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

The number of infected Nikkes continued to grow. Mo Chen had Alice sit on his shoulders while he carried Snow White in one arm, allowing her to hold onto him. This way, he freed up his other hand.

The sensation was unmistakable.

Though Alice still had a youthful frame, certain parts were already well-developed, exhibiting surprising softness and elasticity.

Fortunately, his will was as solid as steel, entirely unaffected.

With a sudden burst of speed, he shot forward like an arrow, diving straight into the midst of the enemy horde.

His fists moved with powerful, sweeping motions. Every punch carried immense force, as if fired from a heavy cannon. The resulting shockwaves sent Nikkes flying in all directions along his path.

The infected Nikkes kept coming in droves, only to be eliminated just as quickly.

However, the more Mo Chen fought, the stranger it felt. These infected Nikkes didn't seem to be using weapons, which was highly unusual.

He began to sense a pattern in their movements, as if something—or someone—was orchestrating their actions from behind the scenes.

In the distance, Ludmilla was leading her Nikke unit into battle, clearing a path as they advanced. Amidst the gunfire and chaos, she moved quickly, firing at the infected Nikkes while shouting to Mo Chen.

"Retreat to the east! I'll draw their attention!"

Her squad created a crossfire from both sides, mowing down waves of infected Nikkes before they could get close.

Just as he started to breathe a little easier, he felt the ground beneath him tremble slightly.

In the distance, the earth began to bulge as though something alive was moving rapidly underground—heading straight for Ludmilla.

"?!"

Mo Chen's instincts screamed danger.

With a burst of speed, he became a blur, cutting through the horde of infected Nikkes. In the blink of an eye, he reached Ludmilla just as the ground exploded beneath her.

"Boom!"

Without hesitation, he stretched out his arm and scooped Ludmilla up by the waist, retreating a split second before impact.

The ground erupted in a deafening explosion as a massive black tendril burst forth, slashing through the air with razor-sharp precision. The nearby infected Nikkes were instantly severed at the waist, their halves scattering across the battlefield.

It was a tendril.

Mo Chen immediately recognized it.

It belonged to Material H.

Ludmilla, still held in Mo Chen's arms, stared at the severed bodies surrounding them, her face pale and slick with cold sweat.

That had been far too close.

The tendril, having missed its target, swiftly retreated back underground.

Mo Chen wasted no time, carrying all three—Ludmilla, Alice, and Snow White—out of the horde and into a defensive structure with sturdy cover.

"Thank you," Ludmilla said, wrapping her arms around Mo Chen's neck. Despite the ongoing battle, a hint of embarrassment colored her voice. "You can put me down now."

It was then that Mo Chen became fully aware of her figure.

Ludmilla's curves, her softness, and the fullness of her chest were far beyond those of the two Nikkes he had carried before. The closeness even allowed him to feel her warm breath on his skin.

Quickly setting all three of them down, he shook off his wandering thoughts, knowing there were more pressing matters at hand. He began devising their next move.

Material H was a Tyrant-class Rapture.

Unlike other Raptures, Material H's main body resembled a vast network of underground mycelium. Its root system spanned over 20 kilometers, giving it the ability to alter the terrain within its domain.

Using this ability, it lured wandering Nikkes into traps, capturing and absorbing their nutrients for its own use. The entire area within its range had essentially become a massive, tangled ant nest.

Pulling it out of hiding wouldn't be easy.

Without a doubt, this was the culprit behind the recent disappearances of so many Nikkes.

Thanks to their established rapport, Ludmilla and Mo Chen didn't need to exchange many words.

"I'll cover you," Ludmilla said simply.

Mo Chen glanced back at her with a grin.

"Wait for me. When this is over, I'll treat you to a hot spring trip."

His words, meant to lighten the mood, carried a trace of nostalgia. Last time, their hot spring plans had been interrupted by unforeseen circumstances, and it had been on his mind ever since.

To his surprise, Ludmilla responded directly.

"Alright."

Mo Chen couldn't help but picture Ludmilla's elegant back and flawless figure during that brief hot spring moment, and his thoughts wavered for an instant.

Ludmilla noticed the look in his eyes and immediately knew what he was thinking. She gave him a playful glare.

"If you don't move now, you might as well stay and join the infected Nikkes."

"I'm not that desperate."

Mo Chen chuckled loudly before turning and sprinting back toward the research base.

Watching his retreating figure, she clutched her chest, her heart still racing. So all that composure earlier had been just a façade.

Mo Chen moved like a streak of black lightning, weaving through the battlefield with unmatched agility.

His eyes narrowed slightly, then suddenly widened, their black-and-white contrast replaced by a vivid crimson glow.

Everything around him came into sharp focus.

His vision now revealed a swarm of red dots scattered throughout the area.

This was Charged Infected Vision!

A unique ability granted by the Blacklight Virus, it allowed Mo Chen to see through obstacles to detect hostile entities in his vicinity.

Surveying the battlefield quickly, he noticed faint, vein-like threads trailing behind each infected Nikke. These intricate red lines converged at a single point.

Following the threads, he dashed forward and made a discovery.

About a dozen meters underground, several red tendrils slithered like burrowing worms, tunneling through the soil.

It was Material H's tendrils!

Mo Chen stomped the ground with tremendous force, and with a thunderous boom, the earth caved in beneath him. Amid the chaos of flying rubble, he launched himself skyward like a missile.

At the apex of his ascent, he twisted in midair, then dove straight down, aiming for his target.

His body accelerated like a bullet, breaking the sound barrier in an instant.

BOOM!

The ground shook violently as he crashed down with devastating force.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The successive impacts caused the ground to collapse and fracture.

Within a 100-meter radius, the earth shattered and crumbled into debris.

Under the massive force, the ground caved in, leaving a massive crater over a dozen meters wide.

Mo Chen let out a low, commanding shout.

"Pinnacle Annihilation!"

Blacklight Virus spikes erupted from the ground, tearing through the soil like deadly lances.

Shh-shh-shh!

Countless spikes shot upward, forming a forest of lethal protrusions.

"ROAR!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground split open further, and boulders flew into the air amidst a cloud of dust and debris.

From within the chaos, several massive tendrils burst out of the earth!

Mo Chen smirked coldly.

Finally, it had surfaced.