In the office of the World Security Council Minister.
Alexander Pierce contacted the head of the research department under his control within S.H.I.E.L.D. through a secret channel.
"The Bugster Virus? A Game Gashat? It seems Nick Fury really got his hands on something remarkable from Tony," Pierce thought to himself.
"Sir, what should we do? Should we take immediate action?" the person on the other end of the communication channel asked for instructions.
"For now, we stand by. It's not the time to be exposed yet. Let S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research department study this Game Gashat for the time being. If they achieve any results, we'll just reap the benefits," Pierce's eyes gleamed.
To some extent, Pierce wanted to seize control of the related technology that could harness the power of the so-called Bugster Virus.
After all, there were many factions within the Hydra organization, and they were not completely intimate with each other. Who wouldn't want to unite the other factions and become the leader of the Hydra organization?
Pierce's faction, which had always secretly controlled S.H.I.E.L.D., was the most powerful.
However, after Dr. Zola established the Shocker organization, the situation subtly changed.
The combat power of Shocker's Cyborgs far exceeded that of other Hydra agents, and Dr. Zola essentially became an independent faction, no longer obeying Pierce's orders.
This caused a hint of dissatisfaction in Pierce's heart, but since Shocker's Cyborg technology held extremely important value, any displeasure could only be deeply hidden.
"If I can master the power of this Gashat and obtain the strength of the so-called Bugster creatures, then Shocker's Cyborg technology will no longer be the absolutely indispensable one," Pierce tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, his gaze profound.
Holy City Hospital Underground Base.
The three Kamen Riders returned after their first joint action to defeat a Bugster monster.
After connecting with Dan on the communication channel, Li Hua's expression was very solemn: "The monsters born from the Bugster Virus are getting stronger and stronger, starting from the one we encountered at Stark Tower. After we transform into Kamen Riders, it's becoming nearly impossible to deal with the appearing Bugsters one-on-one."
Gwen didn't quite understand this, as this was only her second time fighting a Bugster monster. In the previous battle with the Bugster monsters outside the military base, Dan was the main force, so she had no concept of the change in the Bugster monster's strength.
"Weren't the Bugster monsters that appeared at the military base outside New York able to be solved by Brave and Snipe alone?"
"Come to think of it, the Bugster monsters we faced then were indeed much weaker?" Elena was also slightly confused.
Dan nodded and explained: "It's likely because they were prematurely and forcibly brought forth by Parado. Therefore, the power of those Bugster monsters was discounted, allowing you to deal with them individually with relative ease."
"In that case, the Bugster monsters at the military base were a special case. Under normal circumstances, the Bugster monsters that are born do indeed have a tendency to become stronger. Even with Gwen as a helper, our current strength is no longer enough," Elena couldn't help but say.
Li Hua and Elena were feeling a bit frustrated at this time. Besides the fact that the born Bugster monsters were getting stronger, more importantly, the image of Parado easily defeating the two of them weighed on both of them like a great mountain.
Although Parado had not appeared since then, the two had to consider how they would deal with him when he eventually showed up to cause trouble again.
Dan nodded with a serious expression and said: "As the outbreak of the Bugster Virus becomes more intense, the resulting Bugster monsters will naturally become stronger. This is an expected situation. While it's not guaranteed that every appearance will be stronger than the last, the general trend will be toward an increase in strength. That's why I considered the subsequent enhancement of the Rider System from the very beginning."
"What method is it? Dan, just tell us, don't keep us in suspense! It's already difficult for us to deal with the current Bugster monsters," Elena immediately asked, somewhat impatiently.
Dan chuckled and nodded, saying: "It's actually very simple. Since the Bugster monsters constantly get stronger due to the Bugster Virus's activity, the Rider System must also be enhanced, becoming strong enough to defeat any Bugster monster that appears. In a simple sentence: all you need to do is upgrade, level up."
"Level up? Upgrade?" Li Hua, Aileen, and Gwen were momentarily confused.
"Izu," Dan called out softly.
Hearing Dan's call, Izu immediately understood and began operating. A pop-up window immediately appeared on the virtual screens in front of Li Hua, Elena, and Gwen.
The pop-up demonstrated a video game walkthrough screen. After the cartoon character controlled by the player defeated the enemies in the level, they gained new equipment and experience for upgrading, and their level increased.
The characters "level up" appeared above the cartoon character's head, and the character's image became more imposing, with all displayed combat statistics significantly boosted.
"We are talking about a very serious topic, not a video game. Don't make jokes like this," her face darkened, her expression as if to say, Are you kidding me?
"Not necessarily. Perhaps, to some extent, we can indeed level up according to the rules in a game. Don't forget that the Rider System was originally created based on controlling and using the Bugster Virus with a game system. Furthermore, Boss Dan wouldn't joke with us about something like this," Li Hua, however, spoke thoughtfully, turning his head to look at Dan.
"What do you mean?" Elena was slightly puzzled, frowning in thought.
Li Hua looked at the Gamer Driver and Game Gashat placed on the conference table, a flicker of light in his eyes: "Both the Bugster monsters and our Rider System developed by Mr. Dan were created and born from the Bugster Virus being influenced by video games. So perhaps it really is possible to gain enhancement and breakthroughs by meeting certain conditions, just like leveling up in a game."
"Characters in a game can upgrade because they defeat monsters and gain experience. Where is our 'experience'? Could it be the Bugster Virus?"Elena guessed.
Dan replied: "That's right. Your power and the monsters' power both come from the Bugster Virus. Just like in a game, if you want to level up, you have to defeat monsters and gain experience from them."
"But we have already defeated several monsters, and we don't feel the game experience you mentioned at all, let alone upgrading or increasing our strength," Elena rolled her eyes at Dan.
Da , however, continued to smile calmly: "Actually, after you defeated the Bugster monsters, the Gamer Driver automatically collected and stored the experience."
"Are you saying that the Gamer Driver automatically collected the Bugster Virus from those monsters after we defeated them? We have inadvertently gathered the experience needed for upgrading. It's like a treasure trove, and now all we need is the key to open the door," Li Hua asked, his eyes lighting up.
"So Dan, you must have already prepared the method to extract the Bugster Virus to enhance the Rider System," Elena's eyes brightened.
Dan nodded slightly. Izu immediately acted in line with Dan's intention. The center of the base's conference table opened, and two blank Proto Game Gashats appeared.
"These are prototype blank Gashats that have not yet been injected with game data. Theoretically, after defeating enough Bugster monsters, you only need to use them to absorb the Bugster Virus collected from the Bugster monsters in your Gamer Drivers. You can then obtain new Game Gashats and increase your own level," Izu raised her right hand, switched the screen, displayed an image, and explained to the two.
"Why are there only two?" Gwen asked, confused, immediately guessing that one was missing—hers.
"Because the source of the Rider System's power is ultimately the Bugster Virus. Upgrading also means controlling a more powerful Bugster Virus. You have just acquired the Gamer Driver and Game Gashat and haven't used the Rider System for long. Using a higher-level Game Gashat now could put a huge burden on your body and cause pain. Therefore, the original plan was to let you adapt for a while before using a higher-level Game Gashat," Dan explained, glancing at Gwen.
"Gwen, let the two of us test the waters for you first. There's no need to rush," Elena said, trying to comfort Gwen, who looked unwilling.
Gwen pursed her lips and shook her head, looking straight at Dan, saying word by word: "I can handle it! No special treatment is necessary!"
(End of this chapter)