128: The mandate of justice

In the dead of night, Shen Mingyuan finally finished processing the backlog of documents on his desk, rubbing his temples with a hint of weariness. He casually opened his laptop, preparing to review a few electronic case files.

The screen lit up, operating smoothly. Just as he clicked to open a certain folder, a pure black dialog box abruptly popped up in the center of the screen. Its style was extremely crude and clashed with the operating System.

In the center of the dialog box was only one line of glaring white text:

[Do you want to become a hero from a tokusatsu drama?]

Below the text were two equally crude buttons: [Yes] and [No].

Shen Mingyuan frowned, his finger hovering over the touchpad. "What kind of messy pop-up ad is this? Are viruses this 'nostalgic' now?"

He muttered to himself, feeling quite disdainful of such a low-grade interference tactic. He moved the cursor and decisively clicked towards the [No] button—the safest response to something of unknown origin.

However, just as his cursor was about to touch [No], the two buttons on the dialog box, as if playing a prank, abruptly and lightning-fast swapped positions!

The original [Yes] became [No], and [No] appeared where [Yes] had been!

Shen Mingyuan's finger had already pressed down! His pupils contracted. Relying on reaction speed and control far beyond an ordinary person's, he forcibly halted the pressing motion in the very last millisecond before his fingertip touched the touchpad! The cursor hovered perilously less than a millimeter above the new [No] button.

"Hmph, clumsy trick." Shen Mingyuan snorted coldly, even more disgusted by this forced-interaction rogue tactic. He moved the cursor again, more cautiously aiming at the button now on the right, representing [No]. This time he watched clearly; the button didn't change again.

He clicked lightly.

"Click."

A faint clicking sound rang out.

Immediately after, something spine-chilling happened: the [No] button he had clicked on "fell off" the dialog box like a cheap sticker peeling away, bounced comically once on the screen, and then... spun in place, transforming into [Yes]!

Simultaneously, the entire black dialog box instantly locked, the rest of the screen forcibly dimmed, leaving only that glaring [Yes] flashing in the center.

"What... what the hell is this?!" Even with Shen Mingyuan's extensive experience and logical mind, this utterly illogical, maliciously teasing electronic anomaly ignited his anger and, more so, set off major alarm bells.

This was definitely no ordinary virus or ad!

At the very moment his shock arose and the thought to forcibly shut down or unplug the power surged—

"Ugh—!"

A sudden, sharp, and excruciating pain exploded from his left wrist!

The sensation wasn't like an external injury; it felt more like countless red-hot steel needles simultaneously piercing outward from inside his wrist bones, accompanied by intense burning and a bizarre feeling of growth!

The pain was too violent and strange, instantly overwhelming his thoughts. He instinctively grunted, his right hand gripping his left arm tightly, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead.

"My hand... my watch!"

He suddenly remembered the "toy watch" Wang Yuan had given him was still on his left wrist! The source of the pain was right there!

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he used his trembling right hand to forcefully push up the suit sleeve on his left arm!

The sight before him made his breath catch.

That "toy watch," originally just oddly shaped with cheap running lights, was now completely transformed!

The dark silver, streamlined watch body seemed to have melted and reshaped, tightly conforming to, even embedding into, the contours of his wrist's skin and bones, transforming into a silver-gray armband filled with biomechanical beauty.

The previously crude lights and interface had vanished, replaced by a jewel-like orb at the armband's center that pulsed slowly like a living thing, emitting a deep crimson glow.

A cold, precise, inhumanly powerful metallic sensation transmitted directly from his skin, and that crimson orb pulsed with his heartbeat, casting a faint red light into his pupils.

On the computer screen, the flashing [Yes] character silently shattered and dissipated. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Only Shen Mingyuan remained, clutching his still-throbbing, now-mutated left wrist, sitting in his chair, face drained of color, eyes filled with extreme shock, confusion, and a sliver of icy anger at being forcibly dragged into an unknown realm.

He stared fixedly at the armband, his voice dry as he forced the words through gritted teeth:

"What... what is this thing?!"

Shen Mingyuan forcibly pulled himself from the initial agony and shock. The Lawyer's calmness and the Detective's investigative instincts began to overpower the fear. He took a deep breath and immediately tried prying and pulling at the silver-gray armband tightly encircling his left wrist with his right hand.

It didn't budge an inch.

The armband seemed to have become part of his body, tightly integrated with his skin, even his bones, with no gaps or clasps. Pulling hard only brought the pain of skin being torn and the armband's own cold feedback. It was like the most stubborn symbiont, firmly locked onto his wrist.

"Cannot be physically removed..." Shen Mingyuan's eyes sharpened, ceasing the futile attempt. His gaze focused on the slowly pulsing crimson orb at the armband's center. This thing was clearly the core. The bizarre "Yes/No" choice on the computer and the subsequent transformation all pointed to its extraordinary nature.

"Is it some kind of... biotech product? Or something even more inexplicable?" he murmured to himself, his logic rapidly processing. The unknown brought risk, but passive waiting was never his style. He had to obtain more information, and information often came from active interaction.

He extended his right index finger, hovering it above the crimson orb. His fingertip could feel a faint, bioelectric-like tingling sensation.

"Risk versus reward..." He weighed it for a second, his gaze firming. "At the very least, I need to figure out what it is!"

His fingertip pressed down firmly.

The touch wasn't hard, but had a hint of warm, supple elasticity.

"Hum—!"

A low hum, seeming to come from deep within his body, sounded! The crimson orb blazed with light!

Immediately after, Shen Mingyuan felt a gentle but immense and irresistible warm current surge from the armband into his left arm, sweeping through his entire body at an astonishing speed! There was no pain, only an indescribable sense of fullness and power coursing through his limbs and bones.

A silver-white, biomorphic fluid substance "grew" from beneath his skin, rapidly covering his arms, torso, legs... The entire process was fluid, swift, carrying a cold, precise beauty. He could clearly feel each armor plate forming, each joint structure locking into place.

In just two or three seconds, the transformation was complete.

Shen Mingyuan (now perhaps better called the armored form) stood in place, instinctively looking down at his hands—they were fists covered in streamlined silver-white carapace, brimming with a sense of power. He lightly clenched his fist, hearing the faint sound of internal structures meshing within the armor, and even more, feeling a force far exceeding his usual limits surging in his muscles. He experimentally swung his arm; the wind it stirred was much sharper than expected.

"This power..." He was inwardly shocked. This was no illusion or trick.

He abruptly turned and strode several steps to the floor-to-ceiling window on one side of the office. The glass, in the deep night, clearly reflected his image.

A silver-white, sharp-lined, futuristic biomechanical armored warrior stood inside. Sapphire blue visor lenses emitted a faint glow in the darkness.

Shen Mingyuan stared at his reflection in the glass, stunned for several seconds.

Not because it was unfamiliar, but because... it looked familiar!

A few days ago, while browsing news, he had glimpsed a trailer and promotional images for an upcoming tokusatsu drama, "silver skeleton." At the time, he just thought the design was good and didn't pay much attention. But now, the image of this armor in the mirror highly overlapped with those promotional images in his memory!

"silver skeleton...?" He uttered the name in disbelief, his voice, filtered through the armor, carrying a non-human metallic quality. "That... tokusatsu drama's... 'prop'?"

Reason told him this was absolutely impossible. No tokusatsu drama prop could bestow such real, tangible power on the wearer, let alone bond with the human body in this near-parasitic manner.

But the facts before his eyes, and that bizarre "ad's" question, "Do you want to become a hero from a tokusatsu drama?", brutally twisted these two seemingly unrelated clues together.

Shock gradually gave way to a sense of extreme absurdity and increasingly heavy suspicion. He raised his armored hands, looking at the "silver skeleton" in the mirror that was both familiar and utterly alien.

"What on earth... is going on?"

As Shen Mingyuan was immersed in immense absurdity and doubt, his phone on the office desk vibrated once, the screen lighting up, indicating a new message.

He instinctively wanted to look, but raising his hand, what met his eyes was a fist covered in silver armor. "...Need to change back first." Remembering the common tropes in tokusatsu dramas, he focused his mind on the armband on his left wrist and pressed his right index finger against the crimson orb again.

The touch was slightly warm.

"Hum..."

The low hum sounded again, but in reverse. The silver-white biomorphic armor covering his entire body rapidly receded from his body surface like a tide ebbing, shattered, dissipated into fine points of light, and finally completely retracted into his left wrist, reverting to the silver-gray armband form, the crimson orb's light fading.

The sense of surging power faded with it, but his body felt no discomfort or weakness; instead, he felt energized.

Shen Mingyuan looked down at himself, slightly taken aback. He was still wearing that crisp suit, but the texture... seemed subtly different.

The fabric was stiffer, the fibers finer, as if perfectly ironed and reinforced, yet it was clearly more than just ironing.

Remembering the feeling of the armor "growing" from beneath his skin during the transformation, a thought flashed—had this suit also been "reconstructed"? He temporarily set this question aside; there were more urgent matters now.

He quickly walked to the desk and picked up his phone. The screen showed a wechat message from an unseen contact: the profile picture was a deep starry sky, the nickname a simple period ".".

**.: Hello. It seems you chose to "agree" to my request.

Shen Mingyuan's pupils contracted. Request? That bizarre "Yes/No" dialog box!

He immediately replied. Shen Mingyuan: Who are you? What is going on?

**.: You may call me "The Forger." I am the creator of the device on your wrist.

Shen Mingyuan: The Forger? Device? You mean this... armband?

**.: Yes.

Shen Mingyuan took a deep breath, firing off questions in rapid succession. Shen Mingyuan: What exactly is it? Why can it make someone transform? And why does the transformed appearance look exactly like the recently promoted tokusatsu drama "silver skeleton"?

**.: In essence, it is a tool that guides the latent power of life. As for the appearance... that is the form of the previous user.

For certain special considerations, the authorities wish to implant a 'controllable heroic symbol' in the public consciousness in advance, to deal with potential cognitive shocks in the future. Therefore, they chose the relatively mild method of a tokusatsu drama for groundwork.

Shen Mingyuan quickly digested this information. Authorities? Special considerations? Cognitive shocks? Each word pointed to a massive iceberg beneath the surface.

Shen Mingyuan: Previous user? What happened to him? Why is this thing in my hands?

**.: The previous Aptitude Holder exhausted his potential from overusing the power and has currently lost the ability to transform; he is recuperating. As for this Unit... it was lost in an incident. I thought it would take longer to find a new compatible individual. Unexpectedly, it was eventually picked up by a child and, through Destiny, ended up in your hands.

Shen Mingyuan looked at the words "through Destiny," remembering Wang Yuan's clear, grateful eyes, his feelings complex.

**.: This world is not peaceful; hidden dangers far exceed ordinary imagination. Shen Mingyuan, are you willing to use this power to fulfill the justice in your heart and protect those who need protection?

Shen Mingyuan looked at this question and did not answer immediately. He walked to the window, looking out at the silent city nightscape. The Lawyer's reason told him that accepting a "power" of unknown origin, involving the authorities, meant endless trouble and unknown risks.

But deep in his heart, that voice from childhood, enamored with deduction, pursuing truth, yearning to "execute justice" in some way, resonated strongly at this moment.

This was no longer verbal sparring in a courtroom, but a more direct, action-oriented method.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a slight arc, somewhere between self-mockery and excitement, as he replied.

Shen Mingyuan: It sounds... like an unprecedented, extremely interesting "commission."

**.: A hero driven by interest, or a warrior driven by mission—it doesn't matter. My only requirement is that the direction in which you use the power must point toward the 'correct' side. If you deviate from this path, I have the ability to sever your bond with the Unit.

Shen Mingyuan could almost imagine the other party's calm yet unquestionable tone saying this. He put away that bit of teasing, his expression turning serious, his reply concise and forceful.

Shen Mingyuan: Don't worry. Justice has long been engraved in my code of conduct.