Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

Cui Ming couldn't let the assassin escape, so he threw the steel coil out before the assassin could retreat.

He had long sensed the atmosphere in the ventilation ducts; the footsteps, which they thought were being concealed, were as clear as drums beating in his ears. Cui Ming expressionlessly grabbed the multi-ton steel coil at his feet, his arm muscles tensed like iron, his waist and abdomen straining, his whole body like a fully drawn bow.

The roll of steel groaned under its own weight in his hands, then slipped from his grasp, spinning and tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound as it hurtled straight toward the ventilation duct's exit.

"boom!!!"

The steel coil struck the lead assassin precisely, the immense impact slamming him against the wall. The metal clashed with flesh with a dull thud, instantly cracking the wall, spiderweb-like fissures spreading outwards. The remaining four assassins were thrown off balance by the blast, rolling to the ground like rag dolls, the crisp sound of breaking bones clearly audible. They didn't even have time to scream before being struck by flying rubble and steel fragments, their heads bleeding profusely, paralyzed on the ground, unable to move.

Cui Ming patted the rust off his hands, picked up a towel to wipe his sweat, and called out to the door, "Saeko, the goods are delivered."

Saeko Busujima walked in, knife in hand. Looking at the human-shaped indentation embedded in the steel coil on the wall and the scattered assassins on the floor, a gentle smile played on her lips. She loved killing people, especially these half-dead, defenseless targets.

"Sent by SEELE again?" She tilted her head, the blade gleaming coldly in the lamplight.

"Okay, I'm leaving it to you. Just leave one person alive to ask questions." Cui Ming put on his coat and walked out of the training room without looking back.

Saeko Busujima nodded, raised her beloved knife, and gave a sweet smile to the terrified assassins on the ground.

"So, who wants to try first?"

Saeko Busujima smiled.

She stood at the training room door, gazing at the human-shaped indentation on the wall and the steel coil embedded within it. A slow, gentle smile curved her lips, revealing a tender yet dangerous curve. Her eyes gleamed with excitement under the light, like a hunter spotting the fattest prey, or a child seeing the most fascinating toy. She carried her knife, her steps light as she walked to Cui Ming's side, tilting her head back to place a light kiss on his cheek. The warm touch was fleeting, carrying a hint of coolness and sweetness.

"Leave it to me." Her voice was so soft it sounded like she was pleading, but her fingers gripping the hilt of the knife were already slightly white with excitement, and her knuckles made a soft cracking sound.

Then she turned around and rushed straight up.

The assassins, still reeling from the shock, lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies feeling as if they had been dismantled and reassembled, too weak to even get up. They stared at their comrade embedded in the wall, at the deformed roll of steel, their pupils contracting sharply, a gurgling sound escaping their throats.

"That thing is definitely not human!" The lead assassin spat out a mouthful of blood, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows. "What human could throw a steel coil at us! That's a steel coil! A five-ton industrial steel coil! He threw it! He threw it! Like throwing a piece of paper! This is simply not something a human could do!"

"We're on an assassination mission! Not a suicide mission!" another assassin yelled, clutching his broken leg, tears and snot streaming down his face, his voice cracking. "This costs more money! No! We won't do it even for more money! We wouldn't come even for a mountain of gold! We kill people! People! Not monsters!"

“He’s a monster… a monster in human skin…” The third assassin’s eyes were glazed over, as if he had been paralyzed with fear, muttering repeatedly, “We can’t kill him… we can’t kill him… this mission was wrong from the start… those old bastards at SEELE tricked us…”

Saeko Busujima walked up to them, the blade gleaming coldly in the lamplight. She tilted her head, her smile as sweet as if greeting an old friend: "Now, it's my turn. How would you like to die? Quickly, or... slowly?"

The assassins looked at the woman with a knife and a gentle smile, then at the man wiping sweat at the door, and finally realized—they had messed with the wrong person tonight, terribly wrong.

Choi Myung was kissed, shook his head helplessly, picked up his coat and put it on, then called out to Saeko Busujima's back, "Like I said, leave one question that you can still answer, the rest... do as you please."

"I know." Saeko Busujima waved her hand without turning her head, the blade already pressed against the throat of the nearest assassin. "I'll take good care of them, after all... they're rare toys."

The assassins knew that waiting to die would only lead to their demise, and their instinct for survival overcame their fear. The leader gritted his teeth, pulled out a silenced pistol from his pocket, and frantically pulled the trigger at Saeko Busujima.

"Go to hell! Go to die! Go to die!"

Bullets poured from the chambers, tracing deadly paths through the air as they hurtled towards Saeko Busujima's chest, head, and limbs. The muzzle flashes flickered in the dimly lit training room, illuminating the assassins' twisted and ferocious faces.

Saeko Busujima smiled.

Her body swayed slightly, like a willow branch swaying in the wind, or a reflection on water, turning her body at an incredible angle. The first bullet grazed her ear, stirring a few strands of hair; the second bullet was dodged by her slightly ducking, whistling overhead; she didn't even bother to dodge the third bullet, merely tilting her head slightly, and the metal embedded itself in the wall behind her with a dull thud. "Too slow."

Her voice was as gentle as if soothing a child to sleep. Her steps were light and graceful, and she became a blur, weaving through the hail of bullets. The assassins' pupils contracted sharply, their fingers frantically pulling the triggers, but each bullet was a step too late. They could only watch helplessly as the woman with the knife drew closer and closer.

"This is impossible! This is impossible!" the lead assassin screamed in despair, his voice trembling. "She dodged! She dodged everything! This is not something a human could do!"

"Then let's fight together! Don't stop! Don't stop!"

Another assassin drew his gun, his hands trembling as he joined in the firing, the bullets becoming even denser, almost completely blocking all of Saeko Busujima's escape routes. But Saeko Busujima merely narrowed her eyes slightly, her long sword tracing a perfect arc in the air.

"clang!"

A crisp metallic clang rang out, and sparks exploded on the blade. A bullet was precisely cleaved in two, flying past Saeko Busujima's body on either side and leaving two bullet holes in the ground behind her.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three more shots rang out in quick succession, as she cleaved three bullets in two with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. The blade left silver trails in the air, like a deadly dance. Fragments of the bullets scattered and left fine scratches on the wall.

The assassins were utterly desperate.

Their hands began to tremble uncontrollably; most of the bullets in their guns had been fired, yet the woman's clothes remained unscathed. She could not only dodge bullets but also slice them apart with a knife—a skill far beyond their comprehension of humanity.

“Monsters…you’re all monsters…” One of the assassins slumped to the ground, his pistol slipping from his hand, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. “SEELE lied to us…this wasn’t an assassination…this was sending us to our deaths…”

“Don’t cry,” Saeko Busujima walked up to him, gently lifting his chin with the tip of her knife, her smile chillingly gentle. “At least your deaths were worthwhile, and they will make me happy for a long time.”

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of light appeared.

The assassin's throat was precisely slit, blood gushing out. He clutched his neck, making gurgling sounds, his eyes quickly losing focus. Saeko Busujima looked at the fallen corpse and couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh.

"next."

She turned to look at the remaining three, her excitement almost palpable. The remaining assassins huddled together, like mice cornered by a cat, trembling and too weak to even run away.

"No...don't come any closer..."

"Please... let us go... we don't know anything..."

"We're hired...we're just doing our jobs for money..."

Saeko Busujima tilted her head, as if seriously considering their pleas, then revealed an even brighter smile: "But... when you came to kill him, you didn't intend to let him go, did you? So... I don't plan to let you go either."

She approached step by step, knife in hand, its blade gleaming bloodthirstyly in the lamplight. The desperate screams of the assassins echoed in the training room, but Saeko Busujima's laughter was even more melodious and clear than their cries.

Finally, she left the leader of the assassins alone, smashing his kneecap with the hilt of her knife, leaving him paralyzed on the ground.

“Don’t worry, you’re still alive,” Saeko Busujima crouched down and patted his pale face with the back of her knife. “After all, Choi said he wanted to keep someone alive for questioning. But… if you don’t answer honestly…”

"I'll make you regret ever being alive." (End of Chapter)