NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

"Don't be afraid, it's very simple." Someone raised their left hand and pointed to the ground outside the window, explaining softly, "If I'm not mistaken, Lapi and the others should be active in this area."

So Rachel, who was left behind by Lapi and the others, will definitely pass by too...

"Oh, here it comes."

Seeing twenty or thirty red dots moving forward from behind him on the consciousness map, Phoenix immediately turned around and crouched down under the windowsill, continuing to speak to Pepper, who had also crouched down beside him:

"When I tell you to set up your sniper rifle, just set it up. Don't worry, there will definitely be a few fixed targets for you to aim at. Remember, take your time aiming and don't be too hasty. Then, as soon as you fire your first shot, we'll run away immediately."

Our role is simple: this Lecher force is too large. We'll lure away as many as we can, making it as easy as possible for Lapi and her forces to advance in our direction.

"I understand! I will definitely not let the commander down!"

"Just understand, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

While calming Pepper down, Phoenix turned on the team's voice chat microphone, intending to tell Lapi and the others the specific location of the battle plan.

Before he could even speak, a message, like a bolt from the blue, suddenly echoed in his earpiece.

"Commander! This is Lapi, the team has encountered an emergency!"

Anis's bionic pupils are flashing red signals, suggesting they may have been compromised!

"Anis?"

Upon hearing Anise's name, the man's pupils instantly contracted, and a piece of information that had been ignored in his mind was retrieved from the sea of ​​memories.

[Two minutes. I have a meeting to attend to, Commander Phoenix.]

[A Niki support unit equipped with medical Niki and leg replacement parts...]

Medical Niki and leg replacement parts...

Leg replacement parts...

"I see……"

Having figured everything out, Phoenix stared blankly ahead, and in a daze, he seemed to hear Pepper and Labi's voices constantly echoing in his ears.

"I see……"

"..."

"...Why bother?"

Chapter Thirteen High-Threat Targets

"Anis, can you hear me? This is the Commander."

"Commander... Commander-in-Chief."

In the commercial park filled with passageways, Anise, whose consciousness was beginning to become confused, stood there with a bitter expression, watching as Labi, Lorf, and the others kept their distance from her while assuming a firing stance at any moment.

She did not feel pain or betrayal because of her teammates' choices.

The fact that they didn't immediately point their guns at her brain was the last act of kindness they could show as comrades.

"Commander... Sir, regarding the replacement parts, please... do not go to the Ark... to demand... an explanation..."

Anis spoke haltingly, her survival skills profound; even as her consciousness sank into chaos, she remained acutely aware of the Ark Commander's position within the miniature nation of the underground Ark, a nation of only tens of millions of inhabitants.

They were nothing more than cannon fodder portrayed as heroes by the media.

"Time is tight, Anise, I'll get to the point."

Hearing the commander's hoarse voice through her earpiece, Anise forced a fairly bright smile, even though she knew the commander couldn't actually see her embarrassing state.

As expected of a man who could survive on the ground alone for several days, his composure put even the likes of Niki to shame.

"Based on Pepper's examination results and the current situation, my right hand will likely need to be amputated after I return to the Ark."

"……Eh?"

Phoenix spoke extremely fast. Not only was Anis, who was in a state of erosion, unable to react, but even the people next to him, including Lapi, couldn't help but look puzzled after hearing this nonsensical conversation.

"refer to……"

Anis had barely uttered a syllable when the commander's clear and logical words once again filled the squad's voice channel in her headset.

"Injury report complete."

"Except for Merri, the others restrained Anise. Merri was responsible for dislocating Anise's shoulder and hip joints, and also for transporting Anise."

After we've taken care of things, Labi will lead the rest of the men south. Pepper and I will help you divert some of your firepower.

Alright, everyone, get to work immediately.

"..."

After a very brief silence, Christine was still the first to react.

She darted forward, slipped her hands under Anise's armpits, and then hooked her neck with her other hand, successfully locking her firmly in place.

Immediately, a wicked smile, as if a scheme had succeeded, appeared on the woman's lips, and she teased:

"The commander is too kind. If you ask me, cutting off his head would be the easiest thing to do."

What do you think, Anise?

“You…you you you…you…”

Hearing Christine's smug tone, Anise's already sluggish speech became even more agitated.

"Don't...don't be so smug...you...you...you...this guy..."

"Anis, could you turn off the pain receptors for a moment? The process of dislocating the joint might be a little painful."

On the other side, after receiving the "surgery assignment," Merri brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her tone revealing an irrepressible excitement.

"You, you stay away!!!"

In the crimson reception footage, when Anise saw Meryl pull a head-sized hydraulic pliers from her toolbox, the girl, whose thoughts were gradually becoming blurred, suddenly spoke without any hesitation.

"Commander! Commander!!!"

……

……

"Pepper, set up the gun."

Hearing Anise's healthy and cheerful screams in the squad voice chat, the unscrupulous commander's expression actually relaxed quite a bit, to the point that Pepper, who was next to him, almost misplaced her gun after seeing his appearance.

commander……

Could it be that he has some strange or unusual fetish?

"No need to calculate the landing point, it's only a distance of over 200 meters, just point the crosshair and shoot."

Behind the wall, Phoenix gave instructions to the girl while getting up to run away, completely unaware that his image as a commander had been given some indescribable labels in just a few seconds.

"Pepper, once you've got your aim, just go for it..."

Zzz—BOOM—!!!

Before the commander could finish speaking, the newly recruited sniper, Pepper, had already pulled the trigger.

The speed was so fast that someone who was only halfway through preparing was startled and their eyes twitched slightly.

"Commander! I hit him!"

Pepper, delighted with her successful start, turned around excitedly, only to see the commander open the door and glance at her sideways.

"Come here! Want to get riddled with bullets by Lecher?"

"Come on... come on!"

……

"It was the commander's gunshot."

On the north side, just as Merri carried Anis, who had all her limbs intact but was missing key parts, on his back, he heard Labi's words reach his ears.

"Merry, you and Anise stay at the back of the group and be careful. Christine, you protect Merry and Anise and provide support if needed."

"I understand."

Merri nodded knowingly, then bent down and pushed off with his knees, helping Anis's sliding body to move upwards. He muttered to himself in amazement:

"I never imagined that girls with big chests would be so troublesome."

After saying that, she looked down at her size again, and her expression became even more melancholy.

“I…I’m still awake! Memerie!” Anise muttered irritably, “It’s better than…better than that guy…who likes to chop off his teammates’ heads…”

Then you have to rub it... rub it on a washboard... you also have to... you have to put some cotton on your back... otherwise it'll hurt... and give you bruises..."

"Anis, I don't think waving your hands around like that is very useful. How about I break them off for you?"

Feeling insulted, Christine narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Meryl and Anise at the back of the group with a cold expression.

"You can be proud of that? What, do you think they'll help you beat up Lecher?"