Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 89 89: Where the Hell Did This Fishing rod Come From

Barnes had been feeling uneasy lately.

It had nothing to do with the fact that Rose only returned late at night to report. Honestly, part of him even wished she simply never ca back at all.

Even though the plan had been exposed to Rose, it technically changed nothing. The NIMPH inside those Nikkes made rebellion impossible – they could only obey orders. Five Nikkes were already unable to move properly. Sure, the fact that there still hadn't been any actual casualties irritated him, but that was just a minor issue.

As long as the final survivor could eventually be decided, he could simply abandon the rest in the wilderness, bring the "Perfect Candidate" back to headquarters, and spend the rest of his life enjoying comfort and luxury in the rear lines thanks to this achievent.

It's fine. Nothing serious.

The missions were getting harder and harder anyway. Eventually, all that pressure they'd been bottling up would explode at once — probably into one magnificent fireworks show.

Barnes lived in a secure underground blast shelter. Most days he stayed inside eating and sleeping, barely knowing what was happening outside.

And so, he drifted back into sleep once again.

The next morning, he woke up and began issuing orders to Rose.

"Understood, Lieutenant. We'll do everything we can to complete the mission."

Barnes frowned.

Sothing about Rose's voice sounded different.

A couple of days ago, her tone had still carried barely concealed anger and disappointnt. But starting yesterday, her voice had returned to its usual calmness.

And that calmness made him nervous.

That was why NIMPH was the greatest invention in the world. As long as Nikkes had it implanted, they could never harm humans. That was the entire reason human commanders could safely be assigned to Nikke squads in the first place.

Judging by the mission difficulty, Rose and the others probably wouldn't return until midnight again today… right?

Yet before sunset had even arrived, the lee squad had already returned.

"Lieutenant, today's mission has been completed. Here is the mission report for your review!"

The voice coming through was full of energy – not exhausted in the slightest. If anything, it sounded invigorated.

Barnes hurriedly checked the report and photographs.

Everything looked normal.

Then he saw the summary at the bottom.

Zero casualties.

Those two words nearly stopped his breathing.

What the hell was going on?

This mission difficulty shouldn't have allowed zero casualties.

Hadn't they gone a week without proper food?!

But the facts were right in front of him. There wasn't the slightest hint of hunger in Rose's voice.

No…

They had to be pretending.

They had to be.

Three days later–

Barnes stared at another report with the words "Zero Casualties" written on it.

His hands were trembling.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

What kind of cheating thod were these girls using?

Granted, this wasn't the main battlefield. Most Raptures here only reached Master-class. Higher-tier Tyrant-class Raptures existed, but rarely. In all this ti, the squad had encountered only one.

The governnt wanted the lee squad to suffer casualties, but they couldn't directly control the Raptures. All they could do was continuously send the squad into areas likely to contain large enemy concentrations.

But even that had limits.

They couldn't let the lee squad wander into the main battlefield zone – that was the territory of the Goddess Squad.

If the lee squad crossed paths with them, the plan might be exposed.

And so, the lee squad's missions could only circle around these peripheral regions.

Sothing was wrong.

Very wrong.

Barnes paced anxiously around his bunker.

They had already been pushed to their limits – so why were their missions suddenly becoming more successful?

Where were they even getting food from?

And more importantly, because supplies had been cut off, even his own food reserves were running low.

If he openly requested support now, Rose would definitely notice. And if the other Nikkes found out…

Barnes had already assud Rose would keep the truth hidden anyway. After all, none of the Nikkes had co looking for him since then.

No. This wouldn't do.

Even if outside was dangerous, he had to figure out what was happening.

By now, he had practically forgotten all about Lieutenant Charon.

At dusk, Barnes finally stepped out of the bunker he had hidden inside for so long.

The surroundings were deathly quiet.

The distance to the Nikkes' quarters was only a few dozen ters.

Good news: close.

Bad news: the path went through forest trails.

He imdiately regretted coming out at this hour.

As the woods darkened around him, he couldn't shake the feeling that sothing was hiding deep in the forest, waiting to attack.

Honestly, if it were a Rapture, that would almost be better. At least if he scread, the Nikkes would hear him.

What truly terrified him were the unexplainable things.

Crunch–

Suddenly, he clearly heard footsteps behind him.

In that instant, Barnes' scalp went numb.

Pure survival instinct kicked in, and he bolted while screaming his lungs out.

The few dozen ters disappeared in seconds. He practically rolled and crawled to the training hall entrance, pounding desperately on the door.

"Rose! Open up! Help! I order you to open the door imdiately!"

"Coming, coming~"

The door opened.

Rose stood there elegantly.

Seeing Barnes, her expression barely changed. Tilting her head slightly, she smiled.

"Ara? Isn't this Lieutenant Barnes? Why did you leave your safe room to co here?"

"Shut up! Let in!"

Barnes shoved his way inside. Rose didn't stop him, rely stepping aside.

…Hm?

Barnes looked around at the Nikkes squatting in different corners of the training hall.

Sothing slled really good.

It was a scent he had never slled before.

He looked more carefully at the Nikkes.

Every single one of them avoided eye contact.

So who clearly weren't very good at acting were secretly peeking at his reaction. The mont Barnes looked over, they imdiately snapped upright and stared motionlessly at the ceiling.

Yes.

What a very… ceiling-like ceiling.

Rose's voice snapped him out of it.

"So, Lieutenant, what exactly did you see out there? Judging from your reaction… was it a Rapture?"

"R-right! Behind ! Sothing was following –"

Just as he began wildly gesturing, the sound of footsteps ca from outside.

Then Charon walked in from the darkness beyond the door, carrying a backpack and a bucket.

"Hm? Lieutenant Barnes?" Charon said politely. "Perfect timing. We were just about to eat. Care to join us?"

He lifted the bucket slightly.

Inside, several enormous freshwater fish were swimming around.

Barnes froze.

Where the hell did the fish co from?!

Only then did he notice the fishing rod sticking out of Charon's backpack.

Where the hell did this fishing rod even co from?!