Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain-Chapter 70: Traitors

Maximilian ran past several mutants and finally reached the exit. There, he saw dozens of mutant corpses lying around, some with their heads blown to pieces, others with massive holes in their chests, big enough to fit a melon.

"What happened here?" Switch muttered, startled by the sight.

She spotted several mutants taking cover and pointing toward a nearby building. Suddenly, more mutants rushed out from behind the cover, wielding enormous spears.

The spears were as thick as a man’s leg and over two meters long, but the mutants carried them like twigs.

Bang!

With a single gunshot, two mutants dropped. One had its head obliterated, and the other had a gaping hole in its chest. It was a high-caliber anti-tank round.

Yet the remaining mutant showed no fear. It hurled its massive spear toward the building where the sniper was hidden.

Boom!

The spear pierced through the concrete wall with ease. Seconds later, a figure leapt out from the damaged building, Honiahaka.

He had been standing guard nearby to prevent anyone from entering the lab. As he fell, Honiahaka twisted midair and fired a grappling hook from his wrist.

The hook latched onto a nearby wall, and the reel spun rapidly, slowing his fall.

Finally, he stopped midair, suspended and safe.

"Phew~" Honiahaka exhaled with relief.

Pierce!! Splash!!!

A second spear shot through the air, impaling his back and pinning him to the wall.

Then—

Boom!!!

The spear exploded, tearing his body apart.

"Honiahakaaa!!" Switch screamed at the top of her lungs, watching her team leader’s gruesome end.

She gritted her teeth as more mutants closed in. By now, Maximilian had already put her down. He stood by, weighing whether to fight or flee.

Before he could decide, Switch grabbed him.

"Let’s retreat! Come on!" she shouted, pulling Maximilian toward the old tunnel’s extraction route.

They sprinted as the mutants pursued them, gaining ground quickly. Switch tossed an incendiary grenade behind them.

Boom!

A wall of fire erupted, halting the mutants. The flames burned blue, proof of the grenade’s extreme heat.

Some of the mutants couldn’t stop in time and charged into the inferno. Screams of agony rang out as the flames burned their thick hides, and the sticky fuel clung to them, consuming them alive.

The scene offered Switch a sliver of grim satisfaction, but she had no time to mourn. She still had to get Maximilian, her client, out alive.

They reached the tunnel. Without reapplying the repellent spray, the mutated rats began to gather. A few brave ones even came close enough to nearly touch their boots.

These rats were larger than Dobermans from Maximilian’s previous life, and they swarmed around them in the dark.

The nearest rats recoiled, repelled by the fading scent of the spray. But with the smell growing weaker, they started creeping in again.

Switch acted fast, tossing several incendiary grenades behind and to the sides. The explosions created a sea of fire, forcing the rats to retreat. But more rats blocked their path forward.

Switch clenched her teeth and threw another grenade—this one different. It was white, and a strange glow pulsed from it.

"Cover your ears!" Switch yelled, covering her own. Seeing her, Maximilian followed suit.

Boom! Riiingggg~~

A high-pitched explosion echoed through the tunnel, bouncing off the walls. The rats shrieked and scattered in agony, overwhelmed by the sound.

"Now!" Switch yelled, grabbing Maximilian’s hand and running forward. She was drenched in sweat from the nonstop running and fighting. Her steps were slowing, her stamina nearly gone.

The ringing was fading, and the rats were coming back.

Seeing this, Maximilian scooped her up into another princess carry and ran.

"Hey! What the hell!? Put me down!" Switch protested, smacking him with her left hand, her normal arm, not her metal one.

If she really wanted to be put down, she would’ve used her mechanical arm. She didn’t.

[Again... as I said, this girl is clearly a tsundere. (´-ω-`) ] Aetherna commented through the link.

{Ugh... you don’t need to comment on that.} Maximilian retorted.

He sprinted forward, carrying her at full speed. Switch blushed slightly but masked it with a snort, saying nothing. She didn’t want to ruin their escape. If this weird client had the stamina to carry her while sprinting, she’d let him.

Behind them, fresh rats replaced those scattered by the sonic bomb. The horde was pursuing fast, but Maximilian was faster.

After a few minutes, he reached the exit. Switch quickly tossed the rest of her incendiary grenades at the rat horde.

Boom!

A wave of fire burst forth, engulfing the rats. Their screams echoed as their bodies burned alive.

Maximilian finally slowed down and set Switch down gently.

Noticing how exhausted he looked, Switch felt a twinge of guilt. He was supposed to be the client, the one being protected. He didn’t even seem like a fighter... and yet he was the reason she’d survived.

Maximilian let out a wry smile before the two continued on their way toward the extraction point, where the APC was supposed to be waiting for them.

But... the moment they entered the area where the APC was hiding, the sound of fighting and explosions echoed, alerting them.

Boom! Crash! Boom!

Maximilian and Switch rushed toward the direction of the sounds.

From a distance, they saw a group of mutants surrounding Dragon Fist, who was fighting them using his powers.

He struck one mutant after another, quickly taking them down. Although the mutants were no match for him individually, their sheer number allowed them to hold their ground.

One by one, they fell under his fists—either their heads blown apart or their bodies launched into nearby buildings from the force of his punches.

Dragon Fist, on the other hand, dodged their attacks like a nimble bee—swift and precise. Each punch he threw was lethal.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Switch fired her gun at the mutants, drawing their attention. Some of them turned away from Dragon Fist and charged at her, relieving some of the pressure from him.

With fewer enemies surrounding him, Dragon Fist ramped up his aggression, quickly finishing off the remaining mutants, while Switch used both her metal arm and her gun to hold the rest at bay until Dragon Fist could assist her.

After the last mutant attacking Dragon Fist fell, he dashed over to help Switch.

Within minutes, the two of them had eliminated all the mutants threatening the extraction point.

"What happened here?" Switch asked, scanning the area.

"It’s Radio—she’s a traitor. She brought the mutants here!" Dragon Fist spat, seething with rage.

"What!? Radio? Impossible! She—" Switch started to protest.

"Believe whatever you want, but that’s the truth! And I’ll tell you this! If I see her again, she’s dead!" Dragon Fist growled.

"What about Doc? Where is he?" she asked, her voice growing tense.

"That coward already ran away! I told him to wait in the APC, but that fucker just drove off! Now we’re stuck here!" Dragon Fist replied, frustrated.

"What!?" Switch was in disbelief. She and Honiahaka had known both Radio and Doc for a long time.

Doc, despite being a selfish bastard, had never left anyone behind. And Radio—even though no one had ever seen her face beneath the mask, had always been trustworthy. She never once betrayed them, not even when she had the chance.

So what changed?

Was it because of Max’s contract, the clause that allowed them to leave after three days regardless of the outcome? Did they assume that if they left him behind, he wouldn’t survive, and they could split the full 5 million among themselves?

That... that was—

Switch’s face paled as the realization set in. It wasn’t impossible. Especially this time... because the contract allowed it.

If Maximilian and them were to die, Doc and Radio could each walk away with 2 million, having already spent 1 million on supplies and weapons for the job.

"Bastards... Don’t let me see you. I’ll f*ck you up! I’ll unload all my bullets straight through your asses!" Switch muttered through gritted teeth.

"By the way... where’s the leader?" Dragon Fist asked, looking around for Honiahaka.

"He’s dead... he died protecting us..." Switch said quietly, a trace of sorrow in her voice.

Honiahaka died... Not even his body remained.

Now, she’d have to be the one to deliver the bad news to Honiahaka’s family in the Fang Trader Enclave.

"So... what should we do now?" Dragon Fist asked, turning toward Switch, who had become the de facto leader of the group... since she was the only remaining mercenary who hadn’t betrayed the group.

Hearing this, Switch took a deep breath, calming herself as she stepped into the role of temporary leader.

"Now we head back to the Fang Trader hideout in Iron Tusk territory... the place where we last slept," Switch said.

"Good idea. That place is about 20 kilometers from here," Dragon Fist replied, then turned to Maximilian.

"Mr. Client, can you run? We’ll need to move fast if we want to reach it before sundown," said Dragon Fist.

"You don’t need to worry about him. He can keep up with us," Switch answered in Maximilian’s place, smiling at him before continuing. "Even though he looks like soft meat, he must do a lot of cardio. He even kept pace with the leader when we were running."

But as she mentioned Honiahaka, her expression dimmed, the memory of his death casting a shadow over her face.