Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 22 22: The Ultimate Mechanism

The belt looked incredibly cool.

Charon kind of wanted one, but only Nikkes could wear it.

Up until now, Abe had been the only one speaking. Karen hadn't said a single word after the beginning, almost like she didn't exist. Still, Charon kept an eye on her, because if not for Karen, he might still be unaware of Liliweiss's defect.

Everything she said had been correct, but… why?

It wasn't paranoia. Information like that was usually top secret. Even if Charon had clearance to know, it wasn't sothing a re researcher should be revealing on her own. Clearly, Abe was the one in charge here, and she obviously didn't know Karen had gone off-script.

And more importantly, why had Abe only brought out this belt today?

There were plenty of doubts, but no real reason to refuse. It's not like the belt had been tampered with… right?

"I know what you're thinking, Commander Charon," Abe said from behind him. "The sensors on this belt are for recording only. There are no components that interfere with a Nikke's body. If you're worried, you can inspect it yourself."

"No need. I trust you," Charon replied.

Of course, it wasn't complete trust. He just had a fallback plan.

Inside his system inventory, he already had a full set of gear he'd gathered on the front lines.

After all, he had survived five years in that extraction-combat zone.

As for combat ability, he wasn't lacking.

Even if he couldn't access his strongest pre-built loadout, the gear he had now was still usable. Just… not as strong.

Finally, Charon turned to Liliweiss, who was stretching lightly.

"How is it? Does the belt affect your movent?"

Liliweiss gave him a slightly resentful look before returning to normal.

"No problem. It doesn't interfere at all."

"Good." Charon coughed lightly, pretending not to notice. "Let's move out."

Liliweiss straightened, her expression serious.

"Yes, Commander."

The journey from the front line toward the orbital elevator was, by all human records, already deep in enemy territory.

Running into Raptures was inevitable.

And yet–

Bang.

Another Rapture dropped.

Charon raised his assault rifle, reloaded, chambered, and fired with practiced ease. His movents were those of a seasoned veteran. Even incoming fire never touched him, it all struck cover in just the right way.

"Commander, this is the third wave already. Why won't you let handle it?" Liliweiss asked, crouched beside him behind cover, her eyes fixed on him. "Aren't we supposed to collect combat data?"

"We are. But what data can we get from trash like these?" Charon replied. "You could blow them into scrap in one breath. Might as well let enjoy this, I haven't fought in a while."

Without even looking, he tossed a grenade over the cover.

Boom.

A cluster of Rapture vanished instantly.

Liliweiss fell silent.

This was her first ti truly entering a frontline battlefield. She didn't fully grasp how dangerous Raptures really were, but anyone experienced would imdiately realize sothing was off about Charon.

Normally, even anti-Rapture rounds needed precise hits to be effective.

But Charon?

It didn't matter where he hit.

As long as he hit, it dealt damage.

Because his system was different.

He saw health bars.

As long as he intended to attack, enemies would display HP bars, visible only to him. Any effective hit reduced that bar. Once it hit zero, the enemy died.

No matter how high their defense was.

He was still in Disguise Mode, after all.

They advanced like this, Liliweiss watching Charon mow everything down, step by step approaching the orbital elevator.

She didn't even realize his combat ability far exceeded normal soldiers.

To her, this just looked… standard.

After all, she herself wasn't normal either.

But as they got closer, the number of Raptures skyrocketed. Soon, even Charon couldn't handle the swarming enemies alone.

"Let handle this!" Liliweiss finally stepped in.

Even knowing her lifespan might be limited, she wasn't worried. Killing a few hundred more wouldn't cost her much.

Because she was–

The first.

And the strongest Nikke.

She stepped out from cover.

In front of her: a flood of enemies.

She raised her hand.

White gloves, edged in golden light under the sun.

With a simple flick of her wrist–

A golden storm erupted.

Like a living blender, it tore through everything in its path.

10 ters.

30 ters.

80 ters.

100 ters.

When the storm faded, not a single Rapture remained moving within a hundred-ter radius.

Liliweiss stood still for a mont.

Then–

A sudden wave of dizziness hit her.

'What…?'

It vanished almost instantly.

'Too much output? I'll need to hold back a little…'

She turned back to Charon with a bright smile.

"Commander, we can move forward now~"

"You're cheating, aren't you?" Charon said, stepping out from cover, staring at the devastation.

"That's a bit harsh~ And didn't you say you wanted to see it up close? Or… did you regret it?"

"No, not really." Charon walked up beside her. "When guys say 'you're cheating' in a situation like this… it actually ans you're insanely good."

"…"