“Is this a threat?” Lin Wuming looked at him with cold eyes.
From Chairman Aleister’s words, if he didn’t reveal a secret, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave.
Thinking about it carefully, this really wasn’t an empty threat. If Kihara Tamski, the guide, didn’t come, he really couldn’t leave this room.
He never expected that Aleister would suddenly pull such a ladder-removing trick…
“Lin Wuming, although your Nen can be called all-encompassing, it shouldn’t have ventured into the ‘space’ domain yet, right?” Chairman Aleister said, “And this room, only a Spatial Ability User can enter and exit.”
After a slight pause, he continued, “Or, you could consider breaking through the wall and forcing your way out… However, under normal circumstances, can your Mind Power Acceleration Cannon cause enough destructive power?”
—Under normal circumstances? What, hasn’t this guy already known… what my trump card truly is?
Lin Wuming suddenly understood.
This was Chairman Aleister’s hint, wasn't it? The secret he wanted to confirm was…
Making a decision in his heart, Lin Wuming no longer hesitated. He pulled a derringer from his pocket and said, “Alright, as you said, let’s confirm your conjecture.”
It was both to “confess a secret” and to actually try whether he could break the wall here.
Lin Wuming raised the dellinger and pulled the trigger at his temple.
“Bullet Time”; Mind Power Acceleration Cannon, enhanced version!
The steel ball, accelerated violently, blasted towards the wall behind him, stirring up a gale out of nowhere in this rather spacious room.
At the same time, it was unclear what machine in the room began to operate. After Lin Wuming’s Mind Power Acceleration Cannon was fired, the dust quickly settled, and the turbulent airflow returned to calm.
Only a deep crater on the wall silently recounted the terrifying attack it had just endured.
But even this deep crater was rapidly recovering—the damaged part of the wall was like a tree oozing resin when injured, continuously exuding a viscous fluid to self-repair.
The result showed that Lin Wuming’s attack had not been effective.
“The power isn’t as expected,” Lin Wuming mumbled.
He wasn’t defending himself; Lin Wuming genuinely felt that the Mind Power Acceleration Cannon just now was still very far from his “full power.”
At this moment, Chairman Aleister spoke again, “I established Academy City, and until now, there has never been a time manipulator, only abilities of the ‘acceleration’ nature—either accelerating brain thought speed or accelerating body movement speed; Lin Wuming, in your case, it should be the former, right? Coupled with the ‘omnipotent’ Nen, it truly is a perfect match.”
“Alright, now it’s fair,” Lin Wuming spread his hands, “You saw it just now—my trump card, ‘Bullet Time’.”
“Yes, I saw it,” Chairman Aleister said, “In previous battles, you have committed suicide with a gun more than once. It seems that was a necessary measure to activate this ability, right? I see, you utilized the ‘near-death experience’ mechanism, which is quite reasonable.”
“However,” Chairman Aleister changed the subject, “there’s also a clear flaw—as your overall strength continues to improve, this weakly powerful derringer will find it difficult to pose a real threat to you, won’t it?”
Lin Wuming looked down at the derringer in his hand. Indeed, as Aleister said, with his current reaction speed and Nen, even without “Bullet Time,” the bullets from this small dellinger would be hard-pressed to cause him fatal harm.
Therefore, the time he entered the “Bullet Time” state just now was also very limited, not even enough time to fully accelerate the steel ball.
—Perhaps it’s time to switch to a more powerful gun.
Lin Wuming silently pondered in his heart.
At the same time, he didn’t forget to respond to Chairman Aleister, “Thank you for the guidance. It seems you’ve long known my trump card like the back of your hand.”
“It’s been over two years,” Chairman Aleister said, “counting from the day you began to rise. After such a long time, Lin Wuming, you shouldn’t be so naive as to think I truly know nothing, right?”
“Of course not,” Lin Wuming shook his head, “I also know about things like ‘Stagnant Air Circuit’.”
“Hahaha, you and Shokuhou are indeed careful and cautious enough, which is commendable,” Chairman Aleister said proudly, “But two years of observation time is long enough. With patience, it’s not difficult to spot flaws. I am indeed not omniscient and omnipotent, but with a clear goal in mind, focusing on observing a few specific targets is not difficult to do.”
“The charm of scientific thinking lies in the fact that as long as you grasp the information of the ‘present,’ you can reasonably deduce the ‘past’ and predict the ‘future’,” Chairman Aleister said, “So, Lin Wuming, you have no secrets from me—even though you and Shokuhou Misaki have done well enough.”
“Don’t make peeping sound so grand, Chairman,” Lin Wuming looked over helplessly.
Chairman Aleister didn’t mind and continued, “Candor is the foundation of cooperation. Now that we know each other’s trump cards and plans, we can begin deeper cooperation.”
Lin Wuming rubbed his temples and sighed, “Alright, tell me what you want me to do?”
“Don’t be nervous, it’s nothing special. Just continue what you are doing now,” Chairman Aleister said with a smile, “Protect Academy City, prevent Our City from being destroyed… that’s all.”
“Easier said than done,” Lin Wuming snorted, “So, the upcoming magic invaders will also be left for me to deal with, huh?”
“Not necessarily. You are now considered one of the high-ranking members of the Board of Directors, so it’s impossible for you to always personally step in,” Chairman Aleister explained, “It can be understood as a kind of bottom-line insurance mechanism. Our City has numerous defense mechanisms, and general incidents will be handled by these mechanisms. Only when a very troublesome situation arises…”
“Will I step in to resolve it?”
“Yes,” Chairman Aleister said, “You are Our City’s ‘hero.’ When an incident comes to the forefront and becomes unmanageable, that’s when you will show your prowess.”
According to Chairman Aleister, it was indeed no different from what Lin Wuming had done in the past.
However, Aleister knew that as his plan progressed, the upcoming incidents would no longer be limited to Academy City—within the “Science Side.”
Friction and conflicts with the Magic Side would become increasingly frequent. Therefore, a new contract with Lin Wuming had to be signed.
Aleister intended to go with the flow and push Lin Wuming, who had already shown his brilliance and attracted attention from all sides, out as a target to draw attention, thereby covering his “Artificial Heaven” plan.
