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Given the overall situation in Academy City, the appearance of the dark side was an inevitable outcome.
Just as Fang Li had predicted, if the organization "Scorpius" truly succeeded in uniting all the armed Level 0 gangs and controlling their territories across the city, it would be a result many powerful figures would never tolerate.
The Board of Directors feared the organization would one day challenge their own authority. Anti-Skill and Judgment worried that Scorpius would grow so powerful that it could operate with impunity across the city.
Even the clandestine institutions conducting secret, unsanctioned research were anxious that Scorpius's reach might grow too wide, increasing the risk that classified information would be exposed, forcing their hidden projects to halt.
After all, the old saying holds true: "a snake has its path, a rat has its tunnel." The armed, ability-less groups operating through every street and alley possessed information networks far sharper and more insidious than those of Anti-Skill or Judgment.
When it came to shady affairs, people who would stay guarded against official law enforcement were often far less wary around common gangsters and delinquents.
Thus, Scorpius's aggressive expansion had made it a painful thorn in the side of almost everyone in power.
But simply trying to pull it out was nearly impossible.
Not because Scorpius was inherently the strongest fighting force, but because it was too vast. If all those armed Level 0s revolted at once, no conventional suppression force could ever contain them.
Naturally, everyone's attention turned to the head of the snake: Scorpius's leader, Fang Li.
The deployment of the dark side to deal with him was only a matter of time.
That was why, calculating the timing perfectly, Fang Li began wandering the streets and alleys each night, deliberately drawing them out.
ITEM had simply been the first to take the bait.
After them, other shadowy organizations and black-ops units began targeting Fang Li, attempting to crush him and, through him, dismantle Scorpius.
Unfortunately for the opposition, none of them posed the slightest threat.
Thanks to his Enemy Detection Skill, no ambush, surprise attack, or stealth assault could ever succeed. With Trap Detection and Disarm Trap, no matter what mechanisms or snares were laid, Fang Li saw through and neutralized them effortlessly.
In other words, across the entirety of Academy City, no one could truly touch Fang Li.
The dark side.
The private paramilitary forces are fostered by the Board of Directors.
Even Anti-Skill and Judgment, all of them failed to halt his advance.
Scorpius continued its inexorable expansion, seizing territory after territory from the armed Level 0 gangs and bringing them under its increasingly vast rule.
Gradually, as the controlled areas grew and order took hold, Scorpius became a truly massive organization.
Its rapid, seamless efficiency could be traced back to Fang Li's meticulous preparation, he had already drafted contingency plans for every conceivable scenario, down to the smallest detail.
For example:
Territory integration and transition.
Recruitment and assimilation of personnel.
Resource recovery and redistribution.
Operation schedules and coordination.
Fang Li had planned every step in advance, allowing Scorpius to expand rapidly while maintaining complete stability, strengthening itself without the need for vulnerable transition periods.
Moreover, he had earlier instituted a shift-based structure, dividing Scorpius members into two groups: one operating by day, the other by night. This meant Scorpius functioned around the clock, twenty-four hours a day.
Against such relentless, round-the-clock pressure, what armed Level 0 gang could possibly endure?
One after another, they were crushed through continuous offensives, and then seamlessly absorbed.
And to foster genuine loyalty among these new recruits, Fang Li even implemented a reward system, merit-based bonuses for anyone who followed Scorpius's strict code of conduct, ensuring that every member had both incentive and a sense of belonging.
For a group of armed, ability-less youths who had been misled and gone astray due to unfair treatment, Scorpius was the perfect structure; it naturally made most of them genuinely want to stay.
As for the source of funding, that was no longer a concern.
In the past, these gangs relied on petty crime like bullying, robbery, extortion, selling scrap items, or hitting ATMs, all sorts of shady, low-level operations.
But after Fang Li established Scorpius, he pivoted the organization. Claiming the old ways were "too low-class," he had them begin manufacturing firearms, specialized instruments, and medical supplies for self-sufficiency.
This shift was possible because some of his subordinates had previously infiltrated research labs and stolen schematics and materials, for example, the blueprints for pistols, blast warheads, and the flame instruments used against Stiyl, all obtained through various underground channels.
Once the capability existed, Fang Li instructed them to reverse-engineer the production methods and begin making and selling the items themselves.
As a result, Scorpius secured several stable sales channels, ensuring a robust and self-sufficient flow of funds.
There was absolutely no need to worry about finances.
Thanks to this complete internal system and self-sufficient capability, Scorpius quickly subdued every armed, ability-less gang in Academy City.
By the end of summer vacation, Scorpius's operations began to slow.
Nearly all the armed, ability-less gangs had been crushed and absorbed, only a few dying remnants remained in the city's margins.
It wouldn't be long before Fang Li's grand objective was fully achieved.
Given this reality, even top organizations like the Board of Directors seemed to abandon their attempts to intervene, leaving only a few groups still unwillingly resisting Scorpius's authority.
One of these holdouts was a research facility dedicated to the "Absolute Ability Evolution Project."
There was no avoiding it.
The unprecedented concept of reaching Level 6 was far too enticing for researchers; they wouldn't give up on such a dream without a compelling reason.
Under these circumstances, Misaka Mikoto couldn't sit still any longer and decided to pay a visit to Fang Li's room.
"......"
"......"
Inside, Misaka Mikoto and Index stared each other down, then after a moment, they simultaneously turned their heads to look at Fang Li.
"Hmm?"
Fang Li, who had been operating his computer, noticed their gazes, raised his head, and looked at them with mild uncertainty.
"What happened?"
His confused tone immediately set off the two girls.
"What do you mean? What happened?!" Misaka Mikoto demanded, pointing a rigid finger directly at him. "Why do you have a girl hiding in your room?! Are you Kuroko?!"
...It seemed Misaka Mikoto had intended to say "Pervert," but instead used Kuroko as a substitute for the word. Judging by this, Kuroko's status in her mind was... significant.
Index had a simpler, more immediate complaint.
"Who is this short-haired girl?!" she demanded, clearly upset. "Why is she here with Fang Li? And why does Fang Li even know her?!"
The two then glared fiercely at each other, their eyes colliding like sparks ready to ignite a fight.
Fang Li, on the other hand, was utterly speechless.
Were these two meeting for the first time?
A first meeting with this unfriendly meant there was definitely trouble brewing.
(End Of This Chapter)