Less than twenty-four hours—time was tight! In such a short span, not only was there no time for subtle influence on the **sisters, there wasn't even time to figure out how to interface with the Misaka Network!
“Is there any possibility of postponing the experiment?” Lin Luo asked. He wasn't operating with the casual thought of saving a few if he could; not a single one of the sisters could die. At minimum, the lives of those still alive could not end here. That was a mandatory condition!
Yoshikawa fell silent for a moment before slowly replying, “If we use the excuse of conducting physical adjustments on the sisters, we could perhaps delay things a little. However, a week at most. If the delay is too long, the higher-ups will become suspicious, and the pressure on me will be immense.”
“One week…” Lin Luo stroked his chin. This timeframe wasn't exactly generous, but considering the current situation, he couldn't demand much more. Any delay was a gain. While figuring out how to access the Misaka Network and successfully **the sisters within a week seemed difficult, no matter how one looked at it, this approach was infinitely easier than confronting Accelerator.
Lin Luo sighed inwardly. Ultimately, the event was so troublesome because his own strength was insufficient. If he could instantly reach LVA level, there would be no need for all this nonsense. He could simply clap Accelerator into submission, kick the cross-dresser, deploy the Frozen Throne, conquer the world, with Railgun on the left and the Misaka Sisters on the right—what a joyous outcome! Ah, well, perhaps he’d indulge that dream later.
“By the way, if we use the excuse of the sisters’ physical adjustments, won't the other researchers become suspicious?”
“You don't need to worry about that. After all, I am the person in charge of this experiment; I have a certain level of authority,” Yoshikawa stated confidently.
“Eh? You’re the person in charge?” Lin Luo blinked. “Isn’t it Amachi Arui?”
“Who said Amachi Arui is the person in charge of this experiment?” Yoshikawa was also taken aback, staring at Lin Luo with confusion. “He was merely the research head for the Mass Production Esper Project when it hit a bottleneck. When the decision was made to use the sisters as substitutes for the Level 6 Shift experiment, he transferred to our team. The higher-ups just asked him to help with management; I am the primary supervisor of the experiment.”
“Ah!” Lin Luo’s mouth fell slightly ajar. He turned to look at Fresta, who nodded in agreement. “Yoshikawa is right.”
Lin Luo felt a bit idiotic. He hadn't expected to make such a rudimentary mistake. It seemed he hadn't paid enough attention when reading before. But thinking about it, it was normal. The reason he started reading the Toaru novels was purely because Railgun felt sidelined in the anime, leading to a surge of resentment. His initial motivation was solely to witness Railgun in her full glory. As for someone like Amachi Arui, a mere passerby, why would he pay them any extra attention? Good thing he only mistook Amachi Arui for the experiment supervisor; if he had accidentally taken Arui for the Misaka’s father, he would have truly been a massive fool!
“Speaking of Amachi Arui…” Yoshikawa suddenly remembered something, his spirit lifting. “His area of expertise is writing the personality data for the learning device. Simply put, he knows the personalities of the sisters best. With his help, perhaps the method you mentioned isn't entirely unfeasible?”
“Amachi Arui!”
Lin Luo’s eyes immediately lit up. Indeed, both the birth and the personality implantation of the sisters originated from Amachi Arui. No one understood the sisters’ condition better than him… However, getting his help seemed almost impossible!
Of course, Lin Luo hadn't truly expected Amachi Arui’s assistance. For a scum who had sunk to the absolute bottom, words were meaningless. Before, he had feared that if he moved against the chief supervisor, the whole structure might collapse. But now… he would simply suppress that wretched man with the most brutal force!
“Where does Amachi Arui live?”
...
Half past ten at night.
Lin Luo was running through the dark, silent streets, gritting his teeth slightly. The information he received from Yoshikawa Kikyou had left him deeply frustrated—that bastard Amachi Arui had no fixed residence!
For a researcher to not even have a permanent home—wasn't that pathetic? What a nuisance he must be to others!
“District Seven? District Seven is enormous; how am I supposed to find him, damn it!”
Because the Esper Mass Production Plan Amachi Arui executed was run by a private organization, after the experiment failed, he was saddled with almost astronomical debt. Consequently, he usually parked his car in parks or ruins and slept inside it.
Although Yoshikawa Kikyou provided Lin Luo with several locations Amachi Arui frequented, several searches yielded nothing, almost entirely eroding his patience. Damn it, he was a middle-aged uncle, not a cute girl, yet he was hiding and scurrying around like this!
“Huh?” After walking for a while longer, Lin Luo unconsciously found himself in a rather desolate area. In one part of the alleyway, a yellow sports car was parked.
“Parking a car in a place like this late at night…” Lin Luo’s heart stirred. He walked over and immediately grinned. The license plate number matched exactly what Yoshikawa Kikyou had described—it was Amachi Arui’s car.
“Tch, the guy isn’t here?” To Lin Luo’s disappointment, Amachi Arui was nowhere inside the car. He activated Synchronization Mode and used his ability to open the door. The temperature on the seat suggested he hadn't left long ago.
He closed it again, took out his phone, and dialed Yoshikawa’s number.
“I found Amachi Arui’s car, but he’s not here. It looks like he left quite a while ago.”
Speaking of which, Synchronization Mode was truly incredibly useful. Although it had a time limit, its instant activation and deactivation convenience allowed Lin Luo to maintain a certain degree of combat readiness at any moment. Furthermore, if the activation time was short, it consumed almost no life force.
“Where are you right now?”
“Well…” Hearing the question, Lin Luo looked around. “I think I’m at the ruins of a research facility. The perimeter wall and the gate are both sealed off with warning tape… Tsk, why does this look a little familiar?”
“Oh, the place you’re describing… Right, that’s the research institution where the Railgun Mass Production Plan was initially conducted! Strange, why would he go there?”
“Oh, so it’s this place then.” Lin Luo suddenly realized. In the original story, that bastard Arui brought Last Order to this exact location before activating the virus… No wonder it felt familiar. But he shared Yoshikawa’s confusion: why would that scumbag go here at a time like this? …To hook up?
“Do you think he’s inside the research facility?”
“I’m not sure about that. Besides work-related matters, I haven't paid much attention to his personal life…”
As he said this, the sound abruptly cut off. Lin Luo blinked, realizing the call had disconnected automatically. He immediately redialed the number, but a gentle voice answered, “Your call cannot be completed as the account is suspended…”
Damn your ancestors! Lin Luo’s lips twitched, wishing he could smash his phone right then and there. Was he that stingy? He wouldn't even let him finish a single sentence—you stubborn old hypocrite!
After hesitating for a few seconds, Lin Luo ultimately decided not to resort to violence on the spot. After all, this phone belonged to the little loli Kinuhata. It would be awkward if he broke it, and besides, he was waiting for the loli to top up his phone credit… Come to think of it, how did 500 yen run out after only two calls? These Japanese yen really don't last long.
Putting the phone back in his pocket, Lin Luo walked to the main gate of the research facility. He instantly entered Synchronization State and, with a clack, unlocked the padlock. As he stepped inside, his eyes suddenly brightened. There were a few shallow footprints on the ground.
That bastard Arui really did enter this research facility?
Lin Luo frowned, feeling seven or eight parts certain in his mind. At this moment, he dared not casually deactivate Synchronization Mode.
That scumbag was extremely cunning; ambushes were his specialty. If he carelessly fell for a trap and ended up brain-dead like Accelerator, it would be a huge loss!
The iron gate of the research facility was tightly shut, but in its current state, it clearly no longer served its original purpose. With a zzzzzt, accompanied by a flash of blue-white electricity, the iron gate sprang open.
Opening the door, the interior was pitch black.
Lin Luo walked in by feel. His current physical capabilities far surpassed those of ordinary people; even without any light, he could roughly make out the environment ahead.
After about five minutes, relying on his superior hearing, Lin Luo detected a slight sound coming from a room not far away and cautiously moved closer.
He dared not be careless, paying close attention to the surroundings, as his Level 3 electric shock ability wasn't enough to make him disregard bullets.
Soon, he reached the doorway of that room. Fortunately, this door wasn't fully closed, leaving a slight gap through which he could see the situation inside.
In the room, under a faint light, a man wearing a white coat was bent over, seemingly engrossed in doing something… Amachi Arui!
Based on his memory, Lin Luo immediately confirmed that this man was Amachi Arui!
“What the hell is this guy doing?”
Lin Luo felt a slight curiosity. While he was pondering, he suddenly saw an experiment table next to Amachi Arui slowly rising vertically. Instantly, Lin Luo’s eyes widened!
On that experiment table lay a Misaka Sister, eyes closed and completely unconscious!
Several restraints were fastened to her body, tightly binding her to the table so she wouldn't fall over when it rose. Of course, what shocked Lin Luo wasn't this, but the fact that this Misaka Sister was clearly different from the ordinary sisters!
Her height was estimated to be around 1.65 meters, slightly taller than Mikoto, and her expression was serene and quiet, giving off the aura of an elegant young lady. But the most striking feature was her tea-colored hair that reached her knees!
The long-haired, young-lady-type Misaka Sister! What kind of attribute was this?
In an instant, Lin Luo froze!