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

Suddenly, a deafening explosion tore through the sky, as if the heavens and earth trembled at that very moment. Flames erupted instantly, like a wild beast breaking free from its chains, frantically expanding outward. 

The dazzling light was blinding, illuminating everything around it as if daylight had descended. The heatwave from the explosion swept through like a raging storm, carrying an intense heat unlike anything felt before.

The flames roiled and twisted in the air, forming dazzling arcs, as if performing their final dance. The Raptures consumed by the fire were engulfed almost instantly, turning into wisps of smoke that rapidly dissipated into the air.

The Rapture in front of Yinghuo was struck by a shotgun blast. Its hard metal shell was instantly shredded into a sieve, sparks bursting from the damage as its core detonated. With a loud "boom," its limbs were blown apart, and its entire body collapsed to the ground.

"Whoo—!"

"Finally made it in time. Hey, you okay?"

Anis appeared behind the Nikke, holding a water gun in one hand while wiping the sweat from her forehead with the other. She grumbled toward the person behind her, "Commander, it's way too hot! Can you tone it down a bit? Do you have to burn everything? These Nikkes almost turned into barbecue!"

A young man with an elegant posture stepped out from the fiery ruins behind her. He held a long blade in his hand, flicking his wrist to twirl it in a flourish. The blazing flames around him seemed to be drawn toward the weapon, rolling and surging onto the blade.

All that remained was the scorched earth left in the wake of the fire's rampage.

"Alright, alright, I won't burn things like this next time."

"If I do, it'll only be aimed at me."

"…?"

No doubt about it—this young man was Mo Chen.

Seeing Yinghuo in a daze, Anis walked over, reaching out to help her up.

"It's okay now, no need to be afraid. We're from the Counters Squad."

She was feeling quite pleased inside.

Finally, their squad could rescue others too!

However, Yinghuo didn't seem to notice Anis at all. She leaped up from the ruins, completely ignoring her, and ran straight toward Mo Chen with excitement.

"Are you the commander of the Outpost?"

There was only one commander of the Outpost Base—Mo Chen.

And the Nikkes from the Outpost Base had long gotten used to calling him that. In daily life, they all referred to him as "Commander.

"Hey, hey, I was the one who saved you!"

Anis stomped her foot in frustration, clearly displeased with Yinghuo's "ungrateful" behavior.

Mo Chen was briefly taken aback, then smiled and said, "I am."

"Great! Finally, the real one!"

Yinghuo swiftly pulled out a pen and paper from her tactical backpack. "Can you sign this for me?"

Mo Chen hadn't intended to give an autograph, but seeing the eager and excited look on the girl's face, he took the pen and paper and signed his name with bold, flowing strokes.

Yinghuo held the signature close to her chest and cheered in delight.

Seeing her so happy, Mo Chen couldn't help but feel in a better mood himself—until he heard what she said next.

"Awesome, I can sell this for money. I'm gonna be rich!"

Mo Chen's smile froze, while Anis, standing behind him, couldn't help but burst out laughing with a snort.

"Haha!"

Realizing she had slipped up, Yinghuo quickly covered her mouth, looking slightly embarrassed. She blushed and said sheepishly, "My family is really poor. We don't have food, and we don't have clothes either."

Mo Chen felt a pang of sympathy at her words—until he heard the rest of her explanation.

Yinghuo wiped away an imaginary tear and said with a slight sob, "My sister and I rely on each other to survive. She's my closest family. Today is her manufacturing date, and I wanted to buy her the PF11 Model 93mm Rocket Launcher she's always wanted."

PF11 Model 93mm Rocket Launcher?

She made it sound like she was buying a toy.

Mo Chen suddenly wondered if he was out of touch. Were Nikkes' hobbies this extreme now?

Wait. Manufacturing date?

Mo Chen was stunned.

Did she mean… birthday?

But then, what did she mean by "sister"?

Since when did mass-produced Nikkes have siblings?

Yet, the other Nikkes around them—Rapi, Anis, and the rest—looked at Yinghuo with sympathy, as if nothing about her words seemed off.

Yinghuo extended her fair, jade-like hand.

"So, can I get a few more autographs?"

Mo Chen: "..."

Most of the Raptures on the battlefield had already been destroyed by Mo Chen, while the rest were cleaned up by Rapi, Anis, and the others.

Mo Chen then asked Yinghuo about what had happened at the Outpost Base.

Not long after he had left, the Outpost had come under attack by Raptures.

Fortunately, before Mo Chen had departed, the base had been reinforced with additional armaments, a dense firepower defense network, and a layered protective shield. Several large-scale Rapture assaults had been successfully repelled.

Mo Chen breathed a small sigh of relief.

At the same time, she mentioned a few strange occurrences.

On the surface, large quantities of an unidentified substance had appeared, spreading like fungal colonies. Anything that came into contact with it—whether Raptures or Nikkes—was quickly corroded.

Like the Creep?

The term popped into Mo Chen's mind.

Meanwhile, Haixin had finished cleaning up the battlefield and approached. Compared to Yinghuo's vague hints, Haixin carried herself with far more restraint, exhibiting the grace of a refined lady. From her, Mo Chen learned several unusual stories.

It was said that in the mountains on the surface, a fire dragon had appeared. It spewed raging flames and was ferociously hostile, not only exterminating Nikkes on sight but also incinerating Raptures into ash. Its favorite pastime was collecting shiny objects.

Mo Chen found this strangely familiar and couldn't help but ask,

"Is that fire dragon called Smaug?"

"Ah," Haixin froze for a moment, then shook her head. "No."

Mo Chen let out a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he would have thought he had somehow ended up in Middle-earth.

But since it wasn't Smaug from Middle-earth, he had a pretty good idea of which fire dragon it was.

Additionally, Haixin mentioned another strange tale.

In the wastelands on the surface, a Heretic was said to be wandering around. She carried a severed head in her arms, and every time she encountered someone, she would ask where her body had gone and whether the head she was holding was still alive.

"At that moment, you must never say it's dead, nor should you say you don't know. Otherwise, she will tear off your head and replace it with the one she's holding."

That was certainly a bizarre tale.

Even for a Heretic, this was on another level of eerie.

A head?

Suddenly, Mo Chen thought of someone.

Liliweiss' head had also been stolen. Could this be related to her?

Liliweiss was the very first Nikke—the prototype from which all subsequent Nikkes had been modeled. However, she had perished in the great war. Even more tragically, after her death, someone had decapitated her.