A Weak Researcher Poses No Threat

Konori Mii suppressed the urge to complain and quickly asked, "This is Disciplinary Committee Branch 177. Is Kiyama Harumi there? We need to contact her!"

"…" The other end of the line fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Professor Kiyama has skipped work for four consecutive days. What is it?"

"Stay at the research institute and don’t leave! Also, if Kiyama Harumi returns, contact us immediately!"

"Beep, beep, beep—"

Duke held the phone for a moment, then put it down after hearing the busy tone. He turned to Misaka 9800, who had been continuously hooked up to an IV for four days and nights, and said, "I’m going out to handle something. Stay in the office and don’t run around."

"Misaka wants to go too! Misaka’s tone is firm."

"Fine. Just remember not to cause me trouble."

On a highway somewhere in Academy City, Kiyama Harumi drove a blue supercar at high speed. In the passenger seat, Uiharu Kazari, with Green Green Grassland atop her head, sat stiffly and anxiously. From time to time, she looked into the rearview mirror, hoping to see someone coming to stop Kiyama Harumi.

After a brief exchange, Uiharu Kazari learned that Kiyama-sensei beside her was not an utterly evil person. Everything she had done was to save her students.

Uiharu Kazari, who had a strong sense of right and wrong, kept trying to persuade her kindly, hoping to guide the young woman back from the wrong path. Her close friend, Storm Commander, was still unconscious after accidentally using AIM Burst. More than anyone else, Uiharu Kazari desperately wanted to prevent the situation from worsening.

"Beep… beep… beep…"

The supercar’s built-in microcomputer sounded an alert. The experimental data at the young woman’s research institute had been automatically deleted by a preconfigured program due to unauthorized access.

"They’ve already tracked down the research institute? They’re pretty efficient!" The young woman sighed, then remembered someone and worried, "The security program automatically deleted the data. Looks like Duke didn’t cooperate with the investigation… He should be fine, right…? I just hope no one bullies him."

As the young woman muttered to herself, fully armed Anti-Skill officers suddenly appeared ahead. Every one of them was carrying loaded weapons and armed to the teeth. Rows of barricades had been set up across the wide overpass, with security robots standing by in formation. After a series of clacking bolts, Yomikawa Aiho, captain of Anti-Skill’s District 7 branch, spoke. "Researcher Kiyama Harumi, you are being detained for illegally developing the dangerous device known as AIM Burst. Get out of the vehicle immediately. I don’t want to repeat myself."

The young woman sneered and mocked them. "Academy City’s Anti-Skill officers sure respond quickly! As expected, you only act swiftly when orders come down from above."

Uiharu Kazari sighed in relief and urged, "Kiyama-sensei, there’s nowhere left for you to run. Please surrender!"

Kiyama Harumi acted as though she had not heard her, ignoring the guns aimed at her as she seemed to speak to herself. "AIM Burst is a program that uses human brains as calculating devices, but it also brings certain side effects to its users."

"Huh?"

Uiharu Kazari did not understand what the young woman meant, but what happened next completely overturned her worldview. Kiyama Harumi, who should have been an esper with no ability, not only used an esper power—she used more than one.

Mental control, telekinesis, elemental manipulation…

The Anti-Skill officers fought back with all their might, but their firepower was clearly insufficient. Faced with floods, storms, flames, and the helpless situation of their own comrades firing on them, they were defeated in less than a minute.

The gap in strength could not be bridged by mere conviction. Gunfire and screams rang out repeatedly across the overpass, but it soon fell completely silent.

By the time Misaka Mikoto arrived, Anti-Skill’s District 7 branch had been wiped out, while Kiyama Harumi, the target of the arrest, was completely unharmed. Not even a speck of dust had touched her clothes.

Blood flowed everywhere, broken bodies and severed limbs littered the ground, and smoke filled the bloodstained highway. It was like Hell on earth!

All right, that was just Misaka Mikoto’s imagination. In truth, the young woman had not gone for the kill. These Anti-Skill officers had merely been knocked unconscious.

"Academy City’s Level 5, Railgun Misaka Mikoto. If possible, I don’t want to fight you. Can you give me some time? I only want to investigate something. Once the investigation is over, I’ll release everyone. No one will be sacrificed." The young woman frowned deeply, apparently not expecting to encounter Academy City’s top esper so quickly.

In her plan, she would use AIM Burst to obtain computational power comparable to Tree Diagram’s. During the window before anyone could react, she would analyze a way to save her students. By then, even if she encountered a Level 5, she would have nothing to fear, because she had never intended to fight in the first place.

"Don’t joke around! You dragged so many people into this and toyed with their hearts. Do you think casually saying sorry can make up for the harm they suffered?" Misaka Mikoto shouted angrily.

Misaka Mikoto had been in bad shape lately, with dark circles clearly visible beneath her eyes. She was not merely physically exhausted; her mental state was extremely unstable, constantly on the verge of losing control. This was rare for an adolescent girl, especially an energetic girl like Misaka Mikoto, unless she was on her period or had stayed up night after night, suffering from sleep deprivation and becoming irritable.

A few days ago, Misaka Mikoto learned that Academy City had produced clones of her. Worried sick, she sneaked into the medical research institute where she had once donated her DNA map that very night, only to find it empty. After making inquiries in several places, she learned that the institute’s core personnel had moved away long ago.

Growing increasingly uneasy, Misaka Mikoto infiltrated several more research institutes. Her efforts finally paid off when she happened to infiltrate a facility connected to the Absolute Ability User Project. What lay before her was bloody text and image data. One Misaka Sister after another had died miserable deaths, pressing down on her like a mountain until she could barely breathe.

Absolute Ability User Project… Level 6… Accelerator… Ability growth promoted through actual combat… Battles conducted according to a script on designated battlefields… Kill Railgun 128 times… But there was only one Railgun… Railgun Mass-Production Project… Large-scale deployment… Twenty thousand sisters…

Doubt! Denial! Pain! Fear! Despair!

When Misaka Mikoto saw the bloody reality, she nearly broke down. She refused to believe the documents before her, still clinging to a shred of hope. Unfortunately, as she infiltrated one research institute after another, that final shred of hope was ruthlessly shattered.

Consumed by grief and rage, Misaka Mikoto frantically destroyed one research institute after another. Until last night, at a secret research facility in one district, she saw 9,800 experimental records—or rather, 9,800 records of Misaka Sisters dying.

On the verge of passing out, Misaka Mikoto forced herself to read through every record. She wanted to know where the next experimental battlefield would be. She wanted to atone for the mistakes she had made. But the 9,800th experimental record left her utterly baffled.

July 19th! At 23:58, the 9,800th experiment was about to begin… The experiment was interrupted by an unknown individual. Academy City’s No. 1, Accelerator, was defeated and had yet to regain consciousness. The Absolute Ability User Project has been terminated!

Misaka Mikoto was dumbfounded on the spot. Why had the massive conspiracy she had been promised suddenly been terminated? She had already prepared to die together with Accelerator, only for this to happen instead.

To be honest, Misaka Mikoto was happy to see the project terminated, and she even felt a little relieved. She knew that even if she intended to die with him, there was an eighty percent chance she could do nothing to Academy City’s strongest esper.

But that only brought more questions. Who had defeated Accelerator? Where had the remaining ten thousand-plus Misaka Sisters gone?

With no leads at all, Misaka Mikoto was on the verge of going crazy. If Saten Ruiko had not also been implicated by AIM Burst, she would not have had the time to come help.

"Looks like we still have to fight…"

Kiyama Harumi was not discouraged by the rejection. Her gaze sharpened, and the bridge beneath Misaka Mikoto shattered. Both of them fell directly from the overpass.

Meanwhile, on the bridge.

The reinforcements called by Anti-Skill arrived. The previously unconscious officers were awakened one after another, preparing to work with Misaka Mikoto to arrest Kiyama Harumi.

Whoosh!

Duke and Misaka 9800 suddenly appeared behind the Anti-Skill officers. Startled, the officers could not worry about anything else and simultaneously raised their guns at the two uninvited guests.

"Who are you?" Yomikawa Aiho demanded. When she saw Misaka 9800 beside Duke, she cried out in shock, "Why is Railgun here… Then who’s the one down there?"

At Disciplinary Committee Branch 177, the perverted Kuroko stared at the satellite feed, her mouth forming an O. "There really are two… Onee-samas."

"Who’s that researcher beside Misaka?" Konori Mii asked alertly. Her hands flew across the keyboard, and she pulled up Duke’s information.

"He’s Kiyama Harumi’s research assistant… Is he here to help her?"

"It’s him! He’s the weirdo who took Onee-sama away last time. But according to his file, he’s just an ordinary person, and he hasn’t used AIM Burst either. A weak researcher shouldn’t pose any threat. Kuroko can kick him flying with one kick. Kuroko will save Onee-sama." Kuroko ignored Duke and stared obsessively at Misaka 9800. "Two Onee-samas… Why is Heaven suddenly treating Kuroko so well? Today must be Kuroko’s lucky day. So happy, Kuroko is so happy… Even if Kuroko died right now, she’d be willing."

With that, the perverted Kuroko directly abandoned her work. Ignoring Konori Mii’s attempts to stop her, she teleported away and headed for the scene.

Thanks to readers "cutest nonhuman," "the book is pretty good," "True Ultimate Weapon," "Flowers Fall Linfeng," "Collecting 16 to 25 Year Old Beautiful Girls," "Call Me Tank-sama," and "Book Friend 150501191112295" for the tips!