Kamen Rider Plug-in

But soon, just like someone who buys an official toy and gets bored with it five minutes later, Xu Wenlong shifted back to his original form.

Simple reason: too ugly.

Still, Xu Wenlong also realized why there was so much data on Great Shocker combatants.

Because he'd just discovered that not only could he transform into characters whose data he already owned in the system—

He could also give that data to others, or summon them directly.

Xu Wenlong tapped open the data pack for Kamen Rider Kuuga.

The first entry was naturally Kamen Rider Kuuga himself. The second was the one often joked about as the strongest secondary rider: Ichijo.

The third, in proper order, was Gurongi 0—the final boss from Kuuga's original story.

Fourth was Rose Sister. After that, the records were too old for Xu Wenlong to remember clearly—just a lineup of various Gurongi monsters.

But he did recall a few, like that Porcupine Monster that Yusuke Godai beat to death with his bare fists.

Thinking this over, Xu Wenlong slowly moved his finger down past the data for Yusuke Godai, the protagonist of Kamen Rider Kuuga, and stopped on the interface for Gurongi 0.

"Gotta say—just as handsome as me."

Looking at the projected image of Gurongi 0, Xu Wenlong sighed.

What appeared before him was a figure with short black hair, dressed in spotless white clothes, a faint smile always on his face. If you didn't know what he'd done, you'd probably trust him without a second thought.

But the battle between Gurongi 0 and Yusuke Godai had left a deep impression on Xu Wenlong.

On that snowy mountain—the smiling White Devil versus the weeping Black Warrior...

Staring at the motionless Gurongi 0 before him, Xu Wenlong wondered what personality and identity he should give this being.

If it were the original murder game, there was no Kuuga here anyway, so it wouldn't mean much. And he had no idea how strong Gurongi 0 actually was. In the original story, that guy casually wiped out tens or hundreds of thousands of people.

So if Gurongi 0 turned out to be too weak, Xu Wenlong wouldn't let him out—to avoid drawing unwanted attention with whatever he might do.

"So what level are you at right now?"

Xu Wenlong asked. After all, if this were the original Gurongi 0, he wouldn't hesitate for a second—he'd just send him straight into the fray.

"Our strength is calibrated to match yours, Host. According to the power system of Douluo Continent, I'd appear at roughly thirty spirit power levels above you. Once you obtain your Martial Soul True Body, my power will be fully unsealed!"

Gurongi 0 said with a smile, answering Xu Wenlong's question.

"So right now you're at... level thirty-one. Not bad."

Xu Wenlong felt that was acceptable. After all, thirty levels of spirit power earned someone the title of Soul Elder on Douluo Continent—the average level for most spirit masters there. Well, except for that certain Grandmaster.

"Since we need to spread the ideals and glory of Great Shocker, here's the plan: Gurongi 0, I'm appointing you as Number One Cadre of the Great Shocker Organization. For now, no large-scale games—your strength isn't high enough yet. We're in the phase of building high walls and stockpiling grain."

"Understood. Great Shocker Organization Number One Cadre Daguva salutes the Great Shocker Leader!"

With that, Daguva struck a Great Shocker salute—a gesture that looked completely out of place, yet somehow not awkward at all thanks to his good looks.

"Alright, you're dismissed."

Xu Wenlong waved his hand, and Daguva vanished in an instant.

"Now then—time to check out my martial soul."

Xu Wenlong muttered to himself. In the palm of his hand, his martial soul began to manifest: a yellow-green locust.

He made the locust hop around, but couldn't figure out the right way to activate it.

Puzzled, Xu Wenlong thought hard—then something clicked.

"Right—Martial Soul Avatar!"

The locust immediately leaped from his palm, growing as tall and massive as Master Huang.

The giant locust bounced around, smashing one big pit after another into the ground.

Henshin!

The enormous locust jumped in front of Xu Wenlong, then gradually disassembled—each part attaching itself to his body.

His transformation blazed with golden light. Luckily, it happened at night, so none of the Eggplant Village residents woke up.

When the light faded, a voice like a Showa Old Rogue suddenly rang out from the dissipating smoke.

As the smoke cleared, Xu Wenlong felt an overwhelming surge of power coursing through his body. He waved his left hand, summoning a system mirror.

The reflection staring back at him showed a locust-like face with antennae, a thin green chest plate, and a black tracksuit covered in patterns.

"So... I've become Kamen Rider 1?"

Xu Wenlong stared at himself, his expression a mix of three parts surprise, three parts disbelief, three parts confusion, and one part speechlessness.

When it came to Showa-era Kamen Riders, Xu Wenlong could only say—he'd watched all twenty Heisei Riders' TV series from start to finish, but the Showa ones always gave him face blindness. Over time, though, he'd come to appreciate their unique charm.

Of course, the only Showa series he'd actually watched was Black—and that was just to finish it before Black Sun aired.

Kamen Rider 1 might look crude, but there was a certain timeless quality to it.

Just as Xu Wenlong was pondering this, another mechanical voice rang in his ear.

"Kamen Rider Plug-in, activated!"