NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The Ark’s Main Character is Me?
"Rescued thirty-one people, earning 31 points."
"Rescued twelve people, earning 12 points."
"Rescued one person, earning 1 point…"
Suddenly, a system notification popped up.
"Congratulations, you have rescued a top human scientist, earning a special reward of 1,000 points!"
Mo Chen froze, staring at the orange text on the system screen.
Wow, even here there's an SSR?
Different identities granted different point rewards—and quite a lot at that!
Excitement aside—
This top scientist was now just a skull.
Mo Chen continued deeper into the ruins, where the number of corpses increased, covering nearly every surface.
Many were incomplete skeletons, weathered by the elements, leaving only skulls, shin bones, and the like.
"System Notification: You have rescued 300 people and earned 300 points."
"System Notification: You have rescued 77 people and earned 77 points."
"System Notification: You have rescued 144 people and earned 144 points..."
This area, once the bustling city center filled with malls and pedestrian streets, was now a place where the dead were densely packed. Mo Chen had circled the ruins a few times and accumulated a substantial number of points.
During this time, he hadn't encountered any monsters or Raptures, indicating that this place was relatively safe—a prime location for point farming.
Mo Chen finally let out a sigh of relief. However, he had just noticed something peculiar. As he passed by the human remains, faint red dots seemed to appear and float towards him. The glow was so subtle that Mo Chen wondered if he was imagining it.
This reminded Mo Chen of something. In the world of Nikke, there were hints about the existence of souls. Although the main storyline never confirmed this, side stories and events suggested it.
Could these glowing dots be the souls of the dead? Mo Chen wasn't sure. Compared to such intangible concepts, he was far more interested in what he could exchange for points.
Sometimes, the dead were more useful than the living.
Navigating the system interface, Mo Chen found the marketplace. He opened it, and a vast array of items came into view: the T-Virus from Resident Evil, grenade launchers, the HQ-9B anti-air missile system, F-35 stealth fighters, titanium alloy longswords, date and walnut cakes, calcium biscuits, Coca-Cola, exoskeleton equipment…
Mo Chen's eyes widened as he scanned the assortment of goods. The selection was so bizarre that it even included a sci-fi space mothership!
But the price… Just a glance at the strings of zeros told him it was far beyond his reach. Fortunately, some food items were quite affordable.
This was likely because the system timeline had not yet reached the official start of the "apocalypse." At that point, the Raptures hadn't launched a full-scale invasion. Humanity was still skeptical of their existence, and the government had suppressed media coverage to prevent public panic and hoarding, so food was still abundant.
Mo Chen also noticed that the system's marketplace had a section for beginner's discounts, where items were significantly cheaper—some even 90% off. This section was limited and refreshed randomly.
A six-dollar pack? The thought crossed Mo Chen's mind.
Suddenly, a woman's urgent voice called out from a distance.
"Commander!"
A girl came running towards him at full speed, clutching a gun and wearing a standard Nikke uniform. Her uniform was torn at the knees, thighs, and right shoulder, evidence of a fierce battle.
"Marian?" Mo Chen immediately recognized her.
In this world, he was an academy intern assigned as a commander for his first mission, and Marian was the Nikke under his command. She was also the same Marian from the original story.
He never expected that the Ark's main character would turn out to be himself.
Mo Chen stood frozen for a moment.
A blur of motion passed by, and suddenly, Rose appeared behind Marian like a phantom. The cold glint of her blade traced a scarlet arc, aiming for Marian's pale neck.
Sensing the imminent danger, Marian halted abruptly and leaped back, instinctively firing a burst of bullets.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Bullets collided with the blade, sending sparks flying.
Rose sliced through the hail of bullets, her silhouette ghostlike as she closed the distance, her crimson blade poised for a lethal strike.
"Stop!" Mo Chen shouted, his voice urgent, halting Rose's pursuit.
It was clear that Rose had perceived Marian as a threat.
What surprised Mo Chen was Marian's ability to fend off Rose's attack. Rose was an elite among close-combat Nikkes, whereas Marian was part of a standard unit.
Rose withdrew her blade and retreated behind Mo Chen.
Marian kept her gun trained on Rose, eyes filled with vigilance and lingering shock. Her heart raced as she recalled the attack. If she hadn't reacted in time, she could have been decapitated.
Mo Chen stepped forward quickly and greeted Marian.
"Sorry, Rose was a bit reckless. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Marian responded, scanning him from head to toe to ensure he was unharmed. Only after confirming this did she breathe a sigh of relief. Her gaze shifted back to the other girl, still wary and puzzled.
"Commander? Who is she?"
Judging by her appearance and attire, it was evident Rose was a Nikke. But her combat gear was unlike any current Ark standard equipment.
More importantly, her close-combat style was something Marian had never seen before—and she had nearly fallen victim to it.
Mo Chen recited the cover story he had prepared.
"I found her during my journey. She seems to have lost her memory and doesn't recall which unit she belongs to."
"Oh, I see..." Marian nodded, understanding dawning on her face. She believed him without a trace of doubt.
In the prolonged conflict between the Ark and the Raptures, countless Nikkes had been deployed to the surface. While many Raptures were destroyed, the cost was significant, and the number of lost Nikkes was a closely guarded secret of the Ark. What was certain, though, was that the toll exceeded a million.
Beyond the fallen, a substantial number of Nikkes had gone missing. Many had lost their memories or gone mad from brain damage during combat, a common occurrence.
Marian looked at Rose with newfound sympathy.