NIKKE, Swordmaster Ark Succubus Daily

Li Zuoyi wondered why she was staring at his burnt Poppet.

He picked up a spoonful and was about to put it in his mouth.

“The erosion should have been completed by now.” Snow White’s gaze followed the spoon back to his face. “But Marian remains mentally stable. Has something happened?”

I can't bring myself to eat when someone's staring at me like that... Li Zuoyi put down his spoon again, looked at her, and said:

"Because she likes me."

If, as Anick said, his mental power affected Niki around him, then it's not impossible that Marian's corruption was greatly prolonged.

However, after hearing this, Snow White struggled to shift her gaze from Perpetual to his face.

The steaming hot Perpetual, with its rising wisps of mist, loomed between the two of them.

An eerie silence permeated the room, like the scent of Perpetual perfume mixed with a slightly burnt aroma.

The two simply stared at each other without saying a word.

After a while, Bai Xue swallowed and asked, "But Marian is still mentally stable. Has something happened?"

Li Zuoyi watched as the frequency of her neck movements increased and said, "It might be because of my abilities."

He changed the way he phrased it to something the other person could accept.

Snow White lowered her head in thought. This commander, like her former commander, possessed the same ability—strange brainwaves powerful enough to influence reality.

The only difference is that the two of them have different focuses.

This commander has greatly enhanced her own abilities, while her former commander focused more on detection and reconnaissance.

These were all told to her by her friend Rapunzel, because she had very few memories of her past, only some scattered fragments.

Lilith… Snow White remembered calling out that name while he was unconscious.

Bai Xue suspected that he might be her former commander, but he didn't seem to be that age.

Moreover, if the other party is her former commander, there's no reason why he wouldn't recognize her.

It's really puzzling.

However, she had already obtained the bandage with his blood on it and given it to her other friend, Dorothy. The test results should be available soon.

Bai Xue saw him suddenly stand up and leave his seat: "Hmm? Where are you going?"

Li Zuoyi walked to the cupboard, took a new spoon, came back, sat down, handed it to her, and said:

"Let's eat together."

"Why? Niki isn't hungry. I replenished my core energy before I came."

Before you say that, I hope you wipe the drool that's dripping down your chin... Li Zuoyi used a spoon to divide Poppet into two portions, "I can't eat this, you eat the other side."

"Since you can't eat it, there's nothing we can do."

After hesitating for a moment, Bai Xue, who had wiped her drool, took the spoon and began to eat voraciously.

'Suck, sniff, snort, snort, snore'

Seeing how much she enjoyed her meal, Li Zuoyi ate a spoonful to express his gratitude to Marian and then put the spoon aside.

“I once had a friend who was in a similar situation to Marian.” Snow White ate quickly, but still spoke clearly. “Her name was Little Red Riding Hood.”

At the same time, she carefully observed his expression.

"And what happened to her after that?" Li Zuoyi asked.

"died."

"..."

"But after she died, we learned how to make tools to combat the erosion."

Snow White ate another spoonful of poppy, it smelled so good...

Li Zuoyi became interested. "What is it? Can you tell me how it's made?"

Bai Xue shook her head: "There are no more raw materials."

"Ok."

The plate was clean, as if it had been washed.

Bai Xue let out a comfortable sigh and said:

“The original factory might still exist, but it’s very dangerous there. I’ll go look for it, and if there are any left, I’ll bring them over.”

"I'm begging you," Li Zuoyi said sincerely.

Originally, we just hoped that Marian could live a little longer, but now there is hope.

As long as she doesn't have any more accidents...

“The more Niki units there are, the more hope humanity has of reclaiming the surface.” Snow White stood up, took out her communicator, and said, “Let’s exchange contact information so we can stay in touch.”

Li Zuoyi exchanged contact information with her and said, "Do you need me to help you prepare some supplies before you set off?"

"No need, it's too far, I need to leave right away."

Having finally eaten normal food after so long, Snow White felt great. As she turned around, she saw the white flowers on the windowsill. "You like Lilywes too?"

"Well, it's beautiful."

"Is that so..." Bai Xue's lips curled up slightly. So he was talking about flowers.

I'm so stupid.

Chapter Forty-Five: Peony: Let Me Burn the Ark to Ashes

Inside a luxury car.

"Peony, are you alright?" Rosanna looked at Peony, who was expressionless beside her.

Last night they called President Mastin, begging him to save their husband, but instead received news that he had already been executed.

The one who was hurt the most was Peony. When her husband was arrested, it was the first time she had ever seen Peony so agitated.

If she and Sakura hadn't suppressed Peony, she might have had a direct confrontation with the central government army.

Sakura gripped her pipe tightly and said, "I feel like you've changed a lot overnight."

"Huh? Really?"

Peony glanced out the window at the two of them, rested her chin on the back of her finger, and replied coldly:

"I spent all night thinking about why a good person like Xiao Ge died? Why did the outer district become like this? Why does the central government ignore our situation time and time again? Why are they always so high and mighty? And is it really right for us to maintain the stability of the underworld? Or should we let it burn..."

"Peony! Enough... Our strength is no match for the central government."

The power that President Mastin alone displayed was beyond their imagination.

And there are two other companies like this in Ark.

"My apologies, I was inconsiderate." Peony's gaze returned to the bustling scenery outside the window, her eyes filled with only coldness.

Looking at the peonies like this, Cherry Blossom felt a little sad.

Peony shouldn't be like this. She should be passionate, forever naive, and never have to consider these dark truths.

What the outer perimeter really needs is not himself and Rosanna, but someone like Peony.

“You’re sick, Peony.” Rosanna couldn’t bear to see Peony like this. “I think you should go get checked out.”

“Niki won’t get sick.” Peony turned to look at Rosanna, her eyes devoid of any emotion, and retorted, “Besides, I feel perfectly fine right now.”

Seeing that they were about to reach their destination, Rosanna sighed and said:

"Now that you've met that commander, Peony, watch your words. Don't repeat what you just said."

"Ah."

……

Outpost

command center.

"Commander, are you sure it's okay if you're not wearing your uniform?" Anies asked the commander in civilian clothes. "She's a mafia queen. If we don't show her some respect from the start, she might be looked down upon later."

“It’s alright,” Li Zuoyi said. “I actually think it’s more approachable this way.”

His attire consisted of a simple white shirt and black trousers.

Besides, we already know each other, so there's no need to be so rigid.

"What I mean is that she's too approachable..."

Lapi pushed open the door and came in to report, "Commander, they've arrived."

Marian, like a hostess, said to the commander, "Now I'll go make some coffee for the guests."

"please."

A moment later, someone pushed the door open and entered, saying, "I heard the commander is here?"

Upon seeing that the visitor was Peony, Li Zuoyi smiled and said to her, "Peony, you've come."

However, Peony glanced in his direction, then scanned the office, her face darkening.

"I am Peony, and I am the president of the Peony Association."

Her self-introduction revealed dissatisfaction, which alerted Lapi. She stood in front of the commander and said:

“I am Lhabi, and you are…”

"Let's finish this quickly." Peony raised her chin slightly and said coldly, "I need to get back. Where is the commander I need to see?"

Li Zuoyi sensed something was wrong with Mudan, thinking she was angry that he hadn't told her his identity, and said:

"Actually, I am the commander."

Ha—Rosanna is right, I'm sick, even my fantasies are... But Peony doesn't plan to go for a checkup, it's good enough to see him.

Peony said to Niki in front of her, "Hurry up and let your commander out, I really don't have time."

Anis was furious: "Hey! Can't you have any manners, Commander..."

"Peony, you're too impatient..."

Hearing the sound, Peony turned around and saw Sakura and Rosanna standing at the door, looking shocked. She said:

"You guys are so slow, I'm telling you..."

"Sir?!" Rosanna bypassed Peony, ran to the gentleman, placed her hand on his chest, feeling his warmth, and looked up, saying, "You..."

Seeing Rosanna's reaction, Li Zuoyi understood Mudan's strange behavior. He said, "It seems that Mastin didn't tell you the truth. No, he may have only told half the truth."

Labi and Anis looked at each other, not quite understanding the current situation.

"Aaaaaah, bro!!!"

With a sob, Rosanna felt as if she was about to be thrown into the air when she saw Peony suddenly hug her husband tightly, refusing to let go.

"I, wow, I thought you were already @＃！%＃￥"

Peony's aloof demeanor vanished without a trace. Now, all that remained was inaudible babbling and tiny pearls constantly falling from the corners of her eyes. She had no desire whatsoever for Ark to be burned to ashes.

"That's great." Sakura finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" Labi still didn't understand what had happened.

“Hmm—Lavi, all you need to know is that three more people who are interested in the commander have arrived at the outpost.” Anis sighed and said, “I guess he came back so late yesterday because he went somewhere to play the hero and rescue a damsel in distress again. Honestly, I didn’t expect that people would still fall for this kind of thing in this day and age.”

Marian returned with the coffee, and with an all-encompassing smile, she said to Anis, "Because that's just the kind of person the Commander is. Also, was Anis referring to himself in his last sentence?"

Unable to refute... Anies' face inevitably turned red. "Mm."

In the following time, Li Zuoyi formally introduced himself and his future role as the commander of the Underworld Queen's Army.

Even when it was time to part, Peony was still reluctant to leave. If Rosanna and Sakura hadn't dragged her away, she probably would have stayed overnight at the command center.

night.

My phone keeps receiving messages from Peony, and if I don't reply within ten seconds, she starts bombarding me with "Are you there?" messages.

After finally coaxing her to sleep, a message came from someone I hadn't seen in ages.