"Boss, have those people focus their attention on Tony Stark? You mean letting Tony Stark take the pressure from all sides for us? As a scapegoat?" Elena asked, her expression shifting. "But how would those agents even connect our Rider system to Tony Stark?"
"Scapegoat is the wrong term," Dan said seriously. "It's just about having him stand in the spotlight to attract attention, while you fight the Bugster monsters behind the scenes."
Li Hua's expression turned amused. "So our transformed Kamen Riders, Brave and Snipe…
I think I understand! So that's the point, Boss Dan's reasoning."
"Oh? You two understand it? Stop being coy—tell me!" Elena asked, curious.
"Don't you think our Kamen Rider forms look similar to Tony Stark's Iron Man suits?" Li Hua smiled.
"Similar? Are you kidding? The art styles are completely different!" Elena rolled her eyes, then complained to Dan, "By the way, Boss, why did you design Brave and Snipe in this style?"
"I'm not talking about visual similarity, but structural or conceptual similarity," Li Hua replied, a little exasperated.
"Structure?" Elena blinked, not quite understanding. "The structural principles aren't the same either, right?"
"Wait, I think I get it now," Elena said, excitement flickering in her eyes. "Exoskeleton armor, right?"
"That's right. Even though we know that the Kamen Riders we become through the player drivers and game Gashats are powered by Bugster Virus virus energy, from a normal scientific perspective, while our Rider forms may look… strange, to outsiders, they appear as full-coverage exoskeleton armor."
"And in today's world, the only person openly capable of creating full-coverage exoskeletons with advanced performance and practical combat capability…"
Elena's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Is Tony Stark, the genius weapon inventor and CEO of Stark Industries.
Logically, if an unfamiliar full-coverage exoskeleton suddenly appears in New York, even if Stark didn't make it, anyone would suspect him.
And if those two exoskeletons somehow connect with Tony Stark, anyone would link the two together!"
Elena's gaze shone as she looked at Dan.
Dan only smiled mysteriously, saying nothing.
Meanwhile, in Iron Man 2, Tony Stark responded to government hearings on the Iron Man suit by presenting videos of secret international experiments on full-coverage exoskeleton suits that failed, including those by Hammer Industries and the U.S. military, which led to soldier casualties.
These proved that his Iron Man technology was 10–20 years ahead of the world, impossible for others to replicate, leaving both the government committee and Justin Hammer speechless.
"But there's another point. Why would Tony Stark cover for us and take the pressure from all sides? How can we persuade him?" Li Hua asked, thinking about how to accomplish this. Persuading Tony Stark was an important step.
"That playboy has always been extremely self-centered. It won't be easy to convince him," Elena said, sharing the concern.
"Previously, when Tony Stark fought another armored opponent and encountered a monster, it was you who saved him.
Though self-centered, Tony Stark distinguishes between gratitude and grudges. That life-saving act counts as a debt he owes you.
After returning from the Middle East, he even had the responsibility to shut down Stark Industries' weapons division under pressure. This shows he has a sense of responsibility and awareness.
Find a chance to explain the dangers of the Bugster virus to him. He should help—he doesn't need to make a public statement. He just needs to maintain an ambiguous stance, neither admitting nor denying anything, enough to distract others," Dan said confidently.
"Although that sounds reasonable, Stark seems to have his own problems now. Can he really handle it? What if he betrays us after we approach him?" Elena instinctively distrusted the perpetual playboy.
After being kidnapped by terrorists in the Middle East, Tony Stark has indeed changed significantly. You can see that firsthand," Dan said with a wry smile.
"Boss Dan is right. Though I don't particularly like him, as the CEO of Stark Industries, giving up the weapons division that could bring the greatest profit shows he has a line he won't cross, a sense of responsibility and conscience," Li Hua nodded slightly.
"Alright, let's follow the Boss's plan. Find a chance to talk to Iron Man and get him to cover for us," Elena said, her expression flickering.
To be fair, although Elena disliked Tony Stark, his recent actions—abandoning arms trading, donning armor, and acting as a superhero—showed some conscience, even if his personality remained flamboyant and attention-seeking.
"Having Tony Stark cover for you, divert attention, should be enough to hide things for a while," Dan said with a cryptic smile.
"Only for a while? How long? And if someone discovers it afterward, what then?" Elena asked, a little anxious.
"Of course, this is only a temporary measure. Nothing stays hidden forever. There's no wall without cracks. If you want no one to know, don't do it," Li Hua said steadily, nodding.
"'If you want no one to know, don't do it.' It means if you want to keep something secret, don't commit wrongdoing. Misdeeds will eventually be exposed," Izu explained, correcting Li Hua's phrasing.
"Don't misuse it, or we'll seem like wrongdoers," Elena said, laughing lightly at Li Hua.
Li Hua scowled but didn't argue, withdrawing quietly.
"Izu," Dan said helplessly.
"What is it?" Izu tilted her head, eyes blinking at him.
"Nothing," Dan smiled gently. Izu's correction wasn't wrong and looked cute.
"Back to the main point. Originally, all we needed was for Tony Stark to buy you some time," Dan waved lightly, a smirk on his lips. "Once your levels increase, you won't have to worry about these organizations' tricks anymore."
Once the dangers and destructiveness of the virus are realized, Nick Fury, the bald S.H.I.E.L.D. director, would surely seek to ally with you, supporting you and shielding you from probes and pressure.
More importantly, you will possess formidable powers yourselves.
"Boss, what do you mean?" Elena asked. "Why won't we have to worry about these organizations once we level up?"
"As you grow stronger with the game gashats powers, your own power will also increase. Ordinary weapons won't threaten you. Then you won't need to worry about agents from these organizations," Azu said, a sly smile spreading.
"What do you mean?" Li Hua, who had been silently listening, suddenly realized. "Are you saying that using the player drivers and game gashats, we're gradually gaining the power within the cartridges?"
"That's right. As you further unlock and perfect the power, you gradually gain the power within the game gashats."
"So… we'll have superpowers, become superheroes?" Elena said, eyes wide with excitement.
"That might not be entirely good," Li Hua said gravely. "The game gashtas' power comes from the virus. Gaining this power means, in a sense, we are gradually being infected by the virus."
"This…" Elena looked anxious and instinctively turned to Dani for a clear answer.
Dan looked at them calmly and replied, "In a sense, Li Hua's speculation is correct. Using the player drivers and game cartridges, as your levels increase, you're gradually being exposed to the virus."
He designed the player drivers and game gashats so that before transformation, if you were just ordinary humans, you would be too vulnerable.
After leveling up, the players can harness the full cartridge power, fuse with the Bugster virus, and gain extraordinary abilities.
Just like with the Kamen Rider Gaim's system—deep usage leads to fusion with the system's power, transformation, and surpassing normal human limits.
Future Rider systems in the story will have similar setups.
(End of Chapter)