Book Artist: "Ruiko-chan, you are so brave."
Eriri watched as Ruiko swiftly bypassed the electronic security barriers displayed on the screen and couldn't help but sigh. If she had been in that position, she likely would have turned around and fled.
"I am actually terrified," Ruiko's voice transmitted clearly through the live broadcast. "But I don't want to disappoint Misaka-san, and I refuse to give up halfway."
Looking up at the screen, everyone could see the unwavering determination burning in her eyes.
Curly Hair: "Humph, Ruiko-chan is proving to be quite capable."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "You already possess the resolve of a strong individual, Ruiko-chan."
This is an Actor: "If there is no fear within one's heart, it will only blind them from exploring hope. However, those who acknowledge their fear and still choose to take a step forward will forge an unimaginable treasure. That treasure is called courage."
Shark-Faced Guy: "So Mr. Aizen deliberately spoke those ominous words earlier in order to temper Ruiko-chan's courage?"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "I do not think it was merely to frighten her. His previous deductions are undoubtedly true."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "They are entirely true. It was also Anran-san's way of offering guidance. When confronted by the abyss, should one muster the strength to advance, or choose to retreat? The final choice rests entirely in Ruiko-chan's hands."
On the screen, Ruiko and Misaka Mikoto continued their advance. Navigating through a narrow, dimly lit corridor, the space before them expanded once more, revealing what appeared to be the primary laboratory hall of the research institute.
Under the faint illumination, various high-tech apparatuses gleamed with a cold, metallic luster.
Every member watching the livestream could distinctly make out rows of cylindrical glass containers filled with glowing nutrient solution. Suspended inside them were several half-developed Misaka Sisters, undergoing rapid cultivation.
However, as they observed the feed, the bodies of the Misaka Sisters immersed within the incubation tanks appeared distorted and blurry. It was as though a series of transparent, pixelated blocks had been deliberately layered over their forms.
Curly Hair: "Damn it, a mosaic?! Why on earth is there a censor mosaic during a live broadcast?! Where is the basic trust between fellow human beings, you asshole?!"
Book Artist: "It is precisely because of degenerates like you that basic trust no longer exists in this world. And what exactly were you hoping to see without the mosaic, hmm?"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "Pervert."
Curly Hair: "Hey! Gin-san didn't even say anything explicit! Why is everyone suddenly turning on me?!"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "That is because you do not need to articulate a single word for everyone to know exactly what is crossing your mind."
Curly Hair: "Konan-san, you've changed. You never used to be this sharp-tongued. People truly do drift apart. Gin-san is officially despondent. I am completely disillusioned by this heartless world."
Book Artist: "Enough, cease the pathetic dramatics. It's making me nauseous."
Inside the experimental hall, Mikoto stood paralyzed by the sight before her, her face pale with disbelief.
"Is this... actually real? They really utilized my personal genetic map to conduct these twisted experiments."
Sigh.
With a heavy exhalation, Saten Ruiko offered no immediate verbal response. She simply scanned the perimeter, her brow furrowing tightly.
Logically speaking, an advanced facility of this nature should have had security personnel or researchers on duty even well after hours. Yet, since entering the main hall, they had not encountered a single living soul.
Something is wrong. Could this truly be a setup?
Sensing an impending danger, Ruiko intended to urge Mikoto to withdraw. However, the electromaster seemed to be under a trance, standing rigid and motionless before a main terminal. Her eyes were wide and vacant, completely locked onto the data scrolling across the monitor.
What is it?
Ruiko hesitated for a moment, then shifted her attention to the terminal screen. Only then did she comprehend the horrifying nature of the files—it was the internal log directory of the research institute.
Laser Puncture Experiment: Misaka Clone No. 012. Cause of Failure: Triggered localized, violent full-body convulsions. Time of Death: Ten minutes post-convulsion.
Cranial Nerve Stripping Experiment: Misaka Clone No. 084. Cause of Failure: Severe, irreversible brain trauma. Time of Death: Instantaneous.
Cardiovascular Compatibility Experiment: Misaka Clone No. 104. Cause of Failure: Exsanguination. The procedure yielded a mere 3% success rate for transplant compatibility. Time of Death: Twenty minutes and fourteen seconds from commencement of the experiment.
The list went on, containing well over two hundred distinct experimental logs. To put it in plain terms, at least two hundred Misaka Sisters had been treated as mere raw material, suffering horrific deaths within the walls of this single facility.
Silence.
At this moment, a heavy stillness fell over the chat room. Not only Ruiko, but every single group member viewing the data through the broadcast perspective fell completely silent.
It took a considerable amount of time before Saten Ruiko finally pulled herself from her stupor.
"Do these researchers... possess absolutely no humanity?"
Curly Hair: "Humph, humanity? That sort of concept cannot withstand the slightest friction when weighed against monumental profit."
Book Artist: "Furthermore, I doubt these scientists ever considered the Misaka Sisters to be human in the first place. In their eyes, they are likely nothing more than disposable lab animals."
This is an Actor: "More precisely, they view them as puppets. Do you recall the internal monologue of the Misaka Sisters from the original records? They perceived themselves as mere mass-produced products turned out by an assembly line, valued at a dismal 180,000 yen apiece. This warped self-perception was undoubtedly engineered and drilled into them by the staff."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "These people are utterly repulsive."
Konan's striking features hardened into a mask of ice, and an invisible, crushing weight of spiritual pressure inadvertently began to leak from her form.
Rattle, rattle.
The various loose glass implements and metal furnishings within her own chamber began to vibrate violently, emitting a low, echoing scraping sound that resembled a quiet wail.
This is an Actor: "What are your thoughts on the matter, Ruiko-chan?"
Aizen recognized that their collective indignation in the chat was ultimately meaningless; the crucial factor was the resolve of the individual actively standing in that room. If Ruiko-chan truly possessed the determination to act, he would permit her to proceed, even if her actions ended up turning Academy City upside down.
"I... I want to teach them a lesson they will never forget!" Saten Ruiko's expression turned remarkably severe.
The atrocities committed by these researchers had utterly violated her moral boundaries. If she turned a blind eye now, she would never be able to live with herself.
This is an Actor: "In that case, let us begin with an immediate objective. Do you see the small black console situated in the center of the hall? It appears inconspicuous, but it houses the core database mainframe for the entire facility. Obliterate it, and this entire laboratory will be rendered utterly useless."