Chapter 455

Ge Yehongtai stretched his neck, secretly peeking from behind a tree at this campsite; around were personnel wearing white protective suits, with various precision instruments stored around the campsite.

These unnamed staff members, carrying black cases already filled with fruit, passed through an opened spatial rift and disappeared into the Helheim Forest.

"Is that a passage?" Ge Yehongtai, looking through the crack, saw a huge ring-shaped space; it seemed to lead into the building's interior, which should be their main base.

Since these people are researching here, they likely know where Yuya ended up.

"Hey! I'm here to look for someone; have you seen a person wearing a blue jacket? He went missing here."

Ge Yehongtai walked out from behind the large tree blocking his figure, opened his arms and waved, afraid they wouldn't notice him here.

"How could there be a stranger here?"

The researcher in white protective gear saw Ge Yehongtai emerge from the forest, and his face changed instantly.

They grabbed the boxes and turned to run, all the way into the opened rift; perhaps they needed to hide something from ordinary people, or perhaps they were afraid—these white-suited personnel didn't even take the instruments used to monitor the forest.

"Wait, I really am just here to look for someone."

Ge Yehongtai watched the retreating researchers, made a big leap, chased and jumped to the front of the camp, hoping to stop them and ask questions.

Almost at the same moment, as Ge Yehongtai landed, several piercing flashes of fire suddenly appeared beside his feet.

Although they didn't directly injure him, the shockwave from the sparks flipped him over directly.

"What are you doing?" Ge Yehongtai, in pain, crawled up from the ground, still shouting.

"Who suddenly appeared to attack me?" "Are you Jiang Xia?" Ge Yehongtai widened his eyes in surprise, looking at the white-armored Knight stepping out of the rift.

That was exactly the otherworldly being he had recently fought alongside to destroy, and who had joined the Kamen Rider Gaim team as Zangetsu.

Zangetsu held a melon shield in his left hand, raised a black longsword in his right, with a built-in pistol on the hilt aimed at Ge Yehongtai.

Zangetsu slowly walked from the rift leading to the outside into the Helheim Forest.

"So his name is Jiang Xia—truly valuable information. Do you know more about that man?" A low voice emanated from Zangetsu, stepping closer to Ge Yehongtai.

Wu Dao Guahu terminated the mission to recover the Sengoku Driver after the failure, not only because Jiang Xia hadn't harmed any of them, but more importantly because of his statement that humans who ate the fruit could still retain their sanity.

This was very important to Wu Dao Guahu.

Because the Helheim Forest will completely erode Earth in only ten years, the production speed of the Sengoku Driver is very limited; according to Zhanji Lingma's estimate, after collecting the experimental data on the Driver, the final limit for mass-produced belts would be about one billion, yet the global population is seven to eight billion.

Therefore, to prevent ordinary people from eating the Helheim Forest's fruit and becoming mindless otherworldly beings, before the Helheim Forest completely consumes Earth, the World Tree Group plans to eliminate the excess population in batches.

That is, carrying out a global population slaughter, with the first target being the 200,000 people living in Zehua City.

This is one of the World Tree Group's key projects, the Ark Plan, sacrificing most people to protect the remainder.

However, Jiang Xia's appearance changed all that; if he's telling the truth, he surely knows how to eat the fruit and retain sanity, or at least has some idea.

He doesn't know whether eating the fruit can let humanity evolve, and he doesn't want to know.

He merely wants to know why Jiang Xia can eat the Helheim Forest's fruit and retain sanity while maintaining his human form.

With less than ten years left, knowing the exact method could save many more people.

Before he could act, Ge Yehongtai, who knew that person's identity, unexpectedly appeared in the Helheim Forest at this moment—a great opportunity, for the information he possessed was extremely valuable.

"You mean Jiang Xia, the person who suddenly appeared here? As for him, I don't really know much."

Ge Yehongtai scratched his head embarrassedly facing Zangetsu, feeling that the other party seemed to have no ill intent.

"But why do you look exactly like Jiang Xia after his transformation?" Ge Yehongtai suddenly realized and stared at Zangetsu.

"You really don't know?" Wu Dao Guahu asked again, this time his tone obviously harsh, and the black longsword in his hand slowly aimed at Ge Yehongtai.

"What do you want to do?" Ge Yehongtai warily stepped back a few steps; even if he were stupid, he could see this obvious attack intent.

"I'll make you tell me everything you know." Wu Dao Guahu lunged at Ge Yehongtai.

First knock him out, then it will be much easier to learn from his mouth the information about that person, Jiang Xia.

Ge Yehongtai saw the incoming longsword slash; his body instantly lowered a notch, and the black longsword cut nothing but air.

Actually, at the critical moment, Ge Yehongtai dropped to his knees, then violently threw himself backward, simultaneously kicking Zangetsu's right wrist, performing a very impressive backflip.

"I won't just sit and wait for death; although I don't know what you want to know, I won't say a single word."

Ge Yehongtai took out the orange lockseed from his waist and quickly inserted it into the Sengoku Driver.

"Henshin!"

The orange armor instantly covered Ge Yehongtai's body; he picked up the built-in large orange ball and the black longsword at his waist, leapt into the air, and launched an attack at Zangetsu.

"Hmph! Is that all you've got?"

Wu Dao Guahu held the shield in his left hand and gripped the sword in his right; Ge Yehongtai's twin blades came down hard on the melon shield, but to no effect.

Wu Dao Guahu blocked this attack, his body not swaying even slightly.

He raised his right-hand sword and slashed upward, the blade's tip cutting straight through Ge Yehongtai's crossed twin blades, a brilliant azure blade light fiercely striking Ge Yehongtai's body.

"Bang bang bang!"

Blinding sparks exploded on the orange armor; Ge Yehongtai's body slammed heavily into the tree behind him, falling from midair to the ground, and the armor disintegrated in this attack, its energy reclaimed into the Sengoku Driver.

Ge Yehongtai widened his eyes, looked up at the gradually approaching shadow, finally couldn't hold on, his body went limp, and he collapsed onto the grass of the Helheim Forest.

In this greenish flowing light, Wu Dao Guahu's Zangetsu armor gradually disengaged.

Ge Yehongtai is both Subject One and a person who knows the information; he's very important, time is limited, so let's now conduct a detailed examination of his bodily indicators.

People wearing protective gear poured out from the rift, lifted the already unconscious Ge Yehongtai, and dragged him into the World Tree headquarters.

Wu Dao Guahu also returned with them to the World Tree office.

"Guahu, it looks like you really care about that stranger." As soon as Wu Dao Guahu sat down, the face of Zhanji Lingma appeared on the screen ahead.

"Well, you should have already seen the footage; he can destroy all our combat power with just a light wave of his hand, and he definitely ate the Helheim Forest's fruit. Unlike otherworldly beings, he can retain consciousness and communicate with us, just like an ordinary person—he's absolutely an exception." Wu Dao Guahu said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"Although that's what I said, I don't think he'll willingly hand over the method, after all, sentient otherworldly beings simply don't exist." Zhanji Lingma spread his hands, looking somewhat helpless.

However, beneath Zhanji Lingma's helpless smile lay a hint of madness; the impact this video had on him far surpassed Wu Dao Guahu's mere knowledge of Jiang Xia's existence.

It wasn't about a method to save humanity, but about a way to induce biological evolution.

He had long ago accidentally discovered that some of the otherworldly beings within the Helheim Forest possessed intelligence, and they too could survive by consuming the forest's fruit.

Zhan Ji Ling Ma calls these evolution lifeforms that retain rationality Supreme Overlords.

Currently, the number of Supreme Overlords is uncertain, but it is certain that their strength is extremely strong, just like that man in the video.

If each invasion of a planet by the Helheim Forest is called a cycle, then in the previous cycle, an extremely small number of lifeforms from the intelligent species gained evolution of their race through the power of the fruit and became powerful beings. This time, among the human race, similarly such lifeforms that drive evolution have also been born.

Of course, Wu Dao Guhu does not know this news about the Supreme Overlords.

Zhan Ji Ling Ma originally wanted to tell Wu Dao Guhu the equation for evolving humanity into gods, but who knew Wu Dao Guhu only cared about humanity's survival, completely disregarding his research results.

So forget it; the golden apple of myth can only be pursued by oneself.

Thinking of this, Zhan Ji Ling Ma reminded Wu Dao Guhu:

"We'd better not start a conflict with that man called Jiang Xia for now; the Extreme Battle Drivers have all been sent out, but we still need a bit of time on the data side. Although his appearance is an unexpected surprise, we should still follow the original plan until it's confirmed, so Ge Ye Hirota is not suitable to stay here for a long time."

That man's strength is too great; relying solely on the current Extreme Battle Drivers, it's impossible to capture him, let alone obtain the secret of evolution from his mouth.

He needs time to recover data to make new belts, and then, through the newly developed belts, form a strong team.

Therefore, during this period, he needs to keep that man in Ze Ya City at any cost.

"I understand; saving humanity should indeed require multiple plans. Thank you for the reminder, Ling Ma." Wu Dao Guhu nodded.

"But Ling Ma, you just said the remaining Extreme Battle Drivers have all been sent out?"

"Hmm, I've already had Xiete follow up on the specifics; no problem. The ones selected are all quite good." Zhan Ji Ling Ma chuckled.

"Hmm, I believe you." Wu Dao Guhu nodded, saying, for the sake of humanity's survival, these test subjects can only be sacrificed.

After hanging up the call, a beautiful woman with medium-short hair wearing a black professional outfit suddenly entered Zhan Ji Ling Ma's laboratory.

"Have you sent the Extreme Battle Drivers over, Kou?" Zhan Ji Ling Ma looked at his secretary and bodyguard.

"Hmm, the other party is probably the strongest person using the Extreme Battle Drivers besides Director Wu." the secretary said.

"That's right, after all, he has experience as a special forces soldier; a combat expert would certainly be much stronger than those who only know how to dance." Zhan Ji Ling Ma chuckled, "If he fights Zhan Yue, we'll definitely collect a lot of useful combat data."

Fruit dessert shop.

The Lock Seed merchant Xiete, wearing a black round hat, was sizing up the small-built person in front of him, who wore a blue hoodie, had black short hair, and looked like a student who hadn't left school yet, with a slightly immature face still bearing an innocent smile; he knew this guy.

His name is Wu Dao Guangshi, his direct superior and the younger brother of Wu Dao Guhu.

"What, you want a Lock Seed?" Xiete casually lifted his head to look at this kid from the Wu Dao family; compared to his brother, this guy really looks easy to fool.

"Of course, I want the strongest Lock Seed." Wu Dao Guangshi swiftly pulled out a bank card from his wallet, didn't even look at it, and threw it onto the table in front of Xiete, "I don't just want a Lock Seed; I also want a belt that can use Lock Seeds."

"Having money doesn't matter; you can't just buy a belt." Xiete looked at the gold card placed before him and sighed inwardly.

This thing is an experimental product; whoever wears the belt is just a lab rat.

"The Extreme Battle Driver isn't something just anyone can use; only the chosen can wield it. Moreover, you're Wu Dao Guhu's brother; if that big shot finds out I gave you the belt, I'd surely have no good ending." Xiete said.

"That's true, after all, I also bear the Wu Dao surname." Wu Dao Guangshi nodded, sat directly in front of Xiete, stared at him without showing weakness, and said with a slight threat, "If I later join the World Tree Group, my future will surely be limitless as well; being friends with me now isn't a bad thing."

"You..." Xiete glanced at the innocent little white rabbit in front of him, then burst into silent laughter.

"I admire you, but selling is impossible, because only the last set remains."

Xiete stood up and whispered in Wu Dao Guangshi's ear, "If I drop something when I leave, you must remember to return it to me right away."

After saying that, Xiete adjusted the black round hat on his head and walked straight out of the private room.

"Too bad, I've never been obedient." Wu Dao Guangshi chuckled softly, and on the seat Xiete had left behind lay a forgotten Extreme Battle Driver and an A-Rank Lock Seed.

"With this, Dance Sister should look at me differently, right?" Wu Dao Guangshi picked up the Extreme Battle Driver and Lock Seed, flashing a faint smile.

The matter of the Armored Warrior Team should be handled by the Armored Warrior Team itself; there's no need for outsiders to interfere.

……

"Why did you specifically call us over? If I remember correctly, we should be rivals, right, Ge Wen Jiedou?"

This is the usual practice dance venue of the Baron Team; the entire building has been opened up, bright white tiles neatly laid on the floor, spiral staircases encircling white stone pillars rising upward, and sunlight slanting down through dust-free glass shines on the three people seated at the white round table.

The person who just spoke wore a pair of blue square glasses, a black-and-red striped shirt, and a pink tie around his neck; his name is Jonai Shuho, the leader of the In Vito Street Dance Troupe.

Sitting beside Jonai Shuho was Hatsuse Ryoji, with black long hair, a full face of arrogance, very much playing a gangster, and also the leader of another street dance team.

"That's correct we're rivals, but the Armored Warrior Team is now vastly different; relying solely on ourselves, it's hard to win against Zhan Yue." Ge Wen Jiedou replied, the poker cards at his fingertips fluttering like butterflies.

"Don't underestimate us; we now also have Extreme Battle Drivers." Jonai Shuho took out the Extreme Battle Driver already bound to him from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"That's right, we won't fear Zhan Yue." Hatsuse Ryoji said, raising his head.

"Do you have confidence in beating him?" Ge Wen Jiedou glanced at the two.

When Ge Wen Jiedou asked that question, the originally confrontational atmosphere suddenly froze; after a long silence, he spoke.

"This, we're still planning, still planning." Jonai Shuho pushed his glasses slightly to avert his gaze.

"And you?" Ge Wen Jiedou turned his gaze to Hatsuse Ryoji.

"Huh" Hatsuse Ryoji, who had just said he wasn't afraid, directly lowered his head, like a stalled motorcycle.

No one answered.

They themselves also knew that defeating Zhan Yue was nearly impossible; that guy knocked out Baron with a single move, and that video has gone viral within a few hours.

"Since no one is speaking, then it's up to me." Ge Wen Jiedou put down the poker cards in his hand, took out a string of Lock Seeds from his waist and threw them onto the table, "From now on, I'll replace Xiete in providing you Lock Seeds, on the condition that your two teams join Baron and together oppose Zhan Yue."

"Three Armored Knights plus the otherworldly beings summoned by these Lock Seeds should be able to beat that guy from the Armored Warrior Team."

All the Lock Seeds on the table are what Ge Wen Jiedou extracted from who knows how many fruits in the Helheim Forest; although his luck isn't great, he can make up for it with quantity.

"This should be enough to drag the Armored Warrior Team down from its top throne." Jonai Shuho looked at the string of Lock Seeds on the table shining brightly; with so many, it's practically easy to grab.

"Then let's see the power of the alliance." Hatsuse Ryoji once again filled with confidence.

"So this also counts as a kind of great power; this time I will definitely defeat you, Jiang Xia! I hope you're also getting stronger, otherwise the game would be boring." Ge Wen Jiedou looked at the two excited people, his eyes slightly narrowing.

"Wu, your dance is truly never boring." Jiang Xia supported his chin with his hand, leisurely lounging on the sofa, watching the god-clad Gao Siwu; indeed, the Gao Siwu who became the Origin Maiden is even more beautiful.

"Of course, I'm seriously dancing again; my past self now really likes you." Future Gao Siwu smiled and said, "I can clearly feel the emotions of my past self now; as long as 'I' am by your side, that unfortunate future cannot happen."

"So Wu Dao Guangshi has already turned his gaze toward me now." Jiang Xia spread his hands, "These chuunibyou boys are really a hassle."

"Because I've been treating Guangshi as a brother, I never noticed his feelings for me until the end, so I can only trouble you a bit, Jiang Xia." Gao Siwu walked to the edge of the sofa, knelt down, stroked his face, and gently played.

You think this is bribing me, so I'll go easy on you? Jiang Xia asked.

No, this is your prize. (End of chapter)