Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 36 36: “Your body must not be taken by the Raptures

Is it… an illusion?

I think I heard the Commander's voice.

No, I must have gone insane. NIMPH can even do this… projecting hallucinations only I can see through my artificial eyes. That actually makes sense. People always see things before they die.

My eyelids are barely open now. NIMPH has completely taken over my brain. Its command is to shut down all my senses. Soon, I'll just be a machine waiting to be crushed into fragnts.

"Th-this is so… realistic… but even if it's a hallucination… can you at least hold my hand?"

Just kidding. I've already completely lost my sense of touch. I can't feel anything anymore. But still… let look at this vision before I die.

"What kind of strange request is that?"

Charon crouched down in front of Liliweiss, who was lying on the ground yet appeared completely unhard. He t her unfocused eyes and let out a faint sigh.

"Even though I knew the governnt wouldn't tolerate you… I didn't think they wouldn't even give you a proper 'test'."

He bent down and tried to pick her up.

He positioned one hand under her neck and the other under her knees, then lifted–

"Shit!"

Charon staggered as he lifted Liliweiss off the ground, only to realize how shockingly heavy she was.

"My lady, what on earth do you eat? How are you this heavy and still in perfect shape?!"

"…?"

"…??"

"…???"

Only now did Liliweiss finally regain awareness.

This wasn't a hallucination.

Her senses were still fading, but her vision and hearing were mostly intact. And now she understood, this was real.

The Commander… actually ca?!

"I-it's just normal weight for a Nikke!" she weakly protested, her lifeless eyes regaining a spark.

It wasn't an illusion. He was real. He was actually here!

Liliweiss felt an overwhelming surge of emotion, but almost instantly forced it down.

"Commander, run! That gate is a trap!" she warned imdiately. "My body can still draw their attention. Please escape while you still can!"

Charon lowered his head and glanced at her.

"Shut up. You're noisy."

Liliweiss froze.

Huh? She's trying to save you here?!

"Listen to , Commander! I'm sorry for everything before, but this isn't the ti for stubbornness! I can't move anymore, you need to leave! If you take , you won't escape!"

"You're right."

The next mont, her body hit the ground with a heavy thud.

Wait, he actually threw ?!

Liliweiss lay face-first on the ground, clearly emotionally unstable.

"Co–mman–der–"

"Sorry, slipped for a second."

Charon quickly flipped her over, only to see her puffed-up cheeks and annoyed expression.

"I actually have sothing useful."

Knowing how unstable emotions can be, he imdiately changed the subject and pulled out a box-shaped item from nowhere. It was slightly larger than a human head.

"This thing, if you cut off your head and store it inside, you can regenerate with another body. Pretty amazing, right? Nikkes are weird like that."

Liliweiss felt chills run down her spine.

Even though she knew her body was chanical, this was still hard to accept.

But… if this worked, she wouldn't have to worry about Charon carrying her anymore. Both of them could survive.

And when you can live… who would choose death?

"But that won't work."

Charon looked at her seriously.

"Your body cannot be taken by the Raptures."

"Raptures are chanical lifeforms that continuously evolve based on environntal data. If they obtain your body,one that can easily defeat a Tyrant-class Rapture,the consequences would be catastrophic. Humanity would lose any chance of resistance."

He looked toward the entrance of the logistics center. Sowhere out there, unknown forces were already fighting the Raptures.

"So I'm going to try sothing else. A way to let you kill every Rapture here, save your life, and still make it back alive."

[In-Ga Mission: This Road Is Blocked]

Mission Description:

Operator, look behind you. There is a space elevator. A valuable private asset. Unfortunately, so very impolite guests are trying to force their way in. Your job is simple: stand at the gate and tell them, this road is blocked.

Objective:

Defend the position for 10 minutes, repel enemy forces, and maintain elevator integrity ≥ 99%. If integrity reaches 100%, bonus reward will be sent after extraction.

Reward:

10,000 Zero Coins

Special item: "Neutralization Bullet" ×1

This mission is perfect for the current situation.

Endless waves of Raptures will be stalled by NPC-like enemies spawned at the gate.

Don't underestimate them, those "zero-area NPCs" are not simple enemies. They are precision killers with lock-on shots that can pierce armor from extre range.

Back in the Zero Zone, Charon spent five years dealing with them. Only in the last two did he fully learn how to manipulate their chanics.

And now, he is using them to hold back the Rapture army.

But once the mission ends… the NPCs will disappear.

And then the endless Rapture swarm will flood in and tear everything apart.

Charon turned back to Liliweiss.

Her consciousness was fading, but she still forced herself to look at him.

"Take this."

He pulled out the sa simple dagger from his inventory, the one that never breaks, never dulls, and placed it firmly into her hand.

"Sorry. Our earlier agreent might have to be postponed. For now, just use this. At least I can guarantee, it won't break in your hands."