Chapter 196: I Have a Plan
Yesterday, just as he had awakened from his clone body, George's psychic ability had been able to sense that he was being watched.
That feeling of surveillance only disappeared after he turned invisible, so he had remained in that invisible state ever since. He only canceled it after establishing his own base and entering it.
Today, while following Misaka Mikoto, he also stayed invisible the entire time and didn't feel like he was being monitored.
But as soon as he canceled the invisibility and revealed himself, that sense of being watched immediately returned.
However, he was certain that before appearing, he had already destroyed all nearby surveillance that might have captured him.
Closing his eyes, he maximized his psychic power and spread it outward.
Very quickly, he sensed something was wrong. The surveillance seemed to come from countless extremely tiny moving points nearby—so small that they were undetectable unless he paid special attention.
"I'll show you surveillance!"
George activated his magnetic power and forcibly crushed all the tiny surveillance points within his magnetic field. That sense of being watched instantly vanished.
No matter how advanced the lab's surveillance tech was, even if it couldn't be seen with the naked eye, it would have to use metal in its construction.
And anything made of metal could not escape the range of his ability.
It had been said before: his superpower was essentially the same as Misaka Mikoto's, though different in application.
Misaka Mikoto primarily generated electricity through magnetism. Even when controlling metal, she used her electric current to manipulate it. The railgun she fired at three times the speed of sound wasn't directly controlling the coin—it was magnetically inducing it.
George, on the other hand, controlled metal directly and bluntly using magnetism—just like Magneto. Any tech device with metal posed no threat to him.
Previously, because his power level had been too low, this hadn't been evident. But after gaining enhancements from the Misaka clone, both his control weight and range increased dramatically.
He still couldn't lift a 4,000–5,000-ton submarine from the ground like Magneto, but handling something weighing 10 to 20 tons was now easy for him.
And if his ability continued to evolve and reached Level 5 in this world, it would become even stronger.
Those invisible metal surveillance devices—once discovered—could no longer monitor him.
"He actually noticed it!"
Aleister suddenly opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.
He used the Misaka Network to monitor every corner of Academy City. This was the first time someone had detected it. The crucial point: it wasn't the Level 5 Misaka Mikoto who noticed, but a Level 4 clone.
This only deepened his suspicion of Clone 9981.
"It seems we must capture Misaka 9981 as soon as possible."
Through the communicator, Aleister ordered the head of the Mizuhashi Institute of Pathological Analysis to commission the ITEM team—Dark Side operatives possessing Level 5 abilities—to immediately capture the Level 4 Clone 9981.
If Clone 9981 could disrupt his surveillance, then he could no longer see the bigger picture. This issue had to be resolved quickly to prevent unexpected problems in his plan.
"He's here!"
At that moment, George and Misaka Mikoto both saw a white-haired boy walking into the alley—it was Accelerator, the Level 5 esper.
"It is now 8:58. Experiment No. 9982 will commence in two minutes."
In the alley, Clone No. 9982 spoke in a completely flat voice without any emotional fluctuation.
Accelerator, hands in his pockets, stared at Clone 9982—not mocking her like he usually would. Instead, he asked somewhat maniacally:
"What was with that clone yesterday? Why did she run away?
Aren't you clones supposed to lack all human emotions—no fear, no hesitation?!"
In the past, he had always seen the clones as emotionless machines—no fear, no begging—just like NPCs in a video game. Killing them would help him level up.
So he had never cared.
But yesterday, one of the clones was actually afraid. She ran away. Didn't that mean these clones weren't just copies?
That realization shook him, made him panic, and left him feeling lost.
Because deep down, he hated hurting innocent people more than anything.
From birth to age nine, he had been stuck in a research lab, studied like a specimen. At age ten, after his ability awakened, he was put in a special class of one and shuffled between research institutions.
Eventually, he became Academy City's top-ranked Level 5.
But because of his immense power, many organizations sought to use or control him, constantly approaching him. Even after he broke their arms and legs, they never stopped.
The reason he agreed to join the Level 6 Shift Project was to become truly unmatched—so no one would dare disturb him again, and he wouldn't have to hurt anyone anymore.
"Misaka 9981 was an unexpected variable—no need to pay attention. As long as you continue the experiments, you will become a Level 6 absolute esper after killing 10,020 Misakas."
Wearing a Guata badge, Misaka 9982 removed her military night vision goggles and raised her submachine gun to attack Accelerator.
"Time: 9:00. Experiment No. 9982 begins."
"So annoying. If you want to die, then go ahead and die!"
Accelerator frowned. Before the bullets even reached him, he had already reflected them all using his vector control.
With experience from 9981 battles against Accelerator, Misaka 9982 dodged skillfully, turned off the alley lights with her electric powers, and began a surprise attack from the dark.
However, the difference in strength was too great. She was quickly disarmed—her night vision goggles and submachine gun destroyed—forcing her to move the battlefield as per the combat script.
Accelerator leisurely followed. He planned to defeat the clone as required by the experiment and see whether she would beg for her life before dying.
If she did, he would terminate the experiment. If not, then it meant he had overthought it.
George and Misaka Mikoto saw Clone 9982 and Accelerator move the battle elsewhere and followed closely.
The final battlefield was set at an abandoned dock by the river. According to the experimental script, Clone 9982 would be terminated there by Accelerator, concluding today's experiment.
"Let's do it."
Seeing that Clone 9982 was about to be caught, George turned invisible and vanished. Misaka Mikoto dashed forward to block Accelerator.
"Stop!"
"Another one? There wasn't supposed to be a second experiment today—but whatever."
Accelerator waved his hand and used his power to summon a whirlwind, flinging a shipping container at the two Misakas.
"Iron Sand Sword!"
Misaka Mikoto used electromagnetism to gather iron sand from within 200 meters of the underground, forming a giant electric chainsaw dozens of meters long. With a gentle swing, she sliced the container cleanly in half.
(End of Chapter)