Fighting you is like being in jail.

"Pod, execute the scanning protocol." She stood in the center of the rooftop and gave the instruction.

“Understood.” Pod 042 extended its scanning arm, and a pale blue halo began to flash regularly, surrounding the area that was otherwise empty except for gravel and rusty iron.

9S finished his inspection and came over.

"What a strange mission, isn't it, 2B?" 9S watched Pod work, tilting his head slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "This data seems to have absolutely no tactical value. It's like... adding map details? But our database is already complete."

“An order is an order, 9S,” 2B replied.

She said this many times, to him and to herself.

This is the cornerstone of maintaining order and faith.

“I know,” 9S smiled, seemingly unconcerned by her coldness. “I just feel that the adults in the ‘Human Council’ may have deeper meanings that we cannot understand. After all, they are guiding our future.”

2B stared blankly at 9S, who was laughing, and remained silent.

She knew that no matter how strange it was, she couldn't question it, and no matter how curious she was, she had to carry out orders.

"Scan complete. Data uploaded to command center." Pod's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Mission accomplished. Return to base for resupply and maintenance." 2B turned around, her black high heels clicking crisply on the gravel.

"Received!" 9S replied, following her steps.

The journey back to the bunker proceeded in silence.

2B gazed through the porthole of the flight unit at the vast, dilapidated, yet strangely beautiful world below.

The world they fought and sacrificed for.

Those strange "check-in" task coordinates are like invisible nails, scattered like stars.

She couldn't understand its meaning, but she had to believe. To believe that the "humans" on the moon knew the ultimate outcome of all the plans.

They believed that all the sacrifices, including these perplexing actions, served a greater overall blueprint that they had yet to see.

Because if they do not believe, then all the battles they have experienced, all the pain they have endured, and even their own existence will fall into nothingness and become meaningless.

Her mission is to fight, and, when necessary... to execute her out-of-control comrades.

As for those strange tasks, just obey.

Log synchronization: Bunker server... [Completed] All for the eternal glory of humanity.

PS: We've entered the final chapter.

Chapter 301 I, Common Cold, live my life as a human being—!

In the vast grassland, space itself seemed to distort at that moment. Like waves on a mirror, something was disrupting the stability of space.

tread.

Ordinary flip-flops landed steadily on the grassland, the bare insteps enveloped by the vegetation, instantly causing an itchy sensation. Then, in the rippled space, a black-haired, black-eyed man cautiously peeked out.

His dark eyes were filled with curiosity as he surveyed his surroundings the moment he appeared. Only after confirming that he was in the middle of a grassland did he show an expression of understanding, and then he slowly stepped out of the rippled space.

The moment Leng Chang stood on the grass, he felt a refreshing breeze blowing in his face.

"What world is this?" He frowned in surprise, gazing at the horizon ahead.

The wind-swept lawn, the pool in the distance, and the dense forest behind him—none of this made him recognize what kind of world this was.

But it doesn't matter!

Leng Chang's eyes gradually turned golden, and the powerful power of the One God instantly spread out, reflecting all the surrounding scenery into his consciousness.

Collapsed buildings, a desert with swirling yellow sand, and familiar mechanical fragments and unique robot wreckage.

In an instant, Leng Chang recognized where this world was.

NieR: Automata.

In other words, there is no human being in this world?

Having understood the situation, Leng Chang couldn't help but take a deep breath, and the story of Neil began to play in his mind. In particular, thinking about 2B and 9S's experiences made him feel a pang of regret.

"So this is the world."

With a sigh, he walked forward and reached the riverbank. Looking at the clear water, he couldn't help but feel a subtle unease.

Think about it carefully, how long has it been since you've been alone?

Especially in a world without a single human being, a desolate sense of loneliness instantly arises, and there is even a feeling of wanting to unleash one's inner nature.

Standing by the river, gazing at everything ahead, Leng Chang felt the sadness of Neil's story, but soon he understood something he had always wanted to do but dared not.

Faced with such a sorrowful world, why not embrace this feeling of solitude?

This is a world without people; such perfect solitude is not something you can experience easily.

That's right!

Right now! This moment, right here!

A glint flashed in Leng Chang's eyes. Facing a world devoid of people, it was time to unleash the wildness within him.

His sportswear was taken off, and his flip-flops were thrown away. At this moment, Leng Chang was enjoying what was called solitude—a kind of wildness.

He entered the most primitive human form in the deserted grassland: naked running!

"Hahahaha! This feeling! This is exactly the feeling!"

"This is something I've always wanted to do!"

Feeling the wind as you run, feeling every inch of your skin being blown by the wind, it's absolutely the most exhilarating feeling!

It felt as if all the pressure had been released at that moment, and my mood instantly relaxed.

My heart melts into the wind, my body merges with nature, and I feel the trees, water, and sun within me.

Running non-stop, barefoot on the soil, feeling the touch of the lush green vegetation, the feeling of loneliness gradually disappeared.

All that remains is the exhilarating feeling of being human, running across the wilderness.

There's nothing to be afraid of! There's nothing left to be afraid of!

"I am the king of this world!"

Leng Chang shouted wildly as he ran across the grassland, unable to resist leaping into the sky to experience everything around him.

Then he saw 9S and 2B passing by, looking at him with shocked expressions as he flew through the air and ran past.

“…”

“…”

“…”

At this moment, it seemed as if the world had become peaceful, and all worries had vanished.

Even a person's life ends at this moment.

The moment Leng Chang landed, he silently squatted down and put on his underwear, his face dark and he didn't say a word. He even squeezed out a strong white mist from his mouth.

After putting on his underwear, he slowly stood up on the ground, turned to look at the dumbfounded 2B and 9S, and asked in a dull and merciless tone:

"Nobita, when did you arrive? The sun is shining brightly today. Oh yes, I love you too."

"..."

“…”

2B and 9S stood frozen in place, as if their CPUs had stopped working, staring blankly at Leng Chang, speechless.

The naked leap they had just made, with its sense of freedom and unleashing their true nature, had shocked even their supercomputer-like CPUs, leaving them completely bewildered and unsure how to react.

The two, who possessed the bunker's massive database, had backup plans for any situation, but just now they discovered a fatal flaw: the database was still not big enough.

It's like asking an AI, "What should I do if I see a man running naked past me while I'm on a mission?" The AI ​​replies with a "?", leaving it completely bewildered.

The silence was brief, but Leng Chang felt as if each second was an eternity.

I became trembling with tension, even a sense of panic.

They just saw it!

Damn it! Why! Why did they have to appear at this time? My powerful senses didn't detect them just now. When did they arrive?

Now that things have come to this—we have no choice but to reveal our final trump card!

Leng Chang's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he spoke to 2B and 9S with a serious and earnest expression:

Let's pretend we didn't see it.

“…”

"..."

He was met with endless silence, and even a slight shift in his gaze, as if he dared not look him in the eye.

They were like children who had done something wrong, looking down at their toes, looking to the side, looking at the sky, but ignoring Leng Chang.

The more silent he remained, the more awkward Leng Chang felt, to the point that he could practically extort a villa from him.

"No! At least give me an answer!"

"Was that some kind of special ritual or ceremony you just performed?" 9S looked at Leng Chang with an embarrassed expression and asked sincerely.

“…”

Why bring up something you shouldn't mention?

Leng Chang looked at 9S with twitching lips, feeling bitter and miserable. He even wanted to slap him to kill him and silence him.

Just then, the POV machine next to 2B, which is the auxiliary robot, suddenly responded.

[Warning: Unknown life signal detected.]

[Signal comparison in progress...]

[Comparison complete: Signal feature matching degree 99.97%.]

[Case Determined: Human.]

"...Huh?"

9S's smile froze instantly, and his blue pupils dilated with extreme shock.

He looked sharply at his sensor screen, then at the gradually clearing figure in disbelief, his voice choked in his throat.

"Humans!?"

"So that behavior just now was also unique to humans!? That's amazing! I have to record it!"

"Didn't we agree to pretend we never saw that?"

Leng Chang couldn't hold back any longer and started cursing. If this was recorded and uploaded to the bunker, he would probably never be able to hold his head up again for the rest of his life.

I thought there was no one in this world, and even the YoRHa squad wouldn't suddenly appear, so I decided to release some pressure.

Who would have thought it would suddenly appear!

WRYYYYY!

I, Common Cold, am a person's mouth and teeth throughout my life!

Chapter 302 You, your teeth—!

Just as Leng Chang's brain was trembling, 2B's body reacted even faster than her thoughts. It was an absolute priority agreement etched into the very core of her being.

Her right hand instantly moved to her chest, giving a perfectly standard, even slightly trembling, military salute. For the first time, her voice showed an extremely subtle fluctuation, one that she herself did not even notice.

"YoRHa Squad No. 2 Type B reporting for duty, human sir!"

As soon as he finished speaking, 9S stood up straight, bowed excitedly, and said:

"Reporting to you, fellow member of YoRHa Unit No. 9 TypeS! Human!"

The two of them made Leng Chang a little flustered, but it didn't matter! As long as they didn't mention what had just happened, it wouldn't be a problem.

He took a deep breath and nodded with great confidence.

"Okay, very spirited!"