The researchers watched as Ren destroyed their proud defensive system with ridiculous ease. Fear finally crept into their hearts, mixed with confusion about how their location had been exposed.
Their first thought was a traitor. There was no other explanation.
Looking around at everyone present, Kiyama Harumi had arrived the latest. Yet the moment she showed up, Ren found them. More importantly, she showed no sign of panic at all.
"Kiyama Harumi, are you working with Ren?" a man shouted angrily. No wonder Accelerator's operation had failed back then. With a mole like this, failure was inevitable.
"I just told him," Harumi replied, lifting her head with sparkling eyes.
"I see."
The researchers finally understood. She had been affected by the ability of Number Five long ago. This moment was exactly what the other side had been waiting for.
"Run while you can," the man said, no longer angry. There was no point in raging at someone who had been manipulated by an ability.
"It's too late. His speed is terrifying," a woman said in panic. The first, second, and third floor surveillance feeds went down one after another. Only a few seconds passed between each. That meant he was climbing a floor in less than a second. At that speed, even cars would not be able to escape him.
And they were still trapped in a high-rise building. The group trembled in fear. Facing someone like that directly? Even several lives would not be enough.
At this moment, Gokusai Kaibi was having a terrible experience. She had already lost her composure too many times in front of Ren today. It was completely unladylike. She wanted to curse, but the rushing wind poured straight into her mouth.
"We're here," Ren said as he came to a stop. He kicked the door, sending it flying.
The researchers inside swallowed hard. A three-meter-thick iron door had been kicked over ten meters away. They didn't dare imagine how terrifying Ren's strength truly was.
"You probably already know why I'm here today," Ren said with a smile.
His smile was bright and cheerful. Yet every researcher felt a chill run down their spine. They finally understood what it meant to hide a blade behind a smile.
"We will not restart this plan." One of the men said hurriedly, completely lacking the arrogance he once showed toward the researchers.
"I don't believe you." Ren decided to be polite first, then use force.
Gokusai Kaibi witnessed a strange scene. A sudden gust of wind swept through the room, and everyone collapsed to the floor except for Kiyama Harumi. Immediately after, miserable screams echoed again and again.
"My hand!"
"Ah!"
Similar cries kept ringing out. These screams came straight from the soul. Fortunately, Gokusai Kaibi had seen enough horrific scenes before and did not vomit on the spot. Ren had dislocated all of their arms.
"Kaibi, it's your turn. See if you can find Kihara Gensei." Ren looked at her.
"Alright." Gokusai Kaibi directly used Measure Heart on everyone, making them believe she was a close friend they could talk to about anything.
"Do any of you know Kihara Gensei?"
Then, one man's tone suddenly changed.
"Researcher Ren, I must thank you. This next experiment will finally allow me to obtain your data. I am very curious about you. A Gemstone? Or something else entirely? I hope you cause as much destruction as possible. The more surprises you give me, the better."
Gokusai Kaibi's expression changed. What the man said was exactly what Kihara Gensei would say. It seemed his goal was not to restart the Level 6 Shift Project at all, but to target Ren himself.
Just to get to him, Kihara could casually use the Number Two esper and all these researchers as disposable pieces. Gokusai Kaibi finally realized how terrifying Kihara Gensei truly was.
The man continued speaking.
"Researcher Ren, can you tell me about your changes? Of course, don't bother trying to find me. Even if someone told you my location, it would already be empty by the time you arrived."
Ren's face darkened. Kihara Gensei was truly a troublesome man. He never expected that the true objective behind restarting the Level 6 Shift Project was himself.
This building was probably arranged by Kihara long ago as well, designed to monitor every bit of Ren's data and secretly observe the extent of his power.
The man finished speaking quickly. Gokusai Kaibi canceled her ability. As the memories returned, the man's face turned deathly pale. He had revealed forbidden information. Even if he did not die now, he would surely be silenced afterward.
So he quickly told them the address where Kihara Gensei had spoken to him before. If Ren could deal with it, then he still had a chance to survive.
"What do you plan to do?" Gokusai Kaibi asked as she looked at Ren.
"We need to go back." Ren felt a strong sense of unease. A mad scientist like Kihara Gensei, after learning part of his information, would never just leave him alone. That was impossible. Something bad must have happened.
"We're just going to leave these people? Wait, I can walk on my own—" Before Kaibi could finish speaking, Ren picked her up and left.
A clear thought echoed in his mind. This felt like a classic case of being lured away from the real target.
At the same time, "Shokuhou Misaki, welcome."
"Kihara Gensei, what do you want with me?" Shokuhou Misaki looked at the old man beyond the iron bars. Thankfully, Misaka and Dolly were here as well. At least for now, they were safe.
They had been captured two hours after Ren left. Suddenly, a group of intruders broke into the research facility. They wore helmets, carried tranquilizer guns, and were powerfully built.
Misaka No. 8790 resisted and was beaten badly. When she realized her ability was useless, and that the facility's defenses were also ineffective, Shokuhou Misaki chose to surrender.
She did not use the ability to fight back. She knew that if she missed this chance, she might never meet Kihara Gensei again. She had already left clues. If it was Ren, he would definitely find his way here.
Before that, however, she was worried about Misaka No. 8790. Her thigh was dislocated, her body had taken heavy blows, and she was still bleeding. The longer it dragged on, the more dangerous her condition became.
"Ren, hurry up. If you come too late, I won't forgive you." Shokuhou Misaki thought this silently.
Dolly tried to stop the bleeding but did not know how. Fortunately, although Misaka 1 had been abandoned early on, she had been given a lot of knowledge, including basic first aid and simple bandaging.
Misaka No. 8790 felt happy. She was needed. She was being worried about. Seeing them gathered around her, she experienced emotions she had never felt before.
Without realizing it, memories of their time together surfaced. She did not want to die. She really did not want to die.
When Ren returned to the research facility, his expression was calm. However, Gokusai Kaibi did not dare provoke him at this moment. She could clearly feel that Ren was truly angry.
Ren also knew that Shokuhou Misaki had her own trump cards. Judging by the scene alone, she clearly had not used them.
If someone wanted to break through the facility's defenses, there was no way she would not react in time.
There was only one possibility. She had allowed herself to be taken away on purpose.
Shokuhou Misaki never did anything meaningless. Ren began carefully searching the area. What kind of clue would she leave behind? What clue would lead him to the enemy?
He searched carefully and soon found something Shokuhou Misaki had left behind. A USB drive.
The video inside most likely recorded the enemy's vehicle clearly. Without wasting time, Ren checked it immediately. As expected, it contained a complete record of the vehicle's movements.
Of course, that was not his only method. Ren still had another way to find them. Through the Misaka Network.
The biggest mistake they made was taking Misaka Sister with them. Using the network, Ren could directly locate their position.
**********
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