NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

After a few back and forth, Phoenix actually managed to drag Niki away from the crowd and into the underground parking garage not far from the intersection, right under the noses of hundreds of people.

"Sir, please let go."

As she was being dragged along, W-02048 was surprised to discover that the masked man who was pulling her arm was not just strong.

Even when she tried to fight back with force, her opponent still had the upper hand and forcibly dragged her forward with almost overwhelming force.

This……

That's not very polite, is it?

Although it's not outstanding in any aspect as a mass-produced model, Niki's weight is still considerable. Even a strongman would find it difficult to stand up straight and stroll around with Niki as leisurely as if taking a leisurely walk.

"Um... sir?"

"Stand here, don't move."

Faced with someone's impolite command, W-02048 wanted to say something, but the next moment, the visual receiver suddenly displayed a line of blue text on a white background as the other party spoke, causing this mass-produced Niki to freeze instantly.

[Attention, Commander's voiceprint detected.]

"!"

It's worth noting that the number of players in Arknights, including Niki, has remained around 10,000 for many years, while the number of commanders is a pitiful 300.

Even with Niki's high casualty rate, most Nikis still find it difficult to cooperate with the Commander.

For someone like Niki, who serves the Ark City like W-02048, there's no need to guess that this is definitely the first time in her life she has received an order from the Commander, and the first time she has been in such close contact with the Commander.

"refer to……"

Filled with astonishment and surprise, the mass-produced Niki instinctively wanted to stand at attention and salute the commander, but unexpectedly the commander suddenly brushed past her shoulder, so fast that a gust of wind could be heard in her ears.

boom!

Below the ramp in the underground parking garage, a casually dressed man with a buzz cut had no time to react before the lieutenant punched him in the stomach, causing him to bend over in pain. Phoenix violently ripped out his earphones and quickly stuffed them into his ears.

"Pabul? What about you over there..."

Before the person on the other end of the voice call could finish asking their question, Phoenix had already given a pretentious reply.

"Tell your boss not to overstep his bounds."

Click!

As soon as he finished speaking, the lieutenant took the earphone out of his ear and crushed it into pieces.

Chapter 317 Highest Priority

Phoenix didn't care at all who the person in the voice message was, what their name was, or where they lived.

Even a fool could guess that these are nothing more than the forces behind the protesters who funded the demonstrations. He'll have to purge these people eventually anyway; there's no need to move the date forward so early and force it into his already packed schedule.

"Someone who doesn't follow the rules."

After making those empty threats, the lieutenant pulled a pistol from the lining of the man's leather jacket and smashed it into the man's carotid sinus with the butt, knocking him down on the spot.

Then, Anik manipulated the nanometal to quickly envelop the pistol, recording the data of each component, before nodding to Phoenix.

Data backup complete.

Upon hearing the AI's report, the lieutenant, in front of the mass-produced Niki, tossed the pistol back to the crew-cut man, took a deep breath, and said wistfully:

"I'll take you to the Triangle Force headquarters."

……

……

As everyone knows,

What follows the plan is called change;

What happens before the plan is called an unexpected event.

Phoenix has encountered unexpected events and disruptions more than once, so he has become accustomed to the saying "life is unpredictable".

Even the brilliant strategist Zhuge Liang couldn't have predicted that Ma Su would be so incompetent. It's quite reasonable that a mere "mortal" like him couldn't predict the unexpected while walking down the street.

Since that's so reasonable, I'm sure Yulsha won't mind.

"Look, I saved so many of your brothers last time, so it's not too much for you to take the blame for me this time, is it?"

Inside the office, Phoenix stroked his chin and shamelessly made his request.

Meanwhile, Ms. Shark Tooth, who was working overtime, frowned, her dark circles around her eyes fixed on someone's eyes, and she said, word by word:

"Do you think that's the important point?!"

"Ok?"

Hearing her question, the person, still puzzled, frowned and replied:

"Doesn't the Triangle Force have the right to detain Niki?"

Snapped!

Phoenix had barely finished speaking when the paper report was violently slammed onto the table, making the steel surface vibrate. Then, the woman stood up angrily, strode forward, and demanded in a menacing low voice:

"Tell me! How did you get in so silently?!"

“I came in through the west gate. Those four guards are probably long-term residents, so they’re pretty perfunctory,” Phoenix joked with a smile. “I suggest a shift system. If all else fails, we could bring in a few mass-produced Nikis to be the guards; that would be more reliable than them.”

"whispering sound."

Without lingering on the topic, Yursha snorted coldly after getting the answer and turned to look at W-02048, who was standing awkwardly at the door.

"What's the point of doing this? You can protect her once, but can you protect her a second time? If the other party takes this to the central government, I won't be able to protect her at all."

As she spoke, the woman's temper flared up again.

"You're more reliable than someone from the Pure Land of Bliss if you're impersonating the Triangle Force. If she had protected her head with her hands, she might have survived the crowd. Now you've pulled this stunt, which seems like you've saved her, but in reality, you've given her a suspended death sentence."

“No…it’s okay!”

suddenly!

Before the man's brain could even process the information, W-02048 mustered up the courage to answer first:

"I... I feel like I've had more fun these past few hours than ever before! If I had to choose... ah! I mean, if I could choose for myself without affecting the Commander, I think I would still choose to come here..."

Regardless of the outcome.

Phoenix: "..."

Yursha: "..."

After Nikki finished speaking, and a few breaths later, the Triangle Force captain, having regained his senses, glanced at someone with a disdainful look and asked in a sinister tone:

"Did you deceive that young girl's feelings again?"

"?"

Faced with such slander, the devoted lieutenant immediately raised his voice and angrily retorted, "Who deceived a young girl's feelings... no, who have I ever deceived in terms of feelings?! Don't spread rumors!"

I haven't slept enough these past two days in order to maintain my relationship!!!

"Really?"

The woman's disdain grew stronger. In some ways, her ferocity was not much less than that of Rosanna, who had forcibly kissed someone she met on the outer edge of the district. Naturally, she didn't care about the suggestive reference Phoenix had made.

"Then how do you explain that after spending two hours alone with you, Niki, even knowing she's sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, is still completely devoted to you?"

Phoenix: "..."

Seeing the man open his mouth but fail to find a reason to explain himself, Yursha, having won the debate, turned to W-02048 and said earnestly:

"This man is a womanizer, you can't hold on to him. I advise you to give up as soon as possible and cut your losses."

……

……

More than Yulsha, Phoenix was curious as to why W-02048 trusted him so much.

Saving lives is not an absolute justification.

As Ms. Shark Tooth said, if he hadn't been planning a rebellion all along, given his current situation—hiding his whereabouts and causing trouble in the streets—the possibility of protecting W-02048 without bloodshed would be almost zero.

Therefore, the statement that the death sentence was suspended is entirely correct.

To the unsuspecting, from the moment W-02048 was rescued, poor Nikki had already begun her death countdown.

"Are you desperate?"

"..."

"Is it because you feel hopeless that you can't see your future?"

"..."

"No, this is not right."

"Despair arises precisely from having foreseen your future and the inevitable outcome that you are powerless to change."

"So……"