"Zzz…!"
The shrill, ear-piercing screech of wheels scraping across the ground turned School District 21, under the moonlit night, into a battlefield filled with the scent of gunpowder.
The "Spear" formed by the "Person" rushed forward at a terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, it closed in on Fang Li, who was carrying Shokuhou Misaki, and stabbed toward him without a shred of mercy.
"Chī…!"
The sound of air being sliced apart rang out.
"Hū…!"
Only now did the gust of wind created by that extremely fast charge finally sweep through.
"Pa!"
At the critical moment, Fang Li suddenly stamped down on the ground.
He did not use superhuman physical ability. He did not use any incredible power.
While Shokuhou Misaki was frozen in shock from the sudden attack and unable to react, only Fang Li remained calm from beginning to end. One second before the "Spear" struck, he forcefully stepped on the ground and dodged to the side.
"Puh!"
For a split second, there was a sound like a rubber ball being punctured. It was the sharp noise created when the "Spear" pierced through nothing but air.
With its momentum unabated, the motorcycle-like attacker stabbed into empty space, maintaining astonishing speed as it shot forward for a long distance before finally turning around.
Unfortunately for him, Fang Li no longer paid any attention to that motorcycle man.
Because the enemy was not just one.
"Zzz!"
"Zzz!"
Wheel-scraping sounds echoed from all directions.
One shadow after another darted in at terrifying speed from every angle. Like high-speed motorcycles, they gradually encircled Fang Li, who was still carrying Shokuhou Misaki, and circled around him like predators.
Fang Li calmly surveyed his surroundings.
All of these sudden attackers wore identical crimson motorcycle suits and fully enclosed helmets. Their bodies were fitted with jet engines, explosive pile-drivers, and single-blade roller mechanisms, making each of them resemble a high-speed "Spear" racing around the perimeter.
The sight looked almost like a biker gang holding a celebration.
But this was certainly not the atmosphere of a celebration.
There were no cheers. No conversation. Instead, like participants in some ritual summoning a demon, they circulated silently, radiating an eerie and horrifying aura.
"You… you all…"
Only now did Shokuhou Misaki recover from the shock, her expression tightening as she raised her voice toward the surroundings.
"Who are you?"
However, her question was met only with a wave of curse-like negative emotions.
"Kill…"
A low, gloomy voice echoed from somewhere.
"Kill…"
"Kill…"
"Kill…"
"Kill…"
Like a chain reaction, murderous whispers began spreading from every direction, gradually merging into a roar.
A roar filled with resentment, curses, and bitter sorrow.
Then that roar turned into a lethal weapon.
"Kill the espers!"
"Kill the espers!"
"Kill the espers who took everything from us!"
The cries rose from every direction around Fang Li, causing Shokuhou Misaki's expression to change slightly.
Because these voices made one thing abundantly clear:
Their target was not just anyone; they were after her, a powerful esper.
Meanwhile, Fang Li looked at these people and suddenly recalled something.
During this period of time, he had frequently browsed the latest news online and had gathered countless pieces of information.
Among them was a certain incident.
A murder case within Academy City. All the victims were espers with extremely high Ability Ranks.
The perpetrators were said to be a group of students.
Moreover, they were students who attended different schools, were of different ages, and even had different Ability Ranks.
From the Ojou-samas of prestigious schools ranked among the top in Academy City…
…to the infamous delinquents from obscure, no-name schools.
According to the Anti-Skill investigation, these individuals had stagnated in their esper development for various reasons. As they gradually reached a dead end, they fell into despair, willingly corrupted themselves, and eventually formed a single organization.
An organization created solely for killing powerful espers, one that even targeted Lv.5s.
Its name was…
"So that's how it is."
Fang Li's gaze swept across the red-suited motorized attackers surrounding him, and he spoke almost as if talking to himself.
"You're 'Deadlock,' aren't you?"
…Deadlock.
A knot that cannot be untied, cannot be released, cannot be escaped.
That perfectly described this organization.
And Fang Li's words caused the motorcyclists, who had been murmuring curses full of resentment, to gradually halt their movements, though they still maintained the encirclement.
Then, one of them finally spoke.
"This equipment is called the Queen Diver. It can accelerate to over 100 kilometers per hour in just a few seconds, and it's installed with an electronic control system to ensure high stability and maneuverability. Even if the user loses consciousness, it will instantly switch into automatic mode and continue fighting to the death."
The voice was extremely low.
As if suppressing turbulent emotions, the person, likely their leader, spoke.
"To eliminate Mental Out, we paid a great price to acquire this equipment from certain channels. All for this very moment."
After all, Shokuhou Misaki's Mental Out could control human minds and consciousness, but it had zero effect on machines and devices.
If her ability worked on the riders, the Queen Diver would simply switch to automatic mode and kill the target anyway.
In other words, the Queen Diver was a weapon designed specifically to kill Shokuhou Misaki.
And the reason the enemy leader explained it outright was simple.
"Our target is only Mental Out." The leader spoke solemnly. "I don't know where you came from, victim, but if you still have any reason left, I advise you to leave."
"Victim?" Shokuhou Misaki blinked in confusion.
"Victim?" Fang Li also narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then the enemy leader continued.
"She used her power to control you, which is why you're here, protecting her, correct?" he said indifferently. "If so, then you're a victim."
Hearing this, Fang Li was somewhat surprised.
As for Shokuhou Misaki, she frowned.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Shokuhou Misaki protested. "I didn't control this person."
Unfortunately, her explanation only earned a scornful laugh.
"Who would believe that?" the leader spat, as if vomiting spoiled water. "You espers always use your abilities selfishly for your own convenience. Even dying would be too light a punishment for your sins. So at least let the innocent victim leave. Come accept death obediently."
"...!"
Shokuhou Misaki's expression darkened, and uncontrollable anger surged up from within her.
(End Of This Chapter)
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