I needed to make that woman lower her guard first.
I put on the most innocent expression I could muster and opened my mouth.
“Uh… What’s that…?”
“Huh? Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. Anyway, Violet will be living with me from now on~”
The ponytailed woman showed me a bundle of yellow envelopes.
“Do you see this? These are Violet’s academy admission certificate and necessary documents. Once we take this to the school, you’ll officially be a student.”
Sure, that’s what she said.
Suddenly, I felt curious about one thing.
“Wow! But, sister, I don’t have any money. Wouldn’t it cost a lot to enroll in an academy? How are the tuition fees handled?”
The ponytailed woman was grinning as she continued to speak but suddenly stopped and stared at me.
“Violet, but… weren’t you less talkative before? And your necklace… where did it go?”
“Who knows? Why don’t you go ask your mom about it!”
“What..? What are you—?!”
The clone I had prepared behind her tightly grabbed her waist.
She glanced at the clone, then at my face, and finally at my neck in turn, her face turning pale.
Too late.
“Die!”
-Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
I raised the alloy hammer I had sent to the blanket and smashed it into her face.
“Kyyaaaaaaa!!”
I struck her three, no, four more times in rapid succession, venting all my pent-up rage.
“For harassing me!”
“Aargh!!”
I bashed her head once.
“For stealing my fries!”
“Ahhh! My hand! Aaagh!”
When she tried to block with her arms, I smashed her hand.
“For making me call you ‘sister’ despite being an old hag!”
I smacked her mouth once.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Finally, I hit the back of her head one more time.
The ponytailed woman collapsed in a bloody mess.
Good. I wasn’t sure if these were the real admission documents, but I’d take them for now.
I stored the documents in the bag my clone was holding and stepped out through the half-open door.
The whole plan was a mess now.
Screw it.
When had I ever lived with meticulous planning anyway?
From now on, I’d just do whatever I wanted.
As if on cue, someone triggered the alarm, and the loud wailing of a siren filled the corridor.
The diversion on the second floor had succeeded.
Relieved, I retrieved Clone No. 3.
Multitasking was too difficult.
Startled by the screams, researchers began running toward the noise.
“My goodness..! Team Leader Eva! You! Stop this riot!”
One of the researchers pointed a remote control at me.
Oh, right, but I didn’t have the necklace anymore.
I aimed a gun at the confused researcher and pulled the trigger.
“Goodbye!”
-Bang!
“Argh!”
The guy hit by my greeting fell to the floor.
“Run away! The test subject has a gun!”
“Guards! Where are the guards?!”
The researchers screamed and started to scatter. I fired another shot at the leg of the nearest one among the fleeing crowd.
“Aaargh! Spare me!”
To save bullets, I slammed the back of the crawling researcher’s head with the alloy hammer.
It was quieter now.
My clone and I stripped some lab coats from the researchers and put them on. Then, running down the corridor, I continued shooting at their backs.
“Aaah! Spare me! No!”
“Don’t come any closer! Stay back!”
Shooting was surprisingly fun. It felt less repulsive than hitting someone directly.
As I chased the researchers down the corridor, I swiped a key card along the locks of the test subjects’ rooms.
-Bleep!
-Bleep!
Patients in hospital gowns, awakened by the commotion, stumbled out of their opened rooms, looking bewildered.
Now was the time to capitalize on my appearance and voice.
I conjured up the saddest thoughts I could and cried out sorrowfully.
“Ahhh! The researchers are going to kill us all! They’re going to dispose of us! We have to escape!”
Hearing my wails, the people began to grow restless.
A blood-soaked girl screaming at the top of her lungs—it was impossible not to pay attention.
“What? Is that true…?”
“I knew it! Those bastards planned to kill us from the start!”
“But even if we escape, how do we get out of here…?”
The people were in turmoil. I pulled out an electric switch and pressed the release button on the collars around their necks.
“Huh! This accursed necklace…!”
“Little girl! Thank you!”
“My God! It’s off!”
I grabbed one of the discarded electric collars.
I might need it later.
Just then, three security guards appeared, running toward us.
They hadn’t assessed the situation yet, as they were only holding batons.
Their bulletproof vests meant guns wouldn’t be effective.
“Emergency! Emergency! Riot situation! Multiple test subjects attempting escape!”
“Damn it! They’ve removed their collars!”
The people, terrified at the sight of the guards, shrank back.
Oh dear, was it time for me to set an example?
I had a tactic prepared specifically for this moment.
‘It’s called the Violet Stream Attack!’
First, I positioned Clone No. 2 in front of me.
I handed it a screwdriver and injected an emergency recovery agent into its body.
[* The recovery agent’s pain-relief effect is activated. Pain is reduced by 30%.]
I stood closely behind the clone.
Thanks to my small stature and lab coat, only a single girl could be seen from the front.
A strategy only a cute, petite girl like me could execute!
“Everyone, charge!”
I left the others behind and sprinted forward like a ninja.
“Who are you? Stop! Stop right there!”
When I came face-to-face with the guard, Clone No. 2 swung its hammer.
The guard skillfully deflected the hammer with a trained motion and kicked Clone No. 2.
“Ugh!”
Even with the pain-relief effect, it still hurt.
But it was bearable.
Clone No. 2 fell flat on its face.
I stepped on its shoulder and leapt into the air.
“Violet Stream Attack!”
“What?! There’s another one behind—!”
The guard froze as he saw me suddenly emerge.
While airborne, I drove the screwdriver straight down with all my weight.
The screwdriver pierced through his collarbone.
“Argh!”
The guard collapsed under me as I pinned him down.
I aimed the handgun at his face.
“Eat this!”
-Bang! Bang!
One down.
Then a sharp pain shot through my side.
“She’s armed! The test subject has a gun!”
The next guard kicked me, causing me to stumble.
He tried to stomp on me, but Clone No. 2 tripped him, bringing him down.
I emptied the handgun’s magazine at a guard running toward us, forcing him to take cover behind a wall.
Seizing the opportunity, I jumped onto the body of the guard who had kicked me.
“You’re dead, too!”
I repeatedly stabbed the second guard in the neck with the screwdriver.
“Die already! Just die!”
“Argh! Aaaargh! Agh!”
Blood splattered across my face.
As I stood, the guard at the back aimed his gun at me.
Just as I moved Clone No. 2 to block the shot—
-Thud!
“Ugh!”
The test subjects behind me lunged at him and beat him unconscious.
The final guard was subdued by the others.
“Great timing with the help… really.”
I glared at the people behind me.
They averted their eyes awkwardly.
I panted heavily.
“If you want to live, follow me!”
The group hesitated briefly, then began running after me.
Soon, we reached the room where Kalia was held captive.
-Clang!
The door opened, and Kalia stepped out, looking bewildered.
“Wait a second, Violet. What is all this…?”
From her perspective, it must have been utterly baffling.
One moment, I had absorbed my clones and left, and now I returned, dragging a mob of people behind me in utter chaos.
My face and clothes were smeared with blood.
I casually explained.
“These people want to escape too! Let’s hurry downstairs!”
“Uh… okay? I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s get out of here quickly.”
Kalia and I led the group down the corridor toward the elevator.
Suddenly, her earlier words resurfaced in my mind.
‘…I don’t think it’s right for innocent people to get caught up in the consequences of what we’ve done.’
I’m sorry, Kalia.
To escape, we don’t have the luxury of being picky about methods.
Besides, these people chose to come along willingly, so there’s no problem.
As we ran toward the elevator, I spotted someone nervously waiting at the door.
“Why is the elevator taking so long? Wait… who are you?! Aaaah!”
Oh, it was the fat researcher who gave me fries.
“Hey, mister!”
“Hold on! You…?”
I charged at him with my gun.
“Mister! Let’s be secret friends!”
-Bang!
I shot a bullet into his arm.
“Aaaah!”
I waved the handgun menacingly at him.
“Mister! Are you going to be my friend or not?”
“I will! I will! Just please don’t shoot me again!”
Clutching his bleeding arm, the researcher pleaded desperately.
I turned to Kalia.
“I’m taking him as a hostage. You’re okay with that, right?”
“This fat guy? He’s big enough to make a perfect shield. Those Laplaxia bastards deserve this much.”
Kalia shrugged indifferently.
She swiped a keycard on the security panel at the elevator lobby.
The elevator doors slid open.
“Let’s go! To the second floor!”
“Wait, is it safe to just head down like this? With all the alarms blaring, there’s bound to be armed forces waiting to capture us downstairs.”
“It’s fine! The lower floors are already a mess. You’ll see.”
We boarded the elevator.
Moments later, the doors opened.
-Ratatatat!
-Roar!
-Rawrrr!
“Suppress them! Quickly!”
“There’s a riot on the third floor too!”
“Aaaah! Save me!”
The second floor of the research facility was in utter chaos, overrun by the released beasts.
“Let’s go!”
Kalia and I led the charge as the group spilled out of the elevator.