Masato's thoughts. After all, they weren't in a superior-subordinate relationship. Chen Ran was a bounty hunter. Zect paid him to eliminate the Worms that they couldn't spare personnel to deal with. That was all!
In an office within a Zect base, Mishima Masato stared at the disconnected phone, his right fist clenched tightly. His knuckles cracked.
"Tch."
"That guy..." He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting light. A fierce aura emanated from Mishima Masato's seemingly calm face. "Chen Ran, Kamen Rider Decade, a Kamen Rider not belonging to Zect. You are indeed too mysterious. It seems I need to investigate you thoroughly."
Thinking this, Mishima Masato dialed another number. It was a trainee he had personally cultivated. The top student: known as 'Takatora Renge, who can betray the country with a single fried rice'! As a Zect trainee, Takatora Renge learned many things, often quite varied. Espionage was also a very important part of his training. Since Chen Ran wouldn't be in Tokyo for a while, he could start preparing. Once Chen Ran returned, the plan could be initiated. He was a subordinate of Kagami Riku, but such a simple operation didn't require reporting to Riku.
...
Meanwhile, Chen Ran, riding his Machine Decade, sped towards the destination, the G-ward dock, as quickly as possible. It was a cargo terminal where many workers were unloading goods, earning money through their physical labor. Just then, a diligent uncle working there suddenly became strange, walking with a limp like a zombie. A coworker went up to pat his shoulder and inquire about his condition. At that moment... the man gave a peculiar smile, let out a standard villainous 'Heh heh' laugh, and instantly shed his human skin, transforming into an Worm. It was feeding time!
His appearance caused immediate chaos at the dock. In fact, this wasn't the first time the dock had been troubled by Worms, but there was no choice. Whether it was the boss or the workers, they had to continue living. If they didn't earn money, they would starve... Worms didn't appear every day anyway. They lurked among the crowd, mimicking appearances and only emerging when they needed to feed. Zect had received reports before. However, the recent appearance of Worms had become increasingly frequent, and their battles had resulted in significant casualties among the ant soldiers. Furthermore, the 'Light Ant Soldier' trainees couldn't be replenished in a timely manner, leading to a severe lack of combat power. They couldn't provide adequate coverage everywhere. This was why, despite Zect having its own Kamen Riders, bounty hunters like Decade and Sasword were still necessary. It was a dire situation, and there was nothing they could do. Everything could be summarized in one word: Difficult!
Chen Ran had arrived as quickly as possible, but the dock was already in ruins. Goods were scattered everywhere. Some people had been killed, and the Worms had piled up their corpses as spoils of victory. They were still chasing others. Their short legs hopped around, looking quite cheerful. They were enjoying themselves.
"Hoo..." Chen Ran took a deep breath. Even though he already knew that as a Kamen Rider, and being in such a world, life and death separations were commonplace. Reality was not as gentle as depicted in stories. What was shown at this dock was merely a microcosm of the larger environment. Therefore, all he could do was...
"Henshin!" (Transform!)
The Decade Driver and the Decade Ridewatch. This was a best match!
"Kamen Ride: Decade!"
As he walked, Chen Ran completed his transformation. He held the Ride Booker in his right hand and lightly brushed the blade with his left hand. His speed increased, and he suddenly lunged forward. Sweep, slash, cut, stab! Decade executed a set of incredibly smooth basic sword techniques. In reality, flashy skills weren't always better. Honing basic sword techniques to perfection could already make one incredibly powerful. Decade's figure weaved through the Worms like a dancing butterfly. They were all young larvae, so even Clock Up wasn't necessary. Chen Ran finished off his opponents in a flash. He clapped his hands and reverted to his human form. Mission accomplished. Chen Ran indicated he was in a hurry and didn't give the Worms a chance to molt. Consequently, these few Worms didn't even have time to molt before turning into dust and disappearing without a trace.
Seeing that time was almost up, Chen Ran decided to walk around nearby and await his return. At this moment, he opened his card pack and found an unexpected card inside. Kabuto!