Kihara Gensei, a noble man, a pure man, a man of integrity, one divorced from base desires... For the sake of bringing a brighter future to Academy City, he willingly degraded himself to become the darkness—great and sublime!
But now, our great Gensei-sama was furious. With a distinguished Master sitting in command, two mere rats dared to infiltrate the headquarters of the Hound he led... This was sheer courting death!
Kihara’s temper flared instantly. With a grand sweep of his hand, his underlings quickly donned their armor, arrayed themselves in formation, and stood ready. He wanted the enemy to know: Gensei is angry, and the consequences will be severe!
Lin Luo felt conflicted. He had initially assumed that with Shirai Kuroko’s help, relying on her teleportation ability, dealing with Kihara would be a simple matter... Although in the original story, Kihara had brutalized Accelerator, that was because he knew Accelerator’s ability inside and out, giving him the means to counter it, and at that time, Accelerator was still in a weakened state.
But Shirai Kuroko had nothing to do with him. No matter how powerful Kihara was, surely he couldn’t suppress Kuroko’s ability, right?
Yet, he never expected that when they were less than ten meters from the building, Kuroko’s power suddenly went haywire. The two of them were violently squeezed out of the Eleventh Dimension, falling from mid-air. If he hadn’t instantly entered the Qie Tong state and used magnetism to anchor onto a nearby metal pole, this fall would have left him crippled, if not dead.
“I’m sorry, I dragged you down,” Shirai Kuroko said guiltily. Her complexion was rather poor, slightly pale.
“No, this has nothing to do with you. I was careless,” Lin Luo shook his head, feeling a bit of self-reproach. He had indeed underestimated Kihara this time.
Kihara Gensei... Ah, Kihara Yasuhiro, one of the researchers who developed espers. To have developed Accelerator’s ability alone, calling him the most genius researcher would not be an overstatement. Furthermore, as the leader of the Hound, the first close friend (a mental note: ahem) of the Man in the Hanging Rope, moving within the darkness of Academy City, he must suppress quite a few espers on a daily basis. How could a mere normal person like him lack any means to counter espers?!
The Energy Degradation System. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the device.
Although espers appear to use their powers instantly, in that moment, countless complex calculations run through their minds. The so-called Energy Degradation System emits a special sound wave that can scramble the esper’s calculation formula, rendering them unable to use their abilities.
There was a woman before, also surnamed Kihara, with a very long name including letters and a sadistic streak, who used such a device to completely seal off Misaka’s power and defeat her. Surely Kihara Gensei, who was even more talented, would possess one as well? After all, the entire Hound consists of level 0s. Even equipped with the most advanced weaponry, relying solely on firearms is clearly insufficient to deal with the myriad of strange espers.
“It’s the Energy Degradation System, isn’t it?” In less than half a minute, Shirai Kuroko’s complexion had mostly returned to normal. She looked up at the building hundreds of meters away and spoke. When she was hit earlier, she hadn't realized it, but now she remembered immediately. She had encountered this kind of device that could seal an esper's ability before.
“Yes, most likely,” Lin Luo replied.
“But why weren’t you affected? In fact, you even used your ability?” Shirai Kuroko looked at Lin Luo with a confused expression.
“Uh.” Lin Luo was momentarily stunned. He genuinely hadn't considered this. When falling from the sky, he hadn’t thought at all and had immediately entered the Qie Tong state. This not only ensured their safe landing but also rapidly distanced them from the building... However, the Energy Degradation System is supposed to seal espers’ powers; theoretically, he should also have been unable to use his abilities.
Could the power granted by the Qie Yue Zhi Shu (Contract Book) ignore external interference?
Lin Luo felt this possibility was high. After all, fundamentally, he wasn't an esper. The reason he could use psychic powers was by copying Misaka's ability. When using it, he didn't need to go through complex calculations; instead, he directly copied the calculation formula stored in his mind... No calculation needed, instant thought, instant activation. In a way, this method of using psychic power was more convenient than that of true espers, and it came with no side effects.
Lin Luo didn’t know how to explain this to Shirai Kuroko, so he simply gave a vague reply. This was when Kuroko’s ladylike demeanor showed; she didn't pry or ask further gossipy questions, merely lowered her head in thought.
...Although he could use his psychic powers without restraint, ignoring the Energy Degradation System, Lin Luo had no intention of rushing in recklessly. A mere Level 3 electrokinetic—he didn't think he could take on the entire Hound. Even materializing the Qie Yue Zhi Shu might not be enough to withstand their bullets.
It’s the same old story: his strongest weapon right now is Bai Rui!
“Shi Ling Jie Fang (Hunger Zero Release)!”
He snapped his index fingers together, and Xiao Bai immediately burst forth from its seal, just as imposing as ever... Kuroko froze instantly, her delicate body trembling violently!
Lin Luo couldn’t be bothered to explain to her; how many words would it take to explain everything so clearly to everyone?
Under Lin Luo’s command, Bai Rui charged toward the building hundreds of meters away silently... It was the dead of night, after all. If Bai Rui let out a loud roar, it would disturb people’s sleep and possibly attract countless onlookers.
Seeing Bai Rui’s massive form charging over, Kihara and his subordinates were completely dumbfounded. When had they ever seen such a terrifying monster? At first, they could fire a few shots, but bullets striking Bai Rui were like being tickled—not only did it fail to reduce HP, but it couldn't even break its defense. A single charge from Bai Rui was enough to send them tumbling in disarray and terror... Of course, Lin Luo had restrained Bai Rui. If it truly went all out, they would only end up as snacks.
It wasn't that Lin Luo was feeling benevolent and didn't want to kill them. In fact, he wanted to eliminate the threat posed by the Hound completely. But the problem was that the Hound was the direct entourage of the Man in the Hanging Rope. A few hits wouldn't matter, but wiping them all out might drive the Man in the Hanging Rope into a rage for his comrade's sake...
“Alright, the Energy Degradation System has been dealt with. Let’s go over there now,” Lin Luo soon said to Shirai Kuroko.
“Eh? How did you know?” Various question marks flashed through Kuroko’s mind.
“Because I’m a Level 5 Oracle,” Lin Luo grinned. How could he not know? He shared a soul link with Bai Rui; any action it took could be controlled by him. With a mere thought, destroying those massive Energy Degradation Devices would be an easy task.
Kuroko found this man far too mysterious. She shook her head and decided to stop thinking about it. Grabbing Lin Luo, she performed a spatial shift, and the two vanished from the spot.
When Lin Luo and Kuroko reached Kihara, Bai Rui was blocking his path. Even with the Master’s composure, his face was etched with terror. As for the rest of the Hound, aside from a few groaning on the ground, most were unconscious, though none were dead.
“So this is Kihara. He really looks like trouble,” Kuroko eyed Kihara with hostility, then glanced at Lin Luo, appearing eager. “What should we do next to get that device you mentioned? Do we need to interrogate him? I’m quite good at that.”
She had agreed to deal with Kihara alongside Lin Luo, but from the start of the fight to the end, it seemed she hadn't gotten a chance to contribute. This made Kuroko feel conflicted. If she didn't show off at the last moment, this trip would have been completely useless for her.
However, it was clear that Kuroko’s role this time was set to be useless.
“Well, leave this to me,” Lin Luo waved casually at Kuroko, then walked up to Kihara. “Kihara Yasuhiro, right? I think you understand your current situation. I won’t waste time with pleasantries. I want Accelerator’s ability scrambler. Can you give it to me?”
“Huh? What nonsense are you spouting?” The Master was indeed a Master; even in this situation, he hadn't been subdued. Any ordinary villain would have been begging for mercy long ago.
“Well, I knew you’d say that. I didn't expect you to tell me immediately anyway, so now is the Q&A session...” Lin Luo paused, then asked, “What is your father’s surname?”
Bang! The sound of Kuroko collapsing behind him was heard, while Kihara froze in place.
Snap! Lin Luo snapped his fingers. Following the sound, Bai Rui’s body rapidly shrank until it was about the size of a normal human, and then its slender tail coiled around Kihara’s body, pulling him sharply up toward the sky...
After circling a few times, Bai Rui brought Kihara back down. Lin Luo repeated his question: “What is your father’s surname?”
Kihara was dizzy and couldn't answer. So, Lin Luo snapped his fingers again, and Kihara flew back up into the sky.
Only after returning to the ground for the fourth time did Kihara finally understand: if he didn't tell the truth, he would likely be flying in the sky for a while longer.
“What is your father’s surname?”
“Kihara!” Although his head was spinning, Kihara quickly answered.
“Good. Excellent,” Lin Luo nodded. “Then, the second question: what is your father’s close friend’s surname?”
“Huh?” Kihara was stunned again.
Snap! Kihara flew into the sky for the fifth time.
Returning to the ground half a minute later.
“Well, that question might have been a bit difficult for you. Let’s try a different one: What is your mother’s surname?”
Kihara could answer this one, so he was spared the trouble of flying.
“Next question: What is your mother’s close friend’s surname?”
He couldn't answer, so Kihara flew up to the sky again.
When he returned to the ground, Kihara was on the verge of a breakdown. What the heck was this?!
“What is your name?”
Correct answer. Kihara rested on the spot.
“What is your close friend’s surname?”
Couldn't answer. Kihara flew in the sky for a bit.
“How old are you this year?”
Correct answer. Kihara rested.
“How many close friends do you have?”
Couldn't answer. Kihara continued to fly.
“What is your older sister’s surname?”
Correct answer. Kihara stood by.
“What is your older sister’s close friend’s surname?”
Couldn't answer. Kihara flew.
...
“You... What are you doing?” Kuroko watched Kihara flying in the sky, unable to comprehend the situation.
“I’m conditioning him,” Lin Luo explained.
“Huh, conditioning?”
“Well, you should know. When we train a dog, if it does something wrong, we give it a whack; if it does something right, we reward it with a bone. Over time, the dog develops a habit and avoids making mistakes... The principle is the same here. Since I can’t verify whether the device Kihara gives me is real or fake later on, I must first train him to develop a habit: upon hearing my question, he immediately speaks the correct answer. Yes, simply put, it’s a form of conditioned reflex.”
Kuroko was speechless.
Because explaining to Kuroko took some time, Kihara ended up flying in the sky a bit longer this time. When he landed, he was foaming at the mouth and seeing stars. Considering this, Lin Luo let him rest for an extra five minutes.
Five minutes later, Lin Luo asked the question again.
Kihara instantly transformed into an aerial commuter once more.
Kuroko seized the opportunity to ask, “But even doing this, you can’t guarantee he’ll tell the truth later, can you?”
Lin Luo glared at her, saying with disdain, “There’s more than one way to ask a single question. If Kihara messes up, we’ll just make him fly a little longer.”
Fine, Kuroko admitted, she was outdated.
Finally, after several hours, Lin Luo was satisfied and obtained what he wanted. Kihara, meanwhile, lay on the ground like a puddle of sludge, indicating he couldn't fly anymore.
Requesting recommendation tickets for the one who flies... Speaking of which, someone demanded an update of twelve thousand words. Damn it, are they trying to kill me?^^^^