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

The infected Nikkes had blood-red eyes and puppet-like bodies. Their movements weren't particularly fast, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming, stretching endlessly to the horizon.

Mo Chen also noticed that many of the infected Nikkes were emerging from underground.

Given the Siberian-like permafrost, who knew how many Nikkes were buried beneath it?

Getting caught in a war of attrition was not a smart choice, especially when he had one Nikke tucked under each arm, leaving him no free hand.

"Put me down. I'm fine," came Snow White's voice from under his arm.

Mo Chen turned to glance at her. Her face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color.

"Fine" clearly wasn't the word to describe her condition.

In the distance, the sound of gunfire erupted—it was Ludmilla's Nikke unit, advancing to support them.

Meanwhile, the infected Nikkes drew closer.

Their hollow voices echoed eerily, their lifeless red eyes fixed on him as they staggered toward him.

Their outstretched hands seemed to gesture as though begging him to stay.

It looked like an affectionate plea, but in truth, it was a deadly trap.

"Commander…"

Mo Chen, ever the pragmatist, wasn't about to fall for such a low-level ploy.

With a powerful stomp, the ground beneath him cracked as he propelled himself forward, smashing through the infected Nikkes blocking his path.

The infected Nikkes were sent flying, scattering like blossoms in the wind.

Taking advantage of the opening, he broke free from their encirclement.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Snow White, concern evident in his voice.

"I think the virus is starting to invade my system," Snow White replied weakly. Her pale complexion, furrowed brows, and the faint red mist surrounding her made it clear something was wrong.

"Virus invasion?"

Mo Chen was startled by her words.

That shouldn't be possible.

It was true that some Nikkes had been infected before, like Marian in the past and the three foolish heroes, but there was a prerequisite for such infection: the presence of a NIMPH system.

The Rapture virus infects the NIMPH system, indirectly controlling a Nikke's brain and behavior.

But Snow White, as one of the earliest fairy-tale themed Nikkes, didn't have a NIMPH system installed. Logically, she shouldn't be susceptible to the Rapture virus.

"Put… put me down," Snow White said, her voice growing weaker. She tugged at Mo Chen's sleeve with trembling fingers. "I won't last much longer. If my mind gets taken over, I might attack you."

"Stop talking nonsense," Mo Chen said, adjusting his hold on her. He frowned and added, "Don't overthink it—you'll be fine. Besides, if I were the one infected, would you leave me behind?"

Snow White fell silent for a moment.

"You're human. You can't be infected by the Rapture virus."

"I was speaking hypothetically."

"Humans can't be infected by the Rapture virus."

"…"

Stubborn, wasn't she?

He sighed. With that rigid mindset, it was no wonder she'd spent decades in the icy wilderness.

If she was a lost cause, maybe he could reason with the other one.

"Alice?"

Alice, however, looked utterly devastated. Her eyes were vacant, her body limp, and no matter how much he shook her, she remained unresponsive.

It was as if her entire world had collapsed.

Mo Chen shook her a few more times, but Alice didn't react.

Worse, he noticed her body temperature was rising rapidly—just like what had happened back in the temporary shelter.

Damn it. Could this be a shift in her thought processes?

Mo Chen felt a headache coming on.

Two kids, and neither of them was easy to handle.

He was beginning to understand what parenting felt like.

Parenting?

An idea suddenly struck him. This was just like soothing a child.

"Alice, Alice?"

No response.

"Those infected Nikkes—uh, I mean princesses—they're actually playing a game with you."

Alice finally showed a reaction. The dazed look in her eyes began to give way to a hint of confusion, as though she were waking from a deep sleep.

"Playing a game?"

Mo Chen's heart lifted. It was working.

Time to increase the dose.

"That's right! They've all come to play with you. Look at them—they're so happy, chasing us all this way!"

Alice, still somewhat groggy, followed his gaze. Behind them, a massive horde of infected Nikkes was closing in. Moments ago, they had been shuffling along awkwardly; now they were sprinting with surprising speed.

Although… their posture was, well, less than graceful.

Some were running; others were crawling.

Their once-enticing forms were now exposed, every detail on display—after who knows how many years buried underground, their clothing had long since rotted away. They were stark naked.

"Ah?"

Alice's spirit seemed to recover a little more as she withdrew her gaze and tilted her head in confusion. "Rabbity, are you saying they aren't here to fight us, but to play with us?"

"Exactly," Mo Chen replied, keeping a straight face. He even added enthusiastically, "Look, they're playing tag with us!"

"Tag?"

"Yep."

The "misunderstanding" now cleared up, her energy returned. She beamed with joy and said cheerfully, "Oh, thank goodness! I thought the princesses didn't like me anymore. Hehe, turns out it was just me misunderstanding them. Rabbity, we can't lose to them—let's go, go, go!"

With her small hand pointing into the distance, Alice shouted excitedly, "Charge!"

Mo Chen finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This kid was too easy to handle.

However, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Papillon was still back at the research base.

Mo Chen felt a cold sweat.

How had he forgotten her?

Now it was clearly too late to turn back, so he could only hope she'd find her own way out.

Little did he know that back at the base, Papillon had already cursed Mo Chen and his ancestors a thousand times over.

Inside the lab, the doors were locked tight.

Papillon held a gun, her eyes fixed nervously on the entrance.

Loud bangs echoed from outside as something repeatedly slammed against the steel doors. The heavy metal creaked under the pressure, dust falling with each impact. The doors shook as if they might give way at any moment.

With every crash, her face grew paler.

She had crossed paths with Mo Chen earlier and had tried to call out for help, but he hadn't even glanced in her direction. Whether he hadn't seen her or had done it on purpose, she couldn't tell.

His actions, however, had drawn a swarm of infected Nikkes straight to her.

Papillon had been dodging and hiding ever since, looking utterly disheveled.

After much effort, she had finally found a place to take refuge, but the infected Nikkes had surrounded her from all sides. It was only a matter of time before they broke through.

She was now full of regret: if she'd known it would be like this, she never would have come here!

But the world didn't sell regret pills.

With one final, thunderous crash, the laboratory doors could no longer hold and collapsed with a deafening boom.

A ring of infected Nikkes stood outside, sealing off any hope of escape.

The next moment, the infected Nikkes, as if smelling blood, raised their arms and charged forward with hoarse screeches.

Papillon's face turned deathly pale in an instant.