Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Looking at the scene before her, Misaka Mikoto was utterly stunned.

She knew who the person lying there in blood was, someone who could perfectly block and reflect her full-force attack was rare in Academy City, and only one person could reach this level.

That was the first among the seven LV5s in Academy City—Accelerator.

But now, he was lying on the ground, unconscious, seeming like he was dead... wait a minute.

”Mr. Fang Zheng, you didn’t kill him, did you?”

”Half-dead, forget about him.”

Fang Zheng glanced briefly, replied casually, and then turned to leave. Misaka Mikoto hesitated for a second, then withdrew her gaze and rushed toward the girl not far behind her.

However, upon reaching the girl’s side, Misaka Mikoto froze.

”Are you okay now?”

Seeing the girl, though covered in blood, physically unhurt, Misaka Mikoto was quite surprised. She clearly remembered that not long ago, this girl had a broken leg and could only crawl on the ground. But now, she was standing, looking exhausted, bloodstains shockingly vivid, yet much better than before.

”Yes.”

The girl nodded and then looked at Fang Zheng.

”This gentleman helped Misaka heal her injuries in a very peculiar way, Misaka said to Sister Dear, quite surprised and unable to comprehend.”

Peculiar?

Though puzzled by the girl’s response, Misaka Mikoto couldn’t think of a better solution at the moment. She turned around blankly, looked at Fang Zheng, her lips trembling, on the verge of tears.

”Mr. Fang, Fang Zheng... what should I do?”

At this moment, Misaka Mikoto truly felt isolated and helpless. Just not long ago, she discovered that besides the frozen Mass-Produced Esper Program, there was an insane Absolute Ability Evolution Plan, aiming to let Academy City’s top LV5, Accelerator, kill twenty thousand clones of herself...

And just now, she almost witnessed one of her clones being brutally murdered by him, a scenario beyond Misaka Mikoto’s imagination and capacity to handle. She had no idea what to do, nor what steps to take next. She was just an ordinary girl, regardless of being LV5, a Young Lady, everything currently felt overwhelming.

”Right now?”

However, Fang Zheng didn’t immediately answer her question. Instead, he simply looked at Misaka Mikoto and handed over a phone.

”You should call Kuroko Shirai first, she’s worried sick in the dorm.”

”Ah...”

Misaka Mikoto took the phone blankly, quickly hearing Kuroko’s voice.

”Hello, is it Sister Dear? Are you okay?”

”Kuroko, yes, I’m okay...”

Perhaps hearing Kuroko’s voice, Misaka Mikoto felt herself gradually regain composure. At least compared to just now, it was as if she was caught in a Bottomless Swamp, now she seemed to be pulled to the surface, breathing fresh air, feeling slightly ”rescued”.

”I’m okay, just dealing with some personal matters, yes, I probably won’t be back tonight.”

”Not coming back?!”

Hearing this, Kuroko’s voice suddenly raised, then lowered as if afraid of being overheard in the dorm.

”Sister Dear, if you’re not coming back to the dorm, where will you be staying?!”

”Probably at the lab.”

”Huh?! Sister Dear, are you staying under the same roof with Mr. Fang Zheng? Alone with him?”

”What alone! Ram and Rem are also there, aren’t they?”

”Sister Dear can even accept three people together?!”

”I don’t know what you’re talking about but it’s annoying so I’m hanging up!”

Listening to Kuroko’s increasingly absurd comments, Misaka Mikoto angrily hung up the phone, then she looked at the pitch-black screen and smiled wryly, shaking her head, she returned the phone to Fang Zheng.

”Thank you, Mr. Fang Zheng.”

”You’re welcome, anyway, let’s head back to the lab first.”

Fang Zheng took back the phone and spoke. Hearing this, Misaka Mikoto turned her head, glancing at the blood-covered, unconscious first-ranked not far away.

”What about him?”

”He won’t die, just leave him there, we should head back first.”

To Fang Zheng, a mere Accelerator wasn’t something deserving of concern.

On the way back, Misaka Mikoto finally revealed everything she’d investigated to Fang Zheng.

Twenty thousand clones, twenty thousand little sisters, created by this nonsensical plan and then murdered...

What could she do?

Regarding this, Misaka Mikoto genuinely had no clues.

”Why would Sister Dear blame herself for this?”

At this moment, the Misaka sitting in the back spoke up.

”This is not Sister Dear’s responsibility, it’s our mission, Misaka said inquiringly with a doubtful tone.”

”But you’ll be killed! This... this is absurd! You are alive, don’t you want to keep living?!”

”........

Yet, facing Misaka Mikoto’s questioning, the other Misaka calmly responded.

”Misaka is a product made for the plan, a manufactured body, a manufactured mind, an experimental animal priced at 180,000 yen. Misaka explained truthfully to Sister Dear.”

”You---!!”

”Don’t be impulsive.”

Seeing Misaka Mikoto about to unleash electricity, Fang Zheng pressed her head down.

”They are clones, not like you, growing up from childhood, lacking common sense is normal, calm down, calm down.”

”..............”)

”Alright, anyway, let’s go back to the research institute first. Hey, you back there, what’s your name?”

”Misaka’s code name is 9982, Misaka kindly introduces herself to the unfamiliar man in front.”

”9982... why not 8848... whatever, so you have more than ten thousand people, right.”

”That’s prohibited information, Misaka can’t answer.”

”That’s about it, whether you answer or not, it’s the same.”

Fang Zheng released the hand pressing on Misaka Mikoto’s head.

”So, let’s do it this way, Misaka, you take your sister to the research institute and stay for a night, I’ll bring back the remaining sisters, then we’ll discuss what to do next.”

”But... how are you going to do it?”

Although Fang Zheng spoke simply, Misaka Mikoto knew this was not an easy task. After all, there are more than ten thousand people, and those who support such a plan must be the upper echelon of the Academy. She couldn’t imagine how Fang Zheng intends to handle all this.

”Don’t worry, I have my ways.”

Fang Zheng understandably didn’t share his thoughts with Misaka Mikoto. In fact, after throwing Misaka Mikoto and her sisters at the research institute with Rem and Lei, he drove straight to another place.

That place was the heart of the Seventh School District, the heart of the entire Academy City.

Commonly referred to as ”the windowless building.”

For Fang Zheng, this was a place he was destined to come.

Now he was there.

He parked his car by the roadside and approached the building, glanced at it, and lightly tapped the flat wall in front of him.

”-------------!!!”

The whole world trembled at that moment.

Massive cracks extended from the bottom to the top floor, splitting the building before him into two halves. Fang Zheng merely chuckled, humming a tune as he walked into the gap.

The entire space inside was pitch black. It seemed like it had lost the concept of space; stars, Earth, everything seemed like fleeting visitors that silently emerged from the darkness and then disappeared.

”Come out, Arestar.”

Fang Zheng was standing with his hands behind his back, looking at the darkness ahead.

”You came looking for trouble with me, now I’m here.”

”I still don’t understand, who exactly are you?”

At that moment, a voice echoed.

Neither male nor female, as if it were both child and elder.

”I don’t know who you are, nor why you’ve come here. This is Academy City, City of Science...”

”Shut up.”

Fang Zheng coldly interrupted the speaker.

”I can’t stand the way you constantly talk about science all day long. What does science have to do with you? You’re only standing here because of that damn Angel Aiwass. But science? As an illiterate Mage, you dare speak of science to me? You’re just using science as a facade to retaliate against your so-called enemies.”

”...”

”Why aren’t you speaking? You know, I’ve always wanted to kill you. The reason is simple: you’re trying to destroy this world, this civilization’s future. What is science? Science is the means to correctly understand the world, to discover the world, to explore the world. It’s not the Crusaders, not the Vatican’s fools, not any new religion, used by you as rivals to Magic. You’ve turned science into a religion, a faith, trying to shape it... haha, I don’t care how your daughter died back then, it has nothing to do with me. But since you’re willing to hinder the progress of all human civilization to avenge your hatred...”

At this point, Fang Zheng spread his hands.

”Then don’t blame me, I’ve killed plenty of idiots like you, it doesn’t matter to me to kill another.”

”...”

Arestar said nothing, and instead, a golden humanoid figure suddenly appeared before Fang Zheng’s eyes.

However, Fang Zheng merely glanced at it.

”Leave.”

Just one word.

The next moment, the golden figure seemed to be launched by a slingshot, rapidly retreating, almost surpassing the speed of light, disappearing into the darkness.

”...who exactly are you?”

At this moment, Arestar’s voice finally changed.

”Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Fang Zheng, currently something akin to a deity... as for my specific Divine Position, I won’t elaborate.”

”Deity?”

Arestar’s voice began to shapeshift.

”You say... you’re a deity? Hahaha, a deity believes in science?”

”I’ll say it again, science is a method, not a faith, nor is it the Truth.”

Fang Zheng nodded his head.

”Scientific observation, scientific understanding, what do these entail? Rationality, objectivity, research. Science isn’t faith; faith is eternal, but science isn’t. Scientific theories can be falsified and yet unfalsified. Take Magic for example; people doubt the existence of Magic because they’ve never witnessed it firsthand, experienced it in person, lived through it, investigated it themselves, so Magic is thought not to exist.

But once they firsthand experience, personally live through, investigate, and witness it, they will acknowledge the existence of Magic.

This is science.”

At this point, Fang Zheng stood with his arms crossed, looking at the darkness.

”But you, Arestar, for your own agenda, you’ve shaped science as Magic’s opposition. Haha... but no wonder, you’re ultimately just an illiterate Mage, raised under the silly binary opposition of Anglo-Saxon culture. Angels, devils, you all, us all. Justice, evil... hmm, the binary viewpoint is indeed convenient as you don’t need to think much; look, I don’t need to think much to want to kill you.”

”...what exactly do you intend to say?”

Arestar’s voice rose higher, while Fang Zheng simply shrugged.

”Simple, give me the remaining over ten thousand Little Misaka you’ve attempted to use for your artificial angel network, and I’ll spare you.”

Then he spoke.

”Otherwise, prepare to be added on the Firewood list.”