NIKKE: The Apocalypse Arrives, But the System is 100 Years Late

It was clear that Alice had sneakily drunk the milk herself, as the white liquid still lingered on her lips.

But that innocent, slightly mischievous face, combined with the motion of licking her lips, inadvertently reminded Mo Chen of a certain steamy memory from that day. He quickly shook it off.

"Hey? The blue-haired princess seems to have moved."

Suddenly, Alice seemed to notice something and spoke up.

"Don't joke around," Ludmilla pinched Alice's cheek and scolded her gently. "The blue-haired princess is still asleep. How could she have moved? Alice, little liars get spanked."

"But, but, My Queen, Alice isn't lying!"

Alice pointed at the space cryo-chamber. "Look, the blue-haired princess really moved."

Her anxious expression made it clear she feared they wouldn't believe her.

Ludmilla sighed helplessly.

She was beginning to think letting Mo Chen watch over Alice wasn't a good idea—she might pick up his bad habits.

However, as she followed Alice's pointed direction, she froze, her pupils narrowing slightly.

The Nikke's body in the chamber was indeed moving!

At some point, the Nikke in the nutrient solution had turned her body, pressing both hands against the glass cover, directly facing them.

And it wasn't just the "blue-haired princess."

The "yellow-haired princess" and others—all the Nikkes in the chambers—had somehow "woken up," gathering at the glass.

Their eyes were empty and lifeless, staring straight at them.

Looking at their brainless heads, a chill ran down Ludmilla's spine, and an uncontrollable sense of unease crept over her.

Mo Chen also immediately noticed the anomaly.

Not just in the cryo-chambers—dim corners of the room were now revealing shadowy figures. Moving with staggered steps, like zombies, they advanced toward them.

These were also Nikkes!

Except for lacking brains, they were identical to the infected Nikkes they had encountered before.

"Prepare for combat!"

"Da-da-da-da!"

Ludmilla instantly raised her gun, opening fire on the charging infected Nikkes.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Bullets struck the infected Nikkes, creating a cascade of sparks.

Under the onslaught of bullets, their bodies trembled violently before toppling backward.

But to her shock, none of the bullets penetrated their bodies.

Their shells were tougher than steel.

Meanwhile, the infected Nikkes continued closing in.

Suddenly, a blur moved faster than the eye could follow, rushing toward the infected Nikkes.

A fist shot out, followed by a barrage of punches, each blow radiating unstoppable force like a runaway stallion tearing through the air.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The front row of infected Nikkes was immediately sent flying by the force of the punches, disintegrating mid-air into a heap of parts scattered across the ground.

Mo Chen had broken through their encirclement.

"Get out of here!"

His voice was low and commanding: he had already sensed something unusual.

A thin layer of mist clung to the infected Nikkes, reducing the effectiveness of attacks against them.

This was the same mist Alice had been covered with when she was sick!

"Boom!"

A thunderous gunshot echoed through the research base.

The thick walls crumbled, leaving a gaping hole.

Through the opening, the figure of the Snow White leaped into view, gun in hand, unloading rounds into the infected Nikkes.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The infected Nikkes were pierced by heavy firepower, sent flying into the wall with a harsh screech of sparks before falling motionless.

Snow White cleared the ones blocking her path and sprinted toward Mo Chen, shouting loudly.

"Enemies are attacking! Evacuate immediately!"

She was here to warn them.

With communications disrupted, she had no choice but to come in person.

"Ah—!"

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream echoed from deep within the research base.

It was Papillon's voice!

"Leave now!"

Mo Chen made his decision instantly.

Infected Nikkes were appearing everywhere. It was clear they had been infected by some unknown virus.

Based on what Ludmilla had said earlier, there were likely many Nikke corpses stored inside as well.

The entire research base had now become a massive infection zone.

"Ugh—!"

A pained groan cut through the chaos.

Mo Chen turned his head to see Snow White, who had been valiantly fighting moments ago, stumble and lean heavily against the wall. Her hand clutched her forehead, and her pale face, partially obscured by her disheveled silver hair, was etched with pain. Her prized weapon had slipped to the floor beside her.

Without the suppression of her firepower, the infected Nikkes immediately swarmed forward.

Snow White tried to raise her gun and fire, but it was clear she was struggling.

Something was wrong.

Was she injured?

How could she have been injured?

Mo Chen didn't have time to think. He abandoned the enemies in front of him and launched himself toward Snow White like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

Bang!

The charging Nikkes were sent flying by the impact.

Mo Chen stretched out his arm, catching Snow White by the waist. Moving as fast as lightning, he blasted away the infected Nikkes blocking their path and quickly retreated.

"Let me go. I can still fight…"

She tried to free herself, but he refused.

"Save it. If you keep fighting, I might have to start planning your funeral."

"Alice!"

At that moment, Ludmilla's panicked voice rang out. He turned to look and saw Alice standing there, frozen.

She stood motionless, completely oblivious to the infected Nikkes rushing toward her.

"Blue-haired princess, yellow-haired princess, what's wrong with you?"

"Aren't we supposed to go to the legendary paradise together?"

"Aren't we best friends?"

Her vacant eyes stared ahead as she mumbled repeatedly, as if her illusions had been shattered.

Mo Chen felt his heart sink.

This was bad.

Others might not understand, but he did.

Alice had always seen these Nikkes as sleeping princesses and regarded this world as a fairy tale land.

It was her only spiritual solace.

Once the illusion shattered, Alice's mental state was at serious risk of collapse.

Ludmilla was pinned down by the infected Nikkes and unable to break free, leaving her no way to rescue her. The infected were closing in on Alice rapidly.

The situation was dire.

Mo Chen charged toward Alice, only to be repeatedly blocked by the seemingly endless tide of infected Nikkes. Frustrated, he finally snapped, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Out of my way!"

He roared, unleashing a thunderous punch with explosive force, obliterating the Nikkes in his path.

His figure hit the ground like a bomb, the impact causing the floor to collapse and sending the infected Nikkes flying backward.

He stomped hard on the ground, using the recoil to propel himself forward. In a blink, he reached Alice.

With his free hand, he wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

Now, with Alice under one arm and Snow White under the other, he dashed toward the exit with incredible speed.

"Move!"

Seeing that Mo Chen had saved Alice, Ludmilla let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly followed.

"Boom!"

The thick walls of the research base exploded outward with a deafening sound.

He shot through the opening like a missile.

With a heavy thud, he landed steadily on the ground outside.

But as his eyes scanned the scene ahead, his gaze sharpened.

At some point, the area outside the research base had become filled with headless Nikkes, their numbers stretching into the distance as they closed in.

From afar, it looked like a sea of crimson surging toward them.

Why were these things so relentless in chasing his group?

Ever since stepping onto these northern icefields, these things had been haunting him like ghosts.

Mo Chen was speechless.

At the same time, a ridiculous thought flashed through his mind.

Could it be… he was just too popular?

But this level of "popularity" was downright terrifying.

A chill ran down his spine as his scalp tingled.