Amid the lighthearted atmosphere between Mo Chen and Rapi, an alert from the automated system suddenly interrupted them.
"Commander, an unidentified transport aircraft has requested to land at the base. It's from Ark's forces," Rapi reported.
"From Ark?"
Mo Chen pondered for a moment.
"Let them in."
Arriving without prior notice, and at such a critical moment after defeating Chatterbox, likely meant their intentions were far from friendly.
Could it be that his Blacklight Virus abilities had been exposed?
Mo Chen considered the possibility. Were they here to assess damages under some pretense?
Before long, commotion arose outside the command room.
"This is the Commander's office. Entry is not permitted without authorization."
The voice was from a Nikke.
Since the previous battle, the mass-produced Nikkes had voluntarily stood guard outside the Commander's office.
Whether they were there to protect him or for other reasons was unclear.
"Get out of the way, you junk heap!"
"Leave immediately! If you do not comply, we'll be forced to act."
"Hmph. Forced measures? Mihara, Yuni, teach this trash a lesson."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Ah!"
Amid several gunshots, a scream rang out.
Mo Chen's face darkened instantly, his brows furrowing deeply.
Who was causing trouble?
The door burst open with a loud bang—or rather, it was kicked open.
"What a poor, disgusting place. This filth is barely better than a slum," came a derisive voice.
"Hey, shouldn't someone be rushing out to greet an important guest?"
Three people entered. Leading them was a young girl, barely out of her teens.
She had jet-black hair with a streak of violet ones on her forehead, her long locks tied back with a violet ribbon. She wore what looked like a modified school uniform—a short, white ceremonial dress paired with a small violet trench coat, complete with a sheer layer of translucent fabric at the hem.
Though she was short, her legs were long, slender, and pale.
The girl's features were undeniably beautiful—flawless, rosy skin; misty violet eyes; a petite nose; and lips as soft and pink as flower petals. A small beauty mark beneath her eye added a touch of allure to her youthful appearance.
Yet, her haughty expression spoiled her beauty entirely.
She carried herself like a queen, her condescending gaze sweeping the room, tinged with impatience.
"Are you all blind or mute? Do I look like I have time to waste?"
"Who are you?" Rapi asked, stepping forward to confront the clearly hostile visitor.
"Ha! You really don't know who I am?"
The girl sneered at Rapi but focused her gaze on Mo Chen in the distance.
"Wow, do Nikkes these days lack even basic manners?"
Mo Chen studied the arrogant girl, his brows furrowing.
"You must be Syuen," he said.
"Syuen?"
Rapi seemed startled. "Is this the same Syuen, the CEO of Missilis, one of the three major Nikke manufacturers?"
Syuen raised her chin arrogantly, crossing her arms as she looked down on everyone in the room.
"So, you're the worthless Commander of this junk heap? Not bad, you recognize me. That saves me the trouble of explaining myself."
Syuen walked directly to the commander's chair and sat down without any courtesy. Her condescending gaze landed on Mo Chen as she barked orders.
"I need a few Raptures, preferably Tyrant-class ones."
"Did you hear me? Now you know what to do, right? Ugh, this place is such a dump. It really matches its trashy commander."
Her overbearing arrogance made everyone present feel uncomfortable.
"Why should we?" Neon was the first to protest, visibly upset.
She wasn't Syuen's subordinate, much less her servant.
"Seems like you don't understand what I said," Syuen's gaze turned icy when someone dared to talk back. She gestured toward one of her accompanying Nikkes.
"Yuni."
"Yes."
A Nikke dressed in pink, with the name Yuni, stepped forward.
She was small and cute, her appearance leaning toward the adorable side. She wore pink undergarments paired with black leather pants strapped with belts, and held a long whip in her hand. A beauty mark near her lips gave her an air of seduction beyond her years.
Yuni?
Mo Chen immediately recognized her.
She was part of the Wardress squad, tasked with capturing live Raptures for research purposes. Her special ability was sensory manipulation, effective against both Nikkes and humans.
Syuen pointed at Neon.
"Make her kneel."
"As you command."
Yuni's hands glowed with a pinkish-red light.
Meanwhile, a faint crimson light, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, flashed in another direction.
But—nothing happened.
Neon was puzzled.
What are they doing? Playing some sort of magic trick?
Yuni was equally confused.
Her ability had no effect on Neon??
Syuen's expression darkened.
"Yuni, what are you doing? Are you deaf now?"
At this moment, Rapi stepped forward.
"The commander is the highest authority in the Outpost Base, directly reporting to the Ark and independent of any external command."
"Oh? Birds of a feather flock together. Junk heap and trash—what a perfect match," Syuen sneered coldly and added mockingly, "This isn't a request; it's a demand. Make no mistake about it."
Rapi stood her ground. "The commander has no obligation to follow your orders."
"Looks like you still don't get it," Syuen turned her gaze to Mo Chen and sneered. "Commander of this junk heap, you don't have anything to say about the power plant incident, do you?"
Her high-and-mighty demeanor carried an air of veiled threats, her lips curling into a cold smile.
The power plant?
Mo Chen froze for a moment.
Is she threatening me?
It was clear Syuen had learned some of his secrets, or she wouldn't have come here so directly.
"Oh, how strange."
Anis, who had been napping on the sofa, rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up, her tone dripping with mockery.
"I don't remember the Outpost Base being a stray shelter. Did some strays wander in? Hey, come here, let me feed you."
Syuen's face immediately turned dark, her gaze sharp as a blade.
"Uncultured. Didn't your idiot commander teach you scraps to behave? Mihara..."
"Understood."
From behind, a stunningly beautiful woman stepped forward, her long legs moving gracefully, her every gesture exuding allure.
The woman had a charming face, delicate and captivating, her eyes tinged with a seductive purple hue, dreamy and misty.
Her long black-purple hair cascaded down her back, reaching her waist.
She wore a revealing leather outfit with crisscrossing straps that barely covered her figure, teasingly suggestive. The pet collar on her neck added a touch of submissive allure.
Her figure, especially her full chest, was mesmerizing—heavily wrapped yet seemingly uncontained.
Mo Chen's gaze lingered briefly on her before he recognized her.
Mihara.