Gang Ringo's AIM Diffusion Field graph was showing sharp, violent fluctuations. Just as they were preparing to press the advantage and continue the experiment, the male researcher suddenly stopped.
"Ah… the battery's dead."
He fiddled with the stun gun in his hand, then stood up and walked over to the workbench to replace it.
Glancing at the waveform on the screen, he said casually,
"At its peak, this reading has already reached the average Level 3 range. Should we keep going?"
"Continue," the middle-aged man replied without hesitation.
"There's nothing to lose."
At this point, neither of the girls showed much reaction anymore.
Gang Ringo had cried herself unconscious.
Koru Jiho was already on the brink of death.
Just then, a fully armed security guard hurried over to the middle-aged man.
"Boss, we've received word from upstairs—someone's here to visit the company."
"A visit?" The man frowned, trying to recall.
"Was there an appointment today?"
But after glancing at the experiment in front of him, he dismissed the matter.
"Have Kobayashi-kun handle it. Don't let trivial things interrupt the experiment."
After all, Black Moon Technology Development Co., Ltd. was, on the surface, a perfectly legal and legitimate high-tech company.
Even if the Anti-Skill guards burst in for a surprise inspection, they wouldn't find a single flaw on the aboveground floors.
So none of the researchers present felt the slightest concern.
As a moderately well-known tech company in the area, Black Moon frequently received visitors. Nearby schools often arranged social field trips here.
A visit in itself was nothing unusual.
Not long after the guard left, he came running back again.
"Boss, these visitors are… strange. No appointment, no adults accompanying them. They look like elementary or middle school students. One of them is even in a wheelchair…"
No matter how one looked at it, the combination was suspicious. It was no wonder the front desk staff had chosen to report it upward.
Before the middle-aged man could respond, another guard rushed over.
"Boss, upstairs says—"
The man pressed a hand to his temple, clearly irritated by his subordinates' constant interruptions.
Still, it wasn't entirely their fault.
The underground section of the headquarters was completely isolated from the outside world. For secrecy's sake, electromagnetic shielding was pushed to the extreme—mobile phone signals couldn't get through at all.
The only way to communicate with the outside was via the landline phones installed on the walls.
That was why the guards had to keep acting as human messengers.
This was a live-combat training arena. Only near the two entrances were landline phones installed—after all, this wasn't a place researchers were supposed to stay in to begin with.
Under normal experimental procedures, observing researchers should have been watching from the elevated observation room above, overlooking the entire arena—
—not standing inside the arena itself, sharing the same space as the experimental subjects.
But today, perhaps emboldened by their numbers, or perhaps because they wanted to witness a milestone of the Dark May Project with their own eyes, the white-coated researchers chose to stay below instead of moving to the observation room.
More than thirty researchers, along with over twice that number of armed security personnel, filled the arena.
Just as they had said earlier—even if Gang Ringo went berserk due to mental overstimulation, security would suppress her instantly. No one else would be harmed.
The middle-aged man sighed and walked toward the phone, clearly annoyed.
"I'll take the call myself."
The second guard hesitated, then spoke up anyway.
"Section Chief Hayashiki just called. He says… the boy in the wheelchair is Experimental Subject 007."
"What?!" The middle-aged man's eyes lit up instantly.
"007? Kobayashi Nana?! He walked straight into our hands?"
Not just him—every researcher present erupted into commotion.
"Why did he come back? Didn't we hear he lost his memory?"
"Is it just 007 alone? What are the Hunters doing—are they all useless?"
To these researchers, Kobayashi's return felt like a gift falling from the sky. They didn't believe, even for a moment, that he could pose any threat to the plan.
"Send a squad to capture him," the middle-aged man ordered the security captain beside him.
"Be careful—he's Level 3 now."
"No problem," the heavily armed captain replied gruffly, his tone full of disdain.
"A mere Level 3."
When it came to dealing with espers below Level 3, they were far more professional than the Dark Side group Hunters.
007… Big Brother…?
The two girls heard the conversation.
As fellow Non-Espers, Kōru Jihō had been on fairly good terms with the former 007. By extension, Gang Ringo was also familiar with him.
Being older, 007 had often taken care of the two girls whenever he could.
So Big Brother really is alive…
The thought flickered weakly through Kōru Jihō's mind.
If he had survived… then maybe, as a Non-Esper herself, she could survive too?
That fragile hope was quickly drowned out by the overwhelming pain flooding her body.
In her fading consciousness, Kōru Jihō felt that her body was already completely broken…
Soon, an eight-man security squad left the training arena.
________________________________________
Two minutes later, the door opened again.
One of the guards who had just left staggered back inside.
Following him was Section Chief Hayashiki, who should have been stationed aboveground.
The middle-aged man frowned again, about to scold them—
—when he saw a blonde, blue-eyed girl pushing a wheelchair as she entered.
Sitting in the wheelchair was none other than the long-awaited Experimental Subject 007.
It was strange. He didn't look like someone who had been captured.
But there was no need to worry.
There were eight full squads of armed security present—what couldn't they suppress?
—No, wait.
There were only seven complete squads now.
For some reason, only the security captain had returned from outside. The other seven members were nowhere to be seen.
—Of course.
The captain was the one with the access clearance.
Kobayashi released the telekinetic force binding the captain.
The man's heavy body collapsed like a sack of mud, slumping bonelessly to the floor.
Ten minutes earlier—
Kobayashi and Torahachi Toumi had raced their wheelchair all the way to the vicinity of Black Moon Technology's headquarters.
To avoid making too much of a spectacle, Toumi got off early and switched to pushing the wheelchair by hand as they approached the building.
A beautiful blonde girl pushing a wheelchair was already eye-catching enough.
But at the same time, the combination of a young girl and a disabled boy—strange as it was—didn't inspire vigilance.
And so, just like that—
They walked openly into Black Moon's front lobby.
(End of Chapter)
If interested, join my Patreon and read 30 chapters ahead.
The new story is still ongoing for the higher tier.
https://www.patreon.com/Omarfome