NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

This man...

He didn't consider Fang Zhou one of his own, and he didn't treat himself as an outsider either.

"Aren't you afraid of literary inquisition, Lieutenant?"

After the initial shock, John's previously stiff expression relaxed considerably, and a rare look of appreciation appeared in his azure eyes.

"Or do you want to break the record for imprisonment again?"

"That's a bit of a biased statement." Phoenix stroked his chin, feigning deep thought, and asked, "Given the nature of those guys on Ark, would they even bother to find a reason to convict them?"

"..."

"..."

The two men suddenly fell silent.

The next second, both of them seemed to have thought of something funny and chuckled almost simultaneously.

"Coffee, black tea, or water?"

"The water is ice-cold."

At the host's invitation, Phoenix entered the house and observed the tiny studio apartment, which was only about 15 or 16 square meters. He said with a puzzled expression:

Are you full?

“There are still over four hundred people before it reaches full capacity. Eden Garden doesn't offer special rooms; everyone is treated equally in terms of food and lodging.” John poured water, took ice cubes from the mini-fridge and put them in a glass, then turned around and asked:

What do you think of this?

"Want my evaluation?" the lieutenant answered without hesitation, "A paradise for idealists, a hell for ordinary people, and a golden island for egoists."

"Ah."

Upon hearing Phoenix's blunt criticism, the white-haired man was not angry at all; on the contrary, he became even more interested.

"Your thoughts are similar to Dorothy's, but Cecil and I have also considered this issue. Humanity is still in a state of war, and conclusions drawn in peacetime are not actually applicable to Eden."

This doesn't apply, at least not in terms of room size or food quality.

"Yes, it's like an emergency isolation room in a plague zone. We can't worry about that for now."

The dark-haired man nodded in agreement with John's explanation, "I've only recently started to learn about management and sociology, and I'm not even a half-baked expert yet."

"Oh? As far as I know, your squadron has a total of twelve people. How could it be involved in sociology?"

As the forward commander spoke, he handed the ice water in his hand to the current commander's fingertips, and the other said, "I actually just acquired a piece of territory in the outer edge area, and I have quite a few people under my command who are waiting to make a living every day."

"Quite a few people? Do you need me to offer some advice? I once led an army of a thousand men, so I have some experience in this area."

Phoenix: "I need to manage over 100,000 citizens here, and it involves many complex aspects. In particular, all kinds of supplies in the outer area are being cut off by the Ark. Do you have any solutions to this problem?"

John: "..."

Perhaps sensing that the lively atmosphere was about to freeze, the lieutenant, realizing the seriousness of the situation, quickly changed the subject.

"Ahem!...Speaking of which, what did you want to talk to me about in private?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, the white-haired man, whose confidence had been slightly wounded, gave the other person a deep look before speaking:

"You've turned the Ark upside down in just a few months. I can't see through you. I want to know what path you've chosen."

……

……

"Is this the path you've chosen, Dorothy?"

Click!

Taking a bite of the crisp, sweet and sour apple, Honglian surveyed the plantation of Eden and the human men and women tending livestock, her tone still incredibly languid.

"The so-called path of peaceful coexistence between humans and Niki."

"Ah."

Dorothy, who was looking down at the humans working, could hardly contain her joy and excitedly turned to look at Snow White.

"Bai Xue, what would you like to eat tonight?"

"I don't know, I'll eat whatever Phoenix makes." The foodie shook her head innocently. "Dorothy, I must admit that Eden is an excellent sanctuary, but a sanctuary is always just a sanctuary, not even as good as the underground ark."

Do you understand?

“I understand, but everything you’ve seen is just my first step.”

Faced with Snow White's blunt reminder, Dorothy simply raised her right hand, slightly spread her five fingers, and faced the setting sun with her palm. Her violet eyes shone brightly in the fiery sunlight.

"I will lead humanity toward the light. We are the goddess of victory, aren't we?"

"Not only that, I will also save Niki and bring them hope of victory as well."

……

……

What do you think Niki is?

"people."

"Humans? But they are machines, humanoid war machines."

"Following this logic, what do you see yourself as, Commander John?"

The moment John declared Nikki a human war machine, the harmonious atmosphere vanished instantly, replaced by the pungent smell of gunpowder.

Phoenix placed his water glass on the coffee table, calmly gazing into those deep blue eyes, and asked frankly:

"If you categorize Niki as a mechanical item, then what are you and me, who have hardly any original parts on us?"

"A humanoid war machine."

Sensing the undercurrent of anger surging beneath the dark-haired man's eyes, John remained unmoved and gave a resolute answer.

"You, me, Niki, are all just war machines, war machines for humanity to reclaim the earth."

"Reclaim the ground?"

Phoenix knew very well that, in the game's storyline, reclaiming the ground was John's lifelong dream.

This human hero and genius commander, who was once hailed as the "Morning Star" by the Ark, still wanted to dedicate everything he had to humanity, even after being betrayed by the Ark government as was customary.

Regardless, he was a great warrior.

unfortunately,

Phoenix, however, did not have such a savior dream.

How naive must one be to think that reclaiming the ground will solve humanity's survival and dignity problems?

The lieutenant grinned, then strode forward and demanded:

"Lecher came down from the sky. What use is it for you to reclaim the ground? What, do you think humanity can win just by reclaiming the ground?"

A simple set of three questions immediately made John frown.

However, before the white-haired man could answer, Phoenix narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze revealing murderous intent, and continued:

“I am different from you. I am not a seeker of the Way. From a few months ago until this moment, all I have done is try to survive.”

Not only do I need to survive, but the people I care about also need to survive with me.

So my goal is very simple…

"...Whoever kills me, I will kill them."

“Leitcher, humans, Niki, I treat them all the same.”

Chapter 253 A Meeting Too Late

No matter how talented a person is, they will be limited by the constraints of their present situation.

John is a living example.

For a human who has grown up underground, being able to fight their way back to the surface and experience rain and snow again is already a luxury.

Even a genius like him, or rather a genius like Cecil, never conceived of the insane plan to lead humanity and Niki into space to wipe out Lecher and his lair.

This is the limitation brought about by the times, environment, and society.

But now, that imperceptible layer of smog was slapped away on the spot by a lieutenant named Phoenix.

Yes,

Recapture of the ground is only one phase of the strategy, not the ultimate goal of the entire war.

Humanity wants to wage a protracted war against mechanical creations with its physical bodies? Even a fool could see how foolish that is. The only way for humanity to live with dignity is to completely annihilate the Lecher…

Or their race might be wiped out by those mechanical spiders.

"I see."