A Scientific Urban Detective

#486 - Barrage Attack

Councilman Schelpin, long entrenched in his high position, was also a ruthless man. Even sensing a mere possibility of exposure, he decisively chose to strike first.

Currently, Councilman Schelpin's project of "superpower mechanization and generalization" had largely succeeded. Although he didn't have many decent esper experts under his command, he could still produce a considerable number of "superpowers."

Just the FIVE_Over series machines, mimicking level 5 superpowers, numbered in the hundreds of finished products in Councilman Schelpin's factories…

As a councilman, Schelpin owned an entire building for himself. Although it couldn't compare to the "Building Without Windows," its protection level was quite high.

In fact, the entire surrounding block was his "private domain."

Before Lin Wu Ming and the others arrived, this area had been thoroughly armed under Councilman Schelpin's orders, preparing for battle against "intruders."

This greatly exceeded Lin Wu Ming's expectations.

—Councilman Schelpin's caution and confidence had reached a considerable level.

He firmly believed that his "machine legion" composed of FIVE_Over units was sufficient to confront and even eliminate a genuine level 5 esper, which was why he was so proactive in engaging the enemy.

But at the same time, Councilman Schelpin was also well aware that he was just a fragile ordinary person, so he absolutely couldn't allow a battle to occur near him.

Based on these two points, the moment Lin Wu Ming arrived in this district in his wheelchair, he was immediately met with a wave of "artillery coverage."

Dozens of electromagnetic cannons, even closer to the real thing than the "Final Weapon 001" from the juvenile reformatory, bombarded him.

Instantly throwing Lin Wu Ming into "bullet time!"

Lin Wu Ming was also paying the price for his experience-based assumptions. Because he had been frequently visiting the "Building Without Windows" recently, he subconsciously assumed that only the building in front of him was Councilman Schelpin's territory.

So, before actually entering the "Schelpin Building," Lin Wu Ming was really just focused on charging ahead.

Lin Wu Ming felt very fortunate at this moment—thankfully, he was the one leading the way. Faced with this sudden situation, he had ample time to react.

The same number of steel balls were fired, colliding one-on-one with the "electromagnetic cannon" projectiles in the air, bursting into brilliant sparks…

"I'll handle this!" Misaka Mikoto, who was following closely behind, brightened up, her entire body crackling with electricity as she rushed forward.

Misaka Mikoto was both surprised and angry, excited to have the opportunity to show off her skills, but also infuriated that her superpower was being abused by the enemy.

"How dare they play with these imitations in front of me! How dare they use my signature move to attack us!"

Biri biri…

Bolts of lightning shot out from between the girl's hair, winding and spreading forward.

Even if those FIVE_Over machines were hidden in various corners of the district, as long as it was electrical equipment, it wouldn't escape her search!

In the real world, there was hardly any attack faster than lightning, so Misaka Mikoto was confident that she could discover and destroy them before the enemy launched a second attack.

But unfortunately, in the atmospheric environment, the speed of lightning was far from the speed of light, very far indeed.

However, the ambiguous state electron beam of "Atomic Collapse" could reach "near-light speed."

In other words, "Atomic Collapse" was faster than "Railgun!"

Lin Wu Ming had only returned to normal time for less than two seconds before being pulled into "bullet time" again…

This time, what appeared before him was the unforgettable emerald green "beam."

—Ah, I wasn't wrong about Councilman Schelpin after all. So it was this guy who attacked me last time!

Lin Wu Ming thought to himself.

Misaka Mikoto's reaction speed was also very fast. The moment she realized the emerald green "beam" had appeared, she manipulated her electric net, bending it ninety degrees upwards to intercept "Atomic Collapse."

"Railgun" and "Atomic Collapse," two great superpowers, fought for control of the electrons. After a long stalemate, the machines were ultimately no match for the esper herself, and the emerald green "beams" were twisted and deflected.

The crisis was resolved again. Lin Wu Ming sighed inwardly at Misaka Mikoto's reliability while quickly retreating.

"Don't get close, the enemy is tough!" He used his telekinetic barrier to block the others behind him.

Only after retreating from that district and hiding behind a building did Lin Wu Ming breathe a sigh of relief and have a chance to speak.

"That was… Atomic Collapse?" Dolly asked.

The series of attacks and defenses that had just taken place seemed intense, but in reality, it had all happened in an instant in the eyes of onlookers.

In the eyes of Dolly and Keisaku Misaki, who didn't experience "bullet time," Lin Wu Ming had charged forward first, followed closely by Misaka Mikoto, leaving everyone else behind.

Then, there was a literal "flash of lightning and sparks," a short and intense exchange of fire comparable to a movie special effects scene.

They didn't even have time to react before they saw the emerald green "beams" being struck by lightning in mid-air, then refracted and deflected into the sky.

At the same time, Lin Wu Ming had used his telekinesis to pull everyone back here.

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"There's no mistake, it's FIVE_Over, and there are many of them." Lin Wu Ming explained, "There were thirty-five units firing 'Railgun,' and forty firing 'Atomic Collapse'… I only counted the ones that fired, as for whether there are more…"

Misaka Mikoto added, "I scanned, and there are at least a hundred machines with similar appearances in the district ahead."

"Robots imitating level 5 espers…" Keisaku Misaki's expression was complicated. "Hundreds… suddenly they feel so cheap…"

"Hmph!" Misaka Mikoto snorted, disdainfully saying, "Those things are at most crude imitations of our superpowers. Their power is far inferior to my 'Railgun!'"

"But," Dolly said with a solemn expression, "Only Mikoto-chan can think that way, right? For others, a level 5 superpower is still a level 5 after all."

"This is troublesome." Komori Taifuu suddenly sighed. "It seems the enemy was prepared. Our surprise attack plan has failed."

As she spoke, Komori Taifuu looked up at the building behind them.

Several of the "beams" from the "Atomic Collapse" that had been deflected had struck the building behind them.

Several buildings could be seen with circular holes punched through them.

Even after flying thousands of meters, the destructive power of "Atomic Collapse" was still astonishing.

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