NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

A commander sniped several Lechers?!

Even the mass-produced Niki, who had just been deployed to the front lines, wouldn't dare to utter such bold words.

“Commander, while it is your achievement to lead Niki to complete the mission and command Niki to take down Lecher, well… well… you didn’t quite do a good job of bragging.”

Because the commander in front of her had clearly ordered Christine to carry her during the retreat, Anise, who had gradually relaxed, reverted to her usual disrespectful nature and complained with a speechless expression:

"Don't say that to other people next time, or they might laugh at you behind your back."

After saying that, she felt that it was a bit disrespectful to the young commander, so she unusually pouted and added a sentence.

"Hmm... I just feel that if I hear bad things about you from someone else one day, it will be very difficult for me."

Hearing her say that, the commander, who was lying in Lorf's arms and playing the role of a delicate prince, didn't want to prove anything and simply obediently replied:

"Then I'll pay attention next time."

"Eh?"

The unexpected answer not only made Anise exclaim "Ah!" in surprise, but even the other three Nikkis subconsciously glanced at him because of Phoenix's good temper.

Of course,

Because Lorf was too close to the commander, no matter how much she glanced at him, she couldn't escape being discovered, so she simply lowered her head and gave the commander a hearty smile.

"If all commanders had a personality like yours, we wouldn't have so many headaches."

"That's right. Compared to those idiot commanders who say 'Charge for the Central Government!', our temporary commander is much smarter. At least when it comes to escaping... no, retreating, he's absolutely reliable!"

Right, Labi~

"..."

"Commander, the concentration of Ivira particles is increasing. If we continue forward, we may lose contact with the operators."

While communicating with the operator, Lapi also exchanged words with the commander, completely ignoring Anis's chattering little mouth.

Hearing that the concentration of Evira particles was rising, Phoenix, though not particularly concerned about being able to contact the operator, replied, considering that the concentration of these interfering particles was sometimes directly proportional to the number of Lecher particles:

"Let's just find a place to rest. This area is relatively safe for now."

After hearing this, the girls did not question the commander's judgment. They nodded and were about to leave, but then they all suddenly stopped.

"what happened?"

Phoenix, who was about to close his eyes and rest for a while in Lorf's arms, keenly sensed that something was wrong. He didn't look at Lapi immediately, but instead raised his head to look at Anis's expression.

Ok,

It looks terrible.

It was as if someone had stolen a case of her carbonated drinks.

Not only that, Christine's expression wasn't much better; it was gloomy and seemed about to drip ink. Lorf, on the other hand, squinted her eyes, her cheeks puffing out, looking like she might unleash a torrent of profanity at any moment.

Why does it feel like the other three members of this team, besides Lhapi, are all potential traitors?

"Have you been given extra tasks by your superiors?"

Phoenix asked wistfully, knowing perfectly well what circumstances would plunge a Nikki unit into a constipated silence.

"Operator, please inform the military that we have a commander who is dehydrated and a member named Niki who has a right leg injury. The additional mission we have been assigned may fail due to personnel issues."

Lapi spoke quite tactfully, but even so, the news from the operator was still not optimistic.

"These guys actually made us abandon the commander and Anis to complete this bullshit reconnaissance mission?!"

Having already gritted her teeth, Lorf could no longer tolerate the operator's reply. Her dark gray pupils, fueled by anger, turned a chilling golden-red at a visible speed.

"Time and time again, it's always the same, and this time they don't even care about their own kind. Do these sissies who only know how to sign in the back dare to come to the surface and stay for a couple of days?!"

"Lolf, turn off your communications!" Christine shouted urgently, "Do you want us all to have our memories erased?!"

"Tch...so long-winded."

Upon hearing "Bat's" words, although Lorf still bared her fangs and looked resentful, she didn't say anything more.

After all, she was still holding the commander and couldn't free her hands to turn off her tactical headset for the time being.

On the other side, seeing that Lapi was still pondering how to communicate with the military, Phoenix knew that it would be somewhat difficult for a soldier with her strict obedience to orders to negotiate with the Ark's high command.

So he looked up at Lorf, who was still whimpering, and said weakly:

"Lolf, could you lend me your headset? I want to talk to them."

"what?"

The giant girl, whose anger had nowhere to go, instantly regained her original expression after hearing the commander's words. She obediently lowered her head and turned her ear, which was wearing a headset, toward the man in her arms.

"Here."

Carefully removing the headset, Phoenix didn't put it on properly; instead, he casually shoved one earpiece into his ear and began to speak:

"Hello, this is Commander Phoenix, the sole survivor of Squad 055-A."

"Please inform Deputy Commander Anderson, Deputy Chief of the Central Command, that Team 055-A encountered an unidentified Lecher group in Sector K-8. There is a suspected Lecher production plant nearby. Due to the damage to my coordinate device during the battle, I am unable to report the specific coordinates to my superiors."

I have already developed severe dehydration symptoms and may fall into a coma at any time.

I deeply regret that I cannot serve the Ark Central.

Operator: "...Wait...wait a minute! Please stay alert! I'll contact Vice Commander Anderson right away!!!"

A moment later, amidst four pairs of expectant eyes, a deep, weathered male voice came through the vanguard's communication channel.

"Two minutes. I have another meeting to attend, Commander Phoenix."

"A Nikki support unit with medical Nikki and leg replacements, wartime command of the vanguard and support units, a week's worth of commander survival supplies, a sniper rifle and one hundred rounds of heavy armor-piercing ammunition."

The man emphasized each word in his hoarse, grainy voice:

"Commander, what I need is a gun."

"Big gun".

Chapter 5 Unbeatable Lineup

[Name: Phoenix]

【Sex: Male】

【Age: 26】

[Graduated from: Central Government Military Academy]

Graduation age: 26

Overall Graduation Score: 82.6 (Controversial)

[Overall Graduation Ranking: 5 (Controversial)]

[Ability Assessment: Possesses excellent shooting and sniping skills, demonstrates strong overall control in localized combat, exhibits high vigilance, excellent adaptability, and good physical fitness.]

[Personality Assessment: Demonstrates excellent composure in stress tests, a strong vengeful nature, and high empathy...]

Strengths Summary: Skilled at commanding localized operations.

[Weaknesses Summary: Shows clear human emotions towards Niki, possesses a relatively deep understanding of social and political issues, lacks a spirit of dedication to the Ark, and exhibits an above-average desire to pursue women (suspected to include Niki).]

"This is the first time I've seen you look at this kind of meaningless graduation evaluation, Anderson."

Central Command Headquarters, Command Room No. 2.

A tall woman in a white military uniform, with purple eyes and long, wavy hair, stood across from the deputy commander, her arms crossed over her chest, staring at Anderson with her signature debt-owing expression, completely oblivious to the visual impact her actions would create.

　"For you to take the time to do something like this, it seems that the commander is quite capable."

"No, I just found it interesting."

Anderson straightened up, placed the report on the table, and carefully straightened it. Then, as usual, he looked down and fiddled with his military uniform cufflinks, saying:

"He said he wanted a sniper rifle, a big sniper rifle."

"A sniper rifle?"

After hearing this, Ingrid frowned and continued, "It's just a sniper rifle, is that something to worry about?"

Before meeting the powerful CEO of Elysium, who couldn't understand his words, Anderson patiently continued to explain: "I just checked the data, and neither the 055-A nor the Vanguard Unit is equipped with snipers, while Phoenix's sniping record is quite good..."

No, I think my way of putting it is inaccurate. I should say that if he were placed in a human army in the past, he would probably be considered a near-ace sniper.

Upon hearing the deputy commander's assessment, Ingrid's expression showed slight astonishment, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

"You mean, the anti-materiel sniper rifle that this commander requested from headquarters was for his own personal use?"

"Perhaps, Ingrid, do you also feel that he is somewhat special now?"

"..."

"If you don't mind, could I take a look at his file?"