Chapter 172: Commander, I Want an Injection Too

Privaty listened to Mo Chen's words and immediately realized he had no intention of handing Aria over. She stomped her foot in frustration, turned on her heel, and left without looking back.

"Let's go!"

Surprisingly, Privaty took her Nikkes and left without further argument. This left Neon, who had been mentally preparing for a fight, completely baffled. She turned back and asked,

"They're just leaving like that?"

Anis shrugged, looking smug as she said, "What, you thought they'd stay and fight? If they were actually that capable, they would've fought back when Storm Bringer showed up. No need to wait until now."

Privaty, who was still within earshot, nearly tripped over her own feet. 

She was seething, but she had no way to refute it because it was the truth.

Setting aside the strength of the Counter Squad's Nikkes, even just their commander alone was likely more than the entire Triangle Squad and mass-produced Nikkes combined could handle.

After walking a fair distance, the small girl trailing behind Privaty—Admi—suddenly spoke up.

"Why are you so antagonistic? You don't actually dislike that commander, do you?"

She was the youngest of Squad, yet her extensive military experience had made her far more mature than her age suggested.

"W-Who said I don't dislike him?" Privaty stammered, clearly flustered, before snapping in frustration, "Besides, we were just carrying out orders from our superiors! It's not like I wanted to come here. But somehow, we're the ones getting treated like villains. So annoying!"

Privaty stomped her foot again and stormed off without looking back, still fuming.

Admi glanced between Privaty and the distant commander, a thoughtful expression on her face, before turning to follow Privaty.

Once the Triangle Squad Nikkes had left, Mo Chen immediately focused on treating Aria.

Her condition had worsened.

She lay there like a sleeping black snow princess—calm and peaceful.

"What do we do now?"

Anis scratched her head anxiously.

She was a fan of Aria—not a diehard, but she had always admired her. Back when she was still a member of a girl group, she had even looked up to her as a role model.

"The situation isn't looking good," Rapi said after carefully examining Aria. Her expression was serious. "The Rapture virus has spread too deeply. Even if we fix her body, her brain…"

"I'll do it."

The silent Mo Chen finally spoke.

Anis's eyes lit up. She grabbed his hand.

"Commander, are you saying you can save Aria?"

Mo Chen shook his head.

"It's too early to say. We'll find out soon."

Anis patted Mo Chen's shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Commander, do your best! I believe in you. No problem at all!"

Mo Chen flicked her forehead.

"Do your best, my ass."

"Ah!" Anis let out a startled yelp, but she didn't have time to get mad. She covered her forehead and asked, "Do you need any preparations?"

Mo Chen was confused.

"Preparations? What preparations?"

Anis started counting on her fingers.

"You know, like an isolated room, or rules about not asking questions even if we hear strange noises."

The more he listened, the more puzzled he became.

"What kind of nonsense is that? Who told you that?"

Anis answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ludmilla, of course! You know, the Queen of the Northern Expanse."

Mo Chen was even more baffled.

"If I remember correctly, you only met her once, right?"

That one time was at the banquet held at the outpost base. After that, they went to the north together.

Anis pulled out her phone, waved it around, and grinned.

"But I have Alice as a friend! I asked her for Ludmilla's blah blah blah."

"Wait a minute," Mo Chen suddenly recalled something. "Isn't Ludmilla supposed to break electronic devices the moment she touches them?"

"That's been cured."

"Cured?"

"Yeah! Ever since she got back from the north, her electronic disruption syndrome has been completely fixed. Apparently, she got some kind of injection."

Mo Chen couldn't help but recall that fiery night at the temporary shelter in the Northern Expanse, but he quickly snapped back to reality.

"Wait, an injection?"

Anis nodded obediently.

"Yeah, an injection. She even bragged about it to me. Strange, what kind of injection is that effective? I asked her, but she wouldn't tell me. Just acted all mysterious, saying, 'You'll know in the future' or something like that."

Mo Chen: "..."

He might not have understood the first part, but there was no way he could miss the implications of the second.

He let out a helpless sigh.

Ludmilla might look like a regal queen on the outside, but he didn't expect her to have such a childish side.

Anis clung to Mo Chen's arm, pouting.

"Commander, I want an injection too."

Seeing the beautiful girl before him, eyes bright and filled with anticipation, Mo Chen felt his heart stir for a moment. But he quickly snapped out of it and flicked her forehead.

"What injection? You're not sick."

"Commander, you're so mean!" Anis covered her forehead, puffing up her cheeks. "That's the second time you've flicked me!"

After a brief bout of playful bickering, he turned serious and started considering their options.

The Punishing Virus would alter one's personality and could cause irreversible changes. It was something he wouldn't use unless absolutely necessary.

The other option was freezing.

Medical stasis pods had cryogenic chambers that could keep Aria preserved until they found a better solution.

However, there was always the risk that before that happened, the Central Government would have her eliminated.

They would never allow the public to know that the one who nearly destroyed the Ark was her.

Mo Chen opened his system inventory and took out a bullet, rolling it between his fingers.

This was a gift from Snow White.

If nothing else worked, this was the last resort.

In the original game, Syuen had used just one bullet to cure the three members of the Matis Squad from Rapture corruption.

That meant this single bullet could likely treat at least three people. The leftover cure could also be used for further research.

However, he wasn't entirely sure how to use it. He couldn't just shoot Aria with it.

Even if the bullet wouldn't outright kill her, using it all at once would be wasteful.

A particular person came to mind.

Yes.

Syuen.

In the original story, she had managed to divide the cure evenly for the Matis Squad.

He would need to find time to see her.

Mo Chen made a mental note of it.

Meanwhile, in a laboratory, Syuen suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

Elsewhere, at the crumbling edge of the Ark.

"Hmph!"

Dorothy, who had been closely monitoring the situation, let out a cold snort. Seeing that everything had settled, she lost all interest. Her elegant figure turned as she soared into the sky.

"So pathetic. I had such high expectations for her, and yet she fell this easily. What a disappointment. A complete waste of time."

She had been looking forward to the Ark's downfall, but with the complete defeat of Storm Bringer, her plans naturally fell apart.

"Commander..."

Behind her, Isabelle held her flushed cheeks, her gaze fixated on the Ark below. She bit her lip, looking every bit like a girl in love. In her crimson eyes, Mo Chen's figure was reflected in the shape of a heart.

"You... are the one I've been searching for."

"Next time, I'll make sure you know—I have always loved you."

At that moment, Mo Chen suddenly felt a chill down his spine and sneezed.

Soon, the remaining Raptures within the Ark were wiped out by the arriving Nikke forces.

The Ark returned to peace.