NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

Chapter 260 I Don't Need to Explain

Pina's ghostly state is very special.

After multiple confirmations, Phoenix believes that the biggest difference between Pina and the ghost sisters in the Ark is that she seems to be some kind of "earthbound" spirit.

However, while earthbound spirits are bound to a certain area, Pina is bound to Dorothy's side.

After all, ghosts also have a movement speed. The reason why Farin and others who often followed the lieutenant were separated from him was because of Isabel's sudden intervention.

Honglian, who also had comrades by her side, quickly found a set of counterexamples to Phoenix's conjecture.

"Then how do you explain Farin and the others? According to what you said, I also break the sound barrier from time to time. Are Farin and the others also bound spirits?"

“Pina said she has a feeling that she can break free from her bond with Miss Dorothy at any moment.” The lieutenant glanced thoughtfully at the three ghostly girls beside Red Lotus.

“Fallen was probably also in a bound spirit state at the time, but they chose to separate a few people from you and then stay by my side to help me organize and arrange the other ghosts, Niki.”

Moreover, it's highly likely that after the binding is broken, one will not be able to become a bound spirit again.

Phoenix's well-reasoned speculation caused Atao's previously delighted expression to suddenly turn serious.

"If it's really... no, the cost of this experiment is too high, Pina, no matter what happens, you must not break the bondage with me!"

Upon hearing Lady Dorothy's domineering order, Pina, in her ghost form, scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly at the lieutenant and the others, "Um... Lady Dorothy wasn't like this before, she's just a bit sensitive about certain things."

"Pina said she would never intentionally break up with you."

The translator, who was already at the highest level, decisively spoke the female warrior's thoughts, causing Dorothy and Pina to blush simultaneously.

The former was because they were satisfied, while the latter... seemed somewhat at a loss?

"Please, please, Lieutenant, don't say such ambiguous things!"

The ghost sister waved her hands frantically, clarifying:

"Lady Dorothy and I aren't in that kind of relationship! I really hope that Lady Dorothy will find happiness in the future!"

Ok?

Undoubtedly, Pina's explanation surprised Phoenix.

In his past life, he had personally witnessed the kind of friendship between female best friends that was similar to lesbianism, but not at all lesbianism, a kind of friendship that was difficult for men to understand and imitate.

Just as most women cannot understand why two young men who are very close would be so bored as to steal each other's genitals.

This is purely a generation gap caused by gender differences. Of course, this excludes women who enjoy groping breasts.

“I didn’t say that you and Dorothy had that kind of relationship.”

The man's instinctive and successful answer silenced the three ladies who had been chatting in the hall.

Oh no, to be precise, it should be two ladies, excluding Snow White who can't understand human speech.

……

silence……

Still silent...

Just as Honglian's gaze toward Dorothy was beginning to turn strange, and Atao was about to announce to everyone present that her sexual orientation was completely normal, a short man dressed in full protective gear suddenly rushed in through the west side door of the hall.

"Captain! Something terrible has happened! Harlan has been knocked unconscious!"

The girl's tone was urgent, but judging from her excited appearance, there was absolutely no indication of her indignation at her teammate being beaten up.

Moreover, when Dorothy, the captain of the Heirs' Army, heard that Harlan had been knocked unconscious, her expression didn't show much emotion; in fact, it even carried a hint of mockery, as if she thought, "He deserved it."

"Besides me, is there anyone else in Eden who could knock her out?" Atao asked.

Noah answered decisively, "I don't know the specifics, but it's a non-mass-produced Niki named Yuni."

Yuni?

Upon hearing the dwarf's words, Phoenix turned his upper body with surprise, sat sideways on the sofa and looked at Noah, secretly astonished by Yuni's extraordinary fighting power against Niki's special attack.

However, before the lieutenant could fully process his surprise, Noah added another sentence.

"Oh right, Harlan wasn't the only one who fainted; Niki, whose leg was broken, also fainted..."

Swah——

Before the short man could even utter the word "fall down," Lieutenant Phoenix, who had been sitting languidly, suddenly jumped up from the sofa.

"Where is he?! Where is he?!"

……

……

Eden Niki's Repair Room.

Cecil gave her diagnosis while constantly adjusting the brain perspective view on the 3D screen.

"Harlan's brain firing frequency is somewhat disordered, but his prosthetic body is unharmed."

"Mihara's brain was not damaged, but his right lower leg was broken."

Upon hearing these two sentences, everyone waiting in the maintenance room secretly breathed a sigh of relief, even John and Dorothy were not spared.

"It's okay, it's okay."

Holding the aggrieved Yuni in his arms, Phoenix patted the girl's head and patiently comforted her.

Such intimate behavior, which did not shy away from suspicion, really attracted frequent glances and stealthy stares from Dorothy, Red Lotus, Snow White and the others.

On the other side, John, as the witch's commander, closed his eyes in exasperation. He knew Harlan's personality was extremely bad, and this matter was most likely instigated by Harlan. Therefore, the white-haired man finally made up his mind and took the initiative to back down.

“I will give you an explanation, Phoenix.”

"I don't need an explanation."

Unexpectedly, the dark-haired man rejected the other party's overtures and concessions without hesitation. He gently stroked Yuni's back and gave her the result he wanted, word by word.

"I'm going to break one of her legs when she wakes up."

Chapter 261 Reasoning

The moment the lieutenant said he was going to break Harlan's leg...

Still reeling from the shock, Dorothy, John, and Cecil realized a fact they had inadvertently overlooked.

—The Ark has a population of tens of millions, so why is Phoenix the only one who can be heard by them?

It's not because this name is a sinister name that was born from the lives of thousands of Lechers and hundreds of human deaths.

"calm down."

John habitually removed his commander's cap, trying to dissuade him: "Phoenix, we are still allies. Your request is a bit unreasonable."

Meanwhile, Cecil, who was about to get onto the control panel, surprisingly tried to smooth things over.

"Lieutenant, this is the first time we've worked together, so conflicts are inevitable."

The two women were speaking in unison, but Dorothy, who should have spoken the most, remained silent.

She simply stared silently into Phoenix's menacing emerald eyes, wondering what this man would go to for his Niki.

Should we argue our case rationally, or demand compensation...?

"Did you make a mistake?"

Phoenix glanced at Cecil, who was preparing to begin the reconstructive surgery in the distance, then put his arm around Eunice, lowered his eyes, and looked back at John.

Then, the man slowly uttered an answer that was enough to make the hearts of everyone in Eden clench.

"I only took one of her legs because she's an ally."

……

The situation teetered between being out of control and not out of control because of a single sentence uttered by the lieutenant.

John gazed at Phoenix silently and calmly; judging from his unwavering expression, the Morning Star had clearly rejected the Killer Star's proposal.

He was also a Niki commander, and even though he believed that both cyborgs and Niki were war machines, he had to admit one thing.

—Nikki has high morale.

As a leader, John was in a position where he couldn't so easily hand over the mistakes of his subordinates to others to deal with.

Doing so would be a heavy blow to the prestige he has built up over many years.

"What do you plan to do if I say no?"

"Who knows? Anyway, it's not just about one leg."

The conversation between the two men ended there.

Then, Honglian's right hand reached for the hilt of her sword at her lower back, and Yuni reluctantly left the commander's embrace, coldly picking up her whip.

The two Nikis's unpretentious preparations for battle startled Noah, who widened her eyes in shock as she frantically manipulated her floating shield, exclaiming in horror:

"Wait, wait! Are you really going to fight here?!"

The little girl, who had never seen anything like it before, screamed nervously and looked to her captain for help...