Chapter 947 Hostage Coercion
"I'm really no match for Lin Wuming, even if you keep threatening me, I can't beat him if I can't beat him," Kihara Saiai said, growing impatient.
"Cut the crap, if you don't want your friends to suffer, then behave!" a middle-aged man beside her said impatiently.
Similar conversations had occurred countless times along the way.
"So..." Kihara Saiai sighed, "Amateurs are just amateurs, so ignorant. You non-Espers can't possibly understand the huge chasm between a Level 4 and a Level 5!"
"We don't need to understand, nor do we want to understand your strange and impure powers," another man walking ahead responded, "Shut your mouth, or don't blame me..."
"I really can't defeat Lin Wuming, can I?" Kihara Saiai pleaded weakly, "I might even be defeated in an instant—is that still okay? Won't that tip him off and cause a lot of trouble for your plan?"
"You don't need to worry about these things. Just listen obediently and follow the arrangements," the man said impatiently, revealing a fierce expression.
—How could she possibly obey him?
Kihara Saiai snorted inwardly—if her companions weren't being held hostage, how could she possibly be here, meekly at their mercy?
Kihara Saiai also felt a pang of regret—she should have listened to Mugino Shizuri's advice and completely distanced herself from the survivors of the 'Dark May' project.
—That way, she wouldn't be so easily manipulated and exploited as she was now.
"I say," Kihara Saiai continued to ask, "Why are you so determined to assassinate Lin Wuming?"
"You don't need to meddle!" was the enemy's impatient reply.
Kihara Saiai, however, suddenly seemed to turn into a chatterbox, desperately trying to engage the enemies around her in conversation.
"...Lin Wuming is a Level 5, Academy City's strongest Esper," Kihara Saiai said, "The best way to deal with a Level 5 is to deploy another Level 5—so, if you're willing to pay us, Item, with the help of Atomic Destroyer, who is also a Level 5, it shouldn't be difficult to defeat or even truly kill Lin Wuming."
The enemy was completely unmoved by her suggestion: "Shut up, little girl. Who doesn't know that all your Dark Side Organizations are Aleister's dogs?"
...Kihara Saiai fell silent, because, in a sense, what the other party said was indeed true!
That's why she had just tried so hard to instigate the enemy to find Mugino Shizuri; she actually wanted to "kill with a borrowed knife" and seize the opportunity to escape.
"It's not entirely like that; actually, Our Dark Side Organization values monetary compensation more than so-called loyalty," Kihara Saiai recalled Frenda's expression and also showed a look as if she had fallen into a money pit, "As long as you can afford it, even Mugino Shizuri wouldn't mind earning some extra money..."
"What you said makes a lot of sense," the man behind her said, "Ultimately, organizations like the Dark Side are made up of shady individuals; they prioritize profit over loyalty."
Kihara Saiai frowned slightly upon hearing this—self-deprecating was one thing, but hearing others criticize her like that still made her uncomfortable.
However...
Kihara Saiai heightened her vigilance—was it her imagination? She felt as if the man's words just now had a hidden meaning...
He didn't sound like he was deliberately badmouthing the Dark Side Organization; rather, he sounded more like he was stating a fact. It was as if he had truly seen a "Dark Side that valued profit over loyalty"...
"Has a Dark Side member betrayed us?" Kihara Saiai thought to herself, "It's not surprising, after all..."
She looked down at the handcuffs on her wrists—explosive handcuffs with built-in high explosives, special restraint devices only used against the most dangerous violent criminals, now shackled to her hands.
"These guys are so arrogant that if they didn't have cooperation from within Academy City, that would be truly unbelievable," Kihara Saiai thought silently, "After this incident, I will definitely not let them off the hook—I hope they can survive until then, at least give me a chance to get my revenge with my own hands!"
In fact, Kihara Saiai had "voluntarily" put on these explosive handcuffs, as well as the collar on her neck and the belt on her waist, which were all similar devices with built-in explosives.
Because the enemies threatened Kihara Saiai with her companions from the orphanage, forcing her to agree to their demands.
Even at this very moment, there were still enemy accomplices guarding the orphanage; if Kihara Saiai made the slightest unusual move, not only would the explosives on her be detonated, but her companions at the orphanage would also suffer harm.
Kihara Saiai had no choice but to accept the enemy's coercion—because she was "caught in one swoop" by the enemy when she was visiting everyone at the orphanage; so even if Kihara Saiai insisted that she had no connection with the orphanage and didn't care about their safety, she couldn't fool the enemy.
"I just didn't expect the enemy's target to be Xiao Lin Gege!" Kihara Saiai felt a bitter taste in her mouth amidst her helplessness.
Lin Wuming had almost no contact with the orphanage, seemingly having forgotten his former companions who shared the same plight, never once visiting them.
Normally, following this trend, even if an enemy wanted to deal with Lin Wuming, the "unrelated" orphanage would not be implicated.
Unfortunately, among the survivors of the 'Dark May' was Kihara Saiai!
Kihara Saiai had always been active in the orphanage as the "Big Sis" who took care of everyone.
On the other hand, for various reasons, Kihara Saiai and her Dark Side Organization, Item, maintained a certain connection with Lin Wuming.
Perhaps because Kihara Saiai had already left the ranks of the "weak" and possessed considerable strength, Lin Wuming did not deliberately keep his distance from her.
As a result, using Kihara Saiai as a bridge, the enemy ultimately carried out the plan that Lin Wuming and Kihara Saiai least wanted to see.
Using Lin Wuming's former companions as hostages to coerce and harm the strong Lin Wuming!
—Look at the great thing I've done! I feel like I'll have no face to see Xiao Lin Gege and everyone else in the future...
Amidst her dejection, the man walking at the very front suddenly turned around and said, "Get ready, we've received the latest intelligence; Lin Wuming is most likely not far ahead!"
"It's up to you, Miss Esper," the man behind her pushed Kihara Saiai hard, "You're familiar with Lin Wuming, aren't you? We don't need to teach you, do we? Get close, then kill him."
"Eh~~ Is that so...?" Kihara Saiai seemed a bit distracted, casually responding.
"Don't play tricks, little girl!" the man behind her warned, "Think about your friends; if you don't want them to die, then obey."
"Eh?" Kihara Saiai's tone rose a few notches, "Really?"
Kihara Saiai's eyes widened. Around the corner across the street, a figure quickly hid back behind the wall—Hamazura Shiage, an unofficial member of the Dark Side Organization, Item, their dedicated odd-job man.
What had caused Kihara Saiai's reaction just now was actually the message Hamazura Shiage had brought.
