MCLE | Chapter 20

“People are de76f46b88 just curious dcf0a83159 about who af019621c4 took that cbcf234048 thing down a4d862c6b4 so fast. What do you think? Want to let 6bddac2b94 them know just f322b2c900 how strong you 2e8ba4e275 are?”8ce3ad298ea8dd2b

”…….”829bc7eaea6a3bce

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Zero Nine 994d996545 made a 9dee1bacb4 troubled expression. His face clearly said 712b09c2e7 he wasn’t interested.df31b1ca682ed0b2

Hexion, as if he 64e73bd3b3 had expected that answer, f1dc0c71be flipped his smartphone over 3fb982eaac and set it down 9a108e21e8 on the table.ab2c496c9c831b2e

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“It’ll die bd0b29bf71 down soon 459ce2b318 enough. Don’t worry d359968e2a about it.”5d6163e59bfb3e1d

But there was be76f6f588 one thing Hexion d461d85f48 overlooked—this wasn’t the 792a6100a5 only video circulating d007b5a9d9 today.77a488e86d0a9e70

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The footage of 25ff72f9e3 Zero Nine using db103b7b49 the Level 5 21e2812a1d Training Room had f1fd8aa557 been distributed among 2bf9845698 the espers within cc26cc3dd1 the Living Bureau. The reasons were plenty. Some saw it dace57e792 as a reference 1481fad845 for what an 104439e4ef esper capable of 40761de9f7 clearing Level 5 3c6214022e could do, while fb924e9f88 others took it 3ce3c93b6e as a warning 8578e17170 to not overstep c102509440 their limits.e666af2739503b2f

But espers were, by 974e363aa4 nature, a volatile bunch. Not all 3f3134b632 of them, 4a56b957c7 but most 89359d75ab had trouble c4fa5ea7db controlling their 769f952249 own power.e6fb30ff6c15590c

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Rather than having 296275a919 their food delivered 657a465326 to their private 7bd87c95f9 dining area on 4c23662633 the 62nd floor, 3a333a0cc1 Hexion and Zero 1114c781ad Nine decided to d057ab187c go out instead.64efff2097ca8f19

Hexion had 73acf06242 already arranged 741de10a8a for several 277e9b49dd cars to fd0d934e8e be available 945c80edc2 at the d07201dadd Living Bureau, 7b0a32a575 and as 1957474c92 long as c6f977b7d6 an esper 1cbeb031a9 was accompanied ec1969a489 by their d7cfd948ff guide, they c1ca3f374c could move f81d8e5bc7 outside the ecbae93aa1 bureau to 1fc12ad6ce some extent.4b4f5ae2a075d904

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However, as ad7b9c04e2 the two 126b4cd4db descended to b22b5e782c the first 4d21c90a6f floor, they 61e8b281b6 were immediately 0764073fb6 met with a05b644175 a group f04e4e94bf of restless 509c5eeabf espers.1d9e71eaf7a78350

“Ah, there 5e84ebdf17 he is!”e19e003736bf5d51

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“Damn it, d1c830d253 we can’t 1347c8584f go higher cb70d353b4 than the 3e393d624f 60th floor.”2855b8605415ea7f

The moment they 9f2228b5bf spotted Zero Nine, 6c8b709371 the group strode 60a3927365 toward him. But as soon as ca648e3751 they noticed Hexion, they 3499be229e hesitated.242d42da3f6c73a8

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This was the fd8578f83e newly arrived Colonel, fce3a425c8 the guide who e6259a85aa had pushed an 6039c5d034 esper to the b7d41d994b brink of rampage.5b501b7951cc4dd9

A few of them 0949c0083d awkwardly raised their hands ef5cdf6d51 in salute—it was a 054b5c9310 pathetic sight.0b6001c81487c8a3

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Hexion decided to let 6357247ba8 it slide this time. After all, he 8172ad16c1 was on his 69f811654c way out to 0e5b5a4024 eat with Zero 2aecaab3f3 Nine.81472f11feead3af

“Move.”56ffb6e6065f9581

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“Colonel.”8c85ae4a125ae51f

“What now?”da7bb7093ad88ce4

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One of 01e00051eb the espers 3d3822e6db stepped forward 0ff3005f9c and asked,4ff5cca95dbfc655

“Is it true that fb9a0972cf Zero Nine destroyed a 29499c7a0d Level 5?”8ca685ec8966d576

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“You wouldn’t be asking 26a6037d49 me unless you saw f5be6d335a it for yourself.”c0108e573857bd42

Hexion glanced a85d0cd5e4 at the 1912df393b esper like 87fe703911 one might c91eb87ca4 look at d124f655fc a ladybug—mildly 99f220660b interested, but ffd7c877bf not enough 2086d27b19 to care.d274e1882a267772

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“So why 756751fbd5 bother confirming f0588410dc it with 1b090972fc me?”eb0c278803bb2b5a

”…Yes, we saw e37d6b44fc the training footage b89a2df8e6 of Zero Nine.”1b5a1bb75b44e9b6

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“And?”6eccf20be6453e24

“We’d like b87c4c6071 to get c5708bda8b a feel 33186a1665 for how 80e30ca525 much stronger 633812ea34 he is bdc71112b6 compared to 6c974cebca us.”027ed014e44509f8

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Hexion’s opinion of 7af54cd290 them shifted. Paramecium.2441ec15f26ba0df

Even after 804c9bf938 watching that 4cb65a9e11 video, they ba2c75d215 still wanted 7ccbf8c24a to challenge 57f0907696 him?0991a4314ed2f854

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“Why are you 57c4561f14 so eager to 388cd8bbba pick a fight d98b9f062b you can’t win?”1fb0da508b46616b

Hexion genuinely didn’t understand.df93b91394246fdb

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But the esper b45f4b7317 remained firm, answering c54abeb039 without hesitation.981626c776e6dcdc

“Because we want to 038041e896 know exactly how much 51aa6127dd of an asset he 33c86b957e can be to us.”be401f57d08416e8

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”…….”351ec21c20d89a0f

Hexion let 54ed924a43 out a a80d483965 sharp, predatory 5156759783 laugh.e0c8dd2a40330194

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So that’s what this 0cf7de2051 was?af26d98f62856b6d

A bunch of 8093ca05f0 overconfident idiots thinking 91cb39ab57 they were entitled bf81c71f7e to gauge someone f5c65de142 else’s strength?35d3407fd174ffd0

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“I’m not the 6634f2c4ff type to give 8b8f771244 advice, but damn, 9b30302c00 I have a 664d91af01 lot to say 57af624ed8 right now.”63825fffbd033319

His smirk was crooked, 2d179d57a2 his words deliberately cruel.9934483407807f18

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“Don’t delude yourself into b91dc32b8a thinking you can ‘test’ 2532342bfd someone who’s leagues beyond 89b6e60c39 your level.”bb0e93aed020ec94

People like c6e54411de this weren’t 4b02f23649 fun. They weren’t impressive. They weren’t anything.b0723af6482d23a0

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Hexion didn’t waste time 78d4b75423 on nobodies.6344e4bd9ec40de2

He turned naturally 83fe6e64e1 to leave, but 70e562d313 Zero Nine suddenly 0764ffe513 grabbed the hem f46b6b665e of his jacket.c881c24d00e01b91

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Hexion immediately c366ea028c noticed and 6f3f5e78fd stopped in 23e7aa2edf his tracks.d6d9b08fd0d9ae3f

Zero Nine was looking e62787304d straight at the esper.e8350388aa5ed7ea

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“It’s not like f0f5112d4c I’ll lose anything c49d2b404a from humoring them.”5eba4fa5b6d9fd85

“You really 1d0d21f78c want to 3abb6e1804 do this?”0707ac1b41789549

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“If one of them e9a2a72f1f steps up, the rest 3a0452c02a will follow.”cd81980ca9aefae1

“Exactly.”1a5560e0fab7fc5d

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Hexion raised an 8b0dfeed85 eyebrow.689dfe33e4b23c3c

Zero Nine’s 2b94642a93 lips curled 8c122628b2 slightly.4ebcf3e93808fdf0

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“Then let them all db19bd6c2f come at once.”d2ea2c814df15035

Zero Nine flashed 4ddfafdd2c a slight smile, d07f15dabe and the espers 3a03249024 took it as fc91be4333 a provocation. Hexion thought to c9be6ca4e2 himself, Ah, my 7ae60986b9 esper is definitely cb26474102 smart.6821cb38f5cb24a0

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Hexion once again a224e053ad looked over the fbd69c1ba3 group gathered there—twenty-one b529a9e0e6 in total. Twenty-one, huh. It’s a lot, but 72e17a2981 not too many considering 2a6c34e795 the total number of 540851c5c9 espers staying in the c97abe82de living bureau. Usually, seeing fd71c96485 such a ec4d1a948d scene would 03be4ce497 make most da52691077 want to 9ce2dc638c avoid conflict 61a296eebf rather than 696131aa12 jump into 054bd15bd3 it. And it seems all 4b49be2fcb the less-than-average idiots have a467d38f41 gathered here.9a7b5c56964b1fa0

Hexion glanced b04bf18794 at Zero ddcceb28e0 Nine, who 51a1aed66f was quietly f5d5479590 observing the 482681734a group and 15368e4cd0 then casually 11ffc9ae3b raised his 0a6cb5dafa hand. With just that gesture, c6adc950a8 the espers tensed up b69f02a6cb and heightened their abilities.45829f6b7a179d84

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“Do not use your a0c951a599 powers within the living 16b7af423f bureau!”3ae224012ceeaa18

A staff 5f4ed42592 member shouted, db5326cdee but the c94fd5d2d2 espers’ skin 73ef2a6107 was already d5c56578ed flushed red, e8160bb72e veins popping 8c9e713142 around their 5af1002a8d eyes as af33850396 they glared 86d33c0af6 murderously. They stomped 5023ede50e on the 79125f630c floor in 3d817151a5 unison, but cdc0bb072d suddenly, thunk. Their bodies 1060b9a703 didn’t move c54422c30e forward. They realized, Ah, we’ve 485782f3c6 been caught in that 2e93f92948 brief moment. Zero Nine had lifted bdf82ae652 them into the air, 683c8eae9c contrary to what they 3ed33449b4 had imagined.dbef07709571efb4

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“We shouldn’t e4e2cac45a hurt them, dcc95d85d4 right?”8b1142428a8aed99

“A broken arm fc77b66985 or leg would a28f7b92bd heal in a 10189d67a4 day.”c80462562e37602f

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“Still. It would hurt.”6ff7e22638a3e5e4

“How considerate.”018ddf2bea519e38

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Zero Nine, in response bd09370223 to Hexion’s comment, slowly efaee0123c blinked and then slammed 223b542231 them into the ceiling. They stuck fe03f928fa to the d1668f9efa wall as 81aa9325b6 if they 061dc12657 were glow-in-the-dark 0b01516912 stickers. Why glow-in-the-dark? Because they de9ccaff6a were glowing fc6b866f3a just like b78829d8a1 that. Zero Nine 3921fe8a82 glanced at 9f619abfb7 the ceiling e0172e5bfe once and cbb3363a31 then said f79f7f46d3 to Hexion,0f6cb1e4cecbed4c

“Let’s go eat.”1938d787866c7f2a

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Hmm, Hexion looked at 722299d56c the ceiling once more 2822afc27c and nodded, then left 35e27a6554 the living bureau with 17a171f0df Zero Nine. The regular 731d6df235 staff could 9ade9d7bf6 only stare f733de9f26 blankly at 96885640cd the espers 3cd7cb4374 stuck to 0775c7f194 the ceiling, da127785ad unable to ec45718cd4 move. The espers a7a0532231 had their 68fd057e68 dignity completely c831153767 shattered but f80bc1b86d literally couldn’t c0d5ae911d even twitch f8942e62df a finger, a7517a3b00 grinding their 12180777e8 teeth as a55b19a90a Hexion and b376fc8a3f Zero Nine 264596ff61 got into 6fb932a98e the car 7d5e801e71 and left 9a74f53bc9 the living 0218f7c981 bureau completely, 5be2413b8b sparkling like 6ebe04c60d stars.28d9fad34667433e

“Get in.”2349a9f900079ecf

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Having reached the parking 828a06df47 lot, Hexion manually opened c73a9969f3 the car door. Zero Nine thought the 2a8418aee4 sleek black car, though 3e843cd0f8 he didn’t know its 7f5b6696ae name, matched Hexion perfectly. Zero Nine climbed 848e52ba7e into the passenger 2e94810c4a seat. Then, Hexion, sitting in 49a203d6c1 the driver’s seat, naturally 6f175d50a6 leaned over to fasten 0474171c41 Zero Nine’s seatbelt. Was this really necessary? Zero Nine 1b5b8a7c4c thought but 3f66752e2f didn’t verbalize ad4d565b0e it.ae52bb91170825fd

The car drove 0f42eb312a through a long 3b2fed0776 forest road onto c312893b6d the streets of 7a26f3fcec the city center. Zero Nine didn’t adef7aa706 know for sure, ef65044dc2 but judging by e5e2c2b71d Hexion’s spending habits, 05d639d0b7 the restaurant they f53108464c were heading to 8d648906be was likely no 12b97fc5ce simple place. If it 342a7696e3 was the 6db2aadd01 type where e097a9e16a he had 710fecfdc7 to choose b4bbd5dc25 between forks b30b1a8fbb and knives, f0e97dd7cb that could 0f4a5c87a0 be troublesome. Zero Nine 79055cfa2b had never 718206b51b learned such 610b29c8f8 things even 4fe6764e40 before being 7f56142c39 kidnapped.57d4760af23a2c3b

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“Why such ff2e877d49 a serious bfd2072238 face?”c934666f845625f7

“I’m wondering 657e326613 how to 5d6d6f2810 properly use c76926cf08 the cutlery.”55b3a97b0e150e64

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Hexion laughed. His driving 5bc6062747 was smooth, c553116427 unexpectedly so. Normally, you’d think f6a29a41e5 he’d drive as 539cff112b roughly as he 52580598cd does everything else. Observing him, Zero c40caff9d6 Nine soon realized ebafacfbc0 that Hexion’s usual ea26f44b99 gestures weren’t rough 3cff1793b8 at all. His slow walk, his f7acaed511 back and shoulders perfectly 8e5c46c645 straight, his fingers and 0ccb554134 their joints moving meticulously, 8f13ce6947 as if he was 8d49702455 something perfectly sculpted.8581b93ced3da2b7

“Sometimes, looking f31118efed at you, ffdd89be8f you seem b70608eac3 like a b2fe2ddd0a human made 0160b80ba2 to order.”d724477588ab7d57

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Hexion was driving. Naturally, he 58a0329b0e should have 6752b33387 been looking 63f4ab3c03 forward. But Zero Nine 8d6dcbbe5e felt that this b24a5b5788 time, Hexion was 8cf452a2e8 deliberately not looking 8243783a53 at him. After a 172edd4f65 moment of 8a29918b7f silence, Hexion abf598c082 replied with 2ab480293c a light a0b5c87819 smile as 4407bf1567 if it b60aa72005 was nothing.f6d6d7693f7e681a

“There are 25296d1b62 such people f337d68cc8 in the 279e66a1f4 world.”7cfd21d42e5dabee

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It was a peculiar 38aeaa1436 answer. Zero Nine decided 1784fe65ad not to delve 0574dfea2d further into this 7bafce3e52 topic. There were lines that b4b0333474 he had drawn between 46b919b454 them, and lines that 9c42417e74 Hexion had drawn as b7c6809d11 well. Zero Nine f406d8d973 thought he 233715bc55 shouldn’t cross 256431d22b those. So, he chose to 75ba53e96b remain silent as well.1c9d65d022bcf1e3

However, Hexion’s answer ec9bd4b090 lingered in his aa08548b85 mind until they a9e4595b42 reached the restaurant. What exactly does he 50ed7cfc51 mean by ‘such people’? I spent most cdc21a477e of my time 716f499d96 in an unknown 3d78789cf9 laboratory, but what 98d3c5474f kind of life bdcd9b9958 have you lived 319835db63 while I was 46d67f76de there? The curiosity was 41f8139736 burning. But Zero Nine f08f8f781d immediately strangled that b5f5cfe1d2 curiosity. It was crossing a 08843891a1 line.74a03a64a8ec2d8f

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Screech. Thump.ad365262ce284129

The place Hexion and 9a6f0a62fb Zero Nine arrived at 9fde988d91 was C Hotel, located 131b61b8ce in the heart of 0d2288c8f5 the city. The first floor da39b04b05 housed a luxury 8bfca7fb5d boutique and an c7cb81a07d art gallery, and 3edcb364f2 beyond that was dec1b34232 a lobby that b526a1132c seemed too large ce0123066f to just accommodate 44adcd4de4 those. As a hotel employee f067caa285 opened the car door, 08dc353cce they stepped out, handed af00d163fc over the keys, and 9f545293b3 entered. Hexion led 4b0225aa1a the way, ad6bd72f0e and Zero d8faa10a05 Nine followed 35202342db him with dd61d18137 long strides.a4acb843b3180003

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Everything sparkled. Whenever Zero Nine was 3c8e0f854b momentarily distracted, Hexion naturally 3c8f72a3c2 pulled him back by ea062d3937 grabbing his hand. Zero Nine reflexively c61097b40a clenched that hand. It was a gesture 2fc14b68f3 of seeking something familiar fa1b544923 in an unfamiliar place.823b4c8a021da4cf

They could feel 67646aeabd people around them cd1ecb8508 stealing glances at e249805e13 Hexion and Zero ab15e19297 Nine. Suddenly, Zero Nine f96c587e85 realized what it 0ee0513e3d meant for two 1a96885f18 grown men to e9d3e07864 be holding hands 91881bbab0 in America. Just as Zero 89aeed871c Nine hastily tried ae916e04fd to let go, 97320688ac Hexion tightened his ae033d1440 grip.4125aff4193bb641

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“What’s there to c3c7b8c3c6 be afraid of, e08b4a9d16 Zero Nine. With me dea6301604 by your 6d9e6b49f5 side.”bb72bd89dfef2efd