A Scientific Urban Detective

Compared to the usual days of normal classes, the cafeteria seemed much emptier today. After all, only some students who needed to make up lessons and students involved in club activities came to school today.

Logically speaking, Touma Kamijou should have been one of the students needing to make up lessons, but Lin Wuming looked around the cafeteria and didn't see him.

"Forget it, let nature take its course…" Lin Wuming didn't dwell on it too much.

Just as Lin Wuming finished his lunch, he received a call back from Misaka Mikoto.

"Sorry, Senior Wuming! I didn't get your call just now!"

"Don't worry about it," Lin Wuming shook his head and then asked, "Did you encounter any trouble on your end?"

"Don't worry, it's not a big problem."

"So, there is still a problem?" Lin Wuming asked, "Who's the opponent?"

"Senior Wuming, do you remember the two magicians we encountered last week?" Misaka Mikoto said, "They are indeed very strong, especially that girl—Senior Wuming, your judgment is indeed accurate!"

"You're fighting with Kanzaki Kaori?" Lin Wuming couldn't help but exclaim, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Senior Wuming, you should have a little more confidence in me," Misaka Mikoto said helplessly, "No matter what, I'm a Level 5!"

"Then is the other party okay?" Lin Wuming's heart tightened—indeed, normally one should think that a Level 5 is more powerful.

Lin Wuming quickly added, "In a sense, they can be considered diplomatic personnel, be careful not to cause a diplomatic incident!"

"Don't worry, we didn't really start a war." Misaka Mikoto explained, "I just saw those two magicians attacking a little girl, so I couldn't help but lend a hand… That woman's sword is really sharp!"

"Kanzaki…" Lin Wuming still couldn't help but feel nervous, "Are you really okay?"

"Don't worry, no matter how sharp it is, her sword is still made of metal." Misaka Mikoto said, "Although we had a 'slight' confrontation while rescuing the person, they didn't seem to want to fight me either, so they quickly retreated."

—That was when I called just now?

Lin Wuming thought to himself, as for the "little girl being attacked" by Kanzaki Kaori and Stiyl Magnus…

"Mikoto, what about the girl you saved? Who is she?"

"She's a strange girl, and she seems to be an illegally入境 foreigner, claiming to be Index, and also a nun. Oh right, she also said she's a magician—of course, she's far from those two, she actually doesn't have any magic or superpowers…" Misaka Mikoto said, "I felt something was unusual, so I originally planned to bring her to Senior Wuming to have you take a look."

"Originally planned?"

"Yeah," Misaka Mikoto's tone was a little awkward, "She just ran away… at WcDonald's."

"Ran away… didn't you save her? Why did she run away?" Lin Wuming was also shocked.

"Yeah, I saved her!" Misaka Mikoto also seemed very depressed, "And I even treated her to lunch. That kid ate ten Big Macs in one go—could it be that she ran away because she didn't have money to pay? I clearly told her that I would pay for everything."

"Okay…" Lin Wuming only felt a headache, with a strong feeling of not being able to complain.

—If Shokuhou Misaki were here, she would definitely understand how I feel right now!

"In short, let's meet up first, where are you?" Lin Wuming asked with a wry smile.

I originally planned to watch Kanzaki Kaori, Stiyl Magnus, and Touma Kamijou perform the whole time, but unexpectedly Misaka Mikoto stepped in first…

"I'm still at WcDonald's," Misaka Mikoto replied, "I just ordered another ten Spicy Chicken Fillet Burgers, Senior Wuming, come and help me eat them!"

"Why order so many burgers!" Lin Wuming complained, "And I've already had lunch, just now!"

"Because that child said she wasn't full yet…" Misaka Mikoto also seemed speechless, "Could it be that her magic is eating?"

"Forget it, I'll head over there now." Lin Wuming drove his wheelchair and drove off campus, "As for those burgers, I'll pack them up and bring them to the sisters later. I asked them to help me find you this morning."

"Eh? Senior Wuming, why are you in such a hurry to find me?" Misaka Mikoto became a little excited.

"Because someone complained that you've been a little too active recently."

"Ah? Is… is that so…"

Lin Wuming shook his head, as if he could see Misaka Mikoto's disappointed expression, and couldn't help but smile: "This is just a secondary reason, the specific situation, I'll tell you when we meet."

"Oh." Misaka Mikoto said, "Then I'll wait for you at the store—don't make me wait too long, it's a little embarrassing for me to guard so many burgers alone."

"Don't worry," Lin Wuming looked at the route on the electronic map, "It's not far, it'll take ten minutes."

…

"Damn it! Can you get lost even with full electronic map navigation?"

Looking at the empty and unfamiliar neighborhood around him, Lin Wuming finally stopped his wheelchair, knowing that he couldn't continue any further.

Actually, Lin Wuming knew the WcDonald's where Misaka Mikoto was. In the last semester that just ended, in order to help Accelerator adapt to "ordinary student life," Lin Wuming specifically took him there a few times.

It can be said that if he hadn't been lazy and used the wheelchair's built-in navigation function, Lin Wuming might have already arrived at his destination.

But unexpectedly, even machines can be unreliable.

"So where is this exactly?" Lin Wuming muttered.

For him, any route only has two states: completely familiar and completely unfamiliar. Not knowing is not knowing, there is no ambiguous state like "familiar" or "vaguely remember."

"There's another possibility…" Lin Wuming became vigilant, entered a combat-ready state, and slowly moved his wheelchair forward, "Actually, this is a route I know, but it has become unfamiliar because of the change in environment and atmosphere."

In Lin Wuming's memory, this street should be very lively, even at night, there are many pedestrians and vehicles passing by.

But at this moment, it is empty and there is not a single person in sight.

Although the sun is shining brightly overhead, it feels like being in a ghost realm.

There are no pedestrians or vehicles, and the surroundings are eerily quiet, as if people can forget that there is such a thing as "sound" in the world.

Lin Wuming was no stranger to this feeling—in the past, when he encountered assassinations, or when illegal experiments were being carried out nearby, the organizers would take various means to clear the area.

Considering the current situation, assassination or illegal experiments are unlikely.

Moreover, Lin Wuming knew that at this moment, there were two magicians active nearby…