Dan nodded. "That's right, I do have a candidate in mind." He signaled Izu to retrieve a file and project it onto the screen.
In reality, for something as simple as connecting to the network, Dan could have accomplished it instantly with a mere thought using Kamen Rider Chronicle. Letting Izu and Azu handle it was slightly superfluous, but the two secretaries had actively requested to do it.
Dan happily agreed. It wouldn't take much extra time, and a necessary sense of ritual was important. As the Game Creator behind the scenes, he couldn't very well do every little trivial task himself. Besides, using the Chronicle system for such minor matters did feel like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
The screen flickered, and the avatar and profile of an incredibly massive, bald man with the file code "Kingpin" appeared.
Kingpin, real name Wilson Grant Fisk, was the biggest crime lord in New York, and perhaps the entire United States. He was meticulous, with an intellect far surpassing the average person.
"This guy is really built. He must weigh at least three hundred pounds, and that doesn't look like fat, does it?" Evolto exclaimed with a sigh.
"That body, which looks like a mountain of flesh, is indeed all muscle," Dan said indifferently.
Kingpin looked incredibly massive. His sheer size often led people to subconsciously assume he was just morbidly obese, covered in fat like a common overweight person. Under normal circumstances, a human of that size would absolutely be a fat person.
But Kingpin was obviously different. Over ninety percent of his body was actually muscle, giving him astonishing strength. He could punch through a wall with his bare hands; to some extent, he had already surpassed the realm of normal humanity.
Furthermore, he was a world-class combat expert. In terms of pure physical combat, perhaps no one other than those superhumans could defeat this emperor of the New York underground.
Wilson was known in the criminal world as the Kingpin, meaning the "main brain." His criminal network spanned the globe, and he was the undisputed king of the New York underground.
"Should I go contact this Kingpin now? While his influence is large, he is merely a gang leader. Before the power of the Life Foundation, he has no room for resistance. MetsubouJinrai could completely suppress this Kingpin," Ark asked Dan, having scanned the data and located Kingpin via the network in an instant.
"No rush. We will approach this agent only after the high-grade Gold Memories are fully perfected." Dan smiled lightly and shook his head. "I have never liked forcing people to work for us using brute force alone. Once we let him experience the power of the Memories, surely he won't easily give up such strength."
After all, doing things with a gun to the back of one's head hardly fostered conviction or resolve. And it was human conviction and resolve—and the infinite possibilities born from them—that Dan valued.
"To possess the power of the Memories, he must work for us? Selling Gaia Memories... Boss, which Memory are you planning to give him?" Evolto asked curiously.
Dan smiled faintly, his tone cryptic. "Terror. Mr. Kingpin might just make for a perfect Emperor of Terror."
"By the way, Boss, when the Memories are finished manufacturing, get me a powerful Gaia Memory to play with too," Evolto suddenly said with interest.
"Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I was already planning to equip you with one," Dan smiled.
After a pause, Dan's tone shifted, carrying a teasing note. "However, a Gaia Memory requires a user that matches it to truly bring out its power. The Memory I've prepared for you is no ordinary one. It is known as the King of Memories and possesses immense power. It won't be that easy to master. Don't tell me you'll need me to use the power of the Chronicle to help you tame it when the time comes?"
"King of Memories? Sounds pretty impressive. But I am of the Blood Tribe; I consume planets as prey. A mere Memory constructed from Earth's data won't trouble me," Evolto said with complete nonchalance.
"But you aren't in your Complete Form right now. You don't even have the Evol Driver," Azu reminded him with great "kindness."
Evolto's eye twitched at the remark.
"The King of Memories: Utopia."
Ark, who was responsible for producing the Gaia Memories, spoke in a flat, mechanical tone. "Evolto, among the Gaia Memories—excluding the Eternal Memory in the Master's hand—Utopia possesses absolute, overwhelming power over the others, earning it the title of King of Memories.
"Utopia: Possesses the power of hope. It can absorb the abilities of opponents and convert them into abilities suited for itself. The cane it wields can freely manipulate the air and existing attributes of nature: it can create fissures in the earth, lightning, tornadoes, etc., and can also levitate opponents. While its power far exceeds other Memories, the corresponding Memory Toxin also far surpasses the others."
"Sounds interesting." The corners of Evolto's mouth curled up as he spoke with brimming confidence. "But so what? The situation you describe applies to ordinary humans. I am different. Memory Toxin? Heh..."
"Evolto should have absolutely no problem using the Utopia Memory. It is simply that the level of compatibility will affect how much power the Memory can unleash," Dan nodded and said.
"Hearing the Boss say that, I'm getting more and more interested. It sounds like taming a wild horse." Evolto showed a look of great intrigue and asked Ark, "Ark, when will this Memory be finished?"
"Based on current progress, the manufacturing of the high-grade Memories should be essentially complete within a month," Ark said, lights flashing in his eyes.
"Good. I'll have to savor it properly when the time comes," Evolto laughed.
"Let's settle the Museum plan like this then. When the time comes, Evolto and I will pay a visit to this Kingpin together," Dan nodded slightly.
"Why must the Master go personally for such a small matter? Letting Evolto go should be enough," Azu suggested.
"Exactly. It's just a gang leader; why trouble yourself to make the trip, Boss? Since you prepared the Utopia Memory for me, you probably want me to use its power, change my identity, and conduct the Gaia Memory negotiations with Kingpin. Although I don't know how strong this Memory is yet, based on Ark's description, dealing with a mere gang should be more than easy," Evolto agreed.
Dan smiled and shook his head, pulling the Eternal Memory out of thin air and toying with it in his hand. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I happen to want to use the power of the Eternal Memory myself."
Come to think of it, Dan had never appeared in front of others in the form of a Kamen Rider, so he was actually quite eager to try it.
"Understood!" Evolto smiled knowingly. The Boss just purely wants to play.
"I want to go too," Azu said expectantly, resting her hand on Dan's shoulder.
"You two still have to help me handle the conglomerate's affairs. Besides, it won't take much time," Dan gently patted Azu's small hand.
"Master," Izu, standing to the side, suddenly spoke up, her eyes lighting up.
"What is it? Is something wrong?"
"It is a communication from Brave and Snipe at the Holy City University Hospital." Izu swiped her hand in the air, projecting a virtual screen.
Dan nodded and spoke to Ark and Evolto. "The Life Foundation needs to finish the Gaia Memory production as soon as possible. That is all for today; I have other matters to attend to."
"Yes!" Ark and Evolto responded, then cut the connection.
Dan turned to Izu. "Izu, put the call on the big screen."
"Yes, Master."
The screen on the desk lit up. Li Hua and Elena were already sitting in the secret room beneath the hospital. Having waited for some time, Elena couldn't hold back the moment the call connected. "Boss, we have something we want to discuss with you regarding the Bugsters."
Dannodded slightly, a smile on his face. "Riders, just say what's on your mind. Have you encountered some difficulty?"
Secretly, he had already queried the sequence of events and was fully aware of the situation.
The two looked at each other, then spoke with somewhat heavy voices. "When we transformed into Riders to fight the Bugster monster earlier, we failed to eliminate it. It escaped. As a result... the patient infected with the Bugster virus couldn't wait for us to find the monster and... disappeared."
"This isn't your responsibility. Accidents are unavoidable. Just think of it as a medical surgery; surgeries also have a failure rate," Dan comforted them.
"My surgical success rate is one hundred percent," Li Hua said through gritted teeth.
Dan naturally knew this, which was exactly why he had phrased it that way.
"So, what are your thoughts?"
Li Hua nodded heavily. "We believe that this failure was partly because the Bugster monster was too fast. But it was also because we always arrive at the scene only after the Bugster virus has fully erupted. Every time, we are essentially mending the fold after the sheep is lost.
"If we could make preparations in advance this time, we could specifically counter that Racing Game Bugster and find a way to limit its speed. If we solve the Bugster virus in a timely manner, there won't be unnecessary patient casualties. Therefore, we must prepare in advance to save more patients."
" 'Mending the fold after the sheep is lost'... meaning fixing the fence only after the sheep has run away? You're right. We must prevent it in advance to avoid unnecessary casualties for many patients as much as possible," Elena thought for a moment, deciphering Li Hua's meaning, and voiced her agreement.
"Li Hua likely only used the literal meaning of the four words 'Mend fold after sheep lost'—meaning we only patch things up after the accident has happened—without intending the meaning of the second half," Dan explained with a teasing tone and a slight curl of his lips.
"But the idiom itself is a metaphor for finding a way to remedy a problem after it occurs so as to avoid future losses," Izu blinked, tilting her head slightly to look at Dan.
"Don't worry about these trivial details! Your Chinese idioms are really hard to understand," Elena said, unable to stand it anymore.
"True enough. Let's talk business. Looking at you two, you must have a plan," Dan nodded and addressed Li Hua and Elena.
"Our opinion is..." Elena nudged Li Hua, who was slightly zoning out. "Stop spacing out. So what if you used a phrase wrong?"
Li Hua's eye twitched. He glared at Elena and said, "The two of us think we should gather patients infected with the Bugster virus at Holy City University Hospital for treatment ahead of time. That way, when the Bugster monster appears, we can immediately understand the situation.
"And by setting up the layout in advance, we won't let the Bugster monster escape like last time."
"Correct. As doctors, we cannot always wait until the disease flares up to act. We should begin prevention during the incubation period," Elena nodded firmly.