He was blaming himself for picking some shady or dangerous types during recruitment.

I defended him, saying it wasn’t his fault, but rather the traitor’s for betraying such a grand aim.

“Thanks, Blanca. Anyway, as you know… it’d be a real problem if our plans got leaked, right?”

“Right, so you want me to go handle it?”

Assassinating agents wasn’t new for me, so it wasn’t surprising at all. Before I joined the Academy, he used to call me often for this kind of stuff.

…Though more like extermination rather than assassination.

It’s way easier to take out a bunch rather than just picking one to kill.

“Yeah. Be as ruthless as you want, since this might not be the first time… I think it’s better to set an example.”

“Really, I can do whatever I want? For real?”

I asked to confirm because there was a time he freaked out when I went all out.

“Of course. That’s why I called you. I won’t ask about the process. Just make the result as brutal as possible.”

He knew my true nature well. But asking for no questions or concerns while requesting a brutal kill… wow, he really meant it. I could see him spinning his right arm around while telling me to sit tight and wait.

“Looks like your arm is doing okay. Good to see. I thought you were just putting up a front. You seem totally fine.”

Seeing me like that, he smiled with relief.

…You really had that in your heart, huh?

Feeling emotional, I almost forgot the vow I just made and apologized to him.

“Um… I’m sorry, Boss. I shouldn’t have said such things, even as a joke.”

“What’s wrong with that? I can crack jokes too! Now, off you go! Wei marked a waypoint nearby, so don’t worry, just go.”

“You know my skills well. Leave it to me. I’ll wipe out every single rat that didn’t even know they were in their HQ.”

With confidence, I told him all about the organization the traitor became affiliated with, along with the beads.

It wasn’t anything impressive, really.

Why would they choose a ragtag place like that over a promising organization like the Liberator?

Shaking my head at their baffling choice, I chewed the beads.

Since I didn’t need to switch to a slime suit, I just sealed all the possible escape routes with slime and blocked the vents.

For dramatic effect, I definitely needed the vents blocked too.

The guy guarding the back door shredded the head of the dude with a mace-head made of slime.

Ready to go. Now, for a little fun. I was buzzing with the thought of tasting real blood after a long time.

Boldly, I booted through the entrance and sealed it with slime.

“Hey there, gentlemen!”

As the gang members popped out asking what the commotion was, I greeted them warmly while stealthily releasing mustard gas.

Their reactions were as pathetic as expected. Some were saying a prostitute walked in; others were bewildered trying to figure out why they got lucky.

Their guns lowered too; you’d think doing that would be better than dying in this world.

They didn’t even consider the fact that I was an abilities user. They were nothing more than short-sighted ants chasing pleasure.

Up until the defector arrived, I felt like smashing their silly faces.

But that would be no fun, would it? They seemed pretty close so I wanted to toy with them.

“W-why is she here?! You idiots, cover your mouths! Shoot, shoot!!”

“What’s the deal, Marco? Did the chick who was used and thrown away come back?”

“No, that’s not it!!! She’s a poison gas ability user!!!”

Not just poison gas, but I guess that’s how he taught them.

As the traitor wailed, the gang members finally turned pale and pointed their guns at me.

From my right arm, I expanded a mass of slime to create a shield.

I made it thick enough that their low-grade weapons couldn’t pierce through, so I blocked their bullets while humming a tune nonchalantly.

In between, I even peeked through the shield to scout them, relishing the traitor’s wails of “This wasn’t part of the plan!”

As their magazines ran dry, it was quite a sight watching them swing their guns like clubs.

“That’s not gonna work~ The harder you struggle… it just means you’re inhaling the gas deeper!”

While blocking their attacks, I continued to spray mustard gas all over the surface of my shield.

And now, I could see the reactions kicking in.

They were screaming that their eyes hurt or violently sneezing, one by one collapsing to the floor.

Some of the few who could still stand attempted to break through other exits or windows, but I had blocked those off with slime too.

Like rats trapped inside a cage, those guys flailed about as smoke started to creep in, and I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

“Oh my, how sad… So, how about we play a little game for an antidote?”

“What the hell! Cough! You madwoman…! Give it to me…!”

“It won’t be fun if I just hand it to you. The rules are simple. I’ll give the antidote to the last person standing. You’ve got ten minutes. No weapons. Just your fists. You know what you need to do…”

From here on, it’s kill or be killed. The last one standing gets to live.

As I made the suggestion, I noticed their despairing eyes start to waver.

“…N-no! If we work together, I’m sure we can find a way to escape!”

The defector, still relatively far off and covering his mouth, spouted that ridiculous plea for teamwork since he was still okay.

Aha, so this optimistic guy left the Liberator.

“By the way, this is mustard gas. Just so you know, a few hours from now, you’ll end up gasping for air as blisters cover your body.”

Honestly, if it was potent enough to kill in a few hours, the effects should’ve kicked in right away.

But if that happened, I couldn’t enjoy this fun spectacle.

The defector watched as the members with warped gazes stumbled toward him, his eyes pleading him not to come any closer.

“Y-you bastard, if it weren’t for you! Cough! If it weren’t for you!!!”

Ah, here we go.