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

Seeing Neon still trying to hide something, Anis stepped forward. Neon instinctively backed away. Suddenly, Anis glanced behind Neon and exclaimed in surprise, "Commander, you're back!"

Neon, guilty as a thief, was startled and immediately turned around—only for Anis to snatch the coffee cup from her hands.

But behind her… there was nothing. No commander at all!

"You tricked me!"

Neon stomped her foot in frustration, furious that she had fallen for such a cheap trick. How humiliating!

Anis sniffed the coffee and, seeing nothing unusual about it, looked rather disappointed.

"I thought it was something special… turns out it's just coffee."

Neon froze for a moment before quickly nodding.

"Y-yeah, just coffee."

"If it's just coffee, why were you acting so sneaky?" Anis suddenly narrowed her eyes, stepping closer and scrutinizing Neon with suspicion. "You're definitely hiding something from me!"

"N-no, I'm not!"

Neon turned her head away, mumbling an unconvincing denial.

But her guilty expression made it painfully obvious.

Just then, Rapi walked out of the kitchen, casually glancing around the living room.

"Did Andersen and the commander leave already?"

"Andersen? The commander?"

Anis looked between Neon and the coffee cup in the trash can. After a moment of realization, her eyes widened as she pointed accusingly at Neon.

"You drank his leftovers?!"

"I did not!"

Neon immediately shot back, her voice rising in protest.

Anis's eyes glinted mischievously. "Then what were you doing with the coffee cup, huh? And why were you hiding it so carefully? Don't tell me… you have a fetish or something?"

"Ahhh! Stop! Stop talking!"

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Neon clutched her burning face, wishing the ground would just swallow her whole.

At that moment, Rapi walked over and calmly took the coffee cup from Anis's hands.

"Don't joke about things like that."

"Huh?"

Anis tried to take it back, quickly arguing, "Wait, there's still some left! It'd be a waste not to drink it."

Rapi's expression turned stern.

"Drinking someone else's leftovers is unsanitary. You were just lecturing Neon about that, and now you've already forgotten?"

Anis froze.

She could only watch as Rapi carried the coffee cup into the kitchen.

Great. She had dug her own grave.

No luck now.

Anis turned to Neon with a sulky expression.

"This is all your fault."

"Huh?"

Neon was utterly confused, feeling wronged.

What did she even do?

She had just been trying to conserve resources! What was so wrong about that?!

Meanwhile, in the kitchen…

Rapi placed the coffee cup beside the sink. Just as she was about to pour it out, she suddenly paused, her cheeks turning slightly red. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she quietly lifted the cup to her lips.

…

The failure of the Ground Reclamation Force had not been publicly announced, so the Ark remained peaceful. In fact, after the crackdown on criminal organizations, the streets were noticeably safer, and there were more pedestrians than before.

As Mo Chen walked along the streets, he occasionally saw people dressed in slightly worn-out clothing—these were former Outer Rim residents who had now become employees of C.O.L. and were officially recognized as citizens.

The smiles on their faces said it all.

From time to time, he could hear their voices filled with gratitude.

Of course, recruiting every Outer Rim resident into the Ark was unrealistic. Only a small fraction had been accepted into the city and given jobs within C.O.L., primarily those struggling with extreme hardship.

If this had happened before, Outer Rim residents entering the Ark would have been met with hostility, mockery, or even outright humiliation.

"Filthy Outer Rim rats, coming to the Ark to beg?"

Such remarks had been commonplace.

But now, things were different. Instead of disdain, Ark citizens looked at C.O.L. employees with envy.

After all, C.O.L. offered some of the best benefits in the entire Ark—high salaries, allocated housing, employee meals, and even two days off per week. Compared to other corporations, the working conditions were far superior.

The reason Mo Chen had acquired C.O.L. in the first place was to prepare for situations like this—it was both a stabilizing force and a philanthropic venture.

As for the company's funding sources, aside from its original second-hand electronics business, it had expanded into fresh produce, rare disease treatment, high-end medical services, and even limited military arms production.

The most profitable sector was high-end medical care.

Targeted at the wealthy elite, this service primarily utilized Mo Chen's healing spray—not only effective for Nikkes but also for humans. It could even cure severe illnesses and physical disabilities.

For the rich, who valued their lives above all else, spending money was insignificant as long as it meant survival.

Before long, Mo Chen arrived at Missilis Industry.

Unlike before, he no longer needed to go through security checks. Now that he held the highest-level clearance at Missilis, he could enter with a simple facial scan.

Stepping inside the company, he headed straight for the CEO's office.

As expected, it was empty.

He then made his way toward the laboratory.

Syuen rarely stayed in her office—most of her time was spent in the lab.

A recognized genius, Syuen was responsible for at least half of Missilis Industry's technological advancements.

Though her personality was terrible, no one could deny her relentless dedication—one of the best in the Ark.

Syuen's laboratory was massive, packed with a dizzying array of purification devices, extraction machines, distillation equipment, and separation instruments. The countertops were cluttered with colorful test tubes filled with unknown substances.

Mo Chen pushed open the door.

Mo Chen saw Syuen hunched over her research.

"Are your ears just for decoration? How many times have I told you not to disturb me while I'm working?!"

Her furious voice rang out.

Same as always.

Mo Chen ignored her and walked straight toward her.

It had been a while since they last met—strangely, he almost missed her.

Syuen was in the middle of a critical experiment. Hearing the approaching footsteps that showed no sign of stopping, she became even more irritated. She snapped her head up, ready to curse out whoever dared to interrupt her.

"Is your head only attached to make you taller—"

The moment she saw Mo Chen, she immediately choked on her words, her expression shifting as if she had seen a ghost.

She instinctively took a step back.

With a loud clang, one of the lab instruments was knocked over, rolling across the floor until it stopped at Mo Chen's feet.

He bent down and picked it up.

Syuen hadn't expected Mo Chen of all people to show up. Thinking back to how she had just yelled at him, her face turned pale, and she stammered an explanation.

"I—I wasn't talking about you. I thought it was…"