101: New Federal

Lu Jianchuan inhaled food in the base's private dining hall until he finished his fourth high-calorie compressed block. Only then did he feel the hunger stemming from the depths of his cells finally subside. The physical exhaustion remained, but at least it no longer hindered his normal activities.

Following the route in his memory, he prepared to head to the equipment zone to take a look. However, as he passed a spacious hall labeled 'Exoskeleton Maintenance Center,' he spotted a familiar figure.

Golden Bone was standing before an open maintenance rack. The mechanical exoskeleton on his upper body had been removed, revealing the black skin-tight combat suit underneath. Several technicians surrounded the complex exoskeleton armor, which was currently flickering with occasional arcs of electrical faults, performing emergency repairs and component replacements.

Lu Jianchuan stopped and called out a greeting, "Mr. Golden Bone."

Golden Bone turned his head at the sound. His sharp-featured face held no expression, only offering a slight nod. "It's you. I heard you just finished the testing and data entry for your new form."

"Yes," Lu Jianchuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the damaged exoskeleton, specifically a conspicuous tear on the left shoulder plate that looked like it had been ripped by immense force and left with corrosive marks. "Is this... did you run into trouble during a mission?"

Golden Bone glanced at his equipment following Lu Jianchuan's gaze, his tone flat. "Mm, something that should have been dead and buried started acting up again. Did you see that head I brought back?"

"I caught a glimpse when I passed by," Lu Jianchuan said truthfully. "That thing... it wasn't Prometheus's handiwork, was it?"

"Prometheus?" The corner of Golden Bone's mouth twitched slightly with a hint of cold mockery. "If it were them, I would have told you directly. Those self-righteous 'God-makers' are, for now at least, still messing around within the human realm."

He took a brand-new component from a technician and skillfully began installing it himself while saying, "Since you asked, there's no harm in telling you early. Once you pass the subsequent loyalty and clearance reviews, this information would have been opened to you anyway."

His hands didn't stop moving, and his voice was low and clear. "It's another organization. If Prometheus is a bunch of lunatics who have suffered Qi Deviation, then this organization... is simply not human."

Lu Jianchuan's pupils constricted slightly. "Not human?"

"Correct." Golden Bone snapped a component into its slot with a click. "They call themselves the 'New Federation.' According to the records, they were active decades ago and were classified as an extreme bio-terrorist organization by the International Joint Counter-Terrorism Force. They were put on the purge list, and their main force should have been wiped out. I didn't expect them to resurface recently."

"Resurface?" "Mm. The core group consists of animals whose evo factor has evolved to a high degree of intelligence or has undergone other bizarre mutations. They've gathered together, claiming to represent a 'New Civilization.'"

"An organization made of animals?" Lu Jianchuan found it somewhat hard to believe.

"Think it's absurd?" Golden Bone adjusted the hydraulic System on his arm guard without looking up. "They claim that humans have held the position of Earth's overlord for too long, and it's time for the authority of natural selection to pass to them. The philosophy sounds plausible enough, right?"

He paused, the mockery in his tone growing stronger. "Unfortunately, a leopard can't change its spots. Even if they're forced together, they are still beasts at heart. A lion won't start eating grass just because it allied with an antelope, and a wolf won't sincerely obey a monkey's command. They can maintain a surface peace now only because our 'common threat' as humans is strong enough. Internally, the inter-species hunting, territorial disputes, and power struggles have never stopped; they're a total mess."

He finally summarized with a cold indifference that suggested he had seen it all before. "So, there is a threat, but they won't amount to much. At least for now, their primary goal seems to be fighting for dominance within the mutant biosphere; they haven't reached the point of full-scale war with us. That head belonged to a fool who didn't know his place and wanted to establish dominance by challenging the human city borders."

After saying this, Golden Bone seemed to lose interest in the conversation and refocused his attention entirely on repairing his exoskeleton.

Lu Jianchuan digested this information—a hostile force composed of intelligent animals that had once been wiped out and was now resurfacing... The complexity and danger of this world seemed much deeper than he had imagined.

After parting ways with Golden Bone, Lu Jianchuan left the GUPA Base. Thinking about the unavoidable filming task ahead, he hesitated for a moment before finally walking toward that overly flashy silver-white motorcycle. After all, it was indeed the fastest means of transportation currently available.

The engine let out a low, powerful roar as the streamlined body sliced through the streets, drawing glances from many passersby. Lu Jianchuan tried his best to ignore these stares and focused on riding toward the filming base on the outskirts of the city.

When he arrived, today's filming didn't seem to have started yet, and the staff were making preliminary preparations. Director Zhang spotted him at once and immediately hurried over with a thick notebook, his face beaming with excitement.

"Aha! Little Lu! You're finally here! Perfect, perfect!" Director Zhang cordially put an arm around his shoulder and shoved the script into his hands. "Look, I've finalized the script outline! I guarantee it's both hot-blooded and touching!"

Lu Jianchuan took the script, but before he could even open it, Director Zhang impatiently began explaining his 'grand blueprint.'

"First of all, your name in the show will be your real name, Lu Jianchuan!" Director Zhang waved his hand grandly as if he had made a brilliant decision. "It's so much more personal and realistic! Your colleagues and friends will usually call you 'Little Lu'!"

Lu Jianchuan nodded; he didn't have much of an issue with using his real name.

"And then, the highlight!" Director Zhang grew even more excited, gesturing wildly.

"Your character's role is an armor hero who protects the city! So, I've designed an exclusive transformation sequence for you. It must be cool and full of power! We'll refine that later. The most crucial part is your signature catchphrase!"

He cleared his throat and imitated the tone of a hot-blooded hero, reciting with clear articulation: "When things happen, one cannot just sit and wait for death!"

After finishing, he looked at Lu Jianchuan with shining eyes. "How is it? Isn't it full of power and determination? This line is yours from now on! You have to say it every time you transform or when you're encouraging your companions in a crisis!"

Lu Jianchuan: "..." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. This line sounded... inexplicably familiar, and it gave him a strange sense of shame. But looking at the director's expectant gaze, he eventually swallowed his criticism and gave a forced nod.

"Good, very good!" Director Zhang was very satisfied with his 'approval.' He then flipped through the script and pointed to a section further back. "Now look here! This is the future plotline I've planned for you! It's very important!"

He lowered his voice slightly as if revealing some heavenly secret. "See, you're an Armor Warrior, right? During your battles, you will encounter another hero—Kamen Rider!

Initially, because of some... well... classic misunderstandings—like he thinks you're destroying the city, and you think he's tolerating monsters—anyway, you have a fight! But later, you'll discover that your convictions are aligned, and you'll eventually become best friends fighting side by side!"

Listening to this plot full of déjà vu, Lu Jianchuan no longer knew how to respond.

"But!" Director Zhang suddenly raised his pitch for a dramatic twist. "Before you become friends, as I said, you have many misunderstandings. During one of those misunderstandings, you become certain that Kamen Rider is an enemy."

Director Zhang was full of emotion, as if he were already part of the story. He stared at Lu Jianchuan and spoke in a guiding tone: "At this moment, the conflict erupts! You are extremely disappointed in him and determined to stop him, even... eliminate him! At the moment you make up your mind to break with him completely and prepare to strike—"

Director Zhang took a deep breath and almost roared out the second key line he had designed for Lu Jianchuan: "You just point at him and say: 'The end of Kamen Rider has arrived!'"

The air seemed to go still for a moment.

Holding the script and looking at the director whose face was flushed with excitement, Lu Jianchuan fell into complete silence. He felt the veins in his temple throbbing slightly. For a moment, he was actually speechless.