"Ren, if I find out you were taking advantage of me, I won't forgive you." Shokuhou Misaki blushed deeply as she clung to Ren.
"I wasn't, you're just… well, you do smell nice." Ren pinched the soft fabric around Misaki's thighs, feeling how delicate it was.
"Ren!" Misaki's face turned bright red.
At the same time, Kakine Teitoku was seething with anger. First Ren mocked him, then used his powers to flirt with girls. If he didn't shred Ren to pieces, the frustration in his heart wouldn't be soothed.
Using his ability to create wings, Kakine moved with incredible speed, closing in on Ren. His Dark Matter shattered everything in his path.
"Ren, if you pinch me again, I won't talk to you." Misaki didn't interfere in this critical moment; she only warned him.
"Yes, yes, I know." Ren's figure vanished.
"So fast." Kakine's expression showed shock. He realized Ren might be as unusual as the Number Seven, a Gemstone.
On the top floor.
"This can't be real… not even the cameras caught him." The man was utterly stunned.
"Oh my, looks like today is the end for us." The girl sighed, not panicking too much. As long as they surrendered quickly, the opponent shouldn't make things difficult.
The next moment, the Dark Matter ability collapsed, and the ground caved in. Kakine Teitoku coughed up blood, and when he was struck, it was deadly.
"Hey, Ren, are you doing this on purpose?" Misaki puffed her cheeks like a hamster, clearly annoyed. She had already been held enough—what she was supposed to experience had already happened.
"No."
"Put me down." Misaki, now confident in Ren's strength, no longer feared Kakine Teitoku. But seeing him defeated so easily made her even more curious about Ren's growth.
Accurately speaking, aside from his other selves, she was the one who understood Ren the most.
"Did you kill him?" After stepping away from Ren's embrace, Misaki looked at Kakine Teitoku sinking into the ground.
"No. Lv5 is their masterpiece; no need to create extra trouble. You can use your ability on him now, he's completely defenseless." Ren looked at Misaki.
"I know." Misaki used her remote, targeting Kakine. Her powers were vast—besides mental manipulation, even erasing memories was effortless.
Soon, she accessed Kakine's memories of the two of them, seeing his thoughts. She glanced at Ren again; this guy sure knew how to stir trouble.
Curious, she wanted to peek into Ren's mind while he was defenseless, just like Kakine Teitoku had been.
"Come out." Ren looked in a specific direction.
The girl raised her hand and activated her ability on Ren. She quickly realized it had no effect. Instinctively, she glanced at Shokuhou Misaki, thinking she had blocked it.
"How rude of you." Misaki retaliated, and the girl was immediately controlled.
"This one's completely countered. Kakine, are you still alive?" the man with the mechanical headpiece shouted to the figure lying on the ground.
Unfortunately, the man on the ground didn't respond at all.
The man's gaze toward Ren grew serious. He had been defeated by Kakine Teitoku to join this place and knew all too well the strength of this second-ranked individual. Yet now, he had been taken down in a single move by the man before him.
He had a premonition that the moment he acted, he would be finished.
"Misaki, cancel your ability."
"Mm-hmm."
The girl regained her senses. Being a fellow psychic, she knew this feeling well. She had been subdued instantly. Was this what the strongest Level 5 psychic looked like? Cold sweat ran down her face, and her initial composure had vanished.
"Kids, I'm sure you don't want your thoughts altered, do you?" Ren appeared beside the two of them in an instant.
Both swallowed nervously. The girl was only thirteen or fourteen. No matter how much she had seen the world, this moment shook her.
"Tell me your names."
"G…Gokusai Kaibi," the girl hurriedly introduced herself.
"Yobou Banka, you're Researcher Ren, right? I have a question for you. Do you think the ranking system for abilities is reasonable?" Yobou Banka looked at Ren calmly, showing no fear.
"I'm Level 0," Ren muttered.
"Impossible," Gokusai Kaibi immediately objected.
"Believe it or not, it's true. Didn't he already know my name? A little investigation would confirm it," Ren said quietly.
"Ren, are you planning to take them in? Are you a lolicon?" Shokuhou Misaki frowned. In theory, if she erased their memories, they would leave—this was the original plan.
Gokusai Kaibi silently stepped back, keeping her distance. If she hadn't misread the cameras, he had just been taking advantage of Misaki. The Number Five was about her age.
"After all, it's troublesome to operate in the dark without informants," Ren waved his hand.
"Who do you take me for? I can get any information from the dark side whenever I want," Misaki snorted.
"You're right. The ranking system for abilities in this city is garbage. I can help you—but it comes at a price," Yobou Banka said.
Gokusai Kaibi swallowed hard. Kakine Teitoku had already been defeated and remained unconscious. With Yobou Banka on the verge of betraying them, her lone resistance probably held little meaning.
"Wait a moment. This is just to inform you," Ren said, glancing at the two of them.
Yobou Banka's expression hardened. Even though he had beaten Kakine Teitoku, forcing him to comply was impossible.
Ren didn't waste words. Seeing the change in Yobou Banka's demeanor, he immediately unleashed a brutal attack, leaving him barely recognizable.
"I… I'll behave," Gokusai Kaibi quickly said, glancing at Yobou Banka's miserable state.
"I don't believe you, Misaka," he muttered.
"Honestly, don't give orders as if they're obvious," Shokuhou Misaki said, activating her ability on the girl.
It was the same hypnosis technique, but this time only a psychological suggestion. Since Kaibi was also a psychic, direct control wasn't likely. The best they could do was make her believe that the two of them were trustworthy allies.
"You two continue working with Kakine Teitoku. If you receive any special information, report it to me," Ren said, not making things difficult for them.
Then he left with Shokuhou Misaki. As for Kakine Teitoku, Yobou Banka took him to the hospital for urgent care.
On the way back, Shokuhou Misaki bit her white glove, full of questions. She was straightforward, curious about everything—from Ren's strength to everything they had done.
"Ren, why are you certain that defeating Number Two is enough to end the experiment? And how did you suddenly become so powerful?"
Ren didn't hide anything. He explained slowly, "One by one. Academy City has been monitored by him. If he notices me, he will know everything happening around me."
"The chairman of Academy City?" Shokuhou Misaki frowned. She had experience with laboraDollyes and secret organizations, so she knew the city's secrets. She hadn't expected the mastermind to be the chairman. They were practically under his thumb.
"Yes. He will end the experiment and either invite me to join or involve me in certain incidents," Ren said, already aware of the complications. But he couldn't just turn a blind eye.
**********
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