At this moment, Kobayashi and the others were on Basement Level One. Unlike the deeper secret areas below, this level was nothing more than a layer of cover—essentially no different from an ordinary basement.
From here, returning to the surface no longer required squeezing into elevators with limited capacity. They could simply take the stairs.
Kobayashi kept the instructions firmly in mind: everyone had to move together. So if they didn't need to use the elevator, they wouldn't. The children lined up and charged up the stairwell in a long, unbroken stream, pushing forward in one breath.
That was precisely why the kids who came up first were waiting here for the others.
Victory was in sight. Freedom was just ahead. Both Gang Rin and Koru Jiho had been rescued. Good news piled on good news, and the children's emotions surged, barely contained—the atmosphere was on the verge of erupting.
Kobayashi lifted his wheelchair with telekinesis and rose into the air.
"Everyone, calm down and listen to me!" His voice wasn't loud, but using telekinesis as an improvised amplifier, it carried clearly to every ear.
"Stay calm. We're not truly out of danger yet," Kobayashi said. "Victory is right in front of us. Just a little more effort—when the time comes, we'll rush out in one go!"
At his call, the children finally settled down. They even took the initiative to clear space near the elevator entrance, allowing the final group coming up from below to join them.
"Do you remember what I told you?" Kobayashi asked again.
"We remember! Everyone moves together. After escaping, we run to crowded places and call for help—but we only trust adults in navy-blue uniforms," Toumi answered on behalf of the group.
"Very good." Kobayashi nodded in satisfaction. As expected of someone who had awakened as a Level 3—she really was more reliable than most kids her age. "There's one more thing. Rin urgently needs treatment. Once you're outside, take her to a doctor immediately. I'm counting on you for that, too."
As he spoke, Kobayashi handed her his phone. "Do you know how to use it?"
"Yes." Toumi nodded. "I've seen adults use one."
"I already called an ambulance earlier," Kobayashi said. "But if a doctor doesn't arrive, keep calling. There's only one number in the contacts—Yomikawa Aiho. She's someone you can trust. If you run into any trouble, go to her."
"Kobayashi, aren't you coming with us?" Toumi asked.
Kobayashi shook his head. "I still have other things to take care of. I'll come out a bit later. But don't be afraid—I'll be right behind you. If you run into danger, I'll definitely save you!"
"Just like a hero…" Toumi arrived with the last few children, looking at Kobayashi as he hovered in midair, calming everyone down. "Not bad at all."
She walked up, snatched Kobayashi's phone, and tapped on it quickly.
Then she handed it back. "My number's in there too. If anything dangerous or troublesome happens, call me. I'm acting together with Kobayashi—telling me is the same as telling him."
Kobayashi nodded. With only one phone between them, this was the safest arrangement.
After a brief delay, Kobayashi took the opportunity to count everyone again. Once he confirmed that no one was missing, he gave the order—and led the children charging toward freedom and a new life.
And so, the people working normally in the first-floor lobby of Black Moon Technology's headquarters suddenly witnessed a bizarre scene—
A girl dressed in a white protective gown, like a hospitalized patient, hurried into the lobby.
Seeing the constant flow of people inside, Kuro Jiho froze for a moment. She hadn't expected there to be so many people upstairs.
If they were all members of the "Dark May" Project…
But the thought only flickered through her mind for an instant.
"Don't be scared! I'm Level 3, and we've got Kobayashi and that high-level esper big sister with us. Even if they're all enemies, we can take them down!" After whispering this to steel her resolve, Kuro Jiho called out behind her, "Hurry up! The main doors are right ahead!"
Immediately after, a large group of similarly dressed children poured out behind her, charging straight toward the exit.
Contrary to expectations, the lobby staff didn't try to stop them at all. Instead, they warned each other and stepped back, not daring to block the children's path.
They were all official employees of Black Moon Technology Development Co., Ltd.—but only the legitimate, aboveground part of the company.
In truth, the company itself was nothing more than a shell created to cover up the Dark May Project. The surface facilities and the underground sections belonged to two completely different systems.
Only researchers at the section-chief level or higher, along with the armed security forces, knew the truth about the Dark May Project.
As for the rest of the employees, they were merely part of the cover. Completely in the dark, they were just ordinary hires who came here to clock in and do their jobs.
Even so, rumors about the "underground section" circulated among these peripheral workers.
There was no smoke without fire. Being so close to the secret, many of them had vaguely realized that some kind of illegal experiment was happening below—after all, such things weren't exactly rare in Academy City.
So when they suddenly saw a huge group of children running out of the building, they weren't all that surprised.
And they certainly weren't going to try to stop them. As ordinary salary workers, anything involving illegal experiments was something to avoid at all costs.
Even if the Anti-Skill forces investigated later, they would just be uninformed bystanders—not accomplices to a criminal operation.
Under the astonished gazes of the children, the final stretch of the escape went unbelievably smoothly. Without encountering a single obstacle, more than two hundred children poured out through the main doors, not one of them left behind.
The two guards stationed at the entrance initially tried to stop them, but they weren't from the same company as the armed guards in the underground training arena—just ordinary doormen.
Seeing so many children appear out of nowhere, they immediately sensed something was wrong. After a token shout or two, they stepped aside and cleared the way.
Once all the children had escaped from Black Moon Technology's headquarters and drawn the attention of passersby on the street outside, Kobayashi finally felt at ease.
He exchanged a glance with Torahachi Toumi. "We need to move fast. Anti-Skill will arrive soon."
What they were about to do next wouldn't be tolerated either. If the Anti-Skill teachers showed up, they would definitely intervene.
Torahachi Toumi glanced at the staff huddled in corners, desperately trying to make themselves inconspicuous. "Want to grab someone and ask?"
"No need," Kobayashi said immediately, shaking his head. He didn't even need to guess what kind of "asking" she had in mind.
"The server rooms on the top floor." Kobayashi pointed at the directory map on the lobby wall. "The aboveground part of this company is public. The map should be accurate."
(End of Chapter)
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