Before the assault outside fully concluded, the inside of the Consortium base had turned into a living nightmare.
The corridors were choked with the acrid stench of chemicals and the sharp metallic tang of blood. Echoes of tortured screams bounced off the walls as soldiers and staff alike fell to Kael's toxic concoction, their bodies convulsing violently. Pools of crimson and bile streaked the once-sterile floors, marking the passage of death.
Kael strolled through the chaos, his black mask and reinforced coat lending him an aura of death itself. He paused to kneel by a soldier's writhing body, his gloved fingers pressing against the skin now blistered and discolored.
"Hmm," he mused, his voice muffled but chilling. "The new blend seems to be working fine. Good dispersion, and fatal within seconds. I'll have to remember this ratio for later."
He adjusted the straps on his coat, his mask sealing tightly against his face. "It's fortunate I reinforced these materials," he muttered, rising to his feet. "Exposure to this would've been... unpleasant, even for me."
A crackling voice broke through the chaos.
"Intruder sighted!"
"Open fire!"
Kael looked up as a squad of soldiers in tactical gear rounded the corner, rifles trained on him. They were wearing gas masks—smart, but not smart enough.
Kael reacted instantly, grabbing the limp body of a nearby corpse and using it as a makeshift shield. Bullets tore into the lifeless form, but Kael remained unharmed behind his grisly barrier.
"Hmph," he remarked, his tone laced with dark humor. "It seems they've learned one lesson at least."
As the soldiers advanced, Kael flicked his wrist, and a slim pipe extended from his sleeve. With a sharp hiss, it ignited, spewing a torrent of roaring flames.
The soldiers stumbled back in shock, their screams muffled by their masks as the fire consumed them. The hallway became a hellish inferno, the charred smell of burning flesh mixing with the lingering chemical fumes.
Kael stepped over the blackened remains, his boots crunching against the brittle, ash-like bones. He glanced at his pipe, inspecting the nozzle for any clogs before retracting it with a flick of his wrist.
"Efficient, as always," he said to himself, his tone calm, almost casual.
Further down the corridor, another group of soldiers attempted to block his path. This time, they carried heavier weapons—shotguns and explosives meant for close-quarters combat. Kael tilted his head, his eyes narrowing behind the mask.
"Ah, escalation. How predictable," he muttered.
Reaching into his coat, he retrieved a spherical canister. With a twist of the top, the device hissed loudly, emitting a pale green mist that quickly filled the corridor.
The soldiers hesitated, their confidence wavering as the fog enveloped them. Even with their masks, they began to choke and stumble, their movements sluggish. One by one, they collapsed to the ground, clawing at their throats as their bodies betrayed them.
Kael walked past the twitching figures, his pace unhurried. "Your filters can't save you from nerve agents. Too bad you didn't think to upgrade."
Eventually, Kael reached his destination: a secured laboratory door reinforced with steel plating and a biometric lock. He placed his hand on the surface, feeling the faint vibrations of the machinery within.
"Well, let's see if this little surprise was worth the effort," he said, pulling out a cylindrical device from his coat. He placed it against the door and stepped back.
The device emitted a high-pitched whine before erupting in a controlled explosion. Shards of metal flew inward, and smoke poured into the room.
Kael stepped through the breach, his eyes scanning the lab. Rows of monitors displayed data streams, and shelves were stocked with vials of unknown substances. He moved quickly, retrieving small samples and placing them into a protective case.
As alarms blared overhead, Kael placed a series of charges around the room. "This should keep the Consortium busy for a while," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Exiting the lab, he glanced down. "Plenty of time."
Kael continued his path of destruction, leaving a trail of fire, poison, and corpses in his wake. To the few survivors who caught glimpses of him through the smoke and flames, he was not a man—he was death incarnate, moving with purpose and precision.
With his objectives complete, Kael made his way toward the extraction point, the final explosions rocking the base behind him.
"Let's see how the others fared," he muttered, stepping over another lifeless body.