A Scientific Urban Detective

The next day, despite feeling utterly unenthusiastic, Toru-Mitsuhachi Hachimitsu mustered her energy and went to headquarters with Rin Nameless.

Greeting them was Uiharu Kazari, who had stayed up all night, investigating materials without sleep.

Even her glasses couldn't hide the dark circles under her eyes.

But she was still young, and the occasional all-nighter wasn't a big deal. She quickly adjusted, regaining her vitality while chugging coffee and taking breaks.

Seeing this, Toru-Mitsuhachi Hachimitsu, who had been drowsy, also went to the vending machine to buy a can of black coffee.

But after only taking a small sip, she frowned and handed the coffee to Rin Nameless beside her.

"Here, you drink this!"

"I told you, you wouldn't like it," Rin Nameless retorted, taking the coffee.

"Uiharu, have you made any progress in the investigation?"

Uiharu Kazari rubbed her brow, bitterly saying, "No. Although I found a few suspicious individuals, after verification, they turned out to be unrelated to the case. I need to continue investigating..."

The thought of having to struggle through the vast ocean of information again today weighed heavily on Rin Nameless's mind, and he couldn't help but take a big gulp of coffee.

Just then, a commotion came from the corridor outside.

"Huh? That's the alarm," Uiharu Kazari stood up abruptly, looking serious. "What's happening outside?"

At the same time, all three of their phones issued alert tones, indicating that they had simultaneously received an email.

Rin Nameless took out his phone to check.

It was an email sent to all members by Judgment, with only one main point—a reminder, or rather, a warning to all members to be careful!

Because since last night, Academy City seemed to have experienced vicious attacks targeting Judgment members.

Initially, only two or three Judgment members were injured and hospitalized during routine patrols. Although this was a special situation, it wasn't particularly surprising for Judgment members. As frontline members fighting criminals, being resented was normal.

Therefore, this attack didn't alarm too many people. It was handled according to normal procedures: hospitalization for treatment, and arrangements were made for personnel to conduct a detailed investigation of their injuries.

However, the Judgment members sent to investigate also encountered similar attacks, and even suffered more severe injuries.

Then, early this morning, another Judgment member was attacked while doing morning exercises—at that time, she wasn't even wearing her armband, but was just jogging as an ordinary citizen.

Then came the second, the third...

"So far, there have been eight similar attacks, causing a total of fifty-nine victims—twenty-four of whom are our Judgment members, and the remaining victims are their friends and innocent citizens caught in the vicinity."

The chairman's voice echoed through the headquarters via the broadcasting system.

"How can so many people be injured?" Hearing this number, Rin Nameless couldn't help but be surprised.

You should know that the citizens of this city are very unusual. Most Level 2 and above espers have their own ways to avoid danger. Even Level 1 weak espers or even Level 0 non-espers, having seen a lot, will make correct self-defense actions in time when encountering sudden situations, and find shelters nearby.

Only newcomers who have just arrived in Academy City will be injured because they are at a loss.

"The culprit," Rin Nameless thought of something and quickly asked, "What method did they use to attack?"

Repeatedly attacking eight times in a row without being caught, then obviously the culprit is hiding in the dark to carry out sneak attacks, and even is likely to have set up traps.

"Explosions," the chairman said concisely. "All eight attacks were explosions, which is why there were so many casualties."

The two Judgment members with the most serious injuries have not yet escaped from life-threatening danger!

It can be described as a very bad incident!

"As expected..." What Rin Nameless thought of just now was also a bomb attack. Otherwise, there is no reason for an average of seven or eight people to be injured in one attack.

"We have reason to believe that the culprit is deliberately targeting our Judgment members, so everyone should be vigilant during patrols and daily life, do not approach suspicious places without authorization, and do not touch suspicious objects at will—in one of the attacks this morning, an explosive device disguised as a shopping bag was left on the roadside."

The chairman emphasized again: "We have notified the Anti-Skill, and they have arranged for a professional bomb disposal team. Once a suspected explosive device is found, please immediately notify professionals for disposal, and do not approach it without authorization!"

In fact, the safest way to deal with it now is to stop all Judgment activities, let all members take off their armbands, and not expose themselves.

But this is obviously not a solution that Judgment can accept.

Although it is only an autonomous organization composed of student volunteers, Judgment, as an officially recognized law enforcement agency, also has its own pride and persistence; coupled with the fact that its members are all young and passionate teenagers, how could they be intimidated by criminals?

Therefore, even the chairman only issued a warning and reminded everyone to pay attention to safety, but did not announce the suspension of Judgment activities.

"How could this happen?" Uiharu Kazari flattened the coffee can in her hand, looked at the materials covering the table, and turned to look at the door, feeling conflicted for a moment.

The latest novel is first published on Six/Nine/Book/Bar!

Her "Psychometry" is one of the most suitable abilities for checking explosive devices. If the attacks against Judgment members continue, then her ability can undoubtedly play a huge role.

But, the investigation of the 'Underground Arena'...

On one side are former friends, on the other side are current comrades.

Which... which side should I help first?

Clap!

Rin Nameless's clap awakened her.

"Uiharu, don't get stuck in a rut," Rin Nameless said. "You are just one person, and of course there is a limit to what you can do. But don't forget, whether it's the 'Underground Arena' or the bombing attack, we have the entire Judgment fighting against it."

Rin Nameless said, "So, trust the organization and everyone's strength, and just do your own thing."

"Nameless is right!" The chairman's voice suddenly sounded again, "Uiharu, I know you're anxious, but please stay calm."

After a slight pause, the chairman continued, "I suspect that there is some kind of connection between these two incidents."

"You mean," Rin Nameless asked, "the culprit of the bombing attack is related to the Underground Arena?"

"That's right," the chairman admitted. "Otherwise, there's no reason for attacks against our members to occur just as our investigation has made progress!"

So, Uiharu Kazari made a decision: "Okay, I'll go out and investigate the bombing case."