MTLNOVEL Chapter 370: Chapter 366: Defeat
"Maidono Hoshimi, the child you sent to kill me. Don't tell me you don't understand what I mean, Board Member Neoka?"
Li Mo looked at the calm middle-aged man before him, reading his attitude from his silence.
He said, "Are you unwilling to face it? Let me be blunt. Maidono Hoshimi was forced into the dark side by you, wasn't she? I can even imagine your attitude."
"You really did treat that child as a tool."
Li Mo made his judgment and asked, "Do you need to defend yourself, Board Member Neoka?"
Neoka Norito spoke up, "Indeed, it's the truth. How can I defend myself? You've only interacted with Maidono Hoshimi for an hour or two, yet you've managed to dig up so much information. Board Member Li, everyone has underestimated you."
He no longer addressed Li Mo by his full name in a disrespectful manner.
It was difficult to understand an assassin's background and break through their defenses in such a short time.
"Board Member Neoka, you're still mistaken," Li Mo said, crossing his legs and holding a can of cola. "Maidono Hoshimi is a child. She doesn't have the iron will of an adult. Moreover, is it really that hard to observe? The child can only use two fingers when activating her ability, yet she fights at a Level 5 esper's level despite being a Level 4. Putting these two points together, the conclusion is obvious."
He tossed the empty can into the trash bin with perfect accuracy and continued, "It was an experiment that left her in this state, right? A quick search in the Library would confirm this, but even without checking, it's easy to guess. Academy City never lacks experiments."
Academy City's technology was decades ahead of the outside world. How was this advantage maintained? Scientists and ample research funding were essential. Especially with the existence of the Kihara family, mediocre researchers couldn't even get a foothold.
"It was me."
"Then, Board Member Neoka, do you think that child belongs in the dark side, licking her wounds? Do you think she can still return to a normal life?"
"She can't go back," Neoka Norito said. "The last time she acted, the casualties were significant. She's probably grown to like that feeling, hasn't she?"
His voice seemed to tremble, as if he was beginning to regret his past decisions.
It was as if he had unleashed a demon.
"Do you think the mistake was exposing her to the darkness, leading her down a path of no return? Board Member Neoka, are you unwilling to face reality? Or are you even deceiving yourself?"
"Please, go on."
"Maidono Hoshimi wants to return to a normal life more than anyone. But because she can't even hold chopsticks properly with her hands, she's stuck in the darkness."
Li Mo extended his hands, showing two fingers. "Why can her brain only control two fingers? That's your doing, Board Member Neoka. You keep saying the dark side is a place for people to lick their wounds before returning to normal life. Isn't Maidono Hoshimi one of them? Yet you've stripped her of the chance to return to a normal life."
Neoka Norito fell silent. Undoubtedly, he had taken Li Mo's words to heart.
Academy City was a place of light and shadow. In the past, Neoka Norito, as a member of the rescue team, had been on the side of "good." But after entering the darkness, as time passed, what had he become?
Assimilated.
He spoke of grand ideals, yet his actions were the very things he once despised.
What a contradiction.
"I…" Neoka Norito opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he only let out a sigh of defeat, slumping back on the sofa, lifeless.
He couldn't refute, whether in words or in force.
Li Mo said, "I wish I had the power to forcibly remove the hands of those who plug their ears and refuse to listen."
Studying was to learn how to speak humanely. Exercising was to make others speak humanely.
After a brief period of silence, Li Mo sensed the arrival of the Security Officers. By his calculations, Musujime Awaki and the others must have informed them.
—The fact that Neoka Norito had sent Maidono Hoshimi was undeniable. Even though Li Mo was unharmed, the act of the attack itself was a crime, enough to summon the Security Officers.
The dark side was, after all, an unspoken rule. When political pressure was removed, the Security Officers' actions would be swift.
"Do you have anything else to say? To Maidono Hoshimi? The Security Officers are coming soon, and I doubt you'll be held in the same place as her."
"If you get the chance, tell her I'm sorry," Neoka Norito said. "But, Li Mo, what do you plan to do? Imposing restrictions on the dark side will provoke a backlash. Even if the other board members don't directly oppose you, they won't let you establish order so easily."
"My fists are bigger than theirs," Li Mo said.
"What if they cause indiscriminate destruction?"
"I've made arrangements. I have the strongest dark side forces at my disposal, along with the Security Officers and Judgment. I believe sensible people won't act recklessly," Li Mo replied. "Of course, I know the world isn't short of fools. I've also enlisted the help of the #6."
"Are you sure it's the #6?" Neoka Norito asked skeptically.
He knew how mysterious the #6 was. Even board members had no information about him, as if someone had systematically erased all records of his existence.
"Yes, it's him."
"Perhaps I should believe you. Then, what's your goal in all this? To be a good person?"
"Bullshit, I'm not a good person. I'm just a petty man. If it weren't for the Anti-Skill team attacking my home, I'd still be living the high life in the Diamond district."
Neoka Norito chuckled. If someone like this was setting the rules for the dark side, perhaps it would be better than the current state.
Had he, perhaps, chosen to confront Li Mo head-on for his own gain?
Unconsciously, Neoka Norito realized that most of his interests were tied to the dark side.
"Board Member Neoka, please come with us."
The door to the room was opened, and Tsuchimikado Maika, fully armed, burst in.
Neoka Norito allowed the Security Officers to restrain him. His spirit had already been crushed by Li Mo's methods.
Before leaving, he said, "Be careful of Yakumi Hisako."
The Security Officers escorted Neoka Norito out of the room. Tsuchimikado Maika glanced at the unconscious Kakine Teitoku on the sofa and asked, "We didn't know the #2 was here before we arrived."
"You can't contain him. His current condition is… unique," Li Mo explained.
Kakine Teitoku had used his ability to reconstruct his body, allowing him to move freely. Ordinary methods wouldn't work on him. Li Mo had only managed to knock him out using magic.
"I understand. Board Member Li, I'm curious why you don't admit to being a good person."
"Being a good person is too exhausting. Being a bad guy suits me better."
"Is that so? I look forward to your reforms of the dark side."
"Miss Tsuchimikado, is this how you usually speak to a board member?"
Tsuchimikado Maika replied, "I came as soon as I received the notification."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Then, Security Officer Tsuchimikado Maika will take her leave."
In the end, she's not much different from that brat Accelerator. A more mature version of him, perhaps?
Before leaving, Tsuchimikado Maika muttered.
As for Li Mo, he paused for a moment, grabbed another can of cola from the same spot, and looked at the unconscious Kakine Teitoku on the sofa, deep in thought.