As soon as they stepped inside, Raiden and Kaina were met with an unexpected sight—nothing but a vast, industrial space crisscrossed with thick tubes running along the ceiling and floor.
The air was heavy with a faint, metallic scent, and a low mechanical hum echoed through the chamber.
"This isn't what I expected," Raiden signed, his eyes scanning the environment.
"This is the right place," Kaina assured him, with a quiet voice.
"Those tubes are for redirecting toxic gases. That's how they've stayed under the radar for so long. This whole installation is designed to keep their operation hidden." She glanced around before adding, "We only found out about the dealer because some kid's mom caught him with drugs and forced him to talk. Don't ask how she made him spill."
Raiden swallowed hard, a shiver running down his spine. Just imagining his own mother finding out something like that made his stomach twist. "That sounds… intense."
They pressed forward, moving cautiously to avoid detection. Whenever they encountered someone, they took them down quickly and stashed them out of view, making sure the security cameras wouldn't pick up on anything unusual.
After several tense minutes of searching, they found a staircase leading downward. As they descended, the temperature dropped slightly, and a sterile chemical smell grew stronger.
When they reached the next floor, they came to an enormous underground chamber. The sight before them made Kaina pause.
Rows upon rows of massive tanks filled with an eerie, luminescent liquid stretched across the vast room.
White-clad workers, both men and women, moved between the tanks, monitoring gauges and adjusting equipment. All of them wore masks, their faces obscured. The entire setup looked like something out of a high-end research facility—except they knew exactly what was being manufactured here.
Jackpot. Kaina thought to herself.
She quickly surveyed the area, noting possible exits and blind spots. Spotting a storage locker near the staircase, she nudged Raiden and gestured toward it. They slipped inside, rifling through the shelves until they found two white coveralls. Without hesitation, Kaina started pulling hers on over her clothes.
Raiden, needing to blend in, reverted back to his human form before doing the same. The material was stiff and smelled faintly of chemicals, but at least it would help them move unnoticed.
They stepped back out and merged into the sea of workers. As they walked, Kaina's voice echoed in Raiden's mind. What's the max range of your telepathy?
Raiden hesitated, considering for a moment. "About fifty meters, I think," he responded mentally. "But past forty, the connection gets weak—like listening to someone underwater."
Lady Nagant gave a small nod. "Good. Stay within thirty-five meters of me, max. Let's split up and gather intel. Anything helps—names, faces, anything. Just be ready to fight. This disguise won't last forever, and when things go south, trust me—everyone here will fight back, but you can handle it."
With that, she walked off, seamlessly blending into the workforce.
Raiden took a deep breath and did the same, weaving through the rows of tanks. The problem was, he had no idea what he was looking at. He didn't know a thing about drug production, and standing around pretending to work would only make him stand out.
Then he noticed a small group of men hauling empty barrels toward another room. Seizing the opportunity, he fell in step behind them, mimicking their movements. The workers stacked the barrels against the wall, chatting idly as they worked.
Raiden listened closely. Their conversation was about a girl one of them had just started seeing—completely irrelevant. Deciding he needed to steer the topic in a useful direction, he casually joined in.
"You're lucky," Raiden said, grunting as he lifted a barrel onto the stack. "At least your date went well."
One of the men turned to him, eyes narrowing slightly. "Huh? Who are you?"
"Oh, yeah—I'm from another section. They sent me over today," Raiden said smoothly. "Honestly, not a great day. After work two days ago, I had a date too, but it was in the Commercial District. You can imagine how that went." He let out an exasperated sigh.
The worker's suspicion faded, replaced by curiosity. "No way—you were there? You saw the fight?"
Raiden nodded, adjusting his grip on another barrel. "Yeah, they beat the crap out of Fat Gum."
The third worker whistled, shaking his head. "No way. That guy's supposed to be tough."
"He is," Raiden said, carefully choosing his words. "But the guy who attacked him? A monster."
He watched their reactions closely. The fight had been public enough that anyone could have heard about it, but details were scarce. If these guys knew something more, it would mean they had inside connections.
One of the men scratched his chin. "Yeah, I saw a couple of videos online. That four-armed dude, right? Everyone's talking about it. Like some of the other 'big two' are making a move."
Raiden's pulse quickened. This was something. "The 'big two'?" he repeated, feigning ignorance.
The worker glanced around before lowering his voice. "Yeah. It's been an open secret for a while—The Accumulator and All Might fought. After that, The Accumulator disappeared. Some say he's dead."
Raiden furrowed his brow. "And now one of the two is making a move?"
"Exactly. Think about it—who else would have the guts to take on a hero in broad daylight and just walk away like it was a Saturday night?"
"So, one of the two is making a move after the fight. Makes sense," Raiden muttered as he kept pace with the others, keeping his tone casual.
"Yeah, man. As I said no one else had the guts" one of the workers said with a chuckle.
"And which one do you think it is?" Raiden asked, grabbing another barrel alongside them, making sure to blend in.
"Mm... tough call," one of the men said, scratching his chin.
"Not really," the other countered. "The Evolver isn't interested in expanding his territory. He likes staying under the radar, and keeping things quiet. So if I had to bet, I'd say it's the Sandman."
Sandman? Like the old story? The tale? Raiden had never heard that name before.
And more importantly, why had no one at school ever mentioned him? Even after the battle with All Might, this wasn't common knowledge. That fact alone sent a chill down his spine, why the knowledge about such an important thing was hidden?
"And what do you know about them?" Raiden pressed, keeping his voice neutral as he stacked another barrel. His mind raced with questions. Why are they fighting? What's their endgame?
Before the man could answer, a sharp voice cut through the noise.
"Hey! You three, stop messing around! Keep the line moving!" barked a man in a yellow coverall, his mask muffling his voice.
The three immediately got back to work. As Raiden continued, he took the opportunity to survey the operation more closely. The scale of it was staggering. The finished product was minuscule compared to the sheer amount of raw materials being processed. And in the far corner, he spotted a massive stash—at least fifty kilograms of the substance, stacked neatly as if waiting for distribution.
"Now that I think about it," one of the workers suddenly said, eyeing Raiden. "You're pretty young... younger than I was when I got into this business."
Raiden shrugged, keeping his cover. "Well, I need money. My family... they need it," he replied vaguely, lowering his gaze just enough to sell the story.
"Ahh, I get it," the man said with a knowing nod. "Same as most of us. No one really starts in this business just for the hell of it."
Now that Raiden got a better look at him, the guy had to be in his mid-to-late thirties, maybe even early forties. It was hard to tell under the dim lighting and the shadows cast by his mask.
Raiden kept working, maintaining a low profile, carefully asking small questions to gather information without drawing suspicion. Every so often, he checked in with Kaina through their mental link.
Both of them reached the same frustrating conclusion—everyone here believed the attack was orchestrated by one of the two biggest figures in the underworld, but no one knew for sure. Worse still, no one had any idea how to contact them.
If anyone had that kind of intel, it would be someone much higher up the chain. And even then, it was just a maybe.
Realizing they needed to shift their approach, Raiden and Kaina started probing for the people in charge, carefully feeling out the hierarchy. But as Kaina worked the crowd, she noticed something off. More and more eyes were lingering on her, the glances growing sharper and more frequent.
Damn it... looks like we pushed too far, she thought, tensing slightly. The air had changed. They were being watched.
"Raiden, the fight's about to start. They're moving. I'm cranking the extractors to full power just in case. We need to pull back to a safe point—somewhere we won't risk breaking anything that could poison us."
Kaina's mental message came through sharp and clear. She moved swiftly toward the electrical control panel on the wall while Raiden stepped away from the chemicals, keeping his movements controlled.
As he did, he caught something from the corner of his eye—several people watching him. Most were dressed in yellow coveralls, their postures tense, like they knew something was about to go down.
When Raiden turned to look at them directly, they didn't react at first.
Then, one by one, they began setting their things aside. Even the regular workers stopped what they were doing, sealing containers and quietly moving the chemicals to an adjacent room.
"Kaina… they're clearing everything out. Hurry up," Raiden sent, his eyes tracking the slow but deliberate evacuation of the workspace.
Still, he didn't move. And neither did they. It was like an unspoken agreement—no sudden moves, for everyone's safety.
The tension broke when Kaina finished her task. Before she could step away, a man in a yellow suit spoke up, his voice loud and firm.
"Miss, you're a hero, right? And the kid—he's something like your apprentice? Well, even if you're not… neither of you belong here. So, you can't leave."
Kaina didn't say a word.
She activated her Quirk.
In a flash, three gunshots rang out. The man and two others barely had time to react before they staggered backward, clutching their stomachs. They tried to speak but only choked sounds escaped as they collapsed.
Raiden froze for a moment. The entire room did.
Then, everything snapped into motion.
"Be careful! It's Lady Nagant—she's ranked twelve!" one of the villains shouted.
A rush of bodies charged toward them.
Raiden turned to face the incoming enemies, his body shifting instantly. His transformation shredded through his coverall—his tail tore free first, then his legs, and finally, his horns punched through what remained of his hood. The white fabric hung in tatters over his gray fur, barely clinging to him, it looked like he wore a white coat above him.
For a brief second, the villains hesitated, their charge faltering as they took in his monstrous form.
Then they rushed him again.
Raiden exhaled slowly, shutting out the noise, the chaos, the tension. He closed his eyes.
And activated his abilities.
Agility. Calm mind. Laser focus.
With a single wave of his hand, Raiden unleashed his telekinesis, yanking the feet out from under several charging villains. They stumbled, some crashing to the ground, but they recovered fast—too fast.
Barely a second passed before they scrambled back to their feet and lunged at him again, their eyes burning with determination.
"Tch, persistent," Raiden muttered, bracing himself for the next attack.
"Confusion!"
Raiden's eyes glowed for a brief second as a wave of psychic energy pulsed outward. More than one villain staggered, their balance completely thrown off as their vision blurred and their heads spun. Several collapsed onto the floor, groaning in disorientation.
But Raiden wasn't about to waste time. He could see some of them already shaking off the effects, preparing to use their quirks. If he let them recover, this fight would drag out longer than necessary.
"Not happening."
Determined to end this quickly, he took a deep breath and sprang into action.
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Hello guys, here is today chapter, enjoy the reading.
Power stones for an extra chapter 42/80