Cipher had just emerged from the door behind the counter when she saw a scene of utter chaos.
Many people lay sprawled on tables, on the floor, or on top of others, all of them unconscious without exception.
Drinks and some food were overturned on the ground, making a messy, dirty scene.
"Hmm... it seems I'll have to try to avoid opening bottles in crowded places in the future, otherwise, a group of people will pass out every time."
Looking at the group of people sprawled everywhere, Cipher muttered to herself.
Then, she lightly tapped her toe, landed on a table, and with a few consecutive leaps, quickly reached the entrance of the Mercenary Association.
The reason Cipher walked this way was that the tables were relatively cleaner than the floor.
Upon reaching the entrance, Cipher took out her terminal and dialed Claire's number.
After a series of beeps, the call was quickly connected, and Claire's somewhat muddled voice came through.
"Hello... who is this...?"
"It's me, Cipher~"
"Ah! Boss, is something the matter?"
Hearing that it was Cipher on the phone, Claire's previously muddled mind instantly cleared up significantly.
Based on her years of experience clinging to powerful figures, she knew that any influential person who could bring her benefits had to be clung to tightly.
"Drive to the Mercenary Association and pick someone up."
"Ah? Oh, okay, I'll be right there. Is there anything else?"
Cipher thought for a moment, then added.
"Bring more of your fast-acting medicine, then come."
"Mm-hmm, I'm coming right now."
Hanging up the phone, Cipher put her terminal back into her system backpack, then began to wait for Shen to arrive.
Not long after, Shen walked out of the Mercenary Association's main entrance, looking somewhat pale.
As soon as he stepped out, Shen asked Cipher:
"Why are all the other mercenaries in the association unconscious? Was it caused by your aura?"
Cipher nodded.
"Their strength is too low, so they all fainted. But you don't have to worry; as long as you don't directly touch that aura, it won't have any effect on your body."
After hearing Cipher's explanation, Shen breathed a sigh of relief, but he expressed doubt about the claim that it "wouldn't have any effect on the body."
After all, the pain he had experienced earlier was not fake; that feeling of pain intertwined with near-death was almost like torture, and he could never forget it.
"Oh, right, you should inject this first."
Saying this, Cipher took out the syringe and handed it to Shen.
Shen took the syringe, looking at the white, translucent, unknown liquid inside the barrel with some hesitation.
"What is this...?"
"A sleeping drug. Just one shot,"
"This is a sleeping drug. Just one shot, and even an A-grade will collapse within a minute."
"...Can I not inject it?"
"No, it won't kill you anyway."
"This..."
Shen looked at the syringe in his hand, lost in thought.
Honestly, it was his first time having to inject himself with such a potent sleeping drug.
Before, he was always the one drugging others.
He felt... very subtle... Just as Shen made up his mind to give himself a shot, he suddenly found that the syringe in his hand was gone.
Then, a slight prickling sensation came from his right arm.
He looked at his right arm in confusion, only to realize that an empty syringe was somehow stuck there.
"When... when did... it get there...?"
Immediately after saying that, a strong wave of drowsiness washed over him.
Shen, who was already somewhat weakened by the previous death aura, ultimately couldn't resist the drowsiness.
After holding on for more than twenty seconds, with a "thud," Shen fell face-first to the ground, sinking into peaceful sleep.
Cipher, standing to the side, was playing with the turning over coin in her hand. Looking at the fallen Shen, she sighed.
"Ugh, so slow. Don't you know time is money? Since you were so hesitant, this cat helped you inject it. No need to thank me."
After speaking, she squatted down, pulled the syringe out of Shen's arm, and then stood to the side, waiting for Claire to arrive.
Not long after, Claire drove her SUV to the front of the Mercenary Association.
"Boss Cipher! Over here!"
Claire rolled down the car window and waved, calling out to Cipher by the roadside.
Seeing that she had arrived, Cipher hoisted Shen, threw him directly into the back seat, and then sat in the passenger seat herself.
"Shen? Why him?"
Claire recognized the person Cipher was carrying at a glance. She exclaimed in a surprised whisper.
At this moment, Cipher also arrived at the passenger seat. As soon as she got in the car, she heard Claire's voice.
"This Boss Shen was the one who sold our mission location to the Reverse Current Alliance, which led to Spark Team and me being ambushed."
"So I decided to come and settle accounts with him. After all, our predicament was his doing."
"I see." Claire suddenly understood. "So, are we taking him back now?"
Cipher nodded, "Take him back. Tomorrow, aren't we supposed to trade with the Reverse Current Alliance? We can use this Boss Shen to gather more intelligence about them."
"Since he likes collecting intelligence so much, I don't believe he wouldn't have intelligence on the Reverse Current Alliance."
"As for how to get the information out of him, I'll leave that to you. I'm not very good at it."
Hearing this, Claire immediately patted her chest confidently and said:
"Mission accomplished, guaranteed! Interrogation, I'm a professional! After all, I used to be a Purifying Knight!"
...Soon, the two returned to the house with Shen.
Getting out of the car, Claire went to the back seat.
She opened the door, pulled Shen out of the car, and then gave him another injection.
"I'm going to the basement to interrogate him now. Boss Cipher, do you have any other instructions?"
Hoisting Shen, Claire asked Cipher.
"No need, I don't have anything here."
"However, Claire, wasn't I just waking you up? Why don't you go back to sleep first? There's no rush."
"Besides, isn't the trade set for tomorrow afternoon?"
Hearing Cipher's suggestion, Claire paused to think for a moment, then quickly agreed to her proposal.
"Okay, then to be safe, I'll give him a few more shots. Boss Cipher, you go to sleep first. I'll go to sleep after I'm done."
"Mm, get some rest early. Good night~"
"Good night~"
After saying good night to Claire, Cipher returned to her room.
Taking off her shoes and outer clothes, she flopped onto the soft bed and quickly drifted off to sleep.