ALL NOVEL Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Echoes of the Dead
It staggered to its feet, crimson lines extending from its body like blood vessels, crawling over the nearby scattered Rapture parts.
Countless scarlet lights flared to life, spreading like a virus.
Before long, the Raptures began to rise one by one, staggering and crashing as they stood.
In no time, the entire city transformed into a sea of red!
The effect was even better than he had imagined.
Mo Chen opened his eyes, a slight smirk forming on his lips.
Just a low-level Punishing Virus was enough to corrupt and control so many!
These Raptures had already been destroyed and rendered non-functional, but the Punishing Virus granted them a second life. It might be a low-level virus, but it was enough to create disposable pawns.
"Commander."
Marian approached him from behind, her tone filled with concern. "Please don't stray beyond the protection range; there could still be Raptures nearby."
Mo Chen smiled and gave Marian a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"You're working hard. Don't push yourself too much; your health is important."
Marian seemed taken aback by Mo Chen's words. She froze for a moment, feeling a surge of emotions well up inside her.
As a Nikke, she was created solely as a tool to fight Raptures. No one had ever shown such care for her before.
"Don't worry, Commander. I'll be fine. I am a Nikke, after all."
Seeing Marian's bright smile, Mo Chen didn't say anything more. He simply nodded.
"Pfft—!"
An ill-timed laugh echoed from behind.
Mo Chen turned to see Anis, her hands covering her mouth, her face red from trying to suppress her laughter.
Noticing their gazes, Anis coughed a couple of times, stifling her giggles.
"Sorry, but I felt like I was watching a low-budget, overly sweet romance scene—one that's unevenly spread, too."
Rapi intervened, scolding Anis and clearly annoyed.
"Anis!"
Seeing Rapi's reaction, Anis realized she might have gone too far and, to her credit, quickly admitted her fault.
"Sorry for interrupting."
Mo Chen: "…"
Marian's cheeks flushed in embarrassment and irritation.
"Oh, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean it—it was an accident."
When she saw that Marian was genuinely about to get upset, Anis quickly apologized again, and Marian finally forgave her.
The dynamics between women are truly mysterious.
Oddly enough, that little joke actually seemed to improve the rapport between Marian and Anis.
After walking for a while, Anis managed to establish contact with their communications operator, Shifty.
However, the communication line was riddled with interference, making the signal poor and unable to provide real-time navigation.
Near the ruins of an opera house, the team encountered a Rapture of Lord-class level.
Everyone immediately readied for combat.
To date, Raptures were known to have five levels: Husk, Servant, Master, Lord, and Tyrant.
There was also a special transcendent rank above the Follower level, which fell under the Master category.
A Lord-class Rapture could command a squad, meaning they were facing not just the Lord-class itself but possibly an entire group.
In the past, a mission like this would have carried a 24.35% probability of total annihilation. But with Rose in the squad, the outcome was bound to be different.
She single-handedly charged into the Rapture horde, cutting a bloody path through the throng and eventually taking down the Lord-class Rapture.
The three Nikke members could only stare in awe.
"I knew she was strong before, but now this just feels surreal."
Anis, her jaw practically hitting the ground, turned to Mo Chen with curiosity.
"Commander, to be paired with such a powerful Nikke… Are you, like, some well-connected big shot out here on a tour?"
Mo Chen's face darkened.
Anis chuckled, patting her chest as she said cheerfully, "Relax, I won't tell anyone. With a big shot like you, our survival odds are higher, right? At least the Ark wouldn't just stand by and watch us fall into danger, would they?"
At that moment, Rapi's voice came from up ahead.
"Time to clean up the battlefield. Anis, see if there's anything useful."
"Yes, Captain!"
Anis responded crisply, then led Mo Chen forward.
With the Lord-class Boss defeated, the number of Raptures began to dwindle. Only small squads occasionally launched attacks, with no sign of a large-scale Rapture presence. The group finally allowed themselves a moment to relax.
But Mo Chen knew that the true danger was only just beginning.
Still, the results of the battle had been impressive.
The Lord-class Rapture was worth a full 10,000 points.
This startled Mo Chen: up until now, he'd been scraping by, collecting only a little over 10,000 points in total.
But he still needed another 2,000 points to afford the Bullet-Dodging Chip.
Battle Report:
Rapi and Anis suffered only minor injuries, and Marian appeared to be fine as well.
However, something was off with Marian.
She seemed distracted, often spacing out, and sometimes even failing to notice approaching Raptures.
Her strange behavior didn't go unnoticed by Rapi and the others.
"Marian, are you okay?" Mo Chen asked with concern.
"N-no, it's nothing, just…," Marian said, holding her forehead as her gaze turned unfocused. She shook slightly, then forced a smile, "Maybe it's just my imagination."
But it was clear to anyone watching that Marian was struggling.
"You're hurt, aren't you?"
Mo Chen reached out and started to unfasten the buttons on her combat suit.
"Let me see."
Marian had previously been infected by the Rapture viral code, and there was a high chance it had invaded her central system. Full assimilation was only a matter of time.
"N-no, that's not necessary," Marian stammered, waving her hands in refusal, attempting to pull away.
A flush crept from her cheeks to her ears, her entire face turning bright red.
She had never been in a situation like this before.
But she was helpless to stop the determined Mo Chen, unsure of what to do, leaving her flustered and at a loss.
Anis, unable to stand by any longer, intervened.
"Hey, hey, keep it together! We're in public, and we're right here."
It was obvious she'd misunderstood Mo Chen's intentions, assuming he was doing something inappropriate. She finally couldn't take it, abandoning her post and stepping forward to stop Mo Chen's "beastly" actions.
Ignoring her protests, Mo Chen continued unbuttoning.
Rip!
The outer layer of her suit tore, revealing her pale skin beneath.
Bare and unmistakable.
"Aah—!" Marian yelped, crouching down in embarrassment, covering herself as best she could.
"Hey!"
Both Rapi and Anis were stunned. On Marian's back, as pale as jade, was a gaping wound, running from her back all the way to the front. The size and depth of the injury indicated it was caused by a Rapture's weapon.
Even for a Nikke with a mechanical structure, an injury this severe would make basic movement, let alone combat, extremely difficult.
In situations like this, a Nikke would typically be sent back to the base immediately for repairs.
After all, Marian wasn't a mass-produced model. If her brain was damaged, it would be equivalent to permanent death.
Judging by her current state, even if Marian wasn't dead, her injuries were severe. She might collapse any moment, leaving no time to save her.