NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

The man, having taken off his pajamas again, sat stiffly in front of the viper. Amidst the sweet girl's unrestrained laughter, he numbly began discussing last night's plans with her.

While it was called a discussion, the whole process was more like Viper, the service provider, constantly offering solutions, while Phoenix, the client, was responsible for considering the feasibility of each solution.

As for Mihara, Yuni, and Warren...

They were like Muggles without any talent in the magical world, glancing at the talking snake one moment and the nodding commander the next, their thoughts completely unable to keep up with the rhythm of their conversation.

"I need your help with something."

After spending two or three hours finalizing the plan to cause trouble, Phoenix changed the subject and said:

"Strictly speaking, I'd like you to do me two more favors."

Hearing the man's words, the venomous snake, still in high spirits, tilted its head with interest and chuckled, "So, are these the other two transactions, Commander?"

"can."

Phoenix made the commitment promptly and decisively.

"The first thing I need to do is look after the five mass-produced Nikis I rescued from the factory that night. They're still hiding in the suburbs of Ark. I need someone absolutely reliable to help take care of them."

"The second thing is that since you can freely enter and exit the outer edge zone and the Ark, you must have connections."

"I want you to go to the outer edge of the city and find a girl named Roccogres. She's probably involved in some gang. Help her get a fake citizen ID chip, then bring her to the Ark to find me. Remember to wear a mask."

"But what if she doesn't trust me then?"

"Then tell her this."

The commander paused, then spoke clearly and distinctly:

I entrust my sorrowful heart to the bright moon.

"?"

The viper, who had never heard such wording before, raised his delicate eyebrows. "So what should she reply?"

"I will follow you all the way to Yelang in the west."

Chapter 54 Life is Not a Noun (Part 1)

Boom boom boom!

In the suburbs of Ark, following the address and features provided by Phoenix, Viper knocked on the iron door of a long-abandoned power distribution room.

Because they had the commander's contact information, the mass-produced Niki, who had already received the news, was not disturbed by Viper's actions.

It's hard to imagine that Niki, who was at odds with the Commander just a few days ago, has now become their butler in the Commander's words.

"Welcome to our..."

"……Home."

The longest-serving mass-produced Niki, nicknamed "Long Leaf" by Phoenix, stood at the door of the power distribution room and politely nodded to Viper.

"My name is Changye."

After Changye, who was in the lead, finished introducing herself, the four people standing behind her—Duchan, Daxue, Chun, and Qiumo—also took the initiative to introduce themselves to the poisonous snake.

name,

For mass-produced Niki models, which are only entitled to have a number, this is an extremely precious thing.

Under the control of the Ark, they had no right to have names. Strictly speaking, even the Commander did not have the right to name the mass-produced Nikis.

Of course, the Phoenix Commander is an exception, of course.

Looking at the five mass-produced Nikis before him, whose emotions were noticeably more lively, Viper's face lost its usual insincere smile, and he asked with slight surprise:

"He named you?"

"Ok!"

Hearing the snake's question, Chun, the youngest in the service, nodded vigorously. Then, she explained very patiently, or rather, tirelessly:

"These are actually the names of orchids. Commander Phoenix told us that orchids used to be used to describe gentlemen, although... although I don't know what 'gentleman' means, it sounds like a very beautiful word."

"Yes, they are all very nice-sounding names."

"You think so too! We all love the names of these flowers! The Commander even said that there are actually hundreds of varieties of orchids..."

As Chun continued her eloquent explanation, the venomous snake unconsciously lowered its eyes, its thoughts drifting aimlessly.

Speaking of which...

Her own name wasn't even as nice as the name that man gave to the non-mass-produced Niki.

It's really a ridiculous thing.

……

……

The bottom floor of the MMR laboratory.

Anderson stood solemnly beside a life support coffin, looking down at the young woman inside who had been sleeping for who knows how many years, but his mind was occupied by the image of another man.

"Um……"

Whenever he thinks of Yuni's feedback, the vice commander's perpetually furrowed brows become even more deeply furrowed.

On the bright side, if the information Yuni provided is true, given that kid's violent nature—crippling four people in just half a month—this would undoubtedly be adding insult to injury.

Once he accumulates military achievements on the ground, it will inevitably disrupt the balance of power within the core of the Ark.

On the worst, what if the information Yuni provided was false...

"Hmm...we need to make time for a meeting, just in case. We can't let that kid spend too much time with Niki." Anderson touched his cufflinks, trying to calm his slightly fearful feelings.

impossible,

Bribing Niki is absolutely impossible and should never happen.

After thinking it over, Anderson shifted his gaze to the monitoring data next to the life support coffin. Then, after what seemed like a long internal struggle, he finally placed his index finger on the screen.

[Scanning fingerprint features...]

【Scan successful】

[Scanning vein features...]

[Data verified to be consistent]

[Scanning brainwave characteristics...]

[Data verified to be consistent]

Welcome, Vice Commander Anderson.

"Check the progress of all ongoing engineering work on Life Support Coffin No. 1." The vice commander's magnetic voice echoed in the laboratory.

[We are currently updating the project progress, please wait...]

[The engineering project implemented on the No. 1 life support coffin was successfully retrieved. The specific data is as follows:]

[Progress of the memory shielding project on Life Entity No. 1: 98.24%]

[Progress of the memory injection project on bio-support No. 1: 24.62%]

[Progress of the personality modification project on Vital Entity Number One: 9.31%]

"Shut down all projects in safe mode." Anderson slowly closed his eyes, and after a long silence, uttered a decision that represented countless possibilities.

"Inject a single memory into the No. 1 life support."

"The injected content is a name."

"The name of the first life support is 'Walkyrie'."

……

……

Inside a high-end fashion store on Royal Promenade shopping street.

Looking at the label on the khaki double-breasted trench coat on the hanger, Phoenix's gaze was as heavy as if he had met Lech's gaze.

A piece of clothing selling for 32,000?

Although it wasn't beyond the limits of his wallet, given his meager savings, he only needed to buy two or three more pieces of clothing to go bankrupt.

"Commander~ How do I feel dressed like this?"

Just as a man who had suggested going shopping was still reeling from the shock of the prices on Royal Promenade, Mihara's voice came from inside the changing room.

In a panic, Phoenix quickly composed himself, flashed a bright smile, and turned away.

Immediately, what comes into view is Mihara wearing a trench coat, looking like a dashing and sophisticated woman.

The outfit featured perfectly placed pale gold long earrings, a dark brown cropped cashmere top, a wide, black leather belt around the waist, and straight-leg trousers made of an unknown fabric, without a single wrinkle.

At this moment, Mihara, who has changed her original appearance, is so charming that even a single glance from her would be enough to make young boys who yearn for mature women fall head over heels for her.