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

Alice looked around excitedly at the shops and stalls.

"What's that…"

In the distance, someone was selling cotton candy.

Ludmilla turned to Alice and said, "Stay here and don't wander off. Wait for me for a moment."

She walked over and bought a stick of cotton candy.

When she was about to pay with credit points, the Nikke vendor smiled and waved her off.

"No need, no need. Everything's free today because of the celebration!"

"Free?"

Ludmilla was stunned.

That's when she noticed all the Nikkes here had genuine smiles on their faces—the kind that came from the bottom of their hearts.

"Yes, everything's free." The Nikke set down what she was doing and asked curiously, "I haven't seen you before. Did you just arrive?"

"Yes, I arrived today."

Ludmilla was affected by the Nikke's warmth and couldn't help but smile too.

"Then you've come to the right place!"

"The right place?"

Hearing this, the Nikke became even more excited. Like someone who had finally found a newcomer to boast to, she couldn't stop talking.

"There are no Raptures here. No criminals. And no worries about being taken back to the Ark. On top of that, there's stable work, decent pay, and even if you fight Raptures, you get all the credit and rewards. No more having those parasites steal them from you."

"Parasites?"

"Yeah, those so-called commanders in the Ark. Hmph, they're nothing but thieves. Here, there's only one commander."

"Oh, right, have you met our commander yet? Oh, not yet? Let me tell you—our commander is amazing!"

The young and delicate Nikke in front of her seemed to have opened the floodgates, talking non-stop about the commander. Ludmilla also noticed that the surrounding Nikkes joined in, eagerly adding their own comments.

The light in their eyes was dazzling.

In the end, the delicate Nikke enthusiastically handed Ludmilla a hot spring voucher.

"This is for you. Don't worry—everyone gets one."

Ludmilla thanked her, holding the cotton candy and voucher as she stood in the lively street with a strange feeling.

She had never seen Nikkes this lively and enthusiastic before.

It was as if they weren't talking about a forward base but about their home.

When Ludmilla returned, it wasn't hard to spot Alice.

She stood out too much—her hands were filled with gifts, and she was even hugging a teddy bear.

"These were gifts from the fairy sisters!"

Alice beamed as she showed off her presents.

Hearing her words, the nearby Nikkes seemed even happier.

Alice noticed the cotton candy in Ludmilla's hands and gasped.

"Whoa, what's that?"

"It's cotton candy."

"Wow, you can make candy out of cotton?"

"No, it's made from clouds."

"Whoa, this place really is a paradise!"

After traveling for over ten days, exhaustion finally hit once they felt safe.

After wandering around the festival, Ludmilla remembered the hot spring voucher in her hand and decided to take Alice to relax in the baths.

They hadn't properly bathed in over ten days. Even though Nikkes had self-cleaning systems, Ludmilla couldn't stand it anymore.

When they reached the hot spring, it was completely empty. Ludmilla called out a few times, but no one answered—it seemed everyone had gone to the celebration.

The door wasn't locked.

There was a sign on it that said:

"Please help yourself."

Ludmilla thought the hot spring seemed quite accommodating and led Alice inside.

Unbeknownst to her, the staff had been sent away earlier by Anis.

Meanwhile—

Mo Chen soaked in the hot spring, his whole body relaxed. The warm water wrapped around him, washing away all the exhaustion he had built up over the past few days.

No wonder so many people liked hot springs.

Mo Chen mused to himself.

As he basked in the warmth, drowsiness began to creep in, and before he knew it, he had dozed off.

With a splash, the sound of water startled Mo Chen awake. He lifted his head toward the source of the noise—and froze.

Through the misty steam, a snow-white, curvaceous figure stepped carefully into the water. She moved with grace, placing her slender leg into the bath. Her hand rested on the edge of the pool as her flawless, delicate foot slowly submerged into the water.

No towel.

Her long hair, like a waterfall, was tied up in a neat bun. Facing directly toward Mo Chen, her entire figure was clearly visible.

Snow-white, slender curves. Full and soft contours.

Her body trembled ever so slightly with her movements.

The elegance of her actions, combined with the moisture in the air, made her skin appear even more delicate. It was as smooth as milk, with a faint translucence that revealed faint traces of veins underneath.

Tiny droplets of water trickled down her skin, sliding from her cheeks to her pale neck, then down to her delicate collarbone, and further to her ample curves...

Faced with such a sight, Mo Chen's mind momentarily went blank. For a second, he even doubted whether he was still dreaming.

It seemed the woman also sensed his gaze. She turned her head and noticed him immediately.

Their eyes met, and both froze.

Neither of them had expected to encounter someone else in the bath.

And not just someone—but the opposite sex!

The atmosphere instantly grew awkward.

After a long silence, Mo Chen tried to ease the tension by clearing his throat and greeting her.

"Uh… you're here to bathe too?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Mo Chen regretted them.

What a stupid question.

Surprisingly, the woman nodded.

"Yes."

Mo Chen felt even more awkward.

He began to wonder if he had entered the wrong side—was this the women's bath?

He wanted to leave, but there was a problem. For comfort, he had stripped completely, and his clothes were on the other side of the bath.

Since he was the only man in the base, walking around naked never seemed like an issue.

Now he deeply regretted that decision.

He couldn't just stand up and bare himself in front of her, could he?

"Uh… I don't think I've seen you before?"

"I just arrived."

"Oh."

"Hmm."

"What do you do?"

"I rescue lost Nikkes."

"What exactly does that involve?"

"Rescuing lost Nikkes."

"Oh, I totally get it now."

"Mm."

"Mm."

"Want a cigarette?"

"I don't smoke, but thanks."

The awkwardness in the air made Mo Chen feel like his toes could dig a hole big enough for a new base.

Little did he know, the woman—Ludmila—was so embarrassed she was about to draw her gun and start shooting.

She never expected to find someone else here—let alone a man.

Especially since there hadn't been any signs outside marking separate areas for men and women.

She had no idea that the signs outside had long been removed—courtesy of Anis.

Compared to Mo Chen, Ludmila at least had a bath towel wrapped around her. However, the towel was far too small to properly cover her body.

Even worse, the material was incredibly thin—so thin that the moment it got wet, it turned semi-transparent.

What was once fully concealed now became faintly visible through the sheer fabric.

It was as if she had willingly set herself up to be ogled.

To make matters even more awkward, covering the front left the back exposed, and covering the top left the bottom bare.

No doubt about it—this was Anis's carefully planned "ultimate move."