NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

"Are we... really not going to do anything about him?"

A forearm fracture would result in massive blood loss. If the person died, the footage broadcast by Vanguard Eye would provide irrefutable evidence, and the commander would certainly face a court-martial verdict.

if that is the case……

He'll probably end up in a rehabilitation center...

"Ignore him, there are other rescue teams on their way."

To everyone's surprise, the man simply waved his hand casually, never once giving the guy, whose name he didn't even know, a proper look.

“Our medical kit was lost on the way, and no one in the team knew first aid.”

"There's nothing we can do but wish him good luck."

Chapter Ninety-Two: So That's How It Can Be Done

Phoenix didn't care at all whether Arrigant had the luck to survive.

What he cares about most right now is the intelligence provided by Teresella and Anik's warning.

According to the girl, Ningya was ambushed by mechanical tentacles that emerged from underground, and then dragged underground by them, thus disappearing.

Anik also clearly stated that the further south they went, the more numerous the underground passages would become, densely packed like the countless roots of an ancient tree, the exact source of which could not be determined at the moment.

The combination of mechanical tentacles and unique underground terrain reminded Phoenix of a scene from a video game.

—A mechanical creature named "Secret Material H" launched a sneak attack on Misilis's elite force, Metis, and succeeded.

Trouble...

The thought of that colossal mechanical creature—whether it should be categorized as a tyrant-level Rachel or a heretic—made Phoenix's mood plummet.

Secret Material H is one of the Lecher machines whose tentacles carry a corrosive virus.

Theoretically speaking, the more Nikis participate in the battle, the more advantageous the situation will be for Nikis.

If this thing is indeed causing trouble in the area, then the most reasonable course of action for Phoenix right now is to withdraw its troops.

How to do?

It's rare for a man to hesitate when making a decision.

withdraw?

Or should we not withdraw?

The hesitant commander stopped and turned to look at Diesel, Nadja, Tia, and the others beside him.

Considering their combat skills, which weren't bad but not exactly superb either, Phoenix, after a brief internal struggle, ultimately couldn't bear to let these students risk their lives with him, and decisively said:

"Marianne stays behind, the rest of you retreat to the Ark. The first squad will end the mission ahead of schedule."

"what?!"

"Eh?"

"Teach...instructor?"

Before the girls could react, they heard the commander speak into his headset:

"Sheffield, please pass on this message to the relevant departments: traces of an unknown Lecher have been discovered in Sector H, suspected to be a Tyrant-class. I urgently need a ground force with extensive combat experience to be at my disposal. Please dispatch the nearest one."

"I will relay your request to you, Commander Phoenix."

"Instructor! Just now...didn't we agree to go and rescue Ningya together?!"

Upon hearing Phoenix's order for the seven of them to return the way they came, Teresella, whose NIMPH control was the lowest, was the first to shake her head.

"You promised me, instructor!"

Faced with the blonde girl's question, the man did not immediately answer, but instead ordered Marian to shoot down all the Vanguard Eyes in the sky.

"As the commander of the Ark, I refuse all non-centralized monitoring under the pretext of carrying out classified Ark missions."

As Marian's shot was perfectly executed, Phoenix's undeniable voice carried to the audience in the stands.

Even the person involved was unaware that his unintentional remark, made merely to facilitate his continued actions, inadvertently garnered him a significant boost in favorability among central government officials.

Intelligence officials who were initially prejudiced against him completely changed their hostility and developed a new level of goodwill towards the young man.

Reject all non-centralized surveillance.

Look at that! Look at his awareness!! This young man is definitely one of us!!!

The central government's control over the ground?

Isn't that the last bit of power and dignity their intelligence agency has left?!

"Okay! Good boy!"

Deputy Minister Ampa, who had spent most of his life frustrated and wasting his time in the intelligence department, slapped his thigh excitedly, picked up his phone, and called his longtime friend and intelligence minister.

"Old Ye, I'm telling you this now, I don't care what methods you use, this kid Phoenix must be one of our intelligence agents from now on!"

Command objected? Let those sons of bitches go eat shit!

Look at the lousy things they've done, all they do is throw talented people into rehabilitation centers, and they even have this damn level one confinement system.

How old is that young man? Twenty-six!

What's wrong with being a little temperamental at 26? What's wrong with being hot-blooded at 26?!

"These people just came back from the battlefield. Let alone a twenty-six-year-old with a bad temper, even a fifty-six-year-old would be on the verge of exploding if they walked around the ground like that!"

When emotions ran high, Deputy Minister Ampa unleashed years of pent-up negative feelings in a volcanic eruption.

"Old Ye, haven't you had enough of this pent-up frustration all these years?!"

Those bastards from the three major companies came into our intelligence department like they were in their own home, without even having to say hello!

To put it bluntly, in the entire Ark! In every department! Only I, the deputy minister, and you, the minister, are in cahoots!

What department could be so miserable that the deputy minister and the minister are like brothers?! Old Ye!!

It's because the intelligence agencies have neither power nor money!

What good is your ministerial position other than making the command headquarters take the blame? What kind of deputy minister would be crazy enough to want that chair you're sitting on?

Ultimately, isn't it because our intelligence agencies haven't produced any noteworthy results?

Even those sissies from ACPU can ride roughshod over us!

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, until his beard trembled. After venting his emotions, Vice Minister An finally summarized his words.

"I don't care about all that. If you chicken out, I'll handle this myself. If I lose, I'll just have to pay for this outfit. But those bastards better not let me win a single round."

"If I could win even one game, I'd start by taking down that little wench, Missilis. Someone has to stand up and warn those capitalists not to disregard the central government."

……

……

Dududududu——

The fierce noise of the transport plane's propellers blew incessantly overhead.

After forcibly ordering Therese and the others to return to the Ark in his capacity as commander, Commander Phoenix's mood was far from pleasant.

Arguing with a girl is definitely more troublesome than hitting a Lecher.

"Commander~ It's been a long time!"

Emma was the first to come down the rope ladder. She radiated the warmth and gentleness of an elder sister. She first waved to someone with a smile, and then quickly realized that she and the commander had not actually met in person.

So, the magnanimous Nikki walked up to Phoenix without the slightest bit of shyness, her left hand covering her chest, her right hand holding her Vulcan cannon, and introduced herself:

"Special forces, machine gunner, Emma reporting for duty, Commander!"

“I…I’m Bestie. It’s nice to meet you, Commander.”

Like Yuni, the white-haired, socially awkward little girl, as tall as a rocket launcher, peeked out from behind Emma, ​​blushing, and mustered her courage to say:

"The commander is amazing; even Yin Hua was fooled by the commander."

"whispering sound."

As soon as Bestie finished speaking, an extremely disdainful snort appeared at the back of the group along with Yin Hua's sour face.

"Third-rate, although we are here to support you, we also have our own missions to complete, so you'd better not dawdle and waste your time."

And also, since the target is Rachel, who is suspected to be a tyrant-level being, you bastard…

"Nikki! Watch your words!"

Before Yin Hua could finish speaking, Marianne, standing beside Phoenix, also put on a dark expression and scolded her:

"There is only one commander here! If you have any objections to this deployment, please report them to the Central Command yourself. There is no point in venting your dissatisfaction on my commander!"

Emma: "..."

Bestie: "!"

Compared to Emma's surprise, Bestie was more excited and admiring when she saw Marian confront the captain head-on.

How many years has it been since the captain was confronted in the face by another Niki?