Chapter 1746: Chapter 1744: They Came Knocking

"........."

"Don’t cry, don’t cry, see, haven’t you transformed back?"

"Yes... but..."

"Come on, didn’t you prepare yourself mentally for this?"

"That’s what I said..."

Wrapped in pajamas, Riko squatted in the corner, looking as if she had just been dragged into a dark alley by a dozen Great Han on her way home, unable to cry or shed tears. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng was helplessly comforting her beside.

"But... but... that was too..."

Speaking of this, Riko’s eyes turned red, and she began to cry again.

Seeing Riko like this, Fang Zheng could only shake his head with a sigh.

Why did this happen?

The reason is simple.

Riko’s ability unsurprisingly got out of control.

Of course, this is quite normal. Fang Zheng mentioned before, Riko was mentally prepared.

But the problem is Riko’s ability.

Her ability is physical transformation.

Simply put, it allows her to control her body at will.

But when it gets out of control, well...

For the sake of the person’s dignity, let’s not describe the specifics. If you want to know, just think of a plastic figure after being burned by fire...

At that time, Riko almost collapsed.

This is understandable. Anyone would feel distressed if they opened their eyes and found their arms and legs flattened as if stepped on by elephants, the body twisted into unimaginable shapes and the face becoming scarier than a ghost from a horror film.

Let alone for a young, cute, beautiful girl like Riko.

Not to mention, according to Fang Zheng, even being used as a breeding dog by those Werewolves for years wouldn’t have been as big of a blow to Riko as losing control over her powers...

Well, what can you say...

Ah, women...

"I didn’t expect it to be like this..."

"That’s just the out-of-control state, don’t overthink it."

"But... that..."

Riko seemed a bit reluctant to say more.

"That... Mr. Fang Zheng, you wouldn’t dislike me, right?"

"Hmm? Why would I?"

"Because I became so ugly..."

"I’ve already said that was just an accidental loss of control, as long as you can master your ability, there won’t be an issue, right?"

"But if I can’t control it, I’ll become neither human nor ghost!"

Riko seemed to be fixated on this point, leaving Fang Zheng speechless. What can you say...

Women...

"What can be done then? How about you transform back? Give up this ability?"

"Uh..."

Hearing this, Riko began to ponder again. She squatted in the corner, humming for a long time, finally nodding as if she was heading to the execution ground.

"No, I decided to use this ability! This is the destiny of the Lupin Clan, right? Since my great-grandfather managed to use this ability, I certainly can too... Yes! That’s definitely it! If my great-grandfather could charm so many women back then, there’s no problem!"

Hearing this, Fang Zheng sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew who Riko meant by ’great-grandfather’, Phantom Thief Lupin — also known as Asen Robin, on par with Sherlock Holmes as a chivalrous thief; in Martial Hero novels, he’s essentially Chu Liuxiang.

Unlike perpetual bachelor Sherlock Holmes, Asen Robin was a real casanova, charming a woman every time he solved a case—his romances rivaling James Bond’s.

Of course, like Sherlock Holmes and Chu Liuxiang, Asen Robin was merely a fictional novel character, though in this world... he seemed to exist for real.

And indeed, just as charming.

Using her great-grandfather as an idol to boost herself, Riko finally seemed to move out of the shadow of losing control over her ability, looking considerably better.

"Alright, alright, you don’t need to worry anymore. I’ve sealed your body’s powers for now, you can only use the most basic physical transformation. As you gradually master it, the seal will eventually lift... it’s like leveling up in a game, so you don’t need to rush. Moreover, you won’t have to worry about losing control over your ability now."

"Hmm..."

Hearing this, Riko finally felt relieved and relaxed, racing back to the changing room to change clothes.

"Sigh..."

Fang Zheng shook his head as he watched Riko’s receding figure, then furrowed his brow.

I really didn’t expect that even such a tiny amount would be too much.

Referring to the data of the Goddess’s divine power back then, Fang Zheng thought he had been very cautious. He only gave Riko 0.000001% of his divine power, yet Riko still lost control. Luckily, Fang Zheng noticed something amiss and quickly suppressed the divine power within Riko, otherwise, she might have exploded into the sky right then and there.

Is the gap between a deity and a mortal really that big?

Just now, Fang Zheng felt as if Riko was like an ant; he hadn’t even applied much force, and she was about to explode. This wasn’t a matter of being cautious anymore; it was like sewing blood vessels under a microscope—no, it’s more like touching a cell nucleus; just a slight touch and it’s over!

Fortunately, Fang Zheng used his own divine power as a precaution. He had such concerns before, which is why he used his power to inject Riko. This way, even if something happened, Fang Zheng could promptly retract his power. But now, apart from some psychological shadows due to the out-of-control state, there doesn’t seem to be any major issues.

All that’s left is to spend some time allowing Riko to gradually digest this divine power, and it should be fine.

However, with this, it’s clear this method can’t be used anymore. Originally, Fang Zheng thought about using this method to activate Saten Reiko’s superpower too, but now he obviously has to give up this idea. Riko had somewhat prepared herself mentally, and having been through trials far more painful than ordinary people, she’s quite resilient.

Reiko is just an ordinary middle school girl; such an attempt could very well result in her completely breaking down.

No choice, time to think of another way.

"Ding dong."

Just then, the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Fang Zheng opened his personal terminal for a quick look, and seeing Misaka Mikoto and Kuroko Shirai outside, he paused in surprise.

Why are these two here?

Although he was a bit puzzled, Fang Zheng went to the entrance and opened the door.

"Yo, long time no see. Is there something you came here for?"

"Can’t we just come for a visit without any particular reason?"

Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s inquiry, Misaka Mikoto replied with a slight helplessness, and Fang Zheng chuckled.

"Of course not. I’m not busy right now, so if you want to come, you’re certainly welcome here..."

As he spoke, Fang Zheng glanced at Kuroko Shirai behind Misaka Mikoto.

"You’re not wearing that kind of thing again today, are you?"

"Of course not!"

On hearing Fang Zheng’s question, Kuroko Shirai’s face immediately turned red, and she instinctively held her backpack in front of her skirt, looking as if she was guarding against a lurking peeper staring at her skirt. This sight amused Misaka Mikoto, who had constantly found Kuroko Shirai’s perverted behavior annoying. After Fang Zheng pointed out her inappropriate attire, Kuroko Shirai blushed and crouched with her hands over her head in embarrassment—while it might not be nice to say, Misaka Mikoto saw a new side of Kuroko Shirai, one with the sentiment of a young girl for the first time.

Moreover, thanks to this, Kuroko Shirai would now refrain from commenting on Misaka Mikoto’s habit of wearing safety shorts under her skirt, something she often remarked about. This made Mikoto feel quite pleased... For a moment, Fang Zheng seemed more agreeable to her.

There’s a saying that everything has an opposing force or counterpart, and perhaps Fang Zheng is Kuroko Shirai’s nemesis?

If that’s the case, maybe I’ve found a way to handle Kuroko Shirai in the future.

"Actually, we’re not really here to bother you. It’s just... um, we heard from Saten that she’s currently undergoing some ability enhancement experiments with you, and we were kind of curious and wanted to check it out..."

Misaka Mikoto’s words were half-truths. Indeed, Hatsuharu, having learned about Saten Reiko’s contract with Fang Zheng becoming an experimental subject, was concerned. However, due to being busy with work and unable to come herself, she entrusted Kuroko Shirai to come for her. And as for Mikoto, the reason she followed along was straightforward — she had been utterly baffled by Fang Zheng’s scientifically nonsensical explanation in the family restaurant, so much so that only after Fang Zheng left did she realize she had no clue how he blocked her lightning attacks!

Thus, they decided to visit.

This time, you can’t run away completely; I insist on knowing how you accomplished this!

"Of course, no problem. Feel free to look around."

Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh? Aren’t you afraid we might find something dangerous or strange here?"

Having been given a slight provocation by Fang Zheng upon meeting, Kuroko Shirai wasn’t in the best of moods.

"Many research facilities operate under the guise of research but conduct illegal experiments. I hope you’re not one of them, as this area is under our jurisdiction, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen."

"Don’t worry, what I’m working on is basic research, nothing too dangerous."

"Really?"

At this point, Kuroko Shirai blinked, staring at Fang Zheng.

"By the way, I’ve heard rumors recently about a tool named Fantasy Manipulator that supposedly boosts people’s ability levels... do you know about it?"

"Oh?"

Hearing Kuroko Shirai’s inquiry, Fang Zheng paused.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because there have been some troubling incidents lately that seem to be related to this. You’re involved in ability development research, so I’d assume you would have some knowledge in this area."

As she spoke, Kuroko Shirai continued to fixate on Fang Zheng. Clearly, she hadn’t come just to check out the research facility on behalf of her friend. For Kuroko Shirai, this might be her true objective.

"Hmm..."

Facing Kuroko Shirai’s inquiry, Fang Zheng squinted his eyes.

Ah, should I spoil the plot or not?