In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 83

"Before the tree diagram was destroyed, its designer assessed you, the raw gem, at Level 4. Your 'cognitive reconstruction' ability was marked as 'possible to break through existing theoretical frameworks.'"

A look of realization flashed across Dongye's eyes.

So that's how it is... No wonder Tenjo Ayumi suddenly attacked me; now it all makes sense.

If the tree diagram designer's assessment shows that he has more potential to become a Level 6 than Accelerator, then the core supporters of the Absolute Ability Project will naturally see him as a threat.

Tenjou Ayumu had accumulated a mountain of debt for his plan to mass-produce ability users. If the plan to produce absolute ability users is halted, he'll be finished.

Fubuki Toshinobu's grip on the bag tightened slightly, his eyes fixed on Higashino: "Your presence here isn't a coincidence, is it? What are you looking for?"

Higashino was somewhat surprised that the girl's intuition was so accurate, but he did not answer her question immediately.

He scrutinized the girl before him. In the original story, although Toshinobu Fubuki participated in the cloning project, she later attempted to stop the experiment, even risking her life to create chaos by scattering cash cards on the streets. She possessed crucial information about the experiment, and... the younger sisters needed her help to develop human emotions.

Higashino decided to bring her under his control, as he would need her to find Accelerator and his sisters.

She's a really good tool, the kind you don't have to throw away after you're done using her.

"I'm looking for Misaka Mikoto."

"I'll say it directly," Higashino said, subtly activating his ability. An invisible wave emanated from him, instantly enveloping the entire alley.

"And that guy, Tenjou Ayumi."

Fubuki Toshinobu's eyes suddenly became somewhat unfocused, but quickly regained their clarity. Now, however, there was something new in those eyes—unconditional trust.

Higashino has changed his perception of her; in her mind, Higashino is the most trustworthy person in the world.

"I can help you."

Fubuki Toshinobu's voice remained calm, but there was a subtle sense of intimacy in his tone.

"I know the location of today's experiment."

Higashino nodded in satisfaction.

Now, Fubuki Toshinobu considers him the only person he can trust, and will provide all information without reservation.

"How far along is the experiment?"

Higashino asked.

"9998 clones have already died."

Fubuki Toshinobu answered without hesitation, then thought for a moment and described the next experiment.

"The next experiment will take place in two hours."

A hint of helplessness flashed in Higashino Yu's eyes. 9998... that means nearly ten thousand Misaka Sisters have already been killed.

Higashino felt a little sad, but he wouldn't blame himself for it; some things should be done within one's capabilities.

Doing things beyond one's capabilities before one has the ability is not heroic, and he will not be a hero.

However, he now has absolute certainty, and the time is ripe. After he masters the power of phase, even Aleister won't find it so easy to kill him.

Then let's play the role of a fake hero for a while...

Saving my sister and all that, what a hypocrite I am...

"We'll deal with Tenjou Ayumi later. Take me to the next experimental site first."

Since the past cannot be changed for the time being, he can still prevent the tragedy that is about to happen.

Bu Shudi nodded.

"The next experimental site is over there."

"Let's go."

Following the direction indicated by Toshinobu Fubuki, Higashino began to act.

Fubuki Toshinobu followed him obediently, like a follower. What she didn't know was that this trust wasn't genuine, but rather implanted by some unseen force. But to her, that no longer mattered.

The important thing is that Higashino Yu will end everything.

Chapter 110 Are you Mr. Friend? No, I'm your brother-in-law!

Inside an abandoned subway station.

At this moment, he was looking at his prey, Misaka 9999, with a rather impatient expression.

The girl's short, brown hair was disheveled, her clothes were torn, and her exposed arms were covered in scrapes and bruises. Her goggles were nowhere to be seen, and the barrel of the assault rifle in her hand was still smoking, clearly indicating that it had already unleashed all its firepower.

There was no fear in her eyes, only an almost empty calm.

"Tsk, that boring look again."

Accelerator clicked his tongue, his crimson pupils filled with disgust; he was tired of playing with toys like torture.

No matter how much they torture and kill, these guys will never show any other emotions. They even know fear in experimental mice. They are truly hopeless!

"Can't even express despair? What a poor imitation."

He casually lifted his foot, and the rubble beneath his feet was instantly imbued with a terrifying vector, tearing through the air like a cannonball and shooting towards Misaka 9999's head with a shriek!

That blow was enough to smash her head like a watermelon. He no longer wanted to see that expression.

Anyway, these dolls would mysteriously disappear even after they died, and the researchers were used to this strange phenomenon, so breaking them into pieces saved them from being an eyesore. (Note 1)

He didn't care why the corpse suddenly disappeared. Anyway, there were too many strange things in Academy City, so one more thing like this wouldn't make a big deal.

As long as it doesn't affect his becoming the strongest, it doesn't matter what!

"Get out of here, you eyesore doll!"

Faced with Accelerator's fatal blow, Misaka 9999 didn't even try to dodge; she simply closed her eyes calmly, as if waiting for a predetermined fate.

This has happened 9998 times already, and even now she still can't understand the fear that the person in front of her wants her to experience.

"Experiment terminated, Misaka..."

Her final report was not yet finished.

"That's it!"

A cold shout rang out like a thunderclap!

Just as the deadly shards were about to touch Misaka 9999's forehead, a figure suddenly appeared between them!

hum!

An invisible force field unfolded instantly, with a radius of only a few meters, yet it precisely enveloped Misaka 9999 completely.

The moment the piece of rock carrying the kinetic energy of death touched the edge of the force field, it seemed to have crashed into a bottomless sea, its speed decreasing drastically, and its kinetic energy being stripped away, twisted, and dissipated layer by layer.

Finally, it fell limply to Misaka 9999's feet with a soft "tap".

Accelerator frowned, staring intently at the man who had suddenly appeared.

He hadn't expected that someone would appear to obstruct the experiment at this time. The test sites were all located in sparsely populated areas, so normally there shouldn't be any irrelevant people appearing.

"Phew, thank goodness I made it in time."

Higashino Yu, just like the male lead in a TV series, always makes his appearance at the last moment.

However, this wasn't intentional. After all, if it had been even a second later, the Misaka Sisters would have really turned into all sorts of colors.

After confirming the location, he used his spatial abilities to get there and noticed from afar that Misaka Mikoto was about to be killed by Accelerator once again.

Without a second thought, he left Fubuki Toshinobu behind and instantly teleported into Accelerator's path to block the attack.

Without even glancing at Accelerator, Higashino moved without hesitation. After deflecting the attack, he swept his arm around and scooped up the swaying Misaka 9999 in his arms.

He pushed off with his feet, and his figure floated backward as if freed from the constraints of gravity, instantly creating a distance of more than twenty meters between himself and Accelerator, and landing steadily near the tunnel entrance where Fubuki Toshinobu was.

The whole process was incredibly fast, from rescuing the person to escaping, it was all done in one go.

"You're safe now. Stop looking like you're about to die, even though your expression is unreadable."

Higashino Yu lowered his head and quickly spoke to the somewhat bewildered girl in his arms.

Misaka 9999 blinked, and for the first time, Higashino's clear face was reflected in her empty eyes.

She didn't criticize Higashino's words; instead, she seemed to be conducting some kind of information search. After a brief pause, she spoke in a flat, yet directly questioning tone:

"An individual resembling Mr. Friend has been identified. The individual's ID in the Misaka Network Database is 01. Are you Mr. Friend?" Misaka 9999 asked, her voice filled with confusion and surprise.

At first, when Higashino looked at her pale yet still delicate face, which was almost identical to Misaka Mikoto's, he felt quite complicated.

However, when he heard the way the Misaka Sisters addressed him, he was completely bewildered.

"Friend? I...who entered this information into your system?!"

Higashino knew that the sisters' initial information was almost entirely input through a learning device, and he wondered if it was done by some bored researcher or a hanged man.

It couldn't possibly be that some Misaka Sister knew him and shared this name through the Misaka Network, could it? That's impossible; he had never had any contact with any Misaka Sister before.

"This is a name that has existed in the deepest part of the internet from the very beginning," Misaka 9999 said firmly.

"At the beginning..."

How long exactly does "at the beginning" refer to? Higashino was curious, but now wasn't the time to delve into it. Accelerator seemed a bit impatient over there, but...

"Calling me 'brother-in-law' would be more appropriate than calling me 'friend's husband.'"

Whether Accelerator is impatient or not is none of his business. First, we need to correct the way Misaka Mikoto is addressed!

If Mikoto is raised for a few more years, she can be brought home and married. It's not wrong for her to have her sisters call her brother-in-law in advance, and I don't think she would mind.

As for whether she would blush with embarrassment after hearing this, Higashino was quite looking forward to it. That's Mikoto's charm, isn't it? A tsundere who says one thing but means another.

"Brother-in-law?"

Misaka 9999 tilted her head slightly, not immediately realizing what Higashino meant by asking her to say that word.

She struggled to make connections within the limited information shared on the Misaka Network about "Onee-sama," her expression displaying a rare, somewhat blank, and confused look.

"In the related search... 'Brother-in-law' is defined as 'spouse or partner of the older sister.' Is there a connection with 'older sister'? Misaka tried to understand and change the address information, but there was a contradiction in the logical chain, so she said that she could not fully resolve it."

Just then, a chilling, violent, and mocking laugh came from deep within the tunnel.

“Heh…heh…”

Accelerator slowly turned around, his eyes like those of a venomous snake eyeing its prey.

"'Brother-in-law'? What a disgusting term, trash."

He stepped forward, spread his hands, and revealed a very malicious expression.

"What? Seeing that these cheap toys have a face just like your lover's, you can't help but jump out and play the hero?"

Ignoring Accelerator's clamor, Higashino quietly used his ability to test Accelerator's power.

"I'm helping them find liberation! I'm letting these flawed beings, who shouldn't even exist, prove their sole worth through death, becoming stepping stones for my invincibility! What do you, a nobody who jumped in halfway, know?!"

Accelerator ignored Higashino's disregard, waving his arms and becoming increasingly arrogant.

"Since you love being a hero so much, then take her place and become the 9999th test subject! Let me see how many seconds you, this so-called 'brother-in-law,' can withstand my power? Isn't the sound of bones being crushed more interesting than these toys? Hahaha!"

Faced with Accelerator's overwhelming terrifying pressure and vicious words, Higashino remained expressionless, but sighed helplessly in his heart.

The attempt didn't go as planned; it looks like it will take a few more minutes to defeat him.

He carefully put Misaka 9999 down from his arms and gently pushed her to the side of Toshinobu Fubuki behind him.

"Bushu, take good care of her."

Although he was confident he could defeat Accelerator, Misaka's injuries made it unsuitable for her to watch the battle at such close range.

Fubuki Toshinobu immediately stepped forward, supported Misaka 9999 who was still unsteady on her feet, and nodded to her, signaling her not to move.

She looked at Dongye's back with a complicated expression, filled with worry, but even more so with trust in the man's decision.

Higashino Yu didn't turn around. He started walking, step by step, towards the thin, white-haired figure deep in the tunnel.

Contrary to the rumors of her past life, she is not the androgynous beauty she appears to be.

That's a bit of a shame, it takes away some of the fun of teasing, since he has no interest in teasing boys.

His steps were not fast, but unusually steady.

While Accelerator's ability is indeed a bit troublesome—direction might actually be affected by it, since it's targeted and definitely has directional properties—but…