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

On the screen, a little girl choked back sobs as she expressed her gratitude toward C.O.L Company.

Her parents had lost their jobs and were so poor that they could barely afford to eat. They were on the brink of starvation until C.O.L. reached out to them and provided financial aid.

Many other people from the lower districts had also received food and appeared in front of the camera, expressing their heartfelt thanks.

A riot that had been carefully incited—one that should have erupted into chaos—was extinguished before it could even begin.

Crow's expression darkened, her face visibly twisted with frustration.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

"Commander! I can't believe you did all that behind our backs!"

Anis loudly protested at Mo Chen. "Even if you're getting tired of us, you can't just move on so fast! And what's this about a new wife?! It hasn't even been a few days!"

"Yeah! Getting married without telling us!"

Neon also huffed angrily, clearly displeased.

What are you even mad about?

Mo Chen sighed helplessly. Even Neon had joined in on the nonsense.

"Why won't you all believe me? I didn't get married. And besides, I was only gone for a few days. It's not like I disappeared."

"That doesn't matter," Anis stated firmly, hands on her hips, speaking with the absolute confidence of someone in the right. "From now on, we need to keep a close eye on the Commander. We can't let him get stolen away by other women."

"Exactly! Exactly!"

Neon nodded in agreement.

"To make sure the Commander doesn't marry someone else, I'll just have to make a little sacrifice and marry him myself."

Anis spoke with a grand, self-righteous air, as if she were making the ultimate noble gesture.

Neon frowned. "Uh? Wait, why can't it be me?"

"You're the one who said you'd marry your weapons, remember? You need someone with more firepower. I'm just looking out for you."

"...Am I supposed to thank you for that?"

"Obviously. No need to be shy about it."

As Anis and Neon continued bickering, Rapi walked over and quietly leaned toward Mo Chen. "Andersen wants to see you."

Andersen?

Mo Chen was momentarily surprised but then nodded and walked into the living room, where he saw Andersen—who was usually occupied with meetings—standing there waiting for him.

Mo Chen greeted him casually.

"You're not in a meeting?"

That single question made Andersen pause for a moment before quickly recovering. Clearing his throat, he replied, "Actually, I do have one in a bit, but I came to see you first."

Mo Chen's gaze lingered on Andersen, and that slight, knowing smirk on his lips made Andersen feel oddly uncomfortable—like he was being seen through.

Not wanting to make things more difficult for him, Mo Chen gestured toward a seat.

"Please, sit."

Andersen took a seat, and before he could even speak, Rapi walked in carrying two cups of coffee, setting them down in front of them. Andersen thanked her politely.

Mo Chen grinned. "Go on, try it."

Andersen was one of the few truly upright people in the Ark, someone who remained untainted despite being surrounded by corruption. That was no easy feat.

Andersen hesitated for a moment, as if he had something important to say, but seeing how welcoming Mo Chen was, he decided not to refuse. He picked up the coffee and took a sip.

The rich, full-bodied aroma instantly filled his mouth.

This was completely different from Splendamin...

Andersen lifted his head, a hint of surprise in his expression. "This is..."

Real coffee, the genuine article!

In the Ark, this stuff was nearly impossible to come by. Underground farming had an extremely low yield, and the quality was poor.

During one of his operations on the surface, Andersen had been lucky enough to find a can of unexpired coffee. After tasting it, he immediately realized how vastly different it was from Splendamin's artificial substitute.

So the moment he took a sip, he recognized it.

Mo Chen took a small sip, savoring the rich, slightly bitter taste, and smiled. "Not bad, right? Grown it myself. No one else gets to enjoy this."

Andersen wasn't stupid—he immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Mo Chen's words. He pondered for a moment before speaking.

"What you did in the Outer Rim was impressive. You didn't just dismantle the gray market trade, you also stabilized the local population, eliminating one of the Ark's biggest sources of unrest."

Mo Chen wasn't interested in flattery. He knew Andersen hadn't come just to offer praise. Waving his hand dismissively, he cut him off.

"That's not why you're here, is it? There's no one else around. You don't have to be polite—just say what's on your mind."

Andersen placed the coffee cup back on the table, his expression turning serious.

"Your methods were effective, but they've also made you a lot of enemies. Many of the Ark's higher-ups are furious with you."

That was an understatement.

It wasn't just that they were upset—they wanted nothing more than to drive Mo Chen out of the Ark entirely.

The black-market economy in the Outer Rim had been intertwined with the interests of many high-ranking officials. From Nikke trafficking to red-light districts, even organ harvesting—there were powerful figures involved in all of it.

Without their backing, these industries wouldn't have lasted as long as they did.

Cutting off someone's source of income was like killing their parents—those people were probably gnashing their teeth in fury right now.

Mo Chen, however, didn't seem concerned in the slightest. He chuckled, placing his cup down.

"They have complaints? Then they can come to me and say it to my face. If they can convince me, I'll leave them alone."

In his eyes, those so-called high-ranking officials were nothing more than capitalist sellouts—parasites feeding off the Ark.

The fact that he hadn't already launched a massive purge was proof of his boundless mercy.

If this were the old days, he'd have lined them up in a row and had them executed one by one.

Andersen stared at him, dumbfounded.

Leave them alone?

For a moment, he had the strange illusion that the true leader of the Central Government wasn't the Ark's high command—it was the man sitting right in front of him.

Seeing how resolute Mo Chen was, it was clear he had no intention of backing down. 

Since persuasion was pointless, Andersen decided not to press the issue further: he had initially wanted to warn Mo Chen to be cautious—after all, the Ark's high-ranking officials were capable of anything. But on second thought, given his strength, his concerns were probably unnecessary.

"I'll keep an eye on those people for you. But that's not the main reason I came here today—there's something important I need to tell you in person."

Andersen's usual relaxed demeanor disappeared. He straightened up, his expression turning grave.

"It's about the Ground Reclamation Force."

"Hmm."

Mo Chen nodded. "I know about that."

The operation was meant to target Material H. The underground expansion of those tentacle-like structures had begun to threaten the Ark's security, so the Ground Reclamation Force was deployed to eradicate the source and ensure the Ark's safety.

"Did something go wrong with the mission?"

Andersen exhaled heavily and gave a solemn nod.

"That's right."

Mo Chen's brow furrowed slightly.

A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

Andersen wouldn't have come all this way to tell him this unless it was serious.

Taking a deep breath, Andersen locked eyes with him and said in a heavy tone,

"A few days ago, the Ground Reclamation Force was ambushed and lost contact. Since then, there has been no communication. Based on our current assessment, it's highly likely that they've been completely wiped out."