NIKKE: The Apocalypse Arrives, But the System is 100 Years Late

Mo Chen focused completely, holding the sniper rifle steady against his shoulder as he aimed at the bombs falling from the sky, pulling the trigger repeatedly.

The bullets seemed to have minds of their own, hitting their marks with pinpoint precision.

Auto Aim.

It was a chip from the Nier universe.

The same kind of overpowered chip only available in low-difficulty modes. It provided auto-aim and automatic lock-on—essentially a built-in aimbot. Even a complete amateur could instantly become a sharpshooter with it.

Cost: 20,000 points.

Honestly, considering its performance, it was a steal. If it hadn't been a discounted item in the beginner's shop, it could've easily cost 100,000 points.

The sniper rifle itself was also doing heavy lifting.

Its firepower was insane—able to pierce both a Rapture and its shield in one shot. Bombs that would normally take several rounds to destroy were detonated instantly.

The only drawback was its massive recoil, designed for Nikkes, not humans.

But for Mo Chen, who could punch with the force of thousands of tons, recoil was nothing.

Grabbing the still-dazed Papillon, he sped toward the Land Eater. At the same time, another wave of bombs followed, accompanied by a swarm of energy particle spheres.

Their flight speed wasn't fast, but they made up for it with sheer density.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Bombs raining down were detonated mid-air, and the low thuds of sniper fire echoed through the field.

It was Alice!

She was positioned atop a ruined building in the distance, using her sniper rifle to provide cover fire for Mo Chen.

Her firing rate was astonishing, practically turning the bolt-action sniper into a semi-auto rifle.

Every shot hit its mark.

The bullets had incredible penetration, punching through even the tough shells of the bombs.

Thanks to her support, he didn't have to waste time taking out incoming explosives.

Meanwhile, the Raptures on the ground weren't so lucky.

Caught in the crossfire of the Land Eater's bombardment, they were shredded by their own side's explosions, turning into piles of debris and scorched earth.

Suddenly, a massive beam of light shot out from a distant hillside, slamming into the Land Eater's lower supports with pinpoint accuracy.

Boom!

The circular base beneath it crumbled under the blast from an anti-material rifle.

It was Snow White!

Alice's follow-up shots came right after, precisely targeting the support structures below the Land Eater.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, the Land Eater tilted as its supports collapsed. Its gun barrels, now misaligned, lost their aim, and the shells fired scattered randomly, detonating across the battlefield.

Amidst the thunderous rumbling, the base crumbled further, revealing four massive legs emerging from the debris.

The true form of the Land Eater finally appeared—towering over 30 meters tall.

The sight of the monstrous machine sent shivers down everyone's spine.

It had entered its next phase!

Mo Chen, already familiar with the battle strategy from the game, knew what was coming next.

Laser beam attack incoming!

As expected, the Land Eater's massive particle cannon began charging.

Scarlet light flickered at its core—a clear sign that it was about to fire.

Mo Chen immediately aimed for its weak spot and fired.

But before the bullet could hit, the Land Eater ejected a swarm of dark, buzzing objects that intercepted the shot.

It was Rapture reinforcements.

In particular, some emitted particle radiation, dampening the bullets' power and blocking the attack.

"Watch out—!"

That brief delay gave the Land Eater enough time to finish charging.

In the next instant, a several-meter-wide particle beam erupted from its cannon, tearing through the air at breakneck speed—heading straight for Mo Chen!

But this was exactly what he had been expecting.

Bullet Dodging Chip—Activated!

He turned into a blur, dodging the high-energy particle cannon's blast and reappearing on the other side.

A long trench, still smoldering with smoke, stretched for several kilometers where the beam had scorched the earth.

His arm, transformed into a shield, was also smoking.

Even though he could dodge projectiles, the sheer radiation from the energy blast still had an impact.

Up on the hill, Ludmilla finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Mo Chen was unharmed.

For a moment, when she saw the Land Eater's particle beam hit him, her heart nearly stopped.

Meanwhile, he was already closing in on the Land Eater, now less than a few hundred meters away—practically within striking range.

But just then, energy surged around the devices on the Land Eater's sides, and Ludmilla suddenly remembered something, her face paling.

No!

That's the base's shield generator!

The research facility had been outfitted with fortress-grade defenses, including more than just offensive weapons like bombs and particle cannons.

It also had a high-energy particle barrier system—a defensive measure designed to block explosions, armor-piercing rounds, and high-energy particle beams.

Even Tyrant-class Raptures had failed to break through it before.

No one knew the strength of that shield better than Ludmilla.

She immediately tried to warn Mo Chen to retreat.

Once the shield was activated, it was nearly impossible to penetrate.

Back when they abandoned the base, Ludmilla and the others had sabotaged the shield's controls, ensuring it couldn't be used.

But somehow, the Raptures had managed to hijack the system.

"Beep, beep, beep—!"

"Severe Alva particle interference detected. Communication disrupted. Unable to establish contact…"

Gritting her teeth, she grabbed her machine gun and left cover.

Ignoring the hail of bullets and explosions around her, she charged down the hillside through the cleared path, pushing toward Mo Chen's position.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The machine gun roared, unleashing a torrent of red-hot bullets aimed directly at the Land Eater's leg joints—its weak spot!

The devices flanking the enormous Rapture hummed with eerie light, signaling that the shield was about to activate.

Mo Chen knew how thick that shield was.

Even in the game, it required maxed-out gear and firepower to punch through, and the only realistic strategy was to force it into overload mode to create a 25-second window before it rebooted.

But that was in the game: in reality, there were no guarantees.

And in a battle this intense, 25 seconds was more than enough time for the Rapture swarm to bury him alive.

Just then, the Land Eater staggered, its body tilting off balance.

Its targeting systems faltered, and the shield's activation lagged; its leg joint had been shot out.

It was Ludmilla!

Those few seconds she bought were all Mo Chen needed!

"Snow White!"

Mo Chen shouted toward the distant hilltop.

Almost instantly—

A scorching high-energy particle beam pierced through the air and slammed heavily into the shield!

It was Snow White's response—anti-ship weaponry!

In an instant, the once-stable shield trembled violently, its integrity destabilizing and its defensive power dropping sharply.

Now's the chance!

"Haah—!"

Mo Chen let out a thunderous roar, stomping the ground and launching himself high into the air like a massive missile.

His arm swelled, muscles bulging as his fist transformed into Iron Fist Mode, amplifying his strength by twentyfold in an instant. (T.N. When did he gain this mode, I feel like I missed it…)

The next moment, his ironclad punch tore through the air with unstoppable force and smashed directly into the Land Eater's shield.

Boom—!

A deafening explosion erupted!

The sheer force poured out like a torrential flood, shaking the earth.

The sound was like a massive bell ringing right beside everyone's ears.

The shockwave swept out, instantly shattering the surrounding Raptures into pieces.

Even the Nikkes stationed further away were knocked off their feet by the tremor, losing their balance and falling to the ground.

As for the massive body of the Land Eater, it was sent tilting to one side, lifted momentarily off the ground by the impact.

The distant Nikkes were completely stunned by what they saw.

Was that even human?!

Ludmilla was equally shocked.

This level of power had already exceeded her understanding.

But even after being struck so hard that its entire frame tilted, the Land Eater's shield still didn't shatter!

Ludmilla wasn't entirely surprised—she knew just how durable that shield was.

Suddenly, the high-energy particle cannons on both sides of the Land Eater began to glow intensely.

No!

Ludmilla's expression changed drastically.

Danger!

She wanted to shout a warning, but it was already too late.

Papillon's face had gone pale as a sheet, her eyes tightly shut, bracing for death.

Yet, in that very moment, Mo Chen—still suspended mid-air—revealed a faint, confident smirk.

Now!

He unleashed another fully charged punch, driving it straight into the Land Eater's shield—targeting its weak spot!