Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 4 4: A Person Who Can’t Even Die

How should I put it…

The Liliweiss in front of him, and the "Victory Goddess" Charon had once heard about from the future, were not just slightly different, but completely worlds apart.

The NIKKE prototype, Liliweiss.

As the "Victory Goddess" in the hearts of every NIKKE, she was the strongest among them all. She had a devastating left punch, an equally devastating right punch, and an exceptionally kind personality. She treated her comrades with the warmth of spring wind.

Anyone who had interacted with her, unless they were a hardcore NIKKE hater, would almost inevitably develop a good impression of her.

A leader who embodied strength, gentleness, and wisdom all at once.

The ultimate idol of countless NIKKEs.

…Yes, all of that was what Charon had heard from his teammate in the Zero Zone.

That normally calm and composed woman completely changed whenever the "Goddess of Victory" was ntioned, almost as if she had been possessed.

Her obsession was basically that of a hardcore fan, and if Charon didn't agree with her at least once, the next few hours would beco unbearable.

Of course, Charon wasn't an idiot.

The current Liliweiss was clearly at the lowest point of her life. There was no way she could resemble the perfect image described from that admirer's perspective.

Besides, admiration is the furthest thing from understanding.

That phrase fit this situation perfectly.

"Who are you?"

A completely emotionless electronic voice ca from the speaker at the foot of the bed.

So you can speak.

Then what were you blinking for earlier?

Charon looked closely.

A wire extended from a small device, running through a converter before connecting to the back of Liliweiss' head.

It was so kind of technology beyond his understanding, but it seed she could control a machine using thought to produce speech.

It was clear that aside from her right eye, there was almost nothing left of her body that could be considered intact.

Simply being alive was already a miracle.

"I'm very sorry. If you're here to persuade to undergo surgery…"

"Then it's probably a waste of ti."

"I know there are others far more suitable than . I am grateful to the military for saving my life. Over the years, I have saved up a considerable amount of money, and combined with insurance compensation, it is more than enough to cover dical expenses. So…"

Her gaze did not rest on the artificial "scenery" on the wall, but instead drifted toward the ceiling.

"Please… let die as a human being."

"If there's nothing else, you may leave."

It was clear that although the hospital had tried its best to create a "comfortable" atmosphere, in reality, both the cold machinery, sterile terminology, and the suffocating enclosed space only made Liliweiss feel numb and hopeless.

Charon fell silent.

Which idiot said we were supposed to inform her about this? Who leaked that information?

…Forget it. That didn't matter anymore.

It was obvious that Liliweiss had already thought this through carefully—and still chose death over treatnt.

That ant, first of all, she didn't trust the military's so-called NIKKE Project.

Secondly, the promising flight instructor from that crash… was already dead.

What remained here was nothing more than an empty shell nad Liliweiss.

And most importantly—what exactly did this unknown existence called "NIKKE" an to her?

A will completely controlled. A life entirely dictated by others.

Sothing along those lines.

For a once-proud ace pilot, she clearly had a deep understanding of the military.

Rather than being molded and manipulated at soone else's whim, she would rather die like this.

At least then, she would have died protecting her students.

Even if a miracle happened and she fully recovered, the profession of a pilot had already lost most of its aning after the ergence of airborne Raptures.

Her "death" itself was a signal—the inevitable end of humanity's air power.

According to the information Charon had received, at this mont, Liliweiss' identity as a human had already been revoked.

She had only two choices left:

To die by having the plug pulled… or to beco a NIKKE.

"Since you've already said that, let's put the surgery aside for now and talk about sothing else."

Charon casually pulled over a stool and sat beside her bed, switching off the bedside alarm.

The sudden invasion of her personal space made Liliweiss instinctively irritated.

But thinking about her current state… it didn't really matter anymore.

As for the alarm—what did it have to do with her?

Clearly, she had no intention of wasting any more words on him.

But in the next second, she couldn't stay calm.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the uninvited man sohow pull out a bag of chips and start crunching on them right next to her.

Crunch. Crunch.

How did he even do that?

Chips? How did he bring those in?

This hospital strictly controlled everything that went in or out—especially food.

The hospital only provided precisely asured nutrient solutions.

Outside food? Not even a crumb of bread would be allowed inside.

There were no surveillance devices in the room.

After all, many of the important people staying here needed at least a little privacy.

Only the bed was equipped with countless monitoring devices to track vital signs.

Which ant-

Everything they said, or even anything else they might do during these thirty minutes, would remain completely unknown to anyone else.

"Do you know what I do?" Charon finished the chips and casually tossed the empty bag aside.

Right before Liliweiss' eyes, the plastic wrapper dissolved into visible streams of data and disappeared.

For the first ti, surprise appeared in her eye, though only for a brief mont.

"Sorry. I'm not interested in magic."

"Magic? No, this is more like… well, fine, let's just call it magic."

Charon didn't mind showing off a little.

It was just a small trick to grab her attention. Besides, even if she told anyone, no one would believe her.

"But you did look. So? Interesting?"

"…"

A faint burst of white noise ca from the speaker.

Charon pretended to glance at his watch.

"I've been here for about three minutes. Twenty-seven left."

"Even if you've already refused, sitting here doing nothing would be pretty boring. We can't just stare at each other for half an hour, right?"

"I rember, when adults want to get the attention of a stubborn kid, what do they usually do? Oh right. Tell a story."

He leaned against the back of the chair, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.

"If you don't want to listen, feel free to cover your ears. Oh, sorry. I forgot you can't even lift your hands right now."

"—!"

Another burst of white noise, this ti trembling slightly.

Angry?

Good.

That ant she wasn't as resolute as she claid.

He began slowly.

"Once upon a ti, there was this unlucky guy…"

"He lived in a very special town. It was practically a paradise. Every day, he could walk outside and pick up things he could sell for money."

"He could take them to vending machines and trade them in. In just one month, he achieved financial freedom."

"Every shop and building was open 24/7. He could do whatever he wanted. No one would stop him."

"He could even run naked down the street… well, he never actually did that. Seriously."

"Even if he stood on a rooftop and shouted insults for hours, no one would bother him."

"No one's dog would bark at him."

"Sounds great, right?"

"But here's the thing…"

"No matter which direction he went, he would eventually hit a wall."

"A wall made of air, impossible to break, no matter what he tried."

"In that prison-like town, he was free to do anything…"

"Except leave."

"…Is he still alive?"

For the first ti since the story began, the white noise stopped.

Liliweiss responded.

"Yeah."

Charon answered calmly.

"After all… he can't even die."