Chapter 188: Isn’t It a Bit Too Early to Have Kids Before We’re Even Married?

"…Hurry up and get out."

Rapi dragged a reluctant Anis and Neon out of the hall.

Before leaving, she gave Mo Chen a questioning look, as if seeking confirmation. Mo Chen understood and responded with a reassuring glance.

Only then did Rapi seem relieved, giving him a "stay safe" look.

Mo Chen lightly tapped his lips with his finger and winked at her.

Rapi's beautiful face blushed slightly, and she quickly turned away, seemingly recalling some past memories. She hurriedly pushed Anis and Neon along as they left.

The subtle exchange of glances naturally didn't escape D's sharp eyes. After they all left, D turned her head, smiling sweetly.

"Honey, flirting with other women right in front of your wife… isn't that considered cheating?"

Mo Chen placed his hand on D's smooth shoulder, catching her wrist with a helpless sigh.

"Alright, they're gone now. You don't have to keep acting."

D pulled away but continued smiling, as if still immersed in her role.

"How could you say that? You should call me 'Honey.'"

Mo Chen sighed again.

"Fine, Honey. But your character seems a bit off, doesn't it? Weren't you supposed to be the gentle type?"

"…Well," D's expression shifted instantly like flipping a page. The tenderness from moments ago vanished, replaced by an icy demeanor. Even her voice carried a chilling edge, her eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint.

"No matter how gentle a woman is, if she sees someone trying to steal her husband…"

The blade of D's axe glinted menacingly behind her.

But when she turned back to Mo Chen, her frosty expression melted into a bright, radiant smile—like the warmth of spring sunlight.

"Could she really just sit back quietly and stay gentle?"

Yet, that yandere-like radiant smile only made Mo Chen's scalp tingle even more.

He was at a loss for words.

"Well… I guess that makes sense."

"Right? Right?" D replied cheerfully, her face lighting up again with a gentle smile. She reached out, trying to help Mo Chen remove his jacket.

"Honey, you must be tired. Let me help you undress so you can wash up and rest."

Mo Chen quickly stopped D's hands from unbuttoning his shirt, his voice filled with helplessness.

"Can we talk about something else now? Oh, right—what's this about humans and Nikkes having kids?"

This question had shocked Anis and the others earlier, and it still surprised Mo Chen now.

He had never heard of humans being able to have children with Nikkes.

Not in the game, and certainly not here.

After all, aside from the brain, a Nikke's body is mechanical. Even if their organs are perfectly simulated, they shouldn't have reproductive capabilities. At the very least, when it comes to DNA, it's impossible to produce the necessary sperm and eggs.

"Huh?" D looked genuinely surprised, then bashfully covered her face, shyly twisting her body.

"Honey… are you saying you want to have kids with me? W-We're not even married yet—isn't that a bit too soon? Ah, I'm not saying I don't want to! It's just… I haven't mentally prepared myself yet."

Mo Chen was speechless.

"I never said I wanted to have kids with you."

D froze for a moment, then her expression crumbled like a heartbroken innocent girl. She cupped her hands together, her eyes turning red as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.

"Honey, wh-what's wrong? Does this mean… everything you said before was a lie? That you were just playing with me? Now that you've gotten what you wanted, you're tossing me aside?"

Mo Chen felt a massive headache coming on.

What the hell is even going on?!

If anyone saw this, they'd think some scandalous affair was unfolding.

Under the bewildered stares of the hotel staff, Mo Chen dragged D back to their room.

Once inside, he dropped the act entirely, getting straight to the point.

"I've been playing along with your little act, but now it's your turn to cooperate with me."

"Cooperate to do… that?"

"No—to do a mission."

D, who had been sniffling moments ago, instantly snapped back to her cold, indifferent demeanor. She walked over to the window, pulled the curtains shut, and glanced cautiously down at the street below. 

After confirming they weren't being followed, she returned to the room.

She looked like an entirely different person—so cold and detached that if her eyes weren't still slightly red, Mo Chen would've questioned if she was the same person.

"Talk."

"So, about the whole 'having kids' thing?"

"Fake."

"Fake?!"

"Yeah, just a lie to mess with them."

Mo Chen was dumbfounded.

D's face remained calm, as if lying like that was as natural as breathing.

She bent down, pulled a case out from under the bed, and opened it to reveal an array of firearms. Digging through them, she pulled out a USB drive.

Handing it to Mo Chen, she said, "The information you wanted—it's all in here."

He took the USB, plugged it into the laptop nearby, and after a few clicks, files began to pop up on the screen.

Inside one folder were countless photos.

Most of the images were of dismembered Nikke parts, though some depicted human remains—severed limbs, mangled torsos—arranged haphazardly on cold floors. The sight was grisly, enough to make one's skin crawl.

Upon closer inspection, Mo Chen noticed that these limbs, organs, and mechanical parts had been removed cleanly and deliberately.

This wasn't damage from battle.

The first thought that flashed through his mind was organ trafficking.

And he was right.

This was the next issue Mo Chen intended to tackle.

In the context of a post-apocalyptic world, such horrors weren't particularly surprising. Human life was cheap—just a drop in the ocean compared to the billions who'd died at the hands of the Raptures.

But for Mo Chen, this was a critical piece in his grand plan.

This single pawn would help him leverage the entire Ark.

D sauntered over lightly, her voice calm as she asked, "Aren't you going to ask who ordered the hit on you?"

Mo Chen kept clicking through files, scanning for useful intel.

"I already know."

"You already know?"

D raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. From the very beginning, he'd never once asked about the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.

"Mm."

Mo Chen absentmindedly responded with a simple "Mm."

There were only a handful of people who had the authority to directly mobilize the Perilous Siege Squad, and among them, just a few harbored ill intentions toward him.

As for someone bold—or reckless—enough to give such an order, there was likely only one candidate.

That was Doban.

He didn't even need to think hard to figure it out.

Besides, he had already used the Punishing Virus to infiltrate the central network back when he was dealing with Burningum. Finding out the truth wasn't exactly a difficult task.