The "Windowless Building".
It stood in School District 7, a structure that, while not the largest in Academy City, was unquestionably the most bizarre.
True to its name, it was a monolith without a single window, door, or staircase, an architectural anomaly that felt utterly sealed off from the outside world. No one could leave it from within, and no one could enter it from without.
And yet, this building was the residence of the Superintendent of Academy City's Board of Directors.
The man who ruled the twelve Directors and held the reins of all power within the city lived right here.
Entering this place by any ordinary means was flat-out impossible. Its original blueprints boasted a structure that a nuclear strike wouldn't even shake.
Logically, that left only one conceivable way in or out:
--Spatial transfer, guided by an esper with the ability to manipulate space.
That was the method by which Fang Li found himself inside.
The esper who had guided him was already gone, leaving Fang Li alone in the unnerving silence.
He was surrounded by a tangle of cables and machinery. Before him, a massive cylindrical chamber glowed faintly, filled with a pulsing, crimson liquid.
Suspended upside-down within the fluid was a human figure, shrouded in green surgical robes.
"..."
Fang Li simply stared, a rare silence falling over him. For the first time in what felt like ages, his senses felt utterly defied.
He was looking directly at this person, yet he could not pin down a single definitive trait.
Male or female?
Young or old?
Vibrant or frail?
Mortal or divine?
All such distinctions seemed to be filtered out, leaving him with a complete blank.
It was almost the same sensation people experienced when Fang Li himself wore his perception-scrambling mask. But where his was achieved by a tool, the person before him created this effect simply by existing, a pure force of impression.
This was...
"Aleister Crowley…"
A being who had maintained the same form for decades, who, after years of tireless effort, had founded Academy City and now reigned over the entire scientific world.
Once gravely wounded, he had retreated into this life-support system, entrusting every vital function to machines. His entire body, including his brain, was held in suspended animation, his thoughts mechanically assisted, allowing him to communicate only through artificial means.
This was also the individual who had scattered an estimated fifty million UNDER_LINE units throughout Academy City, allowing him to observe every hidden corner of the city, even while sealed in this lightless fortress.
If the world was currently split evenly between Science and Magic, the half ruled by Science was entirely under this person's thumb.
The deeper one dug into Academy City's shadows, the more inevitable it was that his influence lurked there.
This being… he could easily be called the one manipulating the very flow of the world itself.
He was a person woven from countless plans and schemes, the undeniable mastermind behind every shocking event in this world.
And now, Fang Li stood face to face with him.
He was the first to break the silence.
"Isn't living like this exhausting?" Fang Li's words sounded almost like a casual bit of small talk.
Yet Aleister seemed utterly unconcerned, calmly giving a reply.
"Perhaps, in your eyes, this can no longer be called 'living.' But from a scientific standpoint, if I continue to 'live' in this way, my lifespan will theoretically reach 1,700 years."
The voice didn't come from Aleister's mouth, but echoed faintly from somewhere within the chamber, distorted as if processed through machinery, distant, mechanical, and devoid of warmth.
Of course, Fang Li didn't seem to mind the voice's coldness in the slightest.
"One thousand seven hundred years, huh?"
He smirked, looking at the inverted figure floating in the crimson fluid.
"In other words, if we scaled those 1,700 years down to an ordinary human's lifespan, wouldn't that make you equivalent to a fetus that's been in the womb too long, still floating in amniotic fluid?"
"An interesting analogy," Aleister seemed to chuckle softly. "Indeed. If one were to measure it by human standards, then compared to the lifespan I have yet to live, the years I've spent so far might as well be those of an unborn child with a very long gestation period."
"Unfortunately," Fang Li said with a feigned curiosity, "you can't actually come out of that 'amniotic fluid,' can you? If you were to lose the protection of that life-support 'womb' and emerge prematurely, wouldn't that be equivalent to dying in infancy?"
"Another interesting comparison," Aleister replied indifferently. "And your statement is largely correct. I could remain active outside for a short period, but if I were to stay away too long, my life functions would soon cease."
"Still," Aleister's voice echoed from all directions, calm and cold, "that's hardly a problem. Since all vital functions can be entrusted to machinery, a human no longer needs to act personally. That is the convenience that Science provides."
"Perhaps." Fang Li's tone was a sneer disguised as a smirk. "But for most people, living like that would be worse than dying. So, if you ever feel like your existence becomes too painful, just let me know. I wouldn't mind sending you off."
"How considerate of you," Aleister responded with not the slightest ripple in his tone. "I'll keep that in mind."
And thus, the two continued their conversation, one that appeared casual, almost friendly.
It was, perhaps, a scene that had never before occurred in this sealed chamber.
Yet if a third party had been present, they would have undoubtedly felt a chill run down their spine.
Because within this seemingly idle exchange lay countless layers of probing and sarcasm, hidden judgments and cold-blooded calculations, as if invisible blades, spears, and bullets were crossing between them in silence, turning the very air into a battlefield.
The two participants, however, acted as if nothing was amiss, continuing their "chat."
Their tones were relaxed, but the atmosphere was ice-cold.
This seemingly casual conversation lasted for three whole hours.
Then,
"By the way,"
Aleister spoke again, in a perfectly calm voice.
"About that incident last night… would you care to discuss it with me as well?"
(End Of This Chapter)
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