NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

Seeing is believing. The young men and women in high society always described the lieutenant as a fearless madman. Now that she has seen him in person, Sakura is certain that those playboys were not exaggerating.

Regardless of what undisclosed methods he used to treat the fracture, the fact that he dared to operate on himself to remove bone fragments without anesthesia is something few outlaws in the outer district could do.

Eight minutes later...

Sweating profusely, Lieutenant Phoenix removed the kimono cloth from his mouth, then put several rice-grain-sized pieces of bone from his right palm inside, wrapped them up, and stuffed them into his pocket.

Then I heard him struggling to keep his voice steady as he said with difficulty, "It's all settled... Let's go... Let's go."

After hearing this, Sakura, who was pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, nodded and instructed Rinka to drive to the nearest guard post.

Speechless all the way.

During the short half-hour journey, Rinka, the maid, focused intently on driving, while Sakura, the young lady, continued to rest with her eyes closed. As for Lieutenant Phoenix…

He was strategizing about future recruitment plans while chatting idly with Anik.

If you continue to get injured like this, my advice is to get a full-body prosthetic as soon as possible. A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one, as you humans yourselves say.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the artificial intelligence pouted irritably and reminded again:

Also, nanometals and NIMPH are consumables, so I suggest you go back to the surface and collect some more for backup.

The person did not refute the second half of the statement about artificial intelligence, but he was very unhappy with the first half.

It's not that I don't trust you, but in my eyes, a full-body cybernetic body is not as straightforward as uploading your consciousness and directly ascending mechanically.

Upon hearing Phoenix's suggestion of mechanical ascension, the artificial intelligence, which had been eagerly hoping for Phoenix to ascend, immediately lit up.

That works too! I can try...

Snapped--!

However, before Anik could finish speaking, a long-awaited slap with a bamboo stick landed on her data stream bottom, immediately causing the AI-powered idiot to jump up and down in a coquettish manner.

【You promised you wouldn't hit me normally!】

"Sure my foot! You want me to ascend mechanically? Wait until I'm dead."

Ignoring the other party's protests, the lieutenant continued to stir-fry the meat slices a few more times while cursing, without telling Anik what he really thought.

To be honest, deep down he still resisted the theory of mechanical ascension. Anik's emergence of a personality from a computer was merely an isolated case. Whether human data streams, once uploaded, would gradually lose their personalities, evolving from humanity to divinity, no one knew, because no one had ever tried it.

There are many science fiction works that depict the beauty of mechanical ascension, and there are also quite a few that depict the tragedy of mechanical ascension.

He never envied the monks in the Western Paradise since he was a child, so naturally he wouldn't like to be some kind of data god now.

Wouldn't it be better to take care of your kidneys and sleep with your wife every day?

As the lieutenant pondered this, he couldn't help but think of Mihara, Marian, and Anis, whom he had just parted ways with.

Ok,

A man who is injured is just as vulnerable as a man who is sick. For some reason, he suddenly started to miss his wife.

……

……

Rumble, rumble—!

As the clock struck seven, a military jeep, representing the head of the Qingming Association, appeared in front of guard post number 15.

With Mastin's endorsement, the private vehicles of the three underworld queens did not need to undergo rigorous inspections at all. As long as the anti-counterfeiting license plate number was checked and the cherry blossom was confirmed to be inside, the guard on duty coldly chose to let them pass.

The car continued to drive quickly towards the city center.

Logically, having already helped Phoenix smuggle back to the Ark, Sakura's deal should have been completed. However, unexpectedly, the young lady not only didn't kick her off the bus, but also asked another question.

"Where is the lieutenant's next destination?"

The man was also a little surprised by this, but since there was a free ride available, he didn't bother to be polite and said directly, "To Alpha Street."

Sakura: "Mm."

Seeing that the head of the family did not object, Rinka, the driver, naturally had no objections. She stepped on the gas, increasing the speed by two levels, and began low-altitude flight directly on the suburban highway.

As a professional driver, she knew exactly which roads had surveillance cameras, which didn't, and which cameras were broken and hadn't been repaired.

Then, Anik, who was in charge of recording, also gained a clear understanding of this route.

……

"I'll get off here when we arrive, driver."

Hearing the snorting noises coming from the back seat, Rinka silently ignored them until the young lady signaled for the car to stop. Only then did she release the accelerator and pull the car over to the side of the road.

Click!

Just then, the door lock unlocked, and the lieutenant, who had successfully returned to the Ark, pushed open the car door. He was about to thank the driver and leave when he heard the cool, melodious sound of cherry blossoms drifting from behind him.

"Lieutenant, how do you think I should contact you?"

"Ok?"

Turning back to meet the girl's deep gaze, the man, feeling a chill run down his spine, instinctively gave her his chat account.

His question,

Actively seeking cooperation with others but forgetting to even provide their contact information does indeed seem insincere.

……

……

When Phoenix's right foot touched the ground again, the man realized that his leg wasn't as good as he had thought.

Muscle tears take time to heal, and nanomaterials primarily serve to stabilize them.

However, there's always a way, as long as you're thick-skinned enough.

"Um... if you don't mind, could you help me up?"

The lieutenant staggered around, glanced at the unfriendly-looking Miss Sakura, and added another sentence.

"I'd be happy to find someone I can trust to help me out."

"..."

Recalling that she had indeed broken her own leg, and noticing that the lieutenant's actions just now didn't seem like acting, Sakura, who always upheld her principles, pondered for a moment, then instructed her maid to drive around the neighborhood. She herself got out of the car through another door, walked around to Phoenix, and said:

"I also have a lot of things to take care of, so please hurry, Lieutenant."

"Oh, I see... Then please carry me on your back."

Cherry blossoms:"?"

Phoenix: "That will be much faster."

When he said this, the lieutenant's expression was very sincere, and his eyes were so pure that not a single ulterior motive could be seen.

This is what happens to a man whose kidneys haven't been properly nourished.

Chapter 164 You still know how to come back?

The artificial canopy was already faintly lit, cruelly reminding the sleeping citizens that a new day and a new day of work were about to begin.

Having stayed up all night, Ms. Ingrid, feeling increasingly tired, stood at the gate of the first-level prison area, watching as the guards at Worth activated the alloy gate.

Then, as soon as the gate was fully opened, the woman instructed Polly to stand guard at the door, just as she had the day before, and declared that she was going to take a nap in cell number 001.

The implication was that the prison guard should relay a message to the monitoring room.

Everyone, those who should play dead, play dead; those who should play blind, play blind. Anyone who dares to glance at the surveillance cameras before the CEO leaves the detention area can forget about coming to work tomorrow.

It must be said that Ingrid's method was indeed quite effective in buying time.

However, the side effects were also very obvious, and even she herself knew what her actions meant.

The rumors about her and the lieutenant will definitely be impossible to suppress in the future, and the power structure will also recognize them as partners in the same trench.

All these unexpected results are entirely due to that bastard.

Couldn't he just behave himself and finish his sentence in jail?

Does he/she have ADHD or something?

As the woman pondered this, she sullenly stepped into room 001, casually parting the bedsheet curtain that Phoenix had made, and her eyes met those of Master Kanci, who was interfering with the security camera in the cell.

……

……

Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta——

The constant collision between the wooden clogs and the bedrock produced a fairly pleasant, deep tapping sound.

Even while carrying a heavy man on her back, Sakura was able to move quickly through the complex tunnels as if walking on flat ground.

The more she ran, the more astonished she became.

"It's hard to believe that the Ark could have such a vast underground network."

As a member of a superior group, the young matriarch of the Qingming Society could not comprehend what she was seeing.

She wasn't praising the skill of those who dug the road, but rather shocked by the incompetence and perfunctory attitude of the Ark's officials.