Although the virus infecting the student in front of them was successfully eliminated this time, Li Hua's mood was heavy.
This wasn't just because Motos, the Bugster from the racing game who had escaped him before (leading to the patient being corrupted and disappearing), had reappeared and once again slipped away right before his eyes.
More importantly, it was the implication revealed in Motos's words: the Bugsters had formed an organization. How many Bugsters were in this group? And what kind of Bugster was this "Parado," mentioned as the suspected leader, and what were his powers?
Crucially, what was the organization's purpose?
Li Hua quietly glanced at Dan Kuroto, transformed into Ex-Aid, and was impatient to ask about the situation with this "Parado" that Motos had mentioned.
"So, what exactly happened just now? The Bugster Virus? The Bugster monsters?"
"What are those things? And who are you two?"
Gwen watched as one Bugster escaped and one was destroyed, the battle ended, and Basel had calmed down, seemingly okay.
She blinked her eyes and asked the two armored men.
"This is not something you underage students should be concerned about," Li Hua said, preoccupied with the supposed Bugster organization and feeling irritable.
Peter quietly tugged at Gwen's sleeve. Monsters and such were indeed not something they, as ordinary students, should be involved in.
"How can you say it doesn't concern us? Our classmate was just infected with this virus, and then a monster appeared."
"The incident happened right next to us. How can you say it's irrelevant to us? After witnessing a monster like that with our own eyes, how can we just pretend that nothing happened?" Gwen countered with a flat tone, giving Peter an expressionless side-eye.
After hearing Gwen, Li Hua sighed, glanced at Dan Kuroto, and then said, "Since you've been involved and have seen the Bugster monsters firsthand, I will give you a brief explanation."
Peter and Gwen leaned forward, ready to listen intently.
Li Hua then briefly introduced the properties of the Bugster Virus to the two.
"The Bugster Virus... there's such an unbelievable thing in the world?" After hearing the explanation, Peter was filled with emotion and surprise, mixed with some worry and fear.
"Then who are you two? A secret government agency?" As Gwen spoke, her gaze was fixed on Dan Kuroto. Judging from the interaction between the two armored figures, the pink one seemed to be the one in charge.
"We are..."
"Kamen Riders," Dan Kuroto interjected. "You can call us that."
"Kamen? Don't they want to reveal their identities?" Gwen thought to herself.
"Now, we ask that you do not spread the news about the Bugster Virus casually, to avoid unnecessary panic."
"Alright, we're leaving."
As Dan Kuroto waved his hand, a light-filled teleportation circle appeared beneath Li Hua and Dan Kuroto. With a flash of light, they vanished.
"Gwen, what do we do now..." Peter tried to process the information he had just received and asked, looking at Basel lying on the ground.
Gwen snapped back to reality upon hearing him: "We should take Basel to the hospital for a check-up first."
"Okay," Peter nodded.
"Who do you think those two Kamen Riders are? Could they be part of a secret government agency?" While waiting for the bus, Peter, unable to contain his curiosity, speculated.
Gwen shook her head: "They shouldn't be government personnel. Otherwise, they wouldn't have so easily told us, two students, about the Bugster Virus."
"After all, an existence so far beyond reason would definitely be top secret, with strict confidentiality rules."
"Also, when the incident occurred, there shouldn't have been only those two Kamen Riders. There would definitely have been other cleanup personnel responsible for eliminating traces and ensuring no news leaked."
"That makes sense," Peter agreed after giving it some thought. "In that case, those two Kamen Riders must be superheroes like Mr. Stark."
"That is so cool."
"Do you think their armor might have been made by Mr. Stark?"
"Why didn't we ask them before?..."
"I don't know." Gwen frowned slightly, casting a glance at the somewhat excited Peter. She hadn't realized Peter had a talkative side.
"But, the Bugster Virus, Kamen Rider... could it be related to Tony Stark?
Kamen Rider, the masked hero? Regardless of whether it's related to the Stark Industries Group, I will find you." A strange feeling of excitement grew in Gwen's heart, and she secretly made up her mind.
Midtown High School was suddenly devastated overnight and had to close for a week for repairs.
After police investigation, the government, the military, and various other forces also conducted secret inquiries. They suspected the incident was caused by the same type of monster that appeared during the Iron Man vs. Iron Monger battle, and similarly, they couldn't find any traces.
Since there were no bullet casings or gunpowder residue, these special departments became even more certain that the situation was identical to the previous one.
Students were debating the cause. Some believed it was the work of terrorists, others thought it was a mysterious monster from urban legends, and some students even boasted that they were the ones who blew up the school.
Besides the covert operations of various intelligence agencies, another high school girl, Gwen Stacy, also began her own pursuit of the Bugster monster-related incidents. She used her father's position to gather information about the events.
And she might be closer to the truth than these government agents. She firmly remembered Motos the Bugster calling Li Hua "Doctor" and resolutely grasped the "game-style" appearance of the Kamen Riders she had seen.
In the course of Gwen Stacy's pursuit, she had even included the Genm Corporation and Holy City Hospital as targets of suspicion.
Subsequently, Li Hua and Emu went out several more times, eliminating several Bugster monsters. The temporal correlation seemed to confirm Gwen's suspicions further.
However, Dan Kuroto did not interfere with this. If Gwen could indeed find and confirm Li Hua and Elena's identities with only a few clues, then there was no harm in allowing her to possess the Bugster Virus antibody as well.
(End of Chapter)