In a tea restaurant in Academy City's District Seven, Lin Luo sat by a window. Across from him were three pink-cheeked little lolis: Shirai Kuroko, Uiharu Kazari, and Saten Ruiko. These three were key members of Academy City's cutest brigade—the Misaka Quartet—and had a distinguished history in cuteness contests, always striving alongside their ace, Railgun, to claim the title of Moe King...

Though Shirai Kuroko and Saten Ruiko's presence was unexpected for Lin Luo, such minor deviations were easily corrected, especially under the crushing pressure exerted by a Level 6 powerhouse, which quickly quelled Kuroko's incipient rebellion... Here, a salute is once again offered to the great Dorm Manager.

After a brief introduction, Lin Luo cut straight to the point. "Uiharu-san, I need your help with something..."

A look of confusion crossed Uiharu's face. Lin Luo paused, then continued, "I need you to enter Academy City's 'Library' and look up some information on a person for me."

"Ah!" At these words, not only Uiharu but Kuroko and Saten looked utterly shocked.

"Wild Monkey, do you have any idea what you're saying? Don't think you can run wild just because you have some connection with Onee-sama! I might just have to arrest you!" Kuroko's voice held a hint of genuine anger. Academy City’s “Library” managed all of its intelligence systems; any illegal intrusion was punishable, and severe cases led to imprisonment. Since Uiharu was a Judgement member, asking her to break into the "Library" was an aggravated offense—a crime compounded by her very position—something completely unacceptable to the fiercely righteous Kuroko.

In truth, Lin Luo knew his request was excessive. Dragging uninvolved people into the Level Upper experiments was inherently wrong, and forcing them to commit crimes against their own morals was pushing the boundary significantly.

Of course, Lin Luo had considered the risks. Uiharu was known online as the "Guardian God," and her hacking skills were among the best in Academy City; few could trace her if she breached the "Library." Even if exposed, he could simply sever ties with Uiharu, taking all the blame himself; she would remain untouched... Lin Luo had plenty of debts anyway, and the laws of Academy City were mere trifles to him.

While he couldn't hide this from the Hanging Man, given his status and the fact that Lin Luo's current actions benefited him, the Hanging Man surely wouldn't bother prosecuting a mere Judgement member... Therefore, this posed no physical danger to Uiharu, provided she could get past her own moral hurdle.

"Um, Lin Luo-kun... hacking into the Library is wrong behavior, so please don't pursue this idea," Uiharu replied good-naturedly, rather than becoming angry, instead offering Lin Luo a gentle lesson in proper conduct.

Lin Luo forced a bitter smile; he was being lectured by a little loli. "Alright, let’s drop that for now. Uiharu-san, how do you view Mikoto?"

"Eh?" Uiharu blinked, clearly surprised by Lin Luo's abrupt change in topic, leaping from the Library to Misaka Mikoto. After a moment, however, she answered honestly, "Misaka-senpai is strong, cool, and kind. She’s always been someone I look up to."

"And if Mikoto were in danger, would you help her?"

"Well, of course, but... Misaka-senpai is an esper. How could I possibly..."

"Espers aren't omnipotent. Even the Railgun has enemies she can't defeat, things she can’t resolve on her own..."

"Wait a minute!" Lin Luo was interrupted by Shirai Kuroko, who looked intensely serious. "I can't ignore what you just said. If Onee-sama were in danger... do you know something?"

Uiharu and Saten looked at Lin Luo with similar confusion. Espers were figures they looked up to; if even an esper couldn't handle a situation, how could they?

"Fine, since you all want to know..." Lin Luo sighed. He preferred not to mention the experiments if possible, but now it seemed that if he didn't speak, Kuroko would press him relentlessly even if Uiharu remained silent. "Having experienced the ITEM event, I believe you all have some understanding of Academy City's darkness."

The faces of the three girls changed instantly. They would never forget the ITEM incident—not only had their friend been hurt, but they had been confronted with an unbearable truth: human experimentation!

"What does this have to do with Onee-sama?!" Kuroko immediately sprang up from her seat, glaring at Lin Luo.

"The darkness within Academy City is arguably thicker than anywhere else in this world, and this won't be the only human experiment. What is happening to Mikoto right now is likely a hundred times crueler than the ITEM incident... You must have heard about the existence of a certain esper's clone within Academy City."

"Ah!" The three exclaimed in unison, the look in their eyes suggesting they had realized something terrible...

Ten minutes later, everyone looked grave. Kuroko held her head, her voice thick with guilt. "I see. No wonder Onee-sama has been so distracted these past few days; she even had a nightmare the night before last. This is happening? And I knew nothing..."

"Mikoto didn't want to drag you into it."

"I know, that's why I say, Onee-sama..."

"Then, Lin Luo-kun, does Misaka-senpai's situation have anything to do with the Library?" Uiharu asked.

"To stop this experiment, we first need to destroy the prerequisite: defeating Accelerator..." Lin Luo explained. "But Accelerator is the number one ranked esper; fighting him head-on guarantees defeat. So, my plan is to find Kihara Amata, who developed Accelerator's ability, and acquire the jamming device he possesses. That way, we might have a chance against him."

"Kihara again!?" The three girls were all too familiar with that name. It seemed the darkness of Academy City was intrinsically linked to those syllables—a symbol of pure malice.

"I understand!" After a moment of hesitation, Uiharu spoke, her voice filled with iron resolve. "For Misaka-senpai's sake, I will definitely find Kihara Amata's location!"

"I'm going too!" Kuroko lifted her head, gazing stubbornly at Lin Luo. "I will go with you to confront Kihara Amata!"

"Uh!" This caught Lin Luo slightly off guard. He paused, hesitating. "Is that alright? You're a Judgement member. While finding Kihara's location for me poses little direct danger to Uiharu, if you directly participate, your name might end up on the Dark Side's blacklist... There aren't many Level 4 Teleporters, are there?"

"It's absolutely fine!" Kuroko had made up her mind completely; there was no hesitation in her eyes. "Knowing Onee-sama is in such an environment, how could I, her junior, remain safe and comfortable? If I were that kind of Shirai Kuroko, I would completely forfeit my right to stand on the same ground as Onee-sama. Therefore... even if I have to sacrifice my reputation, I will protect Onee-sama's world!"

"Is that so? However, doing this means you will be opposing Academy City. You probably won't be able to continue as a Judgement member afterward," Lin Luo said, a hint of threat coloring his words, hoping to make Shirai Kuroko back down.

But Kuroko simply smiled. "You're mistaken. Maintaining Academy City's security and punishing darkness is also the duty of Judgement. Furthermore, as a criminal, I certainly can't let you out of my sight."

Lin Luo was taken aback, then let out a wry smile. "It seems I have no choice but to let you come along."

"Um, I..." At this moment, Saten Ruiko showed a difficult expression. "I also want to help. Is there anything I can do?"

Watching her friends suffer while she could only stand by caused Saten Ruiko, a Level 0, exceptional pain and self-reproach... If only she had some ability, she could do something now...

Lin Luo turned to look at her, grinned, and gently patted her shoulder. "Just keep smiling."

Saten froze.

...

Night fell. Two figures materialized abruptly on a rooftop. In the next instant, they vanished from the spot, reappearing dozens of meters away, only to vanish again...

With Shirai Kuroko assisting, Lin Luo's movements became significantly easier. Spatial movement abilities were incredibly convenient, whether for offense or support.

"Uiharu, report the location." Kuroko held Lin Luo with one hand while clutching her phone in the other.

"Target location... unchanged... Two kilometers ahead... inside a building..." Due to Kuroko's spatial jumps, the signal was choppy, and the voice on the line cut in and out, but the meaning was perfectly clear to both of them.

"Kihara Amata is just two kilometers ahead. The power to defeat Accelerator is within our grasp!" Lin Luo clenched his fist.

"That dark sky... Onee-sama is fighting in the darkest place. To protect her daily life, we must venture into the deepest part of the battlefield!" Shirai Kuroko looked ahead, swearing an oath in her heart.

Strongly recommend a friend's book, Total Deprivation, linked here, over 100,000 words: Yu Huang, the strongest esper in history, possesses the most bizarre, unnatural ability—Deprivation—which allows him to seize another person's life, memories, and abilities as his own. What storms of blood and fire would erupt if he traveled to another world wielding this power?