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

"Commander, did we just defeat the Queen of Hearts' subordinate?"

Alice asked cheerfully, her slender, snow-white arms instinctively wrapping around Mo Chen's neck. Her whole body clung to him, soft and light, like an innocent little rabbit without a hint of wariness.

"Yeah, that's right."

He held Alice's slender waist, feeling the smooth curve and the warm, soft sensation under his palm.

Despite looking thick, the material of her bodysuit was actually thin and lightweight, outlining her figure in all the right places without dampening the tactile feel.

The fleeting memory of their time in the shelter flashed through his mind, where they had been bare and vulnerable before each other.

Even someone as composed as Mo Chen couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart.

Seeing Ludmilla approaching, he quickly put Alice down and cleared his throat twice.

"I have some business to discuss with Your Queen. Go play by yourself for now."

Ludmilla walked over without showing any signs of noticing Mo Chen's momentary lapse.

"I didn't expect the research base to end up like this. Let's go check it out. If we're lucky, there might still be something useful left inside."

She gazed into the distance at the wreckage of Land Eater.

Mo Chen followed her line of sight and felt a little awkward.

"Uh… there should still be something left… probably."

The small nuclear warhead had packed more punch than he'd anticipated.

Land Eater—or rather, the research base—had been reduced to rubble after the explosion. Most of the structure had collapsed, with only the support framework still holding parts of it together.

The other Nikkes soon gathered around, staring in awe at the wreckage that resembled a small mountain.

Some were excited, while others took photos, treating it like a historic moment. After all, this was their first time taking down a Tyrant-class Rapture—definitely something worth commemorating.

Under his lead, the group of Nikkes moved toward the ruins of the research base, leaving Papillon still sitting on the ground, staring blankly.

Not a single one of them remembered to help her up.

She was furious, gritting her teeth as she forced herself to stand and stomped after the others.

These heartless bastards.

If it weren't for her risking her life to throw the nuke, would they even be celebrating right now?

But more importantly, she knew she had to report everything to the Ark.

She glanced toward Mo Chen, who was leading the group at the front.

Her violet eyes held a trace of awe.

He was far more dangerous and mysterious than she had anticipated.

Quickening her pace, she caught up to the group and approached Signal, lightly tapping her on the shoulder.

Signal turned around, puzzled.

"Huh? What's up? Need something?"

She didn't recognize Papillon but asked politely nonetheless.

Papillon gave a bright, dazzling smile.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Her eyes gleamed with an unusual light.

"What kind of—"

Before she could finish her sentence, her voice trailed off.

Papillon's violet eyes seemed to swirl, pulling her consciousness in like a whirlpool.

Signal's eyes gradually lost focus, her expression turning dazed and vacant…

The battlefield after the fight was a complete wasteland, full of craters and scorched earth, still smoldering with smoke. Broken Rapture parts littered the area, scattered everywhere.

The surrounding ruins had been decimated, leaving only a handful of half-collapsed buildings still standing. But even those looked like flickering candles in the wind, barely holding themselves up.

The closer they got to the research base, the more Rapture remains they encountered.

In some places, the piles of broken bodies reached over a meter high.

Most of the parts scattered around were broken fragments, clearly chewed up by the Land Eater.

Mo Chen couldn't figure out why Land Eater exhibited eating behavior.

Logically, it was just a structure. Even if it could ingest something, it shouldn't be able to digest or absorb it.

Was it mimicking biological instincts?

After all, the appearance of Raptures already hinted at their imitation of certain creatures.

Thanks to Land Eater's desperate final struggle before its death, bombarding the surrounding area with missiles and lasers, most of the Raptures nearby had already been blown to bits. Mo Chen and his group barely encountered any living Raptures on the way, saving them quite a bit of trouble.

He also earned a substantial amount of points along the way.

Alice skipped and hopped beside them, clearly in high spirits. She kept asking Ludmilla questions.

"Queen, have we found our home yet?"

Ludmilla gently patted Alice's head, her expression full of affection.

"Yes, Alice. All thanks to the commander and our companions."

Alice's bright eyes lit up. She clenched her small fists and asked expectantly, "Then the commander and the others were summoned by the Queen too, right?"

"That's right," Ludmilla replied with a playful tone and glanced meaningfully at Mo Chen. "You can even ask the commander yourself. Hmm… your rabbit prince."

Alice's expectant gaze turned toward Mo Chen.

Hecleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yes… that's correct."

"Wow!" Alice cheered and jumped around excitedly, just like a happy child. "Long live the Queen!"

Before long, the group arrived at the entrance to the research base.

Only after getting closer did they realize just how massive the structure was.

Its size far exceeded that of an ordinary high-rise building.

Aside from Mo Chen, Ludmilla, and Alice, the other Nikkes stayed outside to stand guard. They would sound the alarm if anything unusual happened.

Snow White also stayed behind, stationed on a nearby rooftop to provide overwatch.

Boom!

The base's steel doors, several meters thick, were blown open from the outside and sent flying.

Mo Chen and the others stepped inside.

Thanks to the earlier battle, most of the base's defensive measures had been destroyed, so it didn't take much effort for him to force their way in.

Once inside, the interior resembled a typical research facility.

Long corridors stretched out, with rooms for different labs and offices. Display cases still contained lab equipment, samples, and personal belongings, all hinting at a hasty evacuation.

Some people hadn't even managed to escape.

There were bodies lying at the entrances, collapsed mid-sprint, already dried out but still frozen in the act of fleeing.

The Nikkes' faces paled at the sight.

Even though they had been through countless battles and massacres, most of them had never witnessed the appearance of human corpses like this.

After all, there was a vast difference between mechanical parts and human flesh.

Mo Chen reached out and covered Alice's eyes.

This small protective gesture didn't escape Ludmilla's notice.

Few commanders showed this kind of consideration. Even fewer cared this much for others, if not none.