Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 8 8: One Year

This was an apartnt off-campus.

Charon sat quietly, sipping tea, his eyes fixed on the TV in front of him.

It had been a full year since Liliweiss chose to undergo the Nikke conversion.

During that year, his main mission progress remained at zero.

He had tried everything—wandering around the city, traveling to other regions, even heading toward areas heavily infested with Raptures–

But none of it triggered the next phase of the main quest.

He was still stuck on the sa objective:

Find the extraction point.

On the screen, a news anchor wore a perfectly professional smile as she reported on the current situation.

It was… too peaceful.

Recently, not only had the Raptures stopped advancing–

So had even withdrawn from territories they had already occupied, as if they had received so kind of order.

The anchor did her best to paint it as a sign of peace.

But that might fool children, no one else.

This wasn't good news.

Temporary peace like this usually ant one thing:

They were gathering forces.

A storm could break out at any mont.

Sothing about it felt off.

Charon could sense it–

The Raptures seed desperate to accomplish sothing.

He rembered what his Nikke teammate had once told him:

Humanity had already lost most of its technological capabilities.

But in this tiline–

They were still at their peak.

Which ant.

The Raptures might actually be afraid.

As if they were trying to destroy…

Sothing humanity was about to create.

Not long after–

The apartnt door opened.

Andrew walked in, expressionless.

He dropped onto the sofa, sinking into it heavily.

But there was nothing relaxed about his face.

Only seriousness.

"So, it's decided?" Charon asked casually, tossing him a can of beer.

"Yeah."

Andrew caught it, popped it open, and took a long gulp before letting out a short sigh.

"But… it's only you."

Charon didn't react much.

"You bastard, ditching at the last minute?"

"Not like that," Andrew shot him a look.

"This one's mainly a test. And the 'test subject' specifically requested you."

"…?"

Charon pointed at himself, visibly surprised.

A year had passed.

The Nikke Project was nearing completion.

The military urgently needed a real combat test–

To gather data.

To determine both the lower and upper limits of what a Nikke could do.

No one knew who initiated it–

But the resources poured into this project had already reached humanity's limit.

If it failed–

The consequences would be unimaginable.

Liliweiss, as the first successful subject,

Naturally had a say in who would accompany her.

And Andrew had been the one to receive the mission.

Clearly.

It had ended up on Charon's shoulders.

"Who else?" Andrew shrugged.

"I'm not like you. I'm heading straight to the front lines this ti. Not sure if I'll stay there or get assigned to a nearby supply station."

"That's not too bad," Charon said.

"If it's a supply station, at least you can run if things go south."

"Bullshit. You think I'd abandon my comrades and run?"

Charon knew he wouldn't.

If anything–

Andrew's problem was the opposite.

He was more likely to stay and die than retreat.

The two fell silent for a mont.

Then Charon spoke again.

"You can tell things aren't going to stay peaceful, right?"

"I know," Andrew sighed.

"Probably heading toward a full-scale war. But right now, humanity doesn't even know what the Raptures are targeting."

"Hopefully I'm wrong."

"If nothing unexpected happens,"

A new voice suddenly spoke from inside the apartnt

Accompanied by the sound of wheels rolling.

"The target is probably right here."

A well-built woman rolled out from the room, seated in an ergonomic chair.

The chair had clearly been heavily modified–

No longer looking cheap at all, but instead like a dream setup for any tech enthusiast, surrounded by screens and high-end equipnt.

"R-Rose?! What are you doing here?!"

Andrew shot upright in shock.

"Isn't this Charon's apartnt?!"

"Not really," Charon shook his head.

"It's hers."

"That's right," Rose said with a blink.

"My secret base. Like it?"

Her tone was playful–

But the warning in her eyes was unmistakable.

The ssage was clear:

Don't talk about this.

Unless you wanted every detail of your life, including what underwear you wore, leaked online. In short, better to just listen to Rose.

Andrew leaned closer to Charon's ear.

"Man, you… so you're actually living with her? I an, I'm not against it, just saying…"

Charon rolled his eyes.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? I got here maybe an hour earlier than you."

The reason was simple. Charon had been looking for a safe place off-campus, there were too many inconveniences inside the academy. But the mont he started searching for a cheap apartnt online, he received a ssage from Rose.

The ti gap? Less than three seconds.

Charon chose not to think about what that implied. It didn't matter.

After resolving her inner struggles and transferring to the cybersecurity departnt, Rose quickly stood out with her exceptional skills and was soon invited to join the NIKKE Project.

The exact details were unclear, but judging by the situation, she had completely reconciled with Liliweiss. Their relationship had only grown stronger, and she had even been closely involved in Liliweiss's transformation into a NIKKE.

In short, she personally offered her off-campus apartnt as a "base" for Charon and Andrew—a place where they could relax and talk freely.

Even though countless eyes were watching them as commander candidates, once inside this apartnt, that surveillance beca significantly limited.

Luckily, the Raptures were humanity's absolute enemy—soulless and rciless. Otherwise, Charon and Andrew would've long been called in for questioning over this arrangent.

Rose smiled and looked at Andrew.

"Actually… regarding the 'test,' I have sothing I'd like to discuss with Mr. Charon privately. Would you mind stepping outside and closing the door behind you? Thank you."

Andrew pointed at himself, stunned. But the mont he t her dangerous gaze, he imdiately backed down.

He took a deep breath. He had barely sat for three minutes, but everything important had already been said. The rest could wait. Right now, protecting his personal data took priority.

He patted Charon on the shoulder.

"Charon, my man… I'll leave this to you. I'm heading to a bar for a drink."

In less than five seconds, he was already out the door, carefully closing it behind him.

Charon raised a hand, still confused.

Did anyone even ask for his opinion?

He turned to Rose, who was smiling sweetly.

"And what exactly is it that he's not supposed to hear?"

Charon and Andrew had almost identical clearance levels. If Charon could know sothing, there was no reason Andrew couldn't.

Rose tilted her head, now looking more playful than dangerous.

"Oh, Mr. Charon, you should consider a girl's feelings too. He didn't do anything wrong… I just personally don't like him."

"…?"