Nightmare begins?

Busu Dixin took out her key as usual and opened the door to her dorm apartment. After putting down the bag in her hand and preparing to change her shoes, Busu Dixin heard a sudden "drip, drip" sound the moment she bent down.

Her mind immediately went on high alert, and she lowered her body, rolling out of the room.

The instant she escaped the room, an explosion of an unknown object came from inside, and a large amount of red smoke spread out.

Damn? It's not just a bomb? It's a gas bomb?!

Busu Dixin only had time to barely cover her mouth and nose, but she still inhaled a small amount of the red smoke. Hurrying away from her room, Busu Dixin gasped for air by the emergency stairs, only to find her limbs gradually losing control.

This is bad… it's an anesthetic! They want to capture me alive? Has my location been exposed?!

Busu Dixin's pupils began to dilate, and her vision gradually blurred. Before she completely lost consciousness, as she fell to the ground, she vaguely heard two girls talking beside her.

"Ah, it was really super easy! Frenda, you really made a huge contribution this time!"

"Not bad, not bad. It was a small case. I thought it was a difficult mission, but it turned out to be this simple!"

So… I've been exposed… But, the Sisters…

That guy, "Accelerator"… is he reliable… But now, I can only count on him…

"Achoo!"

Luo Yifang rubbed his nose, puzzled. "What's going on lately? Could it be that some beautiful woman is thinking of me?"

Paqi looked disappointed. "You? Forget it. You spend ten times more time online at home than you do outside. Do you really think your teammates are girls? They might be husky-voiced guys using voice changers!"

A strangely disgusting sense of déjà vu washed over him, and Luo Yifang's face turned as black as coal. "I'm saying, next time, don't talk about this right after we've eaten. It's really nauseating..."

"Just stating the facts."

"It's better to keep quiet and still be friends." Luo Yifang's expression was dark, but he really had no good way to deal with Paqi, his chatty assistant. "Forget it, it's a good time for some post-meal exercise. Has Misaka 9982 arrived at the experimental site?"

"Well, she's in this alley right in front of us. There are still a few minutes until the scheduled experiment time..."

"Understood."

Time rewound to a few hours earlier. About ten minutes before Saten Ruiko arrived, Luo Yifang allowed Misaka 9982 to go out and wander around on her own—that's what Misaka 9982 said, but what she really wanted to do was continue the experiment.

"Farewell, Mr. Yifang."

This was the last thing Misaka 9982 said to Luo Yifang before she left.

However, the worldline, influenced by a certain gentleman, had long since become bizarre. This time, what Misaka 9982 truly needed to say farewell to was this terrible experiment...

"Just now... the place where I felt that electromagnetic wave... is it here?" Misaka Mikoto leaned on her knees, panting heavily. It wasn't easy to run all the way back here from the station in one go.

The moment she looked up, she froze.

"You... you've got to be kidding me?!"

"Huh? Onee-sama?" The girl, who looked like she had stepped out of a mirror, tilted her head and looked at the stunned Misaka Mikoto.

Misaka Mikoto tremblingly extended her arm, pointing at the Misaka Sister, and said with difficulty, "You... are you my clone?!"

"Yes."

That was surprisingly straightforward! Misaka Mikoto was taken aback, but then she quickly realized that this wasn't what she should be concerned about.

"Wait, you're distracting me!" Shaking her head, she cast the strange thought out of her mind and asked, "Wasn't that project frozen? Why are there still clones like you?!"

"Onee-sama is not a staff member involved in the experiment and cannot disclose this information."

Misaka Mikoto suppressed the anger in her heart that wanted to kill the researchers. She placed her hand on the Misaka Sister's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Hey, you, do you really want me to make a move?"

"Mr. Yifang said that if I encountered Onee-sama, I should run away. It really seems like that's the case now," Misaka said with distress.

Nani?! Mr. Yifang… Could it be… Luo Yifang?! Why would he say something like that to my clone… Wait, the one he took away last time…

Could it be that he's involved in this project?!

Misaka Mikoto quickly took out her phone, wanting to find Luo Yifang's number, only to discover that his name wasn't in her phone's contact list.

She suddenly remembered Shirai Kuroko had borrowed her phone once and kept it for a long time. She immediately understood what had happened.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on these things!

Misaka Mikoto gritted her teeth and immediately dialed another number. "Moshi moshi, is..."

"Tick," "tock" sounds echoed slowly outside the phone booth. The time represented by the hands had now reached nine o'clock in the evening.

Misaka Mikoto unplugged the data cable from the PDA, pushed open the phone booth door, and looked at the clock hands, which had passed nine, with dread.

No good... I have to hurry!

Rushing to the experimental address she had cracked without stopping, Misaka Mikoto looked at the empty alley and breathed a slight sigh of relief--

As expected, that kind of joke of a project was a lie...

A crisp "crack" sound came from under Misaka Mikoto's feet. She looked down in confusion. The shattered goggles made her heart clench instantly.

Could it be? A bad premonition filled Misaka Mikoto's heart. At that moment, continuous explosions reached Misaka Mikoto's ears from not far away. Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately turned and ran towards the source of the sound.

Luo Yifang, if it's really you, I'll make you pay, even if it costs me my life!

"Hey, not running anymore?"

"Heh, running? It's just that I can stretch out here... You agree, don't you, Kakine Teitoku?"

"Yoho, since you used my full name and didn't call me 'Uncreated Substance,' I'll leave your corpse intact."

"How arrogant. Hey, Misaka, you should hide first. I'll get you a new pair of goggles in a few days to replace the one I accidentally broke earlier."

"Yes, I will. Misaka tried to remain calm, but she was actually very worried about Mr. Yifang."

"Wait? Mr. Yifang? Are you... NO.1, Accelerator?!"

"Ah, well, some people have called me that before, but now..."

Luo Yifang flashed a wicked grin, the aura of NO.1, Accelerator, bursting forth uncontrollably. "Now, let's count your sins..."