Breaking Bad-Boss Li Xiang

After that day, Homura's attitude seemed to soften.

She treated Li Xiang a little better, too, no longer quite so icy.

Let us congratulate Senku on securing the position of Village Chief.

But now, the biggest, most troublesome obstacle standing in everyone's way was still one thing-sulfuric acid.

Without sulfuric acid, every subsequent step in making the medicine was dead in the water.

Taking advantage of a peaceful lull while everyone at camp was busy with their own work, Li Xiang sought out Gen Asagiri, who was slacking off and wandering around.

The moment Li Xiang appeared unannounced, alarm bells went off in Gen's head.

He didn't even need to think about it. Whenever this woman came looking for someone, it never meant anything good.

Li Xiang didn't beat around the bush. She got straight to the point.

"Little Gen, I know you're a very, very, very talented Mentalist, so I'm counting on you to win Homura over!"

"Little Li Xiang~ You're giving me far too much credit." Before Gen could wriggle out of it, Li Xiang set the thing he loved and had his eye on down on the table.

That's right. Cola!

"I'll get the job done, guaranteed!"

Heh. Look at that change of tune. Reassured, Li Xiang turned and closed the door behind her.

For several days straight, the entire team fretted over the sulfuric acid problem. The more they thought about it, the worse their headaches got.

Li Xiang crouched on the camp's stone steps, propping her chin in one hand, her brows tightly furrowed.

In the modern world, sulfuric acid was everywhere, and mass-producing it industrially was easy.

But in this entirely primitive Stone Age with zero industry, obtaining it was a challenge straight out of hell.

It was far too dangerous, with almost no margin for error. The slightest mistake could mean corrosive burns or a fatal dose of toxic gas.

"What a nightmare..."

Li Xiang couldn't help muttering a complaint, her face pinched with frustration as she frantically considered possible solutions.

Wasn't there an easier way?

Couldn't I find a quick route with zero risk and no injuries?

She ran through chemical formulas and old-fashioned extraction techniques over and over in her head, but no amount of thinking yielded a perfect shortcut.

Forgive me. I'm bad at chemistry... High risk, high reward. Low risk, no results.

Just as she was brooding alone, a clanging sound came from the other side of camp, mingled with Chrome's muttered complaints.

Li Xiang looked up.

Senku had roped old Fossil into helping him. The two stood before a pile of animal hides, timber, and thin tubing, heads lowered as they tinkered with some intricate device.

Chrome had been crouching beside them for quite a while. The longer he watched, the more confused he became. Unable to make any sense of what they were doing, he scratched his head and asked.

"Senku, what exactly are you making? It looks really weird."

At that, Senku raised his head, silver hair falling across his forehead, and flashed his signature grin.

He lifted the half-finished item. "Kukuku. This? A gas mask."

"With this, even in an environment with a high concentration of toxic gas, we'll be able to keep moving safely for a while instead of immediately getting poisoned and passing out."

Chrome's eyes went wide on the spot, his face filled with shock. "It's that amazing?!"

Now we're set!

With gas masks, we won't have to worry about getting poisoned!

Everyone was thrilled, except Li Xiang, who stood off to the side looking distinctly unenthusiastic.

Protective equipment certainly made things safer, but ultimately, there was still a risk.

Never mind Senku-with that water-flea constitution of his, sending him would be far too dangerous. And then there's Chrome... Even if they finish the gas masks, what if he panics when the time comes?

What if he doesn't use it properly?

She lowered her eyes and sighed, utterly deflated and helpless. She didn't want them to take that risk.

Right now... Other than treating illnesses, I really... don't seem able to help with anything.

Just as she was worrying herself nearly bald, a tiny figure came pattering over.

Little Watermelon blinked his big, clear eyes, came up beside Li Xiang, and spoke in a soft little voice.

"Big Sister Li Xiang, what are you thinking about all by yourself?"

His sweet, childish voice instantly soothed some of her frustration.

Li Xiang immediately hid her worried expression, reached up to gently ruffle Little Watermelon's hair, and softened her voice.

"Nothing. I'm not thinking about anything."

She was just a little worried about how to save Ruri.

Little Watermelon tilted his head, only half understanding. Then his eyes lit up as though he'd remembered something wonderful, and he excitedly grabbed Li Xiang's sleeve.

"Big Sister Li Xiang! I found something super pretty! Come and see!"

The little boy wasn't very strong, but he was exceptionally persistent, gently tugging at Li Xiang's sleeve with eyes full of anticipation.

Unable to resist his enthusiasm, Li Xiang rose with a helpless sigh and let Little Watermelon pull her all the way to the sparse woods on Back Mountain.

They crossed a stretch of grass and skirted several low bushes, then came upon a clearing covered in a dazzling expanse of mushrooms.

They came in every color-red, purple, blue, speckled-growing in clusters, so beautiful they hardly seemed real, like tiny colorful flowers scattered through the woods.

They were dazzling, their beauty off the charts.

Little Watermelon pointed at the mushrooms, chattering with delight.

"Look, Big Sister! Aren't they super pretty?"

Li Xiang glanced at them and immediately recognized what they were.

She raised her hand again, gently stroking Little Watermelon's head as she patiently warned him.

"Little Watermelon, all these pretty mushrooms are poisonous."

"You mustn't touch them, and you definitely mustn't eat them. If you accidentally eat one, you'll get poisoned and fall ill."

"Huh? Really...?"

Little Watermelon's face immediately fell. The anticipation vanished from his eyes, and he hung his head forlornly, looking terribly disappointed.

He had thought he'd found some tasty ingredients they could eat. All that excitement had been for nothing.

Seeing his dejected expression, Li Xiang's heart melted, and she gently comforted him.

"It's all right, Watermelon. If you want mushrooms, I'll find some safe, edible ones for you later and make you something tasty. How does that sound?"

"Hooray for Big Sister ≧▽≦!"

Little Watermelon instantly bounced back, his eyes curving with his smile again.

After comforting the child, Li Xiang looked at the colorful poisonous mushrooms covering the ground, and a sudden spark of inspiration flashed through her worry-knotted mind!

So there really weren't any good ideas left?

Li Xiang: "Shut up!"

Her eyes brightened slightly as she quickly reviewed the situation. Gathering sulfuric acid was too risky, and she couldn't use chemical weapons...

[Please note that biological and chemical weapons are also strictly prohibited in warfare.]

Then why not approach it from a different angle?

These wild poisonous mushrooms contained natural toxins.

A little extraction would yield an all-natural toxic solution.

As long as she quietly mixed that mushroom extract into the enemy's food and drinking water...

Come to think of it...

Secretly adding a little something to Tsukasa's group's food... wouldn't really be going too far, would it?

The only question was-would doing that be a little too rude?

It's fine... I have montmorillonite powder.

Montmorillonite powder was used to treat diarrhea.

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