"The power of everyone is truly immense; in just one day, three people have been taken down consecutively, and I've already risen to tenth place. I am deeply flattered, but the author says... he's still a bit unsatisfied..."

The sound of that crack resonated in Kinuhatasu Suki's mind like a death knell. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the arrival of death. Yet, to her surprise, the anticipated pain never materialized. When she dared to open her eyes, the horrifying gaping maw was still right before her face, but it had halted just a dozen centimeters from her features.

"You had best not move. While Shirobai won't hurt you for the moment, it depends entirely on your attitude. I hope you don't force me to be rough with such a lovely flower."

The warning was delivered without harshness, yet the underlying threat was unmistakable.

Kinuhatasu Suki had nothing to say. She glanced at the ferocious beast before her, a mix of terror and awe gripping her heart. As a member of ITEM, she had navigated many storms, but a monster like this was a first. Simply being scrutinized by those blood-red eyes sent a chill through her entire body; the aura of death washed over her, nearly suffocating her, extinguishing any spark of resistance in her soul.

The girl sighed inwardly, deactivating the nitrogen armor enveloping her body, and placed both hands behind her head in a gesture of surrender. In truth, the moment she became part of ITEM, her life had been a dance with the Grim Reaper. Today she might kill, and tomorrow she might be killed; dying at any moment, by anyone's hand, was never a surprise. She had long accepted that fate, but given the choice, survival was preferable to death.

"Hmm, a very correct choice, little loli."

Lin Luo smiled faintly, expressing his satisfaction. Honestly, he held a good impression of this loli. Though immersed in darkness, she retained her kindness, valued her comrades fiercely, and would even sacrifice herself to delay an opponent for their sake. Furthermore, her personality held significant moe points... If not for their conflicting allegiances, Lin Luo would rather not be her enemy.

With that said, ignoring the protesting glare of the little loli, Lin Luo turned his attention to the three remaining assailants.

The sudden, intense visual shock of Bai Rui’s appearance had stunned everyone present. The black-haired girl beside them gasped, stumbling backward repeatedly until she was pressed against the wall with nowhere left to retreat. Her pistol instinctively rose to point at Bai Rui, though she maintained enough composure not to fire in a panic.

As for the two men further beside them, whom Lin Luo had entirely disregarded, they proved utterly useless. The moment they saw Bai Rui, they fainted without even a whimper, and a yellowish liquid was already seeping from the inner thighs of both men.

Could you possibly be any more pathetic?!

Lin Luo shot a look of profound contempt at the two puddles of human flesh on the floor. These two possessed less courage than the two young girls; they were a complete disgrace to all men.

"Frenda, isn't it?" Lin Luo ceased paying attention to the useless lumps on the ground and focused his gaze on the black-haired girl backed into the corner.

"Who are you? Why do you know my name?" Frenda retorted unfriendlily. Although Lin Luo's expression was gentle, she was unwilling to reciprocate the warmth. Firstly, this was her natural disposition; even when being friendly, she rarely showed it with a smile. Secondly, the enormous white monster behind Lin Luo made any pleasantries impossible. Academy City was rife with espers, and many possessed non-human strength, but nothing like the terrifying creature that was Bai Rui. Her nerves were not so thick as to ignore such a being.

"Ah, don't be so tense. I know what you're trying to do, and my objective is the same as yours, so I won't be hostile towards you." Lin Luo knew the girl before him was once involved in the 'Military Mass-Produced Clone' experiments, though she had left that program long ago and actively tried to prevent the 'Absolute Ability User' project. Her presence here was an attempt to stop the experiment through an alternative method—a path that, ultimately, she would not succeed on. Hence, Lin Luo approached her with measured courtesy.

"The same as me... Who exactly are you?" Frenda’s heart jolted, and her gaze sharpened instantly. She was here to stop the experiment, fully aware that she was risking certain death. Few understood the implications of this project as clearly as she did, and she knew who backed it. Thus, it was hard for her to imagine anyone else risking their life for such a cause, aside from herself... except, perhaps, for that naive girl, who was as impulsive as a hot-blooded idiot!

"That’s right, my goal is also to destroy this perverse experiment—no, to be precise, it’s to let more of my sisters live. After all, that is Mikoto’s true wish. As for who I am... well, my name is Lin Luo. Just consider me the person closest to Mikoto."

"Mikoto? Misaka Mikoto!... I see. So you're on her side too." Frenda showed a flash of surprise mixed with realization. Being a Level 5, the Railgun, it was impossible for her to have no companions. However, dragging such an important comrade into something like this didn't seem like something that hot-blooded fool of a girl would do.

In Frenda’s view, what Misaka Mikoto was doing was entirely futile.

"Misaka Mikoto? Isn't that the Railgun from Tokiwadai? The Level 5 ranked third!"

Their voices had not been intentionally lowered during their conversation, so Kinuhatasu Suki, standing nearby, heard every word. Her face immediately changed, and she cried out in shock.

Their entire ITEM unit had been deployed for this mission: an offensive and defensive battle at the research institute against a mysterious invader. With Mugino Shizuri, a Level 5 esper, present, the task should have been laughably easy; they had come with the mentality of playing a game. But she never imagined the intruder would turn out to be the Railgun... A confrontation between two Level 5 espers—it was practically the Summit War of Academy City!

And... what was that about an experiment? Kinuhatasu Suki was deeply confused, sensing a massive wave of unease. She had thought she could rely on Mugino for help; this was truly... a super crisis!

Kinuhatasu Suki was bordering on despair. Although both were Level 5 espers, the Railgun ranked above the Meltdowner. Even with three of them on their side, given that Atom Smasher could only operate at a reduced output, the battle situation was far from optimistic. Winning was questionable, let alone receiving aid!

Hearing Kinuhatasu Suki’s words, Lin Luo’s expression suddenly shifted. He realized an issue he had completely overlooked moments before... When Mikoto first arrived, she had mentioned being caught in an explosion while fighting a certain bomb-wielding woman, which resulted in her being transported to his world, and now she had returned to this one. So, if time in this world had paused the moment Mikoto crossed over, would it snap back to the original point upon her return?

Most likely, yes!

This answer had no concrete basis, but Lin Luo’s intuition told him it was correct.

Mikoto’s wish was to stop the experiment and save her sisters. She believed destroying the institute was the only way forward right now. However, two institutes remained. She had taken responsibility for one, while subconsciously, she had entrusted the other to him. Therefore, the instant she entered this world, she had unconsciously teleported him over... Otherwise, why would fate bring him precisely to this facility, the processing center, and nowhere else?

Of course, Mikoto herself definitely didn't possess such power, but she carried the World Seed within her!

Regarding the World Seed, Lin Luo knew even less about it than Xindian. If taken literally—the heart of the world, the will of the world?

This speculation might seem far-fetched, but he couldn't dismiss the possibility. After all, the World Seed was too mysterious; Lin Luo believed the power it held was certainly not much less than Xindian's!

And if his guess was true, it meant one thing—Mikoto was about to clash head-on with the Meltdowner!