"..." Clovis' expression turned serious. He didn't like the fact that Rea had been attacked by someone. At the same time, he was not prepared to deal with the mutated human.

He hadn't scouted the area or even their strength, so fighting them would prove to be more difficult.

There was only one way to do it.

"Aileen, with me. The rest will continue on the planned route." Clovis gave an order.

Without waiting for their reply, he immediately ran toward the mutated humans. Aileen had no chance to react and just followed right after.

"Captain. You are not going to kill them, right?" Erwin smiled wryly.

"I will kill them," said Clovis coldly.

Now that they thought about it, they rarely killed humans. First of all, they rarely had a conflict where they had to kill people.

The fact that Clovis would kill them without hesitation might mean another thing.

"What are you thinking?" Melody asked.

"I don't want our location to be exposed. The mutated humans are also included as something that must be killed on sight, no?"

"In this country, that is true. But I don't think that's the only reason, right? Are you worried that our position will be exposed?"

"Yes, it's best to kill them and head to our target. If we let them go, they might find us or report Rea. Rea is not a mutated beast. It should be clear to those mutated humans."

"Indeed. Even though Rea is not really public knowledge as of now, she is still an anomaly in this place."

Clovis didn't continue further, but his intention had been clearly conveyed. It looked like they had gone a bit too far into the mutated humans area.

"In that case, I will head there first." Aileen nodded. She sped up while erasing her presence.

Clovis nodded.

"Do you want me to snipe them?" Kanaria asked. "I got a clear view of them from here. A single bullet should be enough."

"It might leave a trace, or the sound you produce will be too loud."

"Then, how about me?" Rin asked.

"There's no need for that. I alone will be enough." Aileen finally spoke. "Clovis. Watch out for the direction you're coming from. If they sense you, it will all be for naught. Let me check them first."

"Got it. I will create a distraction if necessary."

Aileen let out a small hum as acknowledgement. She easily entered the building and moved skillfully within the building, going up to the rooftop.

In a glance, she was able to assess their strength. "One Tier 4 and two Tier 5. Should I kill them now?"

"They might be as strong as the mutated beasts, considering they are settling in this place."

"In that case, approach from the south. Melody, give him a new route. Rea, continue to distract them."

"Got it." Clovis immediately followed the route Melody provided, approaching the building carefully so that they wouldn't find him.

Ultimately, he managed to reach the building. Unlike Aileen, Clovis used his Beast Manifestation Art to jump up.

Clovis could cover the remaining distance within one second. "In position."

"Understood." Aileen approached them. The biggest target would be the Tier 5 humans. As long as she killed him swiftly, they would have an easier time ending this. "3…2…1…go!"

As soon as Aileen finished her words, she stabbed one sword through the heart while the other sword cut his neck, ensuring the kill.

"Gah!" The mutated human spat blood before dropping to the floor.

"!!!" The other two mutated humans turned around. There were only one Tier 5 male and one Tier 4 female left.

"Ene—!" Before they could say anything, Aileen jumped to the Tier 5 male. "Kh."

The female tried to help him, but Clovis immediately leaped to the top of the building.

Without hesitation, Clovis slashed the man's throat.

The female panicked, but Clovis didn't allow her to do anything. He closed the gap between them and struck her. The female seemed to be using her beast soul.

As they originally expected, the beast's soul was much stronger than it was supposed to be.

However, this attack was just a distraction. Clovis still possessed overwhelming strength that even a Tier 4 mutated beast couldn't stop. So, this attack pinned her posture.

Meanwhile, Aileen had been freed from the Tier 5 man after Clovis killed him, allowing her to loop around them. From behind, she slit the female's throat before she could utter another word.

Their movement was so swift and coordinated that they took down these three people in just three seconds.

Clovis nodded, confirming the kill.

"We had better hide them somewhere."

"Let's bring them to the second floor. I saw a room that fit the criteria."

Clovis agreed, even though he was quite surprised that Aileen actually had the time to do even that.

They both dragged them to the room on the second floor, buried them under a pile of rubble, and made it in a way that no one would feel suspicious about it. The only thing that was left behind was blood, but they couldn't do anything about it due to the lack of time.

Once they were done, they would catch up with the rest of the team, who were already moving to their next location.

Still, this might be the first time he saw Aileen assassinate someone. If she wanted to, she could probably assassinate a high-ranking individual. As long as there was no special equipment, Tier 7 or Tier 8 human, or unique trick, Aileen could probably assassinate that person.

Of course, he hadn't found any target that fit such criteria, but knowing this potential alone was enough. In the end, she was an assassin. She might have acted as a fighter or a scout in their team, but her talent was here.

Unbeknownst to them, the mutated humans that they killed were not normal mutated humans.

Hours after they left, a mutated middle-aged man was staring at the blood left on the rooftop. His expression darkened.