The Nikkes, after getting their autographs, left happily and carefully stored them away as prized possessions.
"You're quite popular."
A gentle voice came from behind.
Mo Chen turned around—it was Ludmilla.
"Honestly, I don't quite understand it myself."
"That's just you being modest." Ludmilla smiled as she spoke, though there was a hint of teasing in her eyes. "Even in the freezing wastelands of the far north, your name is well-known."
"Um… Commander…"
At that moment, Signal approached Mo Chen again. She fidgeted with her fingers, hesitant and seemingly struggling to speak.
"Hmm? Do you need another autograph?"
"N-No, that's not it."
She quickly waved her hands, shaking her head in denial. "Actually… it's something else. It's classified information… but I still feel I need to tell you."
Mo Chen waved his hand dismissively.
"If it's classified, let's leave it at that."
Given the Ark's tendency to judge others harshly while excusing themselves, leaking confidential information could lead to severe punishment.
At best, memory erasure and at worst, brain incineration.
Neither outcome was something Mo Chen wanted to deal with.
"No, I have to tell you."
Signal seemed to summon her courage, lifting her head and looking directly at Mo Chen with determination.
She spoke quickly, as if afraid he might refuse again.
"On the third day of our reconnaissance mission, we found Nikkes infected by the virus in the northwestern region."
"Infected Nikkes aren't uncommon, but… but…"
Recalling what she had witnessed, Signal's face paled as fear lingered in her eyes.
"They were acting… extremely strange. Like they had completely lost their minds."
Nikkes infected by Rapture viruses typically did exhibit signs of madness.
To most people—or most commanders—this wouldn't raise any particular concern.
But Mo Chen immediately felt something was off.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so visibly shaken.
"They… they kept screaming."
Screaming?
Mo Chen's eyes narrowed.
Signal's gaze shifted toward him, and her already pale face grew even whiter.
He was beginning to feel a deep sense of unease.
Although such claims might stir up complicated thoughts, simply labeling those Nikkes as "strange" based on their screaming seemed a bit too hasty.
Couldn't it just be because they were malfunctioning from overheating?
"Beep-beep-beep-beep—!"
Just then, an urgent alarm suddenly blared.
Enemy attack!
The reconnaissance team's specialized detection methods had picked up a spike in Alva particles, indicating the number and proximity of enemies.
The rapid beeping of the alarm suggested that a large number of enemies were closing in!
"Prepare for battle!"
Ludmilla displayed the composure of a seasoned warrior and immediately assumed a combat-ready stance.
Mo Chen, however, fixed his gaze on the distant horizon.
The night sky was pitch-black, covered by thick clouds. The faint light made visibility difficult—not just for the naked eye but even for electronic sensors.
"Bang—!"
A flare shot into the sky, illuminating the night.
It was fired by the reconnaissance team.
The bright light lit up the snow-covered ground, leaving nowhere for enemies in the shadows to hide.
But as Mo Chen caught a glimpse of their silhouettes, he froze.
Those weren't Raptures.
"It's… it's them…" Signal's face turned pale as she pointed toward the distant figures with trembling hands. "They're here!"
The light revealed their shapes—staggering and swaying like zombies, dragging broken limbs as they slowly advanced.
What shocked everyone was—
They were Nikkes!
That's right: Nikkes.
Their bodies were damaged, their expressions vacant, and their eyes unfocused. They resembled walking corpses, wobbling toward the group while mumbling something inaudible.
These were classic signs of viral infection.
But even if they were infected, would that be enough to terrify Signal this much?
Just then, as if spotting prey, the eyes of the infected Nikkes suddenly lit up—glowing a sinister crimson.
The next moment, they charged at the group!
Extremely fast!
"Watch out—!"
"Rat-tat-tat—!"
Ludmilla immediately opened fire.
The machine-gun rounds rained down, mowing down the first row of infected Nikkes. Yet, those behind them surged forward undeterred, pressing closer in waves.
Too fast!
Ludmilla's heart sank.
These infected Nikkes were unnaturally fast—even faster than speed-enhanced Nikkes. They darted forward like shadows.
What's more, they possessed shocking defensive capabilities.
Just before the bullets struck them, a crimson energy barrier flickered to life around them, absorbing the explosions.
Though they were blasted backward by the shockwaves, they sustained no fatal damage.
The reconnaissance Nikkes also joined the firefight, but their efforts barely slowed the enemy advance.
As the infected Nikkes closed in, their numbers in the dark remained uncertain.
With wounded soldiers in the group and the enemy threatening to break through, casualties were inevitable.
Without hesitation, Mo Chen stepped into the fight.
This stunned Ludmilla.
A human, fighting Nikkes? Wasn't this suicide?
She immediately gave an order.
"Alice! Cover the Commander!"
However, the scene that unfolded in front left her stunned.
Mo Chen wielded a blade and charged straight into the horde of infected Nikkes.
The weapon in his hand shimmered like black light, slicing through the night and tracing arcs of death as it swept across the infected.
Limbs flew through the air.
His speed was even faster than the infected Nikkes!
Is this really a human?
Ludmilla froze, unable to suppress the thought that flashed through her mind.
The infected Nikkes immediately turned their attention to Mo Chen, abandoning the others and swarming toward him.
Mo Chen gripped the blade forged from the Blacklight Virus, slashing and cutting with wide, sweeping movements.
With his mastery of martial arts, Mo Chen's movements were swift and fluid. He dodged and weaved like a shadow, his strikes sharp and precise. Even when faced with attacks from seven or eight infected Nikkes at once, none could get close.
But soon, he encountered the same problem as Ludmilla.
The infected Nikkes were shielded by an energy barrier, making them difficult to cut down.
Even the Blacklight Virus blade, which had never failed him, struggled against the barriers.
An A.T. Field?!
Mo Chen's blade struck an incoming Nikke, sending it flying, but his expression darkened.
Since when could Nikkes deploy A.T. Fields as personal defenses?
Before he could figure it out, something even more unsettling happened—
The infected Nikkes spoke.
Their voices were low and distorted, like the whispers of demons or the murmurs of eldritch horrors.
"Commander..."
"Commander, wasn't I good enough for you…"
"Why are you ignoring me…"
"You promised you'd come back for me…"
The eerie murmurs sent chills down Mo Chen's spine.
His hair stood on end as if icy fingers were brushing against his neck.