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

She appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old.

Her appearance was extraordinarily beautiful; she had silver-pink hair and a pair of light blue eyes. Her features were delicate, like a painting.

Her skin was as white as jade, smooth as silk, and her face was exquisitely sculpted, rosy and porcelain-like.

She was as graceful as someone stepping out of a painting.

Especially with that soft, almost pitiful expression, making one want to pick her up and shower her with affection.

Though still in the early stages of development, she already had charms that Eunhwa couldn't compare with.

Eunhwa sneezed again.

She was instantly irritated. Who was it this time?!

"Is something the matter?"

Mo Chen curiously looked at the beautiful little girl before him.

If he wasn't mistaken, this girl was Vesti.

She was also a member of the Absolute squad.

"U-um..."

Vesti's face tensed up, turning pale, her nervousness was clearly visible.

She seemed to want to say something but kept stammering.

Mo Chen had a puzzled look on his face.

What is she doing?

"U-um, I..."

Vesti's face turned even redder, unable to bear the weight of Mo Chen's gaze. Finally, she turned around and dashed away, almost running for her life.

Leaving Mo Chen standing there, utterly confused.

What did she want to say?

"Eh, Commander, you're bullying a child!"

Anis poked Mo Chen's arm, wearing a mischievous grin.

"Bullied? I haven't even said anything," Mo Chen replied, brushing off Anis' fingers with annoyance.

"Just get on the helicopter."

On the other side, Emma was talking to Rapi.

"Rapi~"

From a distance, Emma greeted Rapi enthusiastically.

"Emma."

Rapi's face broke into a smile, glad to see her long-lost friend.

Emma pulled Rapi into a hug.

"Back then, you just left without saying a word. Do you know how heartbroken I was?"

Rapi gently murmured.

"I'm sorry."

Emma let go of Rapi, her face filled with a gentle smile as she looked at her carefully.

"At least you're doing well now, that puts my mind at ease."

Rapi was slightly stunned.

"Am I... doing well?"

Emma continued to examine Rapi's face, her smile deepening as she said, "Your expression… it's different from before."

"Me?"

"Mm."

Emma took Rapi's hand, smiling as she reflected aloud, "After all those struggles, it looks like you've found something?"

Rapi paused, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the commander, as if her heart had become more certain of her feelings. She nodded firmly.

Emma felt happy for Rapi.

"Ha, that's good. Is it because of that commander?"

Following Rapi's gaze, Emma noticed the highly publicized commander from the Ark, her curiosity piqued.

"Has he played a part in your change?"

"Mm."

Rapi thought back to the memories, a warm feeling spreading through her heart.

"Rapi. Are you doing okay?"

A soft voice interrupted, barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. It was Vesti.

"Vesti."

Vesti's eyes were red, tears brimming, threatening to fall.

"Wh-what should I do? I'm about to cry..."

Her trembling voice and cute face made her look utterly pitiful.

Rapi gently reached out and took Vesti's icy-cold hand, speaking softly, "…You haven't changed at all."

Seemingly unable to stand the scene, Eunhwa turned away with a cold expression and said, "You all, stop talking to her."

"…Eunhwa."

Rapi's eyes darkened slightly as she saw Eunhwa. Her gaze seemed filled with disdain, as though she didn't want to see her.

"Every time we meet, you bring trouble. That's why you're considered a flawed product."

Anis: "??"

Eunhwa's rude remark drew everyone's attention, even Anis was taken aback by the sharpness of her words.

"Back then, you walked around so high and mighty, only to follow some third-rate commander. Tsk, I guess it suits your personality, or maybe you're just incapable of change?"

Eunhwa mocked freely.

"Though, you'd better be careful. Otherwise, your commander might need to clean up your mess, or perhaps even bury you alongside your mess."

Unable to hold back any longer, Anis snapped.

"Hey, that's going too far!"

Eunhwa, with a proud tone, reprimanded, "Don't interrupt, third-rate Nikke. Can't you see I'm talking?"

"Wow, so scary," Anis pretended to cower, jumping to the side. "I hope she doesn't bite me."

At that moment, Emma stepped in to smooth things over.

"Ah, here we go again. I apologize on behalf of everyone."

"How should I put it? Our Eunhwa can be a bit rough around the edges, but she's got an exterior that's cold and an interior that's warm. She means no harm. Actually, on the way here, she was so worried about everyone's safety that she kept urging us to hurry."

"Hey."

Eunhwa furrowed her brows.

Emma was completely unafraid of her and cheerfully said, "I'm just speaking the truth, Eunhwa."

Eunhwa snorted, unwilling to engage further.

The journey was smooth, with the special forces providing strong escort. Although there were some bumps along the way, such as encountering a large number of flying Raptures, Eunhwa and the others quickly dealt with them, so it was ultimately uneventful.

Along the way, the special forces displayed impressive combat abilities.

Eunhwa's sniper rifle was spot on, each shot hitting its target, especially with the powerful incendiary armor-piercing rounds. It was nearly perfect in its accuracy.

Emma's machine gun was ferocious, with a steady stream of precise fire that intercepted most of the flying Raptures.

What left the deepest impression on Mo Chen, however, was Vesti.

Despite her small size, shyness, and fear of socializing, once the battle started, she transformed into an entirely different person, becoming incredibly fierce. Even Emma couldn't compare to her in this regard.

The three members of the special forces took care of all the Raptures that attacked.

Rapi and Anis barely had a chance to act.

Mo Chen noticed Anis staring off into space and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"I'm done for..." Anis' face turned ashen.

"What's wrong?" Mo Chen asked, surprised. He had never seen Anis so dejected.

Anis looked utterly defeated.

"I'm going to be fired!"

Mo Chen: "..."

While Anis was worrying about her job, Neon was excited by the overwhelming firepower, her eyes shining brightly.

Her excitement was like a child watching fireworks back in the village.

"Master, this is what firepower looks like!"

Ever since Neon had her epiphany, she had developed an unparalleled enthusiasm for firepower.

Mo Chen thought to himself.

It's not a bad thing that the child is so eager to improve.

Maybe it's time to trade for a more powerful weapon for her in the system.

As for the nuclear bomb, Rapi had confiscated it on the grounds that it was a weapon of mass destruction.

Mo Chen thought it might be for the best that Rapi kept it—better than risking Neon accidentally blowing herself up.

A month later, Mo Chen returned to the Ark again.

This time, things were much more familiar than before.

The first time he returned, there were three of them; now, there were four.

Before leaving, he had left Rose, Marian, and the advance team at the power station.

He had also repeatedly warned Marian that the Ark was no ordinary place, and this time, she should not come looking for him again. If she did, not only would it harm herself, but it would also put him in danger.

That seemed more or less a scumbag speech…