That’s right, the fact that Yun Li was Kamen Rider Epic… well, it basically didn’t stay a secret from Yun You for more than a few days.
In a way, ever since Yun You became aware, the fact that his parents had another identity was already etched into his DNA.
It took him several years before he suddenly realized:
“Oh, so neither of you can transform?”
As for how the secret was exposed, it wasn’t because Yun You caught Epic sneaking out by opening the fridge late at night, nor was it because Yun Li suddenly grabbed a spatula mid-cooking and rushed out the door, then Epic appeared on the TV holding a very familiar spatula and started brutally beating up a Monster… cough.
Come to think of it, there were plenty of suspicious moments like stars in the sky, so Yun You was already used to the oddities.
The real reason this was openly discussed was due to a mall robbery.
The robbers weren’t Monsters with special powers, nor were they possessed by evil spirits — just ordinary people.
But somehow, they managed to get hold of a batch of weapons modified with Monster Technology.
Those guns, looking very high-tech, emitted beams that instantly knocked the mall security guards flying.
Then, all the shoppers were herded into the first-floor lobby.
At the time, Yun Li and Yun You were in the supermarket on the mall’s basement level.
The moment the gunshots and screams rang out, Yun Li was still comparing the ingredient lists of two types of whipping cream.
He was planning to bake a birthday cake for Yun You himself.
Hearing the piercing noise, he immediately tossed both types of cream into the shopping cart.
His sharp gaze quickly scanned the situation as his hand reached toward the belt he always carried.
Based on Epic’s previous experience, next he could rely on his agility, use the shelves as cover to hide in a surveillance blind spot away from the robbers’ sight, transform into Kamen Rider Epic—whose attack and defense far exceeded normal humans—silently assess the number of robbers, then take them down one by one, and finally return home with the chosen cream and his son in tow.
Even if he got hit by their weapons a few times, it would be nothing more than superficial wounds.
But… his gaze landed on Yun You, sitting inside the shopping cart and looking up at him.
As a father, could he silently leave his innocent child behind and disappear in such a crisis?
Wouldn’t that leave an indelible psychological scar on Yun You?
“Dad.”
Yun You’s call broke Yun Li’s hesitation.
In a move that seemed strangely familiar to Yun Li, Yun You propped himself up on the edge of the cart and climbed out, landing steadily.
Then his warm palm patted Yun Li’s hand,
“Beat them like you always do. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”
That move looked like the one Epic used the day before when flipping off the overpass during a fight with a Monster?
And “like you always do”… does that mean he knows everything?
Torn between feeling touched and slightly amused, Yun Li even detected a soothing tone in Yun You’s voice.
Could it be that he was being comforted by a child?
How embarrassing.
Since that was the case, how could he continue to embarrass himself and disappoint the child who trusted him?
Heavy footsteps approached their direction.
Without time to ask Yun You how much he really knew, Yun Li silently let go of his hand and hid between the shelves, in a surveillance blind spot.
When a robber wearing a cartoon plastic mask walked over holding a Modified Energy Gun, he saw a little boy gripping the shopping cart handle tightly, eyes wide as if frozen in fear.
The boy’s gaze scanned the gaps beneath the shelves back and forth, then he said,
“Epic?”
“Epic? What the heck?”
The robber belatedly realized the boy was talking about their mask — it was their gang’s bulk-bought Kamen Rider Mask, twenty yuan each, but the quality was terrible.
The hard plastic edges poked his cheek painfully, and he kept sneaking his hand inside to scratch.
“I saw this at a street stall by my school. Five yuan each, nine yuan for two. What about yours?”
Five yuan each…
For such awful quality, even on Pinduoduo it would be worth only a few dimes.
But since there was a price comparison, either the kid was lying or the guy who bought the masks was scamming his own gang.
The robber was speechless, too distracted to watch his surroundings.
“Mind your own business! Shut up and go over there!”
Even with that intimidating gun pointed at him, the little boy didn’t panic.
He just said “Oh,” and without waiting for the robber wearing a King Mask to shoo him away, he calmly walked toward the area where the crowd was gathered.
Only Yun Li, hiding in the shadows, saw the fearless kid secretly give an “OK” sign with his hand hanging by his side.
Yun Li couldn’t help but smile, his tension easing a bit.
Humans are actually harder opponents than Monsters, mainly because Monsters don’t have much rationality, and they don’t take hostages.
But humans know how to use their own kind as leverage, and even Epic can’t afford to be careless.
Not only that… he also had to consider whether putting too much force into a punch might leave him begging the robbers not to die.
Even if a hero causes serious injury or death in self-defense, it stirs huge social problems.
He could just quit and apologize, but what about the other Kamen Riders?
Yun Li didn’t want to bring them trouble, so he had to be extra cautious.
Well, judging by Yun You’s calm reaction, at least he didn’t have to worry about his son.
The problem Yun Li faced had nothing to do with six-year-old Yun You.
His task was to comply quietly as one of the hostages, being driven to the first-floor lobby by the robbers.
Among the customers, there was another boy around Yun Li’s age.
The boy’s mother, noticing Yun You was alone, pulled him into her arms protectively, her body trembling slightly.
The boy seemed to be seeing this kind of situation for the first time, clutching his mother’s clothes helplessly.
Yun You stared at the boy’s pale face marked with unspoken fear for a moment, then took off his backpack full of building blocks, dug out an Epic Model, and handed it to the boy.
“It’s okay, don’t be scared. Epic will come save us.”
Though Yun Li was still a novice at cooking—often mistaking sugar for salt, accidentally dyeing Lin Zhifeng’s favorite white dress pink while doing laundry, and forgetting to reset the fridge door after passing through the back passage—he was definitely strong as Kamen Rider.
Yun You believed that without a doubt.
The boy lowered his head to look at the exquisitely detailed model.
After a moment, his eyes widened, no longer trembling or sweating cold.
His emotions steadied considerably.
Yun You nodded silently — as expected of Epic, even his name could inspire courage.
No worries about the boy crying and drawing the robbers’ ire.
Then the boy tightly holding the model started rattling off a string of surprisingly professional terms,
“Epic Final Form SHF Real Bone Articulated! Yours is the first edition!?”
Kids his age are easily distracted.
No matter how scared he was before, now his eyes only saw the model his dad had spent all over town searching for secondhand shops to buy.
His little face flushed a lot.
The effect was a bit too much, but it seemed he had paid a price.
Yun You expressionlessly pulled back his gaze and ruthlessly shattered the boy’s fantasy,
“I’m just lending it to you. Give it back when we get out.”
Hearing this, the boy instinctively hugged the model tighter, but somehow felt reassured.
Yun You’s tone and expression were so certain and confident, as if they would definitely get out safely.
That feeling naturally infected the boy.
He opened his mouth, about to ask Yun You’s name when suddenly, the mall’s overhead lights flickered briefly then went out one after another, plunging the entire mall into darkness!
Amidst startled shouts, the robber wearing the Epic Mask nervously aimed his gun around, though his vision was pitch black.
“Who? Who’s there?!”
Faintly, he thought he heard a few muffled groans in the dark—sounds that felt familiar… like his comrades?
Before he could pinpoint the source, a dull pain hit the back of his neck, and he slipped into a sweet dream.
When the lights came back on, the five armed robbers were lying neatly on the floor, and their weapons had been dismantled into pieces, no longer capable of attack.
The only one standing was Kamen Rider Epic, who was holding one of the robbers with the same mask like a baby chick.
The sight was almost comical, like Lu Xun beating Zhou Shuren.
Of course, their partners stationed in the monitoring room and back door had already been knocked out earlier, and the one outside negotiating with the police didn’t stand a chance.
When the dust settled, Yun Li calmly took Yun You’s hand and walked toward a nearby mall — the one that had to close because of the incident.
He’d have to buy whipping cream somewhere else now.
“So, can you really move faster than a car?”
“Comparing me to a car is really underestimating me. I bet I can even catch up with sound if I want.”
Yun You silently punched his fist in celebration, full of spirit.
“I’ll share the spoils with you.”
Last week, he had bet the kids in his class whether Epic was faster than the new car owned by a rich kid.
Now, the verdict was in.
Yun Li chuckled at him.
“What bet did you make this time? And you’re way too brave. Seeing you lure that guy away really made me sweat… I haven’t fallen so low that I need you to attract fire, have I?”
You really should know how terrible your disguise skills are.
Yun You deliberately ignored the previous question, casually shifting the topic.
“Dad, you’re really cool, so why don’t you want Mom to know your identity? Ah… I forgot to get my model back.”
“I’ll buy you another one… After all, it was modeled after me. The company should give me some face; getting another one will be easy. As for why I can’t tell her…”
Yun Li forced a serious expression, sighed, and gave Yun You a firm pat on the shoulder.
“As a Kamen Rider, you face a lot of helplessness.”
For example, one of his junior Riders died in the Final Form battle and is still traveling the world looking for a way to revive him.
Another junior shares a blood curse with the second Rider, and whenever they meet, they must fight until only one remains.
They can only meet again on nights when the Full Moon Bloodline is severed.
There are others who found a way to survive together, but at the cost of losing all memories of each other, living as strangers.
As for himself… getting this far was no easy feat.
Even talking about it to others can’t change what has happened.
All they can do is live on with it.
So it’s enough for him to carry this heavy past alone.
Lin Zhifeng shouldn’t have to share this sadness.
Besides, when Epic was young and foolish, he once carried Lin Zhifeng in a Princess Carry and got scolded for years for being cheesy.
He really didn’t dare say it was himself!
Yun You fell silent too.
Yun Li’s words were vague, leaving him confused but sensing how low his father’s spirits were.
He decided to give up blackmailing Yun Li for a free O’Key Family Bucket.