NIKKE, when the stars bloom

Someone knew very well that it was actually a very bad strategy at the level of two sewers.

The reason is simple—because I am not the protagonist in the story.

The protagonist in the game plot can act recklessly, can be willful, can say like a little kid "I don't want to listen, I don't want to listen, I just want to do this", and in the end there will still be someone to cover the ending for him, or solve everything with his empty talk of ideals.

But not myself.

First, the Pilgrim Organization had no reason to help him. Instead of wasting an extremely precious "disinfectant bullet" to save Nikki, why not just shoot Nikki in the head?

Cheap and easy.

After all, the non-mass-produced Nikki is just non-mass-produced, which does not mean it cannot be produced.

Second, if Sugar is allowed to leave, there is a good chance that she will become a "heretic" and end up working for Letcher.

In this way, in the eyes of the central government and the CEOs of the three major companies, Phoenix's concealment was no different from betraying the Ark, and he was doomed to be punished.

So what should he do?

Do I really have to kill Shuger, who risked his life to deliver the supplies? If I do that, wouldn't that be denying everything I did tonight...

The man who couldn't find a solution that would satisfy both sides sighed tiredly, then slowly closed his eyes and began to micro-manage the battle situation under Pepper's dull gaze as if he was looking at an apparition of a god.

“Love, take Merry to the restaurant on the left immediately. A Letcher will pass by the restaurant door.

Kill it, then enter the restaurant across the street as quickly as possible and go out the back door. There are three Letchers in that fork in the road. Try to kill two of them, leave one to report the situation, and notify Rabi after you're done.

You act now.

Lavi, after you receive the news from Lolfu, immediately lead everyone to advance northward. With Lolfu attracting firepower, the pressure from the north will not be too great.

After all of you have gathered, Rabi will report the situation to me, and the follow-up actions will be determined later."

After finishing the arrangements in one breath, Phoenix supported himself with one hand, stood up from the ground somewhat awkwardly, and nodded to Pepper sideways.

"It's time for us to move to another place."

……

……

"Commander, if, I mean if possible, please shoot with your left hand."

Following Phoenix all the way to another tall building, Pepper was holding the sniper rifle, and her tone sounded a little pleading.

Based on her medical knowledge, if the commander continued to torture his right shoulder as he did before, the problem of insufficient blood supply to cells due to ruptured blood vessels would definitely worsen, and by then the entire right side of the body, including the right lung, would have to be replaced with bionic machinery.

As for whether the commander's body was original, Nikki didn't care much, but the success rate of such large-scale replacement of bionic machinery was generally not very high. If there was a 20% success rate, it would mean that the surgeon's skills were strong enough.

"I didn't intend to shoot."

Seeing the pink-haired dwarf looking aggrieved, Phoenix forced a smile and said:

"You get to do the shooting this time, Pepper."

"Commander... yes, are you kidding me?" When Pepper heard that she was going to use a sniper rifle, her eyes widened instantly and she almost dropped the sniper in her arms.

"Don't be afraid, it's very simple." Someone raised his left hand and pointed to the ground outside the window, explaining softly: "If I'm not mistaken, Lapi and the others should be active in this area.

So, Raicher, who was left behind by Lavi and the others, would definitely pass by...

Oh, here it comes."

Seeing that the twenty or thirty red dots on the consciousness map were moving forward from behind him, Phoenix immediately turned around and squatted under the window sill, and continued to say to Pepper who was also squatting beside him:

"When I ask you to set up the sniper position, just do it. Don't worry, there will definitely be a few fixed targets for you to aim at. Remember, take your time and don't be too impatient. After you fire your shot, we will run away immediately.

Our role is simple. There are too many Letcher troops. We should lure away as many as we can, so that Lavi and the others can advance in the opposite direction towards us as easily as possible."

"I understand! I will never let the commander down!"

"Just understand, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

While Phoenix was calming Pepper down, he turned on the team voice microphone, intending to tell Labi and the others the specific location of the battle plan.

Before he could even open his mouth, a piece of news like a bolt from the blue suddenly echoed in his earphones.

"Commander! This is Rabi, there is an emergency in the team!

Anis' bionic pupils flashed red signals, suspected to be corroded! "

"Anis?"

Hearing Anis's name, the man's pupils shrank instantly, and a piece of information that had been ignored in his mind was fished out from the ocean of memory at this moment.

[Two minutes. I have a meeting to attend, Commander Phoenix.]

[A Nikki support unit with medical Nikki and leg replacements...]

Medical Nikki and Leg Replacement…

Leg replacement parts...

"I see……"

Phoenix, who had figured everything out, stared blankly ahead. In a trance, he seemed to hear the voices of Pepper and Lapi surrounding his ears.

"I see……"

"..."

“…Why do you have to do this?”

Chapter 13 High Threat Targets

"Anis, can you hear me? I'm the commander."

"Commander... Commander, sir."

In the commercial park with corridors everywhere, Anis, whose consciousness began to become confused, stood there with a bitter face, watching Lapi, Lolfe and others keeping a distance from her while making preparations to shoot at any time.

She did not feel bitter or betrayed by her teammates’ choices.

The fact that they didn't point their guns at her brain right away was the last kindness they could show as comrades.

"Commander, please don't go to the Ark to ask for justice regarding the replacement parts..."

Anis spoke intermittently. She was well versed in the art of survival. Even though her consciousness had fallen into chaos, she still knew the position of the Ark Commander in the underground Ark, a mini country with a population of only tens of millions.

——They are just a group of cannon fodder portrayed as heroes by the media.

"Time is short, Anis, so I'll keep it short."

Hearing the commander's hoarse voice in the headset, Anis tried hard to raise a fairly bright smile, even though she knew that the commander couldn't see her embarrassing look at all.

As expected of a man who could survive alone on the ground for several days, he was so calm that even Nikkis were ashamed of him.

"According to Pepper's examination results and the current situation, my right hand should be amputated after returning to the Ark."

"……Eh?"

Phoenix spoke very quickly. Not only was Anis, who was in a state of erosion, unable to react, but even Lavi and others nearby could not help but look puzzled after hearing these irrelevant words.

"refer to……"

Anis had just uttered a syllable when the commander's clear and logical words once again occupied the team's voice channel in the headset.

"Injury report completed."

“Except for Meri, the others held Anis in check. Meri was responsible for removing Anis’ shoulder and hip joints, and was also responsible for transporting Anis.

After that, Lavi will lead the rest of the men to advance southward. Pepper and I will help you disperse some of the firepower.

Okay, everyone, take action now."

"..."

After a very brief silence, Christine was still the first to react.

She took a quick step forward, put her hands under Anis's armpits, and then grabbed her neck with her backhand, successfully locking her up.

Immediately, the woman put on a villainous smile that looked like she had succeeded in her evil plan, and joked:

"The commander is still too kind. I think it would be most convenient to just cut off the head.

What do you think, Anis?"

“You…you you you…you…”

Hearing Christine's smug tone, Anis's already stuck language system became even more angry.

"You...you are so proud...you...you...you...this guy..."

"Anis, can you turn off the pain receptors first? The process of removing the joint may be a little painful."

On the other side, Merry, who had received the "surgical mission", tucked her hair behind her ears, and it was hard not to hear the excitement in her tone.

"You, don't come over here!!!"

In the red receiving screen, when Anis saw with her own eyes that Merry took out a head-sized disassembly hydraulic pliers from the tool bag, the girl whose mind had been gradually becoming fuzzy could not even speak without stuttering.

"Commander! Commander!!!"

……

……

"Pepper, set up your gun."

Listening to Anis's healthy and cheerful screams in the team voice, the expression of a certain unscrupulous commander was actually quite relaxed, so much so that Pepper, who was standing next to him, almost misplaced her gun after seeing his expression.

commander……

Don’t you have any weird hobbies?

"There's no need to calculate where it will land. It's only about 200 meters away. Just point the crosshairs and it will hit wherever you want."

Behind the wall, Phoenix stood up and prepared to run away while instructing the girl, completely unaware that his image as a commander had been given some indescribable labels in just a few seconds.

"Pepper, once you have your aim right, just..."

Zizz—boom——!!!

Before the commander could finish his words, the new sniper Pepper had already pulled the trigger.

The speed was so fast that someone who was just halfway prepared was startled and his eyes twitched slightly.

"Commander! I hit it!"

Pepper, delighted with the good start, turned around excitedly, but happened to see the commander opening the door and glancing at her sideways.

"Come here! Do you want to be beaten into a hornet's nest by Letcher?"

"Come on... come on!"

……

"It was the commander's gunshot."

In the north, Merry had just carried Anis, who had all her limbs intact but was missing some key parts, on his back when he heard Rabi's words.

"Merry, take Anis and follow the team. Be careful. Christine, protect Merry and Anis and support us at any time."

"I understand."

Merry nodded in understanding, then bent down and bent his knees to push Anis's body upwards, and sighed to himself:

"I didn't expect girls with big backs and breasts to be so troublesome."

After saying that, she looked down at her size again, and her expression became even more melancholy.

"I... am still awake! Meimeilili!" Anis muttered unhappily, "It's better than... than that guy... who likes to cut off his teammates' brains...

Then rub it... on the washboard... you have to... put some cotton pads on your back... otherwise it will rub... and get bruises..."

"Anis, I think it's useless to wave your hands around, so how about I help you break them off?"

Feeling personally insulted, Christine narrowed her eyes and turned back with a cold face to look at Merry and Anis at the back of the team.

"You can be proud of this? What? Could it be that they can help you fight Letcher?"