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

A total wipeout?

Mo Chen's brows furrowed. His ominous premonition had come true.

No wonder Andersen had come to personally inform him about this.

If the people of the Ark found out, it would likely cause widespread panic and chaos.

Because the ones who had been completely wiped out weren't just the elite forces of the three major corporations. More importantly, it meant that with nothing left to stop Material H's invasion, the fall of the Ark would become inevitable.

That was the real threat.

However, the news was too shocking, making Mo Chen doubt the authenticity of the intelligence.

"How certain is this information?"

Mo Chen pondered for a moment before asking.

Andersen's expression was equally grim. He had even lost the mood to drink his coffee. His brows were heavy with concern, and he sighed deeply, looking helpless.

"If I wasn't at least somewhat certain, I wouldn't have come to find you."

Mo Chen silently nodded.

Andersen was a cautious man who wouldn't speak without certainty.

"Which units were involved?"

Andersen replied, "The Matis Squad from Missilis, the Café Sweety Squad from Tetra Line, the Infinity Rail Squad from Elysion, and the Absolute…"

Absolute?

Mo Chen's heart tightened.

The first person he thought of was Eunhwa.

Andersen was surprised to see Mo Chen so visibly shaken. It was the first time he had seen him so unsettled.

Noticing Andersen's gaze, Mo Chen took a deep breath, calmed himself, and focused on analyzing the situation.

"When was the last transmission?"

"About two days ago."

Two days…

Mo Chen's mind worked rapidly.

There was still a chance.

Material H might attack all living beings on the surface, including humans and Nikkes, but unlike regular Raptures, it wasn't attacking aimlessly. Its goal was to absorb Nikkes, extracting their core essence to evolve into a Heretic.

Most Nikkes targeted by Material H weren't killed immediately but were instead captured and slowly drained until they perished.

To put it bluntly, it was quite the twisted aspiration—being so obsessed with beautiful girls that it decided to transform itself into one.

However, Mo Chen didn't find this behavior acceptable.

"There's one more piece of intel," Andersen said, pulling out his phone and sending Mo Chen a combat recording. "This was sent by the forward reconnaissance unit before they lost contact."

Mo Chen retrieved his phone and played the video.

In the footage, the Absolute Squad was engaged in intense combat. The camera was shaking violently, but Mo Chen's sharp eyes quickly caught something unusual.

The enemy they were fighting… was a humanoid entity.

And upon closer inspection—it was a Nikke.

"A Nikke?"

"Yes," Andersen nodded gravely, his tone heavy. "Based on the analysis from our data teams, these Nikkes have most likely been infected by a virus, turning them into Rapture-controlled puppets. And this virus isn't the standard Rapture corruption—it's something entirely new."

Mo Chen sank into deep thought.

Being corrupted by the Rapture virus wasn't anything new.

It had happened in the original game's storyline as well.

However, this time, things were different. A large number of Nikkes had been infected—something that had never happened before.

And from the footage, the infected Nikkes were abnormally strong. Their attack power, speed, and precision far exceeded those of ordinary elite Nikkes. What's more, one of them gave Mo Chen a strangely familiar feeling.

Additionally, Mo Chen suspected he had encountered this virus before—the same one that had affected Snow White and Alice.

Andersen voiced his own hypothesis.

"The failure of this mission may be directly related to the virus."

"To prevent the Ark from falling, we must continue deploying troops to eliminate Material H. If it awakens as a Heretic or manages to unearth the Ark's foundations, it would spell the end of humanity."

"But to avoid having our forces infected by the unknown virus, we need someone immune to it."

Andersen's gaze locked onto Mo Chen, full of expectation.

He didn't say it outright, but the meaning was clear.

At this stage, the only one strong enough and immune to the virus was Mo Chen. Sending other human forces to the surface would be no different from sending them to their deaths.

Besides, with the Ark's current state, even commanders didn't dare set foot on the surface—let alone ordinary humans. Unless they recruited some desperate outlaws from the Outer Rim, no one else would go.

Andersen left.

Mo Chen remained lost in thought.

Earlier, he had made a series of demands, and Andersen had agreed without hesitation. It was clear—the Ark was already on the brink of collapse.

Going to the surface was inevitable.

But before that, he had something else to take care of: he needed to pay someone a visit.

The moment Mo Chen left, the bedroom door creaked open, and a graceful figure tiptoed out. She looked around, making sure no one was present, then set her sights on the two half-finished cups of coffee on the table.

Like a thief sneaking around.

It was Neon.

Once she confirmed the coast was clear, her confidence skyrocketed.

She picked up the cup Andersen had used, wrinkled her nose in disgust, and tossed it straight into the trash without a second thought—she even wiped her hands with a tissue afterward.

Then, she turned her gaze toward Mo Chen's cup.

Seeing no one else around, Neon stealthily picked it up. She brought it close, inhaled the rich aroma, and let out a blissful sigh.

She looked as intoxicated as if she were indulging in something illicit.

Bringing the cup to her lips, she carefully placed them over the same spot Mo Chen had sipped from. As the rich flavor spread through her mouth, she felt as if she were sharing a kiss with him.

Her cheeks flushed crimson, the heat spreading all the way to her ears.

Like she had just tasted forbidden fruit.

"What am I even doing?! This is way too perverted!"

Neon cupped her burning face, feeling like she might catch fire.

"Hey! Has anyone seen my pudding? Who the hell ate it?!"

Anis's voice suddenly came from behind, startling Neon so much that she nearly dropped the coffee cup. She quickly turned around, hiding the cup behind her back.

"N-no! It wasn't me!"

Anis stepped out of her room, wearing a breezy tank top and shorts. The thin fabric barely covered anything, and the straps of her undergarments were faintly visible.

"That's weird… I swear I put it in the fridge," Anis muttered, scratching her head. Then, noticing Neon's nervous, stammering reaction, suspicion immediately flared up.

"Spill it! You're the one who stole it, aren't you? Come clean!"

"No, I didn't! It wasn't me!" Neon was practically sweating bullets, praying Anis wouldn't find out. She quickly tried to shift the blame. "Maybe Marian ate it! Why don't you ask her?"

At the same time, she cautiously took a few steps backward.

Anis narrowed her eyes at Neon's strange behavior. Her gaze flickered with doubt as she pointed at Neon's back.

"If it wasn't you, why are you so nervous? Wait… what are you hiding back there? Show me."