Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!
Chapter 1750 - 1748: A Lesson
Of course, Shihou Souki couldn’t give up on revenge because of Fang Zheng’s threat. Although Misaka Mikoto wasn’t as malicious as Shihou Souki when conveying the message, and specifically reminded that her electromagnetic ability was also ineffective against that man, what Misaka Mikoto didn’t expect was that Shihou Souki became even more interested in Fang Zheng instead of backing off.
The third-ranked Railgun and the fifth-ranked Psychological Control of Academy City are both ineffective against that man? Now that’s interesting! Who exactly is he?!
Misaka Mikoto couldn’t answer this question either. In fact, she had the same doubts as Shihou Souki. However, unlike Shihou Souki, Misaka Mikoto had previously hacked into the library to verify Fang Zheng’s identity through the internet. It was only natural that she didn’t find any clues, so she even considered hacking directly into the network of the Quantum Neural Research Institute.
As a result, Misaka Mikoto was surprised to discover that she couldn’t hack in!
This was also to be expected, as her opponent wasn’t Fang Zheng but the Little Angel with information control skills maxed out. If you were to face Little Angel with Railgun directly, she might lose, but when it comes to network information... well, it’s like being utterly defeated by Little Angel.
As for Shihou Souki, she certainly didn’t have the hacking skills of Misaka Mikoto, but... well, she had her own methods.
"Nice to meet you, I’m Junko Hanakaze from Tokiwadai, pleased to make your acquaintance."
Looking at the purple-haired girl with curls in front of him and the girls behind her, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but feel a headache.
How could he forget, unlike that loner Misaka Mikoto, Shihou Souki was a Queen... speaking of which, Fang Zheng had only watched one season of the Railgun anime, and he only remembered the scene where Shihou Souki confronted Misaka Mikoto. In that scene, Shihou Souki manipulated the girls in the library to threaten Misaka Mikoto. That was Fang Zheng’s only impression of Shihou Souki at the time.
Since the anime barely touched on the affairs of Shihou Souki’s faction, Fang Zheng had forgotten.
Shihou Souki wasn’t fighting alone...
Looking at the ten or so girls in Tokiwadai uniforms in front of him, Fang Zheng felt somewhat of a headache.
"Um... is there something you need here?"
"Yes, we heard that both Misaka and Shihou had come here for guidance, so we wanted to see what was special about this institute. We heard that you even gave lessons to Misaka? We were wondering if we might have the honor of observing as well?"
Whoa...
Gazing into their clear eyes, Fang Zheng sighed inwardly.
Dark, the tactical minds are all damned dark. From the expressions of these girls, Fang Zheng could tell they genuinely thought so, not deliberately trying to set him up. So Fang Zheng quickly guessed what was going on. Shihou Souki must have "accidentally" said something in private, which caught the attention of these faction girls. Considering that both Shihou Souki and Misaka Mikoto were Tokiwadai’s only two LV5s and both were very popular, these girls, like star chasers, definitely wanted to get closer to the stars they admired.
Not to mention that these two incompatible people surprisingly went to the same research institute, which would certainly pique the interest of these girls, making them want to see what was special about this place.
And as the Young Ladies of Tokiwadai, they wouldn’t resort to sneaky tricks but would follow the rules, directly submitting an application to Fang Zheng for a visit...
MMP, you schemed against me, Shihou Souki!
Looking at the application form before him, Fang Zheng was speechless. Shihou Souki had adhered to Fang Zheng’s warning to the letter; she didn’t appear before Fang Zheng nor manipulate these girls, only "accidentally" disclosed some information, and the following actions of these girls were all voluntary. If Shihou Souki organized a tea party afterward and inquired about some details at the gathering, well, it’s just girl talk...
I knew it, those who manipulate the Psychic Realm are usually as cunning as a thief and as nimble as a monkey, perhaps Shihou Souki is like a mouse, squeezing through gaps at every opportunity?
Anyway...
Looking at the application form, Fang Zheng sneered inwardly.
You have strategies like Zhang Liang, I have ladders to scale walls; the outcome is yet undecided.
Thinking of this, Fang Zheng smiled as he looked at the girl in front of him.
"Of course, it’s not a problem. In fact, I’m only teaching them some knowledge about how to correctly view the world..."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng extended his hand.
"If you don’t mind the lesson being too dull, you’re welcome to listen in as well."
This is just the beginning, little miss.
A day’s time is neither too fast nor too slow. By the time Shihou Souki held a tea party in the backyard of Academy House, it was already dusk.
"I heard that you all went out today, Junko?"
Setting down her teacup, Shihou Souki smiled playfully at the girl beside her.
"Where did you go?"
"Reporting to the Queen, we went to that research institute you mentioned earlier..."
"Oh?"
Hearing Junko’s answer, Shihou Souki showed a surprised expression.
"What did you go there for?"
"Apologies, my Lord Shihou, we were just really curious about the research institute you mentioned, and since both you and Lord Misaka went there, we thought there must be something intriguing about it. So out of curiosity, we wanted to take a look..."
At this, another girl quickly spoke up, and Shihou Souki shook her head.
```
"I am not blaming you, so did you gain anything?"
".........."
To Shihou Souki’s surprise, when confronted with her inquiry, the girls next to her blushed and lowered their heads.
"That Mr. Fang Zheng is quite amusing when he speaks..."
"And he’s very gentlemanly and polite, a man full of charm..."
"What he talked about was also very interesting..."
"........???"
Seeing the girls beside her with their hands clasped, their cheeks slightly red, and their eyes coy, Shihou Souki froze for a moment, and then it dawned on her!
How could she forget this!
Though the young ladies of Tokiwadai are all ability users above LV3, with good family backgrounds and high intelligence, they are ultimately still young girls in their bloom! Although she was previously too distracted by the blow of having her first kiss stolen to notice, thinking carefully, that man indeed looks even more handsome than idol stars. The young ladies of Tokiwadai are mostly flowers in a sheltered environment, where have they seen such a man... This was basically sending lambs queued up to the mouth of a big bad wolf!
How could she forget this!
This is truly terrible!
At this thought, Shihou Souki’s eye twitched, then she reached out to her handbag, gently pressing down.
Though she felt sorry for them, she needed to forget about that man.
However, an unexpected scene unfolded before Shihou Souki.
Ordinarily, once she used her ability, these girls would stop immediately and lose the memory of today’s event. But surprisingly, she had pressed the button, yet the girls continued recounting their experiences without any sign of influence!
How is this possible?!
At that moment, a sense of fear quietly emerged from the depths of Shihou Souki’s soul, causing her right hand to tremble slightly. It was a fear of the unknown; Misaka Mikoto’s resistance to her ability was due to an electromagnetic barrier, and as for that man, although it was unclear why he could resist, it was certain that it was due to some ability.
If it was just this extent, Shihou Souki could still accept it.
But if that person could make others immune to her psychological control, that was another matter entirely!
How is this possible? Could that man be a stronger psychic user than herself?
At this thought, Shihou Souki could no longer remain calm. As a psychic user, she knew better than anyone the terrors of spiritual powers. What did that man do to her? Was he controlling her mind? Was what she was thinking really her own thoughts? Or was she unknowingly being controlled by him? What would he do to her?
"Queen?"
While Shihou Souki was overthinking, Junko’s voice suddenly sounded in her ear, making her quickly look up, finding others watching her with concern.
"You don’t look well... Is everything alright?"
"Sorry, I’m suddenly feeling unwell..."
Trying to smile, Shihou Souki stood up, looking at the girls beside her.
"I think I’ll go back and rest first."
"Do you need us to escort you, Queen?"
"No need."
Shihou Souki shook her head and then turned to leave the tea party, while the girls exchanged glances behind her.
Wondering if this would make that girl come to her senses.
Fang Zheng withdrew his gaze from the window and smiled slightly. Manipulating the mind itself isn’t inherently wrong; the Main World also has Magic affecting minds and controlling memories, but Mages from the Enchantment School generally won’t use such Spells unless necessary. Yet Shihou Souki acts like it’s as routine as eating and drinking, and Fang Zheng thought she deserved a bit of a lesson.
In some ways, Misaka Mikoto and Shihou Souki are very similar, both possess strong abilities and enjoy recklessly using their powers. From this point, Misaka Mikoto’s trouble-making far surpasses Shihou Souki. In the animation, several times Misaka Mikoto caused circuit breakdowns, not only causing neighborhood blackouts but also damaging the appliances of innocent bystanders.
In the animation it looks humorous, but in reality, if a phone bought with a year’s hard work was fried by a stranger girl, it’s hard not to retaliate.
If a sudden blackout happens during a gaming session, the frustration could be sky-high with murderous thoughts.
This isn’t a worse-case scenario; Misaka Mikoto could accidentally destroy hospital equipment during an outburst, causing patient fatalities. That wouldn’t be a laughing matter.
Reality isn’t like animation, only delivering laughs.
Fang Zheng also pointed out the problem to Misaka Mikoto, and she was somewhat obedient on this matter. After listening to Fang Zheng’s analysis, she realized her control over her ability seemed problematic, earnestly promising not to use it unnecessarily in the future, and not affecting the surroundings... well, she at least claimed it seriously.
As for whether she’d keep that promise, we’ll wait and see.