Underground Research Lab

Hozer had no intention of just sitting around waiting for an opportunity. Although his injuries had improved and his energy absorption was progressing, he couldn't hold out for too long.
First, he sought out the observation room. Hozer stood behind a group of ZECT personnel, glancing at the images on the surveillance monitors.
They were all images from the surface base; there were even cameras inside the Zectroopers' dormitories.
However, there were still places not covered by cameras. Previously, Hozer had walked through the entire base.
The places not covered by cameras, besides some laboratories, included several dark spots in the rooms on the administrative management floor.
Hozer silently noted the locations of these places. Using the excuse of someone getting up to leave, he followed them out of the observation room.
Leaving the observation room, Hozer went directly to the administrative building, heading straight for the office of the base commander on the top floor.
The top floor not only had Zectroopers guarding the stairwell and both sides of the corridor, but the office door also had two Zectroopers standing guard. Yet, none of them detected Hozer's presence.
To ensure safety, Hozer used telekinesis to hover slightly; he appeared to be walking normally, but the soles of his feet never touched the ground.
Activating his X-ray vision, he saw the office was very spacious and empty.
Teleporting inside, Hozer walked to the desk.
Without touching anything haphazardly, Hozer looked at the words on the covers of several documents on the desk.
Skimming through them quickly, they were all trivial documents related to the daily operations of the base. Hozer shifted his gaze toward the drawers.
After carefully checking the office and finding no cameras, Hozer squatted down, extending his fingers to hover before a drawer, using telekinesis to silently pull it open.
Experimental report on the conversion of humans into Natives!
Hozer's eyes narrowed; he seemed to have discovered something horrific.
Confirming there was no surveillance, Hozer used telekinesis to take out this report and flipped through it.
Inside was a large amount of incomprehensible experimental data, but Hozer extracted a key term: Worm Stone.
What was a Worm Stone?
Hozer quickly read through the entire report, frowning.
The final conclusion of the report was "experimental results remain unstable; further testing is required."
As expected, the Worms hidden within ZECT... no, they should be called Natives, were harboring evil intentions.
According to Tendou Souji, the creature that killed his parents looked extremely similar to a Worm but had a large horn on its head; therefore, that was truly a Native.
For this kind of experimental report to appear in the drawer of the base commander's office, the so-called commander was very likely a Native.
There were indeed many Natives within ZECT. Digging deeper, ZECT might have long been the headquarters of the Natives, with an unknown number of high-ranking humans already replaced.
Did the high-ranking officials who remained human realize this?
All sorts of mysteries shrouded Hozer. This was not a matter that could be solved simply with great strength. Even if their side had Tendou Souji, Yaguruma Sou, and Kazama Daisuke—a total of four Kamen Riders—facing the entire Native force, they still appeared too isolated.
Furthermore, there might even be high-ranking humans cooperating with the Natives. Those who wanted to become Natives—creatures that could freely mimic and disguise themselves as others—were likely not few in number.
Placing the experimental report back in the drawer, Hozer fell into deep thought.
He thought of Kagami Riku again. He had met this man once at the Salle restaurant and confirmed he was human.
Recalling that scene now, when the man saw him and Tendou Souji together, he seemed slightly surprised. Although he was a man of great depth whose surprise was fleeting, with Hozer's vision, he had accurately captured that moment.
Kagami Riku was not ordinary; he absolutely knew something. Furthermore, thinking back, the way he looked at Tendou Souji then seemed to carry a different meaning, and it wasn't the look one gives a stranger.
Expanding his thoughts further, considering that Tendou Souji's belt was given to him by a Tendou Souji from seven years in the future.
A look of astonishment appeared on Hozer's face. It couldn't be what he was thinking...
If it truly was as he thought, then Kagami Riku was an ally.
A tangled mess of mysteries, yet Hozer felt he had found a lead.
However, these were all just speculations. Entering the base's basement was something that had to be done.
Hozer was currently reserving energy to suppress his injuries and could hold out for three days. To be safe, he set the timeframe at two days.
Thus, Hozer spent two days looking for opportunities within the base, then went to rest at a secret location outside to recover his energy before sneaking back in.
During that time, he had observed the base commander from a distance for a while, but from outward appearance, he still couldn't determine if he was human. Hozer tentatively labeled him a Native.
As for the tall man who always accompanied him like a shadow, acting as a bodyguard or assistant, he was also tentatively labeled a Native.
Recording the identities and appearances of the two, Hozer continued to seek an opportunity to enter the basement.
And just as Hozer thought he was in for a long struggle, the opportunity arrived.
One afternoon, around four o'clock, the base commander Matsumoto Yoshida was handling routine work in his office. A research staff member in a white lab coat, whom he had never seen before, was led into the office by a Zectrooper.
No one there noticed Hozer quietly following behind.
After a round of checks and confirmation, the Zectrooper knocked. Matsumoto Yoshida's assistant, Saburo Watanabe, opened the door.
Taking this opportunity, Hozer wrapped his entire body in telekinesis to ensure his movements wouldn't cause a sound, flying over their heads into the office, then hovering under the ceiling, looking down at the three people who had just entered.
"Mr. Matsumoto."
Matsumoto Yoshida nodded, taking the documents the researcher handed over and flipping them open.
Hozer looked at the researcher's chest tag; it bore the name "Katobayashi."
Hozer hovered above Matsumoto Yoshida, his gaze shifting to the documents.
It was a report. It didn't contain too much experimental data, but the content caused killing intent to rise in Hozer's heart.
It was still an experimental report on the conversion of humans into Natives. It clearly noted that in one week, the number of test subject deaths reached 157, and the experiment was progressing very smoothly.
"So the lab is short on test subjects?"
"Correct. Besides submitting the report, I came to ask how much longer until the new batch of test subjects arrives?"
Katobayashi habitually pushed up his glasses and said in a deep voice, "The experiment has reached a critical moment. Stopping for even one day is a massive loss."
Matsumoto Yoshida's expression darkened, and he placed the documents on the desk.
"Kato, I know everything you've said, but there are still humans in the lab. To keep it hidden from them, I need time to prepare."
"...Hurry up."
"Mm. You go back first."
Katobayashi turned and left. Hozer followed closely behind as he left the office, his face already as cold as ice.
He followed Katobayashi all the way out of the administrative building, then into a room at the end of the second-floor corridor of the research facility.
There were no other people inside, and the layout was no different from other rooms on the same floor.
Katobayashi immediately went to a wall. Before he could make a move, the wall automatically slid open to both sides, revealing an elevator.
Once Katobayashi stepped inside, Hozer followed closely behind.