The Development of the Destiny Research Institute

"In any case, when it comes to urban legends, it's better to believe than not to believe," Selene said, shaking her head and standing up with a smile, stretching slightly. "Alright, our tea party is about to end, isn't it? Isn't it time for the disciplinary committee to go on patrol?"

"That's true, we should go on patrol." Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari exchanged a glance and smiled at each other. "Well, we're off then."

"In that case, I happen to be going to buy some groceries," Saten Ruiko said with a smile, looking at Misaka Mikoto. "Misaka-senpai, want to join me?"

"Ah, no thanks." Misaka Mikoto quickly waved her hand.

"...Oh, right, I need to go to the bookstore." Misaka Mikoto suddenly remembered that since it was the weekend, her favorite detective manga might have been delivered early, so she decided to visit the bookstore. However, she didn't want others to know that she went there to read free manga.

Selene chuckled, giving Misaka Mikoto a mysterious look, until the latter blushed and almost flew into a rage, prompting Selene to casually look away, causing Misaka Mikoto to grit her teeth in frustration.

"How does she know about my free manga reading?"

"Well, then, that's it. Bye-bye." With that, Selene stood up, waved at Misaka Mikoto and Saten Ruiko, and then turned and walked out of the shop.

And so, today's gathering came to an end. The two members of the disciplinary committee went off to patrol, Saten Ruiko went to buy groceries for dinner, Selene went off to roam the streets, while Misaka Mikoto headed to the bookstore to read manga.

It's said she's already changed to over a dozen bookstores...

...

After parting with the group, Selene walked down the street, her smile quickly fading as she wandered aimlessly. Recently, Selene had been feeling a bit empty. Interacting with the original cast was a sort of tribute to her past life.

Currently, while Selene wasn't exactly tired of this lifestyle, she was starting to find it a bit dull.

"The temperature is really high today," she said, looking up directly at the glaring sun without raising a hand to block it. Although the midday sun was harsh, it was nothing to Selene.

Ding ding ding~

"Hm?" The sudden ringing of her phone pulled Selene's wandering thoughts back into focus.

"Hello? Aoki? Hmm... has the first phase of the construction been completed? Alright, got it, I'll be right there." After hanging up, an excited expression appeared on Selene's face.

At this moment, Selene's mood instantly lifted, feeling a sense of liberation and joy—because she'd been really bored lately.

Every day consisted of nothing but classes, work, and self-improvement. While her time was well-organized and she could feel her progress, this wasn't the life she wanted. Recently, her hands had been itching for a fight!

Perhaps it was because she had beaten up both Accelerator and Kakine Teitoku, that others were more interested in praying she wouldn't cause trouble than seeking it out themselves.

If nothing else, some new "toys" would be nice.

And here it was—just what she needed—a "big toy" had arrived.

This first phase of the project was essentially a new arms factory that Selene had invested in, managed by Aoki Yoichi. While most of the production lines were for producing new military robots, they could also manufacture various other military products.

Compared to the first generation, the second-generation military robots hadn't seen major breakthroughs. They mainly featured enhanced firepower and armor, and improvements to the intelligent operating system.

"Perfect timing, I'll go check it out."

...

Second District, Tianming Research Institute.

Upon Selene's arrival at the site, she found it significantly more crowded than before. A towering skyscraper over a hundred meters tall was beginning to take shape.

According to the description, the Tianming Technology Building, chosen from Aoki Yoichi's design submissions, would have sixty-six floors, with a total height of 222 meters, roughly divided into above-ground and underground structures. The underground structures would include a two-story underground garage, totaling ten meters in height.

There was no evil laboratory; this was merely an office building, with the production and experimental areas in the research park being the main focus.

"BOSS, you've finally arrived. The first phase of the production and manufacturing workshop is complete." Just as Selene reached the entrance of the production and experimental area, Aoki Yoichi greeted her, looking exhausted.

Selene couldn't help but take a closer look at Aoki Yoichi. Although he still appeared strong, the fatigue in his eyes was unmistakable, showing signs of overwork.

This made Selene blush slightly. Had she overworked her employees to this extent? Even after Honkai energy physically enhanced Aoki Yoichi, he looked worn out from overtime.

"Um... where is Shuji Matsuzaki?" Selene asked, awkwardly waving her hand to ease the tension.

"Oh, Matsuzaki should still be in the lab, working overtime to analyze the effects of the T-R serum. Do you want me to call him down, BOSS?" Aoki Yoichi replied earnestly.

Wow, with employees working so hard, what should I do as the boss when I'm slacking off? Help, urgent!

"Never mind, let's not disturb him. Let's go see the manufacturing workshop." Selene said nonchalantly, though the awkwardness in her heart was only known to herself.

As a boss, slacking off isn't a big deal, right? Otherwise, what's the point of having subordinates? As employees, working for a boss like me is your blessing.

Yes, exactly. Selene reassured her awkward heart.

"BOSS, please." Aoki Yoichi nodded, then led Selene into the core area of the Tianming Research Institute.

The security along the way was very strict, with the standard patrolling robots and numerous security personnel both in plain sight and hidden.

Soon, under Aoki Yoichi's guidance, Selene and her team arrived at the construction site, where the formerly vacant land had transformed into a massive construction site spanning nearly ten thousand square meters and reaching a depth of thirty meters!

At the bottom of the pit, the area was brightly lit. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be constructed of hundreds of large stamped steel plates welded together, with over a hundred thick solid steel columns standing tall. Such a grand scale could only be achieved by someone like Selene, who didn't treat money as an issue.

"Is this the second phase of the project?"

"Yes, the foundation construction was completed not long ago. I apologize for the slow progress due to the embedded design of the factory during construction," Aoki Yoichi quickly bowed and explained, thinking Selene was dissatisfied after noticing the pit.

Pointing to the expansive, low-rise building already erected nearby, Aoki Yoichi continued, "Over there is the completed first phase, where some of the production lines are being installed and debugged."