Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 34 34: The Vote

The corrosive digestive fluid flowed out just like before, surging through Gluttony's "esophagus" and slowly spreading across the ground it occupied.

Buildings, Raptures, living or dead matter–everything swallowed by the silvery liquid began to "sink," as if it were a real silver river.

In reality, it was only a thin layer of digestive fluid.

Liliweiss kept jumping, easily escaping the coverage area.

Even now, she couldn't say she was fighting at full power. To her, killing Gluttony was no different from stepping on a roadside insect.

She hadn't t a single opponent worth going all out for.

And so, she casually crushed any Raptures that got in her way and quickly arrived at the logistics center.

Just like before, there were not many Raptures stationed here.

That was understandable, Raptures were deployed through the Orbital Elevator. If the elevator itself was destroyed, they were done for.

And right now, Liliweiss could destroy it easily if she wanted.

But she couldn't.

Charon's objective was to retrieve sothing from the relay station. She would only destroy the elevator after obtaining permission.

She walked to the switch point Charon had ntioned and operated the control panel, but, as expected, it remained locked.

So she gave up and prepared to pull the lever manually.

"The lever sequence Commander gave was…"

She recalled Charon's instructions and pulled the levers one by one in order.

At the sa mont, deep within the Central Governnt's conference room, a signal was received.

"She has arrived," one of the officials said gravely.

"So Gluttony… seems we don't need to ntion it. Liliweiss's performance is exactly as expected."

On the projection screen, images from the front lines appeared, photographs of the city surrounding the Orbital Elevator.

"This is thanks to Commander Charon. Otherwise, we wouldn't even have gotten these shots… I still rember visiting the space station back when I was younger. Nostalgic."

"No matter how many tis I see it, it's still unbelievable. Have the Three Major Corporations gone insane?" another official sneered. "Even if Gluttony must be eliminated, isn't this excessive? Are you really comfortable placing such power in an uncontrollable entity?"

Silence fell across the room.

"This is precisely why we are gathered here today," the elderly man at the head of the table said calmly. "No ti to waste. Begin the vote."

The screen switched.

[Should Liliweiss be destroyed?]

YES / NO

"Liliweiss is too powerful, yet at her core she is still just a soldier. That makes her fundantally uncontrollable. However, destroying her ans losing a key weapon against the Raptures, one that would naturally expire within ten years anyway."

"Then the real question becos: can we fully control her before that expiration? Reverend, your VTC Order has made progress in NIMPH research, has it not?"

The man addressed, dressed differently from the others, remained silent for a mont.

Then he shook his head.

"NIMPH is a sacred creation. We have not yet fully understood it. Forcing a rewrite on that Nikke may trigger extre resistance."

Yes, NIMPH could influence cognition, but the only real chance had been during initial implantation. Now… it was too late.

Technically not impossible, but no one dared gamble on it.

Even a one percent failure rate was unacceptable if the result was Liliweiss going berserk.

Most of them understood the real issue:

Was there a replacent for Liliweiss?

The answer was yes.

The "Fairy Tale-Type Nikke Project" had already been approved. Liliweiss was rely a prototype benchmark.

The first unit would be built using her data, but fully controlled through NIMPH.

A weapon entirely obedient to the governnt.

"Begin."

One by one, they pressed their buttons.

The vote ended.

7 : 3

An overwhelming majority for destruction.

A few sighed quietly. Even the Air Force Won's Academy director said nothing.

She could not stop it.

"Voting complete," the elder said. "Then I will press the trigger."

He took out a plain remote control.

Everyone's eyes fixed on it.

The Reverend knew exactly what it was.

A VTC-designed backdoor device, not only capable of shutting down a Nikke's systems, but also emitting a signal that attracts Raptures.

Once pressed, Liliweiss would be immobilized… and then torn apart by swarms of Raptures.

The so-called "destruction protocol."

The elder looked around the room one last ti.

Then pressed the red button.

At the logistics center, Liliweiss tilted her head.

"…Why didn't it open? I already pulled the switch…"

She frowned and tried again.

But as she reached for the lever–

A familiar wave of dizziness struck her brain.

"Huh?"

Her body swayed. When she steadied herself, she realized she had already taken several steps back.

What… is happening?

The dizziness intensified. She had to brace herself against the wall.

But her senses remained sharp.

She heard it.

Footsteps.

Raptures. Closing in.

"No…!"

She tried to stand straight, but her body had gone limp.

Within a minute, she felt like she had turned to lead. No strength left at all.

Why…?

She had passed every check. Everything was fine.

So why now, at the worst possible mont?

The footsteps grew louder.

Her vision blurred.

She could only lie half-collapsed, preparing to fight back with whatever she had left.

Even if it was just one last breath of force.

Commander… I'm sorry…

Then–

Gunfire erupted from all directions.

"SUUUUKAAA–!"

"YOU'RE DONE!"

"GO TO HELL!"

Explosions of Raptures filled the air.

And through it all, steady footsteps.

A familiar voice.

"Yo. Still alive?"

"I ca to settle the score. You think locking in a black site has no consequences? You ready to write your apology essay?"

Liliweiss's eyes widened.

"…C-Commander?!"