A Scientific Urban Detective

"Takitsubo, can you still locate the target?" Mugino Shizuri asked.

"I have her under constant surveillance." Takitsubo Rikou put down her cup and stood up.

"Item's" four members began to walk through this indoor shopping center of dubious purpose once more.

"This place is super chaotic," Kinuhata Saiai exclaimed. "This must be what they mean by a mixed bag of fish and dragons."

Rather than a bustling market, it felt more like a flea market, or the legendary "black market."

The goods sold here were of questionable origin, and the buyers and sellers who frequented the place all looked suspicious.

However, this atmosphere was quite fitting for their identity as an "underground organization."

"If you want to hide your tracks, there's no better place than here," Mugino Shizuri suddenly said out of the blue.

Before Kinuhata Saiai could ask, Takitsubo Rikou held up her hand to stop everyone: "She's up ahead."

Without further explanation, Kinuhata Saiai somehow knew who she was referring to.

Just to their side, at the ten o'clock direction, Kinuhata Saiai saw a girl wearing sportswear.

There were all sorts of people in the market, and this girl wearing a baseball cap and sportswear was actually quite inconspicuous.

What's wrong with her? Is she the new mission target? Kinuhata Saiai couldn't figure it out.

"She is Mito Koume," Mugino Shizuri said. "This is the person you were looking for earlier."

"Eh?" Kinuhata Saiai was surprised.

"What 'eh'? This is the explosion maniac you've been looking for," Mugino Shizuri said. "She just fought with that Lin Wuming not long ago."

"But why, Mugino…"

Frenda explained from the side: "This guy is indeed cunning, but it's useless. In the end, she still can't escape Takitsubo's tracking."

Indeed, as Kinuhata Saiai had guessed, the other three members of "Item" had been secretly observing her actions.

Of course, they also observed the actions of Lin Wuming and the others, including their battle with Mito Koume a few minutes ago.

Unlike Lin Wuming and Komaba Tsumugi, who didn't have any effective way to deal with escaping enemies, "Item" had a professional—Takitsubo Rikou, a Level 4 esper with "AIM Stalker". She could observe, record, and track the AIM diffusion field of target objects.

Once a target was marked by her, there was almost no possibility of escape, especially for high-level espers.

In addition, they were observing from the shadows, so even Mito Koume didn't notice their presence, let alone be prepared.

As a result, even though Mito Koume changed her clothes and disguise, and used the dense crowd in the shopping center as cover to successfully escape, in Takitsubo Rikou's eyes, all of this was meaningless.

Once she was targeted, she never escaped Takitsubo Rikou's "AIM Stalker" from the beginning.

"Hmph, Misaka Mikoto… that little girl is a Level 5, yet she couldn't even catch such a criminal," Mugino Shizuri mocked without reservation. "And that inexplicable Accelerator too, he was also ambushed by this woman."

Mugino Shizuri shook her head repeatedly: "Two Level 5s, plus you as a newcomer, and two Level 4s, and two Level 3s, such a luxurious lineup, yet you can't catch an 'explosion maniac'…"

Kinuhata Saiai wanted to argue, but after thinking about it, what Mugino Shizuri said was indeed true, and she didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"Newcomer," Mugino Shizuri said, "You are Level 4, and that Mito Koume is also Level 4, and both of you manipulate gas-type abilities…"

"You want me to fight her?" Kinuhata Saiai accurately guessed her leader's intention.

"Not just a fight," Mugino Shizuri shook her head, "I want you to defeat her. Can you do it… No, you must do it."

Kinuhata Saiai nodded, without the slightest hint of panic: "Okay."

"Then…" Mugino Shizuri waved her hand casually, "Frenda, clear the area."

"Okay!" Frenda nodded, excitedly lighting a rocket launcher and scattering them around.

Loud explosions rang out in the market.

The people who were buying and selling were in a panic, but when they realized that someone was deliberately causing trouble instead of a gas pipe explosion, they quickly calmed down and began to evacuate in an orderly manner—this kind of thing didn't seem uncommon here.

Mito Koume also wanted to slip out along with the crowd.

But how could the members of "Item" who had already targeted her let her leave so easily?

Frenda launched rockets again, this time aiming very accurately at Mito Koume.

The latter had no choice but to deal with it.

"Mito Koume! Super got you!" Kinuhata Saiai took the opportunity to pounce on her.

"Tch, you are… you actually followed me here!" Mito Koume recognized this girl—one of the girls who had been with Lin Wuming earlier, suspected of having a defense-type superpower.

She thought she had escaped successfully, but she didn't expect to encounter an ambush in this place. Mito Koume felt a burst of annoyance and threw out another handful of capsule containers.

But these were just feints. Since she knew that this girl was good at defense, how could Mito Koume expect these small capsules to cause her any harm?

The real "killing move" was hidden in her left palm—an invisible "high-pressure vessel", the power contained within, if released completely, could deform even a piece of steel!

"Super useless," Kinuhata Saiai shouted loudly. Facing the enemy's attack, she didn't even make a dodging motion, as if the opponent's attack was not worth mentioning at all.

And that was indeed the case. Kinuhata Saiai stood still, without even a strand of hair being blown.

"As long as I'm prepared, your explosions can't cause me any harm," Kinuhata Saiai said, raising her fist. "But conversely, my attack is super powerful for you."

"How is that possible? What is your ability!" Mito Koume exclaimed.

She had only encountered this situation once before, when she challenged the "leader," Nitori Isshi.

—Could it be that this girl's strength is the same as the "leader's"…

Kinuhata Saiai's fist smashed over like a hammer, and Mito Koume suddenly woke up—now is not the time to think about those things, first find a way to get rid of this guy!

Relying on a series of backflips, Mito Koume dodged the attack and took the opportunity to leave a "bomb trap" in her original position.

Kinuhata Saiai still remembered the information about Mito Koume's ability that Lin Wuming had told her, but she still chased after her without hesitation, stepping right on the "high-pressure vessel."

Boom!

Violent explosion.

But after the milky white smoke dissipated, Kinuhata Saiai's unscathed figure was revealed.

Just glancing at her feet casually, Kinuhata Saiai didn't pay much attention and continued to walk forward.