Fight! Even if it meant turning that "liquefied humanoid" into a living pincushion and carving a bloody path through, she would get Dolly out!
Facing the crowd blocking the exit, Mitari Keisaku steeled herself and prepared to act.
Just then, two researchers wearing oval-shaped psychic protection devices on their heads came running over in a hurry.
Keisaku recognized them immediately—they were subordinates of Shokuhou Misaki. Not knowing why Shokuhou had sent them, she paused her preparations for a desperate charge.
In the Talent Workshop, psychic protection gear was a familiar sight, practically part of the scenery. Seeing the two rush over, the security staff didn't stop them—in fact, they even stepped aside to clear a path.
"So, it is them!" One of the researchers shoved through the crowd and cried out with exaggerated shock. "The 'Male-and-Female Fiends'—what are they doing here?!"
"Oh no, we need to go warn everyone to evacuate!" the other replied just as theatrically, practically singing his lines. "That boy's a mass murderer! A demon who slaughtered over a hundred people at Black Moon Technology! How is he not locked up in a juvenile correctional facility?!"
They had rushed over in a panic just to take a look—and then, without missing a beat, turned around and fled the way they came, making a huge fuss as they ran.
"I heard Black Moon Technology was involved in illegal experiments, so their people basically died for nothing. That kid didn't get punished at all—he even gave interviews on TV!"
"We're not running illegal experiments here, are we? Why would that walking disaster target us?!"
"Could it be that one of the other labs has been messing around and drew them here?"
"..."
Their voices were loud enough that nearly everyone gathered near the entrance heard the entire exchange.
Immediately, curses rose silently in many hearts—Who's messing around? Your Third Lab is the most suspicious one! You people dress like aliens every day!
Still, their conversation had jolted everyone awake.
That boy and girl surrounded in the middle weren't ordinary teenagers. They were people who truly dared to kill.
And they had a record. The rumors surrounding Black Moon Technology were still fresh.
Truth be told, everyone working at the Talent Workshop knew it—large research institutions in Academy City all had some connection, however indirect, to "illegal experiments." No one was completely clean.
They might not participate directly, and officially they weren't supposed to know anything—but working under the same roof, you inevitably heard gossip and whispers.
If they were honest with themselves, no one could claim total innocence.
Maybe they could argue their case to Anti-Skill or a judge. But the one standing here was a boy at an age prone to impulsive violence, someone who killed first and asked questions never. He probably wouldn't give anyone a chance to explain.
The moment that realization set in, the crowd at the entrance scattered—faster than they had ever gathered.
The executives mixed into the crowd didn't try to stop the rout. If anything, they were the quickest to flee.
Ordinary staff only knew the rumors. But as core members of the project teams, they had seen firsthand investigation reports—complete with photographs.
They understood better than anyone just how terrifying Kobayashi Nana and Torahachi Toumi, the so-called "Male-and-Female Fiends," truly were.
More importantly, they knew one undeniable fact:
Their Talent Workshop really was conducting illegal experiments.
They had walked straight into the line of fire. Getting their doors blocked and being slaughtered by Kobayashi Nana and Torahachi Toumi wouldn't even be surprising.
Damn it, what was I thinking, surrounding those two monsters earlier?!
The crowd dispersed in an instant, each person wishing they could run even faster.
"What the hell?" Torahachi Toumi drew her sword and looked around. In the blink of an eye, the area was empty, not a single person left.
Being blocked at the entrance for several minutes had nearly exhausted her patience. If Kobayashi hadn't been holding her back, she would've drawn her blade long ago and skewered anyone daring to stand in her way like candied hawthorns.
"Don't worry about it," Kobayashi said calmly. "The enemy retreating on their own saves us the trouble. That's a good thing. Let's go get Dolly."
Kobayashi knew Shokuhou Misaki was inside this building. That was why he had waited patiently, confidently.
As expected, without him lifting a finger, the crowd blocking the entrance dispersed on its own.
He had no doubt this was Shokuhou's doing.
As a transmigrator who knew the original storyline, at this point,t Kobayashi trusted Shokuhou's abilities even more than she trusted herself.
Inside the building, the security team that had been trying to forcibly seize Dolly also fled in panic. After all, in the Black Moon Technology incident, security personnel had suffered the highest casualty rate.
From then on, the path was clear. Kobayashi and Toumi moved inside and finally reached Dolly and Keisaku Mitori.
The situation had reversed once again.
Keisaku stood frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded, unable to process what had just happened.
Kobayashi stepped up to the gurney and looked down at the tea-haired girl lying atop it.
"So, this is you… at last," he murmured, unable to hide the emotion in his voice.
She wasn't Misaka Mikoto herself—but as the prototype, the Zero Unit of the Sisters, this still felt like the fulfillment of a long-held wish.
"Kobayashi-kun, do you know this girl?" Toumi asked.
"Academy City's Number Three Level 5—the strongest Electromaster," Kobayashi replied. "That's about all I know… so I guess you could say I barely know her."
"That doesn't count as knowing her at all!" Toumi shot back, then broke into a relieved smile. "Still, how did a Level 5 end up like this?"
"Probably because she isn't the original," Kobayashi said. "The name 'Dolly' pretty much spells it out."
Having grown up in war-torn regions, Kohachi apparently lacked the biological trivia of the world's first cloned sheep.
She didn't dwell on it, instead grabbing the gurney and starting to push. "Her condition is terrible. We need to get her to a hospital now!"
"Yes! Please, save Dolly!" Keisaku snapped back to her senses and rushed alongside her, helping push the gurney toward the exit.
That was when the reinforcements finally arrived.
In addition to police cars with flashing lights, several ambulances pulled up—Anti-Skill had prepared them in advance, worried that another violent clash might break out.
A convoy of over twenty police vehicles of various models, accompanied by five ambulances, came roaring in.
At the same time, seeing the ambulances arrive, Kobayashi and the others hurried the gurney out onto the road.
Spotting the wheelchair at the Talent Workshop entrance, the lead vehicle screeched to a sharp stop. The door flew open, and Yomikawa Aiho jumped out.
"Nana-Kun, Toumi-chan! Are you two all right?!" Yomikawa Aiho asked anxiously, her gaze darting over the two under her care.
(End of Chapter)
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