Lin Luo didn't know which Misaka clone this one was, but he was certain she wasn't an ordinary individual. Could she be a "side story" clone? The moment this thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it. The side story clones were not manufactured by Heaven-Viewing Azuma; they had absolutely no connection to him. So, what was this individual all about?

Thinking of this, Lin Luo suddenly recalled a theory about the Misaka clones circulating online, and his heart stirred—could it be…?

In the room, Heaven-Viewing Azuma had already raised the entire laboratory bench upright. Just as he was about to undo the restraints on the table, he suddenly felt his body go numb. He collapsed as if electrocuted, his head slamming heavily against the armrest of the table. The pain was so intense he almost cried out, but the scream caught in his throat as a hand clamped down on his neck.

“Don’t turn around, don’t try to resist, and don’t make any noise that causes me to slip up…” ZZZT! A slightly deeper voice sounded from behind. Heaven-Viewing Azuma was instantly petrified, having no idea what had just happened, only knowing he had been attacked by someone. Yet, he dared not resist in the slightest, not even to make a sound, because the hand that had snaked around from behind to grip his throat was sparking with blue-white electricity. As a researcher of espers, he knew precisely what that signified!

“My instantaneous power output can reach one hundred thousand volts. While that might not amount to much in Academy City, it is certainly enough to pose a fatal threat to an ordinary person. So... do you understand what I am trying to say?”

Cold sweat streamed down Heaven-Viewing Azuma’s face, his eyes wide with terror. He could clearly sense the chilling, ruthless killing intent in the speaker's words. This intent shattered the last thread of his (hope/fluke). He swallowed hard, nodding heavily.

“Very good. Now, the questioning begins…” The voice paused briefly. “First question: This girl is a mass-produced military clone of Academy City's Level 5 esper, Railgun Misaka Mikoto, correct?”

“Y-yes.” Driven by the fear of death, Heaven-Viewing Azuma answered truthfully, his voice hoarse.

“Serial Number?”

“Zero.”

It was indeed Number Zero! Although he had suspected some possibilities, Lin Luo was still startled when he received confirmation.

Misaka 00000, another special individual nurtured by Heaven-Viewing Azuma aside from The Last Order, and likely the original prototype for all Misaka clones. However, she was never connected to the Misaka Network nor used in experiments. No one knew the specifics except Heaven-Viewing Azuma… This was the information Lin Luo had known about Zero in his previous life. Of course, there was another version suggesting the side story clone was Zero, but few supported that claim.

And now, it seemed Zero and the side story clone were indeed separate entities.

After a brief moment of surprise, Lin Luo quickly calmed down and continued his inquiry: “Number 00000 is the original prototype for the clones, isn’t she? When did you create her? And why is she being kept here, frozen?”

“She is the first model, the prototype for all the clones. I manufactured her alone two years ago. As for now, she is in a state of stasis.”

This "stasis" didn't mean physical freezing, but rather the shutdown of most bodily functions. Respiration, heartbeat, pulse—nearly all functions were reduced to zero, yet just enough to keep her alive. It was akin to a computer's standby mode, consuming almost no physical energy, theoretically allowing for semi-perpetual existence, provided adequate life support systems were in place.

“What is the difference between the first model and the general clones? Why did you place her in stasis here?”

“This…” Heaven-Viewing Azuma hesitated briefly, but after the electric arc flashed on Lin Luo’s hand, he immediately answered, “The first model differs significantly from the ordinary clones. The standard individuals can barely reach Level 3 strength, and those are considered exceedingly exceptional. But the first model… the first model can reach Level 4, and is extremely close to Level 5. It’s just that later on, some unforeseen complications arose…”

“What? Close to Level 5!?”

Lin Luo’s expression instantly changed; he was inwardly shocked. Close to Level 5? That meant she was almost on par with Mikoto! Heaven-Viewing Azuma’s mass production plan was practically successful—so why did he ultimately fail later on…? Wait! Did he just say unforeseen complications?

“What exactly happened? Tell me everything in detail!”

Listening to Heaven-Viewing Azuma recount the events, Lin Luo was utterly stunned… After obtaining Mikoto’s DNA, Heaven-Viewing Azuma immediately embarked on the Railgun mass production experiment. After a period of consideration, he formally launched his plan two years prior. However, clone experimentation inherently violated humanitarian principles. If discovered, not only would he face public condemnation, but he himself risked being eliminated. Thus, he had to proceed silently and alone in secret.

The initial phase of the experiment was a resounding success. Both physical cultivation and personality implantation proceeded smoothly. The first model reached the peak of Level 4 the moment she was created. While she hadn't achieved the anticipated Level 5, she was merely a hair's breadth away.

Given Railgun’s own trajectory—rising from Level 1 to Level 5 in just a few years—everyone found that astonishing. As Railgun’s replication, the first model possessed the same genetics and started from such a high baseline; becoming Level 5 should theoretically not be difficult, perhaps crossing that threshold in just one or two years. Heaven-Viewing Azuma was confident in this and highly expectant.

But what he never expected was that the experiment would later encounter two fatal problems!

The first was that although the first model possessed near Level 5 capability, she lacked the foundation to deploy that power because her body was too weak. Her physical age was set to sixteen—the optimal state determined by Heaven-Viewing Azuma after various considerations. However, this was only her physical age; her actual development was less than a month old. This method of forced maturation instantly granted her a perfect body, but deep within, it contained immense flaws, nearly irreparable ones.

It was like a magnificent building whose exterior was splendid, but whose foundation was rotten—a mere gust of wind could bring it down. Although the first model possessed near Level 5 power, she could not use it at all, because deploying that kind of energy would cause her own body to collapse first from the unbearable load.

This was a massive oversight by Heaven-Viewing Azuma. Of course, it wasn't impossible to remedy; with the technology he possessed, coupled with Academy City’s resources, it wouldn't be impossible to fully repair the first model's body, though it would take time. However, another error that occurred during the experiment forced him to abandon that notion—and that error was…

The first model changed during the experiment; she developed her own consciousness!

The reason Heaven-Viewing Azuma initiated the Railgun mass production plan was to create combat puppets that would obey commands unconditionally, essentially tools, weapons. But if the first model possessed her own consciousness and developed her own emotions, would she still blindly follow his orders?

Evidently, that was impossible. From every perspective, at that point, the first model, aside from her physical imperfections, was no different from a normal human. And no human would willingly become someone else's tool.

This outcome was unacceptable to Heaven-Viewing Azuma. Forced by this, he had to place the first model into stasis. Yet, he wasn't willing to abandon the experiment altogether, as it represented the crystallization of all his effort, and there was no turning back.

Thus, he contacted certain high-ranking officials within Academy City. After securing their funding, he commenced the second phase of the Railgun mass production plan—twenty thousand clones!

This time, to avoid repeating the previous mistake, Heaven-Viewing Azuma introduced a balance into the experiment. Level 5 was impossible, so Level 4 it would be: twenty thousand Level 4 espers. Such combat power could nearly conquer a nation… But tragedy struck again.

Because of the balancing system he integrated, although the clones’ bodies were much tougher than the first model’s, their power levels simultaneously dropped significantly. Forget Level 4; even Level 3 individuals were rare.

An esper force with an average combat power of only Level 2, without the aid of weapons or special tools, could not form an effective fighting unit. Moreover, while their bodies were slightly stronger than the first model’s, they remained far more fragile than ordinary people… Consequently, the second experiment was also a failure!

What followed was the situation Lin Luo already knew: the unfolding of the Level 6 Shift Project.

After hearing the entire convoluted story, even Lin Luo couldn't help but sigh. Heaven-Viewing Azuma, ambitious and meticulously executing the Railgun mass production plan to ascend above others, ended up with nothing—truly, there was no 'most tragic,' only 'more tragic.' The fate of a supporting character needed no further explanation.

However, what Lin Luo couldn't fathom was this: since the Level 6 Shift Project had begun, giving Heaven-Viewing Azuma a chance to redeem himself, why was he coming back here to retrieve the first model? It didn't add up!

Lin Luo voiced this question, and the answer he received nearly dropped his jaw!

“The Level 6 Shift Project cannot succeed. I must prepare a fallback plan for myself.”

At this moment, Lin Luo almost believed someone had died, their soul traversing dimensions to possess Heaven-Viewing Azuma's body!

P: Please give recommendation tickets. Misaka 00000 says this with a regal expression.