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

"The Commander must have heard that the Unlimited Squad is dedicated to rescuing lost Nikkes in the icy wilderness."

"Yes, I've heard about it."

"But recently, the number of Nikkes rescued has suddenly dropped significantly—more than half compared to usual. Among them are several members of our search teams."

"Hmm?"

Mo Chen immediately recalled a recent report from Rapi that had mentioned this issue.

At the time, his assessment was that it was most likely the work of Material H.

What he hadn't expected was that the number of missing Nikkes was so large, and that even the Unlimited Squad had noticed the anomaly.

"That's why I want to request the Commander's assistance to send troops with us to investigate."

Ludmilla made her request sincerely.

Her visit served two purposes—first, to verify whether the Outpost base's situation was legitimate or just a rumor. Second, to formally request assistance.

The Unlimited Squad was elite, but it had few members. The vastness of the wilderness made it difficult to conduct thorough searches.

On top of that, given the previous disappearance of search teams, they now had to operate in larger groups to ensure safety.

But doing so only made the shortage of personnel even worse.

"An investigation, huh…"

Mo Chen pondered for a moment and then replied, "You also know that the Outpost has just gone through a major battle. We're rebuilding and short on manpower."

"Yes, I understand the difficulties," Ludmilla said, as though she had already anticipated his concerns. After a pause, she added, "If the Commander has any requests or conditions, as long as we can meet them, please feel free to state them."

Mo Chen immediately realized that Ludmilla had misunderstood his hesitation.

"Don't misunderstand—I'm not trying to negotiate terms," Mo Chen said, waving his hand. "I understand where you're coming from."

Hearing this, Ludmilla's heart sank.

She would've preferred if he had tried to negotiate terms.

Now it felt like he was outright rejecting her.

"Here's what I'll do," Mo Chen said after a moment of thought. "I'll send a unit to assist with your rescue operations."

Ludmilla was momentarily stunned.

He agreed just like that? She had been prepared for a drawn-out negotiation.

"But there's one condition," Mo Chen added, raising a finger. "I'll lead the team myself. In any situation, my orders will take precedence."

This operation to eliminate Material H was no ordinary task.

Material H's main body was underground, and its tendrils could spread across a vast area. Any misstep could lead to falling into a trap and getting captured—only to be drained dry.

"Agreed."

Ludmilla only hesitated briefly before agreeing to Mo Chen's request.

After hearing so much about Mo Chen from the Nikkes in recent days, she knew he was different from the "scumbag" commanders of the past.

The fact that he was willing to risk his life to travel to the northern wilderness for the sake of Nikkes was enough to earn her respect.

The northern region was known as a "death zone" for life.

With average temperatures below -40°C, it was a land of extreme cold. Even the mechanical structures of Nikkes risked malfunctions in such conditions.

What Ludmilla didn't know was that even if she hadn't come, he would've gone there eventually.

There was also a high chance that the Tyrant-class Rapture Chatterbox was lurking in the northern region.

"Commander, I object!"

Anis suddenly raised her hand like a grade-schooler.

"I'm going too!"

"Denied."

"You didn't even hear me out!"

"No need to hear it. For a Nikke who tried to bury her own Commander, I don't need to show any courtesy."

"Ugh, it was an accident!"

Anis muttered under her breath, knowing she was in the wrong.

She felt even more regretful now: if she had come back earlier, she might have had a chance to tag along.

After spending a few more days at the Outpost, Ludmilla and her team set off for the northern region.

The northern region was located aboveground, near the Arctic Circle.

Even before humanity faced its current crisis, it was already a bitterly cold and desolate land. After the disaster, even fewer people survived there.

Ludmilla observed the Nikkes accompanying Mo Chen and couldn't hide her surprise.

These Nikkes were usually quiet and barely spoke, but their combat strength was astonishing—some could even defeat Raptures barehanded.

They were probably the Commander's personal guard.

What Ludmilla didn't know was that these Nikkes had already been enhanced by Mo Chen using the Punishing Virus, making them far stronger than regular Nikkes.

"Excuse me, are you Rabbity?"

Mo Chen turned around and saw Alice looking at him curiously.

"Sorry, I'm not Rabbity. I'm actually not a rabbit at all."

Mo Chen was speechless.

Who would want to be called a rabbit?

"Then why does Rabbity have a carrot?"

Alice tilted her head in confusion, her expression adorably puzzled.

A carrot?

Mo Chen was stunned for a moment.

He didn't have any carrots.

Then he noticed where Alice's eyes were looking.

Mo Chen: "…?!"

"Alice," Ludmilla quickly called out, pulling Alice closer and gently scolding her. "Don't bother the Commander."

It was clear she had overheard and her ears had turned slightly red.

"Oh."

Alice seemed disappointed and kept glancing back, as if she had lost her chance to explore a new world.

Mo Chen waved at her with an awkward smile.

"Kids… Innocent words. Just innocent words."

As they traveled farther north, the temperature dropped noticeably. After several hundred kilometers, the green vegetation disappeared, leaving only a barren, snow-covered wasteland.

"Um…"

Ludmilla hesitated, but eventually couldn't help asking, "About that day at the hot spring… Did you see anything?"

"Huh? See what?"

Mo Chen feigned ignorance.

Ludmilla let out a small sigh of relief.

"Nothing."

Just then, a buzzing sound echoed from ahead.

"Raptures!"

Everyone tensed up and immediately prepared for battle.

They hadn't expected to encounter Raptures this quickly, just after entering the northern border.

Soon, a horde of Raptures appeared on the horizon, swarming toward them.

Mo Chen's advance team of Nikkes rushed forward, engaging the Raptures in fierce combat.

Within minutes, the enemy forces were wiped out.

Even though Ludmilla had already witnessed the strength of the advance team, she was still amazed.

This time, the Raptures had formed a small raiding party.

Mo Chen stepped forward to examine the battlefield.

He noticed bullet holes, burn marks, and shattered limbs on the Rapture corpses.

Some of the damage looked like it had been caused by high-powered weapons.

"Looks like high-caliber rifle rounds."

Ludmilla glanced at the damage and quickly identified it.

"It's the Pilgrims."

"Pilgrims?"

Mo Chen's thoughts raced.

"Yes," Ludmilla said, kicking aside some of the wreckage as she scanned the vast snowy wasteland. "There have been sightings of Pilgrims fighting Raptures in the area. It's said that they're searching for something."

Could it be Snow White?

"Let's keep moving."

The group continued north.

Along the way, they saw more and more Rapture corpses scattered across the ground.

The wreckage wasn't covered by snow, suggesting the battles had occurred recently.