NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

"There are many corners below the entrance. Even if the number of Lechers exceeds our combat limit, we only need to run down two steps to find cover. Your shotgun can also exert its high power at close range."

However, the subway tracks are a straight line, and if you encounter Lecher, you can't just charge in and fight. The best thing to do is to retreat immediately.

Pepper, do you think you can run as fast as Merri?

"Oh—!" The pink-haired dwarf's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. "That makes perfect sense! No wonder you're the commander!"

Click—tap—

Phoenix forcefully pulled back the bolt of the sniper rifle; the mesmerizing sound of the bolt being pulled back was like a beautiful woman's delicate hand, soothing his slightly anxious emotions.

After all, the calm before the storm is the most agonizing time.

Drip, drip, drip, drip—

Dozens of red dots on the consciousness radar flashed and moved from all directions toward the subway station. The man lay on the ground, quietly setting up his sniper rifle, focusing most of his attention on the radar screen.

Where will the Lechers meet?

north?

south?

Or is it to the east of where Pepper is?

Drip, drip, drip, drip—

The red dot is getting closer.

Finally, when the red dots on the east and west sides clearly showed a tendency to move diagonally southward, even though he was mentally prepared, Phoenix still couldn't contain his excitement.

"Anis! You two go to the north subway tracks now, immediately!! Christine, you two meet up with Labi! Labi, if there are too many Lechers on your side, retreat underground and wait for Christine and the others to arrive!"

"Understood! Commander!"

Pepper, who was closest to Phoenix, gave a proper military salute. She was about to bend down to help the commander carry the sniper rifle when she heard the man say helplessly:

"No, you don't understand."

"what?"

"The two of us need to break out from the east first."

"what???"

Chapter Nine: Firepower Support from the Commander

The broken, jagged building walls and exposed, twisted steel bars all reminded Pepper that this was the ground, a place not only with a dazzling starry sky but also with Leitch's deadly artillery fire.

At first, when the commander said he would take her on a detour from the ground to the south to support Lapi and the others, Pepper thought her commander was probably crazy.

Because it's impossible for a normal human being to utter such a fantastical suicide plan with such a calm attitude and such a confident tone.

However, less than three minutes later, Phoenix proved Pepper wrong with his actions.

The commander isn't crazy, how could the commander be crazy?

Crazy,

It's either Lecher or herself.

In the silent ruins, Pepper, clutching her sniper rifle, nervously hid behind a broken wall. Her cherry-blossom-colored eyes were fixed on the commander crouching beside her, her thoughts in turmoil from the noise coming from the Lecher next door.

This was the first time she had observed the back of a Lecher from a distance of less than thirty meters.

The familiar spider-like shape, the terrifying large-caliber machine gun on top, and the metal casing that gleamed coldly in the moonlight all stirred up Pepper's fear of death.

This is Lecher.

This is Lecher, who slaughtered billions of humans and forced the remaining humans to live underground.

If it weren't for a nanomachine called "NIMPH" working hard to suppress Pepper's negative emotions, she might have fled this terrifying place on the spot.

What should she do?

Before Lecher could spot her, she grabbed a shotgun and charged forward like a combat-ready Niki, blasting the enemy's core to smithereens.

still is……

Just as Pepper felt she was about to sink into a quagmire of thought, suddenly, a rough, large hand gently placed on the back of her hand that was holding the gun.

The warm palms, the calloused lines on her hands, and the feeling of being completely enveloped by the back of her hands were like a warm blanket on a winter night, gradually relaxing Pepper's mind and body.

She's so stupid. The commander is right next to her, why is she thinking about so many things she shouldn't be thinking about?

rustling sound—

The faint sound of hard rubber soles rubbing against the cement floor suddenly became a screeching noise.

Under the moonlight, the moment the Lecher turned the corner, Phoenix tugged at Pepper's clothes, signaling her to stay close, before transforming into a nimble mountain lynx and continuing to traverse this "forest of buildings" made of reinforced concrete.

Although he did explicitly say at the beginning that he would fight his way out from the east, that was just an exaggerated rhetorical device. If he really had that kind of unparalleled ability, why did he lead everyone to run away in the first place?

rustling sound—

The footsteps continued to echo firmly through the ruins. The underground entrances to the south and east were not far apart. If Pepper had the same level of observation as Anise and the others, she would have noticed with just a little attention that the commander had actually led her too far ahead.

Of course, this is also good, as it saves someone a lot of breath.

"gun."

After turning a street corner, Phoenix, who already knew the terrain well, immediately stopped, turned his head, and quickly reached for the sniper rifle that Pepper was holding in her arms. With Pepper's help, he easily put the sniper rifle on the top of a trash can on the street.

Click!

A joyful cry was heard from the insurance device, followed by the expected roar of the sniper rifle that once again pierced the sky.

……

……

Bang bang bang bang bang! ! !

Gunshots rang out continuously from the underground entrance on the south side.

Among them were rifles from Lapi and submachine guns from Christine, but the majority were undoubtedly the machine guns of the Lechers.

"Lavi! Aren't we going to retreat?!"

Christine, who was reloading behind cover, had lost her usual elegance. Her eyes were bloodshot as she roared at Lapi:

"That man got away! Are we just supposed to stay here, draw fire, and wait to die?!"

"Calm down, don't forget that the commander specifically instructed us that we can retreat."

Lapi, still maintaining a serious expression, said from behind the cover on the other side:

"There are no shelters inside the underground passage except for load-bearing walls to protect against Lecher's weapons."

If Leitcher breaches the structure of the load-bearing wall, the entire underground passage will collapse.

"Then..."

The red-eyed woman wanted to say something more, but Labi interrupted her with a frown.

"Christine, are you questioning the commander's orders and actions?"

"..."

This seemingly inquiring but actually pressuring question successfully shut Christine up.

Seeing her nemesis in such a humiliating state, Lorf, who was on standby at all times, was not about to let such a golden opportunity slip by. She quickly snorted and said sarcastically:

“A deserter who wants to run away when faced with danger would surely wish everyone else were deserters too, wouldn’t you agree, Lapi?”

Bang bang bang bang bang! ! !

Christine gritted her teeth and peeked out from behind cover. A burst of submachine gun bullets successfully severed the mechanical leg of one of the Lecher's legs, which was trying to enter the underground. This forced the Lecher to tumble down the stairs and crash into the wall at the end of the elevator.

Immediately afterwards, Lorf and Merry, holding shotguns, raised their guns without thinking and sprayed the Lecher indiscriminately.

The violent, specially designed projectiles immediately dented the mechanical monster's torso, causing the internal chips to squeeze together and eventually short-circuit due to damage.

"When did I run away!" Christine, whose shoulder was bleeding, finally couldn't contain her anger and slammed the empty submachine gun magazine straight at Lorf.

"Explain yourself, you wretched dog!"

How could Lorf have imagined that this woman would actually go crazy at such a critical moment? In her hasty dodge, she still couldn't escape being hit by the magazine.

pat!

In a flash,

The previously heated atmosphere, filled with the sounds of gunfire and explosions, suddenly cooled down upon hearing a voice that resembled a slap.

"Everyone... everyone, please calm down. Um, Leitch is still above us."

Although Niki cannot shoot Niki without the commander's permission, Merry is still worried that the two of them might get too emotional and end up fighting each other.

So, she squinted her eyes sadly and waved her hands repeatedly, saying:

"You two, it wouldn't be good if the commander saw you doing this, right?"