The wreckage of unidentified model Powered Suits lay scattered across the ground.
Clearly, their designers hadn't factored in Espers as suppression targets, yet they were more than enough to give most low-level ability users a serious headache.
Natsume scanned the area with her thermal radar, confirming no stragglers were left, then meticulously traced the outermost edge of the interference field.
When faced with trouble, Natsume-san always became a notch more cautious than usual.
The scope of the relay station, blanketed by the jamming equipment, exceeded her radar's maximum range. Natsume-san could only sweep a portion of it.
The overwhelming assault that had raged moments earlier had quieted down after just a few seconds. Standard combat units couldn't even slow Natsume Sonoko's pace.
Facing a prepared bun-head like her, enemies relying on numerical superiority and conventional tech were little more than minor nuisances.
But when these minor nuisances popped up inside a jamming zone like this, the problem became far trickier for anyone caught within.
Natsume-san's mind, however, settled immediately. It seemed the enemy wasn't that strong, at least the ones she'd encountered so far weren't.
Her radar map expanded around her, this time even processing thermal data from underground.
It was somewhat disappointing. After quickly circling the area, the ponytailed girl couldn't find any devices emitting the interference signals. She couldn't even spot anything that looked like a transmission tower.
It was just as Natsume-san had suspected. If these were truly machines jamming electromagnetic waves, they wouldn't need to be carried around personally like the 'Capacity Down' equipment.
All you'd need was to set up one or more radar antennas nearby that could broadcast to the intended locations.
This kind of setup was probably only suitable for a place like District 10, with its relatively sparse buildings and large open spaces. Any dense cluster of skyscrapers would block the effect, drastically reducing its usefulness, limiting it to specific zones.
"There aren't many tall buildings around here, but there are some. Where would those machines be?"
Scanning her surroundings, Natsume-san's first thought was the Juvenile Correctional Facility.
That place was loaded with tech to suppress inmates. They likely had similar equipment there, and it wasn't too far. They also had suitable high-rise structures for installing such devices.
But Natsume-san dismissed the idea just as quickly.
It was obvious that Shokuhou-senpai had temporarily taken control of that place. If such equipment existed there, she would have shut it down immediately.
One thing Natsume-san was sure of: this jamming equipment had followed Shokuhou-senpai all the way from the Correctional Facility to here. The deployment site couldn't be far.
'Not far' was still a pretty large area. Even Natsume-san couldn't guarantee a quick find. She decided to head inside first to look for Shokuhou-senpai.
The original plan was just to retrieve Shokuhou-senpai and bring her back.
Without much further hesitation, Natsume Sonoko steeled herself and headed inside.
During this time, Natsume-san had actually brainstormed a few seemingly feasible methods. One was the previously mentioned idea of using air friction to generate electricity and interfere with the electromagnetic waves.
Another was that plasma—so-called electrically charged fluid—she'd somehow created by compressing air last time. Its effect even surpassed Misaka-senpai's electromagnetic barriers.
Covering her whole body with it would be equivalent to creating a Faraday cage.
For example, rockets experience a period of communication blackout during re-entry because high temperatures generate plasma covering the craft, forming a perfect electromagnetic barrier, commonly known as a 'blackout.'
It was a good idea, but just as impractical as the air friction concept.
Natsume-san didn't even dare use plasma in combat, afraid of causing unforeseeable problems, let alone attempt the fine control needed for defense against electromagnetic waves. The danger level was a solid ten stars.
So, the simplest method was to find something to attenuate the electromagnetic waves.
The ground suddenly depressed, a large amount of gas forcing soil into the air, coalescing around the bun-girl to form simple earthen barriers.
It didn't attenuate the electromagnetic waves much, but it was better than nothing.
She needed to ensure that if she was attacked, she'd still have enough capacity to fight back. Even after clearing the area once, she still wasn't fully at ease.
Speaking of which, things like Shokuhou-senpai using remotes to influence people probably didn't rely on the remote's electromagnetic waves as the medium.
It certainly looked that way, and Natsume-san had thought so too, since Misaka-senpai's electromagnetic barriers were effective against it.
Plus, her little golden bag was stuffed with all kinds of remotes. Someone unfamiliar might think she had a hobby of collecting them.
Stepping into the ability-interference zone, a veritable moving hill of earth and rock shifted unnaturally within the abandoned freight terminal, soil and stones tumbling down constantly. It seemed her ability was on the verge of going haywire.
Affected by the jamming waves, the precision of Natsume-san's ability dropped severely. Even the application of her personal formulas was frequently misfiring.
The direct consequence of a disturbed AIM Diffusion Field was the Esper's comprehension of their Personal Reality becoming skewed, resulting in the inability to use their power smoothly.
But aside from a distinct dizziness, her brain felt no additional pain. This was another point that differed completely from 'Capacity Down.'
Natsume-san's movement was slow, but still much faster than walking pace. It was the best speed she could manage right now.
Her thermal map was also heavily affected, barely maintaining an observational radius of about twenty meters around her.
Fortunately, the terminal's area wasn't outrageously large, making it relatively easy to search.
Passing by the assailants Natsume-san had already subdued, she observed the guards controlled by Shokuhou-senpai.
These guards were still in a daze. The commands were still active, but they just stood there stupidly, rooted to the spot.
It seemed the command was probably just for them to come here and attack the invaders.
This gave Natsume-san some confidence. These commands must have been set by Shokuhou-senpai before the jamming started, or when it was weaker.
The fact that these guards, piloting Powered Suits, could follow orders and come here suggested this was a fallback point the senior had planned in advance.
"Shokuhou-senpai, are you here?"
Leaving the earthen barriers outside, she stepped into the terminal's interior. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere. The filthy environment made the ponytailed girl shake her head repeatedly.
Natsume-san was struggling to maintain her invisibility. Flickering, uncontrolled phantom images of girls in Tokiwadai track suits kept appearing around her body.
The interfering electromagnetic waves were attenuated by the building structure, and she had prior experience with 'Capacity Down,' yet the drop in her combat effectiveness was still startling.
At this point, Natsume-san stopped relying on her thermal map for observation. Sound was clearly more useful now.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.