NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

"Ah, right!"

Just as Marian and the others felt indignant and sympathetic towards the Goddess Force's plight, Honglian abruptly changed the subject.

"Since we are about to reach the elevator, and the young master has said that the short journey ahead is safe, then I should not continue to accompany you..."

After a pause, the woman reached behind her head with her left hand and removed the hairpin that was tucked into her hair.

Phoenix's silky silver hair, now freed from its restraints, floated merrily in the air, like waves on a beach, shimmering in the sunlight, causing his heart to flutter.

Facing the intense gaze from someone, Honglian smiled with satisfaction. Then, she gently tossed the hairpin in her hand into Phoenix's arms and said:

"To prevent you from forgetting our promise after returning to the Ark, I am giving you this hairpin. Please remember that you still need to retrieve my bamboo hat."

Now she has a free and easy personality, so she naturally wouldn't act coy or like a little girl. After seeing Phoenix hold the hairpin firmly in his palm, Honglian waved her hand and turned to leave in the opposite direction.

"Well then, until we meet again."

"Uh...see you next time."

The man, secretly pleased, carefully placed the hairpin inside his combat uniform. Then he looked up and immediately saw Marian and Yin Hua staring at him without moving.

"..."

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

"Um...aren't you going to say goodbye to them?"

Yin Hua: "...Heh."

Marian: "...Hmph."

Chapter 113 A Bunch of Frenchmen

Life at the Ark Military Headquarters has always been very comfortable.

At least in Sergeant Marens's opinion, it would be much more satisfying to spend ten years in the military and grit his teeth to earn seniority than to become some kind of stupid commander.

If you can endure the suffering of being abused by veterans for the first four or five years, then it will be his turn to abuse new recruits for the next ten or twenty years, right?

Is it really necessary to go to your death on the ground?

Sitting on the edge of the gun emplacement, Marens grumbled and scolded one of his recruits, feeling that his life had been elevated through this reprimand.

"Damn it, you're an idiot for not taking advantage of the opportunity?"

“But…but he’s the commander.”

The new recruit, who had been scolded, stammered in response to his superior's reprimand, his youthful face filled with resentment and anger.

That man is the commander!

How dare a mere recruit like him ask the commander for tolls?

This idiot with his brain stuck in a door is clearly trying to find an excuse to disgust him again!

Listening to the young man's unconvinced explanation, Marens could, of course, see how the recruit was feeling. As he always had, he himself had gone through the recruit period.

However

This doesn't stop him from enjoying the miserable expressions on the recruits' faces—they wanted to punch him but could only hold it in.

"Commander, what's wrong with the commander? Can't the commander get some kickbacks?" The sergeant sneered disdainfully.

And coincidentally, the sound of the elevator track's engine starting up rang out at that very moment, as if by divine intervention.

"Commander, is it?" Seeing another commander about to return from the ground, Marens grinned and spat on the ground.

"You watch closely, kid. As long as that commander has more than two Nikis with him, there's definitely going to be some profit for him."

As he was speaking, he thought of getting up to guard the passageway, but at that moment, Lauter, who had never gotten along with him, somehow took the lead and headed towards the elevator shaft.

"You son of a bitch, those poor commanders are trying to steal my money?"

Upon seeing this, the sergeant, who had just stood up, immediately narrowed his eyes, his thuggish malice revealing itself in his expression without any attempt to conceal it.

Whether it's family background, boss, or the level of importance one receives, Marens is slightly inferior to Lauter in every aspect.

It was just that little bit that caused him to always be outshone by the other person.

"Pah! That bastard is going against me again."

Knowing full well that the other party was deliberately trying to provoke him, the sergeant sat back down on his seat with a disgruntled expression and gestured with his chin toward the elevator entrance.

"You just keep a close eye on things and see how others squeeze money out of those commanders."

……

……

"The core of that Tyrant-class Rachel, without my order, will be refused by anyone who asks for it."

"learn."

"GQWRA-01539 elevator, I will notify the army there to let you pass as soon as possible. Command will also send someone to pick you up. Remember, the news that you are alive has already leaked out. Many people are paying attention to your return this time, so don't cause any more trouble."

"learn."

"Well, that's it."

"learn."

"Thank you for your hard work, Commander Phoenix."

"learn."

Rumble, rumble——

After ending the voice communication with Vice Commander Anderson, Phoenix watched the elevator doors slowly open, inhaled the unique smell of machine oil in the elevator shaft, and stepped back onto this familiar ground...

"Name."

"?"

The commander, who was being presumptuous, glanced at the three military soldiers blocking his way and blinked in confusion.

Didn't I already report my identity to the military in the elevator? Why do I have to go through the process again once I get to the underground?

"I'm asking you!"

Seeing that Phoenix remained silent, one of the soldiers, a sergeant, asked with a serious expression:

"Gender name!"

Phoenix.

Faced with the soldier's question, someone patiently gave an answer.

Upon reflection, he returned to the Ark unconscious after his first mission, so he clearly didn't understand the military's review process.

"Nikki's codename unit".

"No code name, temporary unit."

"No codename?" Upon hearing Phoenix's answer, the sergeant's gaze swept past the man's shoulder to Yin Hua and Marian on either side of him. After confirming that these two were non-mass-produced Niki, he frowned and asked:

"They always had a code name for the original unit, what was it called?"

“Silver Gun, special forces, and students from MMR High School.” As the sergeant frowned, Phoenix also frowned.

"I've already reported these issues in the elevator. Can I go through now?"

"no problem."

Having spent many years in the military and having not paid attention to outside information for some time, Lao nodded, looking as if he had never heard of the special forces, and continued standing there with his tablet:

"What do you want?"

"?"

“I mean, what would you like to drink? Freshly ground coffee, 200 credits; a burger combo, 500 credits; a pineapple bun, 1000 credits.” The sergeant smiled amicably. “Chewing gum, 1500 credits…”

"and many more."

Listening to the soldiers' increasingly time-efficient quotes, Phoenix, recalling certain bad habits, chuckled incredulously and asked:

"Wait, are you asking me for money?"

"No, no, no, you misunderstood."

Hearing the commander's question, Lauter's tone was quite calm, showing no sign of nervousness whatsoever, "These things are just optional services, and are not mandatory for you to purchase... cough!"

"Cough!...Cough cough!"

Unexpectedly! Before the sergeant could finish speaking, a right hand, which had transformed back into a mechanical arm, suddenly gripped his throat with such force that no one could react in time.

The owner of the right arm, however, tilted his head, still wearing that bewildered expression, and questioned again in an extremely incredulous tone:

"You dare ask me for money???"

"Cough...cough..."

The man was met with Lauter's flushed face, helpless patting, and intermittent, wind-up coughs.

Seeing their leader being slowly lifted above Phoenix's head like a dog and placed on either side, the corporals responsible for standing guard were all stunned, staring blankly at the astonishing scene before them.