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

Aside from Ludmilla, Snow White was also preparing to leave. However, her reasons were different: she was searching for clues about the Queen. 

Initially, she had planned to track down that elusive Rapture, but unfortunately, it seemed to have sensed Mo Chen's presence and fled.

"By the way, don't you still have a bullet?" Mo Chen suddenly recalled that Snow White carried a purging agent round.

"How do you know that?" Snow White turned to look at Mo Chen, her expression curious and slightly surprised. She didn't remember mentioning it.

"I felt it when I was treating you," Mo Chen replied casually.

Back when Snow White was ill, Mo Chen had remembered the purging agent bullet and decided to search for it while she rested against him. After a long search and finding nothing on her, he deduced it might be in her clothing. Sure enough, upon checking her equipment, he found it there. Out of respect, Mo Chen didn't take the bullet then, deciding instead to ask her first. After all, taking it without her consent would have felt like theft.

As for any earlier misunderstandings between them, he had long since let them go.

Snow White turned her head away, her pale cheeks blushing slightly. Her voice was faint as she murmured, "Stop talking about it."

She reached for the massive anti-ship weapon strapped to her back. Even someone as cold and composed as Snow White couldn't help but feel a bit shy in such a situation.

"Wait a second!" Mo Chen exclaimed, startled. He quickly reached out to stop her hand.

It wasn't that serious—there was no need to resort to weapons.

Snow White's cheeks flushed deeper as she pursed her lips. Her voice grew softer. "Let go of my hand."

Mo Chen hesitated. Who knew if she might turn around and fire at him? Sure, he might survive even if his head got blasted off, but it would still hurt like hell.

"You... wanted the bullet, right?" Snow White asked quietly.

Only then did Mo Chen realize he had misunderstood her intentions. He let go of her hand, and Snow White reached into her weapon's storage compartment, retrieved the bullet, and handed it to him.

"This is it. From this bullet, we might be able to trace some clues about the Queen," she explained.

Mo Chen was surprised. He hadn't expected her to hand it over so easily.

"Alright then. You can go," Mo Chen said, feeling satisfied with the acquisition. Now, he could begin research on the purging agent. If successful, this could liberate the Nikkes within the Ark from their mental restraints.

Snow White nodded faintly. "I'll be leaving now." Without a hint of hesitation, she turned and started walking away, her cold demeanor unshaken.

"Wait. Why don't I repair your weapon before you go?" Mo Chen called out to her.

Previously, he had used the restorative spray to heal her body, essentially giving her a new lease on life. However, her weaponry had been left untouched. After years of wear and tear, along with damage sustained during countless battles, her weaponry was no longer in peak condition.

"There's no need," Snow White paused momentarily, looking back at him. She declined his offer with a calm and distant expression. "A weapon only needs to be functional."

Her words carried a sense of detachment from material concerns, embodying purity and independence. She was like the pristine snowfields of the northern ice plains—untouched, aloof, and unyielding, a snow lotus blooming in isolation.

Seeing her refusal, he didn't press further. However, he made a mental note to set aside any weapons suitable for her if he came across them in the future.

As her figure disappeared into the distance, Mo Chen suddenly remembered something important.

"I've got some instant noodles here. Want some?"

These were from a reward he had won a long time ago.

Snow White's ears perked up immediately. In a flash, she was in front of Mo Chen, reaching out her hand.

"Thank you."

The cold and aloof demeanor she usually carried had completely vanished. Her speed was so quick that even Mo Chen was startled.

As he stood there, marveling at her agility, Snow White stepped closer. Wrapping her arms around Mo Chen's waist, she tiptoed, her exquisitely beautiful face drawing nearer. 

Her soft lips pressed firmly against his.

Mo Chen froze, stunned.

What was she doing?!

Before he could react further, Snow White's tongue gently pushed past his lips. It slipped in, exploring clumsily, almost shyly, as though searching for something. Her movements were slightly awkward but persistent, giving Mo Chen a soft and slippery sensation.

Caught off guard, he felt his arms instinctively wrap around her slender body. One hand caressed her smooth back, while the other wandered downward, resting on her round and firm curves.

But before things could escalate, she abruptly pushed him away.

Her usually cold and frosty face was now flushed red.

"Liar. It's not tasty at all!"

Her words left Mo Chen dumbfounded.

Liar?

Snow White turned her head, biting her lips, her ears glowing red. "Ludmilla lied to me!"

Lied to her?

Mo Chen finally pieced it together and couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't expected the elegant and refined Ludmilla to play such a mischievous prank on Snow White—and even less that Snow White would fall for it so earnestly.

She walked back over to Mo Chen, tiptoed once again, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Noticing his surprised expression, she looked away and mumbled:

"It's… it's a cheek kiss. A formality."

But her ears turned even redder.

Mo Chen was at a loss for words. What exactly had Ludmilla been teaching her?

Snow White eventually departed.

The group suddenly felt much smaller with just him and Papillon left. The quieter atmosphere was almost unsettling to Mo Chen, who unconsciously touched his lips, as if still able to feel the faint, elegant taste Snow White left behind.

Trailing behind Mo Chen like a dutiful assistant, Papillon obediently followed. But her gaze occasionally drifted toward him, then toward the fading silhouette of Snow White. Her heart was filled with shock.

A few days earlier, after re-establishing contact with the Ark, she had learned from the files that the seemingly cold and detached Snow White was, in fact, a Pilgrim.

Pilgrims, part of the legendary Goddess Squad, were the oldest and most powerful of all Nikkes.

It was said that any single Pilgrim could effortlessly defeat a Tyrant-class Rapture.

Ludmilla alone had already amazed her.

But what truly left her speechless was the fact that Snow White—a Pilgrim—had just thrown herself into Mo Chen's arms!

Mo Chen noticed Papillon's astonished gaze and suddenly remembered that she'd been present the entire time.

"Keep this to yourself. Don't tell anyone," he said.

Papillon froze, lowering her head immediately. Her voice trembled as she replied, "I was just on a call earlier. I didn't hear or see anything."

A thin layer of sweat began to form on her forehead. This was clearly a warning!

She resolved then and there—this was a secret she would take to her grave.