Without any memories, Li Tian still didn't know what had happened before he transmigrated here, why he was inside that truck, why his heart was pierced by a dart, and who were the black-clothed people lying dead around him?
Countless questions lingered in Li Tian, or perhaps he should now be called Greer's, mind, yet he couldn't find answers, nor did he know where to look for them. It was like a ship lost in the deep sea, facing dense fog all around, not knowing where it was or where it should sail.
Looking up and around, as far as his eyes could see, the shop signs and bus stop signs were all in English, with not a single Chinese character. The license plates on the vehicles parked along the twelve-meter-wide dilapidated road behind him also bore 'New York'. Coupled with the two identity cards he had already put in his pocket, everything confirmed that he had crossed the Pacific Ocean in his sleep, arrived in this country rumored to be full of fresh air named 'Democracy' and 'Freedom', turned into this thin ethnic Chinese named Gregor Russoff, and even gained the Decade Driver that could transform him into Kamen Rider Decade.
Greer really wanted to curse. He wasn't an orphan; his parents were still alive. What kind of thing was it to throw him into this broken place without his consent, and even directly change him into another appearance? Even if this body was young, in good shape, and handsome, so what? Well, if he could transfer the last point to his original body, he wouldn't mind.
Just as Greer was sighing and feeling down in front of the shop window, a 'gibberish' male voice drifted over from the left with the wind. Although he had somehow become proficient in English without learning, in this country composed of immigrants from all over the World, two languages were clearly not enough. For example, right now, he couldn't understand what was being said.
Turning his head towards the source of the sound, illuminated by the dim light cast by the street lamp, he could barely make out two burly men, at least one meter ninety tall, walking towards him together about ten meters away, smoking cigarettes and talking in a language Greer couldn't understand at all.
The clothes these two men wore were grey and black, making them hard to spot at night. Coupled with their dark skin, they practically came with an invisibility buff at night, making it impossible for Greer to see what they looked like. He could only roughly make out their silhouettes using the street lamp light behind them; they were definitely the burly type.
The street sign next to the dilapidated road Greer was on showed the street name as Fifty-Third Street. Its width could only accommodate four cars side-by-side. Excluding the parked vehicles, the remaining part was just enough for oncoming cars to barely pass each other. The cracked asphalt road had a 'patch' not far apart, clearly indicating that this road was old.
The sidewalk underfoot was pieced together from rough concrete slabs, more than half of the street lamps were not lit, and many walls were covered in colorful graffiti. By no means did it look like a safe, wealthy area.
Although he had never been abroad, he had watched the news, browsed YouTube, and scrolled through Facebook. If you were in a poor area with bad Public Security, it was best not to go out at night, otherwise, you'd quickly learn what it meant to pay for safety.
Moreover, even in his home country, you couldn't just wander around deserted streets late at night, let alone in this country where basically everyone carried guns. The danger level of bad guys was absolutely hellish.
In this unfamiliar place, meeting strangers at night, it was better to stay far away. So, although he didn't understand what these two black men were saying, it didn't prevent Greer from speculating and being wary with the greatest malice.
His thin and small appearance made him look easy to bully, and there was no one around. He had stood by the window for ten minutes just now, and not a single car had passed. If he encountered bad guys, he probably wouldn't be able to call for help even if he screamed until his throat was hoarse.
Therefore, Greer glanced at these two people, then quickly turned and walked diagonally towards the small alley across the road, walking with his back to them, his right hand tightly gripping the Decade Driver, as if holding onto a life-saving straw, muttering in a low voice, "Just passing by, just passing by, why are there so many bad guys?"
Not far away, the two black men, smoking cigarettes, were staggering forward. Seeing Greer crossing the road diagonally, one of them said something 'gibberish' to the other, and the other immediately let out a laugh like a duck being squeezed by the neck. In the silent environment, it sounded extremely loud and terrifying, making one's sphincter tighten just by listening.
The two men looked around; there was no fourth person in sight. They immediately started running, chasing after Greer, who was only about thirteen or fourteen meters ahead. One of them even reached into his pocket and pulled out a folding knife, holding it in his hand, but didn't open it. Clearly, he felt that dealing with such a weakling didn't require a folding knife at all.
"Damn it! There really are so many bad guys!" The moment the sound of footsteps came from behind, Greer cursed in his heart and started running forward as fast as he could. But with his small arms and legs, he couldn't outrun the two burly men behind him, who were both at least one meter eighty or ninety tall. The chase had only just begun for two seconds, and the distance had already been halved. At this rate, he would be caught in just a few more steps.
"It's real, you must be real, otherwise I'll have to sing 'Conquer'." This was the first time Greer prayed so devoutly. He turned into the small alley, saw that it was empty, and anxiously pressed the Decade Driver in his hand onto his abdomen.
The ruby in the center of the dim Decade Driver immediately emitted a faint red light, the same color as the blood-like liquid that had flowed from Greer's wound earlier. This light spread within the Decade Driver, causing fine, hair-like lines to light up on the milky white metal surface, weaving into a six-pointed magic array inside the Decade Driver.
On the surface of the Decade Driver, six light spots, no larger than a thumbnail, appeared. Looking closely, each light spot had a different symbol, representing earth, water, fire, wind, light, and darkness.
The next moment, a silver metal band, four centimeters wide and two millimeters thick, extended from the left side of the Decade Driver, wrapped around Greer's waist, and precisely clicked into the right side of the Driver, forming a belt that firmly secured the Driver to Greer's waist. The instant the belt formed, a Ride Booker, slightly larger than a palm, also appeared out of thin air on the left side of the belt.
"It's real after all, no need to sing." Greer was happier than winning five million yuan. Money could be earned again, but 'singing' would leave a lifelong trauma. The Decade Driver was real, so he could become Kamen Rider, and he didn't need to fear these two ill-intentioned black guys; he could even counter-attack. Thinking this, Greer couldn't help but get excited.
After the belt was formed, the metal frames on both sides of the Decade Driver slid open to the sides, causing the central core to rotate ninety degrees, once again revealing the narrow card slot where the two identity cards were previously condensed from.
And the Knight Card Box on his left waist also automatically opened a similar narrow slit, from which a card popped out and flew forward, spinning, landing precisely in Greer's left hand. The footsteps of the two black men were already close. Greer didn't have time to look at the card. Mimicking the actions in the special effects show, he swung his left arm downwards, and inserted the card in his hand into the slit in the Decade Driver at his waist, which was only the thickness of two cards, with surprising accuracy, as if he had used it countless times and it had become a habit.
After the card was inserted into the Decade Driver, the Driver's core automatically rotated back in the opposite direction, causing the metal frames on both sides to also slide towards the center, once again firmly securing the Driver's core.
At the same time as the sound 'KamenRide Decade!' echoed, one after another greyish-white humanoid phantom appeared around Greer. Zero point zero one second later, all the phantoms surged towards Greer, forming a set of black and white hard armor on his body.