"Okay."
"After this difficult time has passed, I will invite you to the Outpost for another drink together."Grim took a small sip from his cup. He actually didn't really like to drink, but with such a graceful beauty by his side, even the slightly spicy old wine in his cup tasted a little sweet.
"Mm."
Scarlet responded with silence.
During a moment's silence, his hand that had not yet lifted the cup, quietly interlocked with Grim's fingers.
The two sat together on a hill, feeling the wilderness breeze and enjoying the view in the distance.
When the sun was already high in the sky and the fine wine in the bottle was dry, Grim finally let go of his hand, patted the dust off his pants, and stood up from the Surface.
"Can't you sit a little longer, Commander?"
"I couldn't be contacted all morning. I have to go back. If I don't get back to the Outpost soon, Rapi and the others will be worried."
"Since the Commander said so, I will escort you back to the elevator."
Scarlet takes a bamboo hat from Surface and wears it on her head. After slightly adjusting his position, he clasped Grim's hand and led him back the way they had come.
"I myself can walk so far."
"You can, but what if you find Rapture on the street? Commander wasn't Nikke; how could he fight this steel-bodied creature?"Scarlet glanced at him and suddenly asked.
"I've always wondered, if you're not Nikke, can't you fight Rapture? Grim suddenly frowned: "compared to humans, ordinary mass-produced Nikkes are not much stronger; instead, they are just a group of reinforced and recyclable soldiers."
"Since mass-produced models can fight and kill enemies, so can I?"
"It looks like Commander really wants to become stronger, but mere talk won't defeat Rapture."
"Incidentally, Commander, look."
Scarlet pointed to the ruins not far away.
A daikon-shaped Rapture slowly wandered among the ruins.
Just as there is a division between mass-produced and special models on Nikke, the same applies to Rapture.
From Weakest To Strongest, they were classified as Husk, Servant, Master, Lord, Tyrant, and above Tyrant, Heretic levels.
And Rapture in front of them is a type of "Daikon" of the "Husk" level, which is generally referred to as Daikon by Nikke from Ark.
Its distinctive feature is that its body is slender like a daikon floating in the air, and it is also one of the weakest raptures, with extremely poor mobility and lethality.
"If Commander wants to become stronger, why not take my sword and fight this Rapture?"
"I will help you from the side."
"Good."
He took the Scarlet sword.
Grim took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the wandering Rapture.
Although he often went to the battlefield, this was the first time he had personally fought Rapture.
But in the end he has to fight Rapture. Otherwise, one day he will become a burden to Nikke, and anything can easily catch him and take him hostage.
"The Scarlet sword is quite heavy..."
"After all, it's the sword used by Nikke. With my physique, I had to exert all my strength to use it."
"But..."
"His opponent is not invincible."
Grim held his breath, concentrated, and walked step by step towards Rapture.
And just as he approached within a distance of about twenty meters, a Rapture named Daikon suddenly turned around. The eyeball-shaped mechanical body on his head instantly locked onto Grim and emitted a yellow light.
Does it confirm his identity?
Grim was a little surprised. He approached from behind Rapture, but he did not expect his opponent to notice his presence so quickly.
What should he do now?
Turn around and run away, hiding behind a shelter?
No, that's not true.
When Rapture detects a human or Nikke, regardless of the model, the first thing it does is issue a warning to its colleagues nearby.
And this warning will immediately attract a lot of raptures. If those who drew Rapture surrounded him, it would really be a dead end.
"Right now, I have to overcome fear and step forward boldly."
"Destroy it completely before it issues a warning."
"Hmph, let's go!"
He took a deep breath.
Grim gripped Scarlet's sword and immediately lunged forward.
And Rapture, who was supposed to broadcast a warning, instantly stopped him when he saw him attack quickly. A red signal ring appeared inside his body, which was equipped with a projectile.
The red signal, in the language of Rapture communications, means "about to launch an attack."
"Is it an attack?"
"I have to dodge!"
Grim does not have time to dodge, so he can only jump and hide behind the collapsed wall.
Pfft!
With the sound of a shot, a bullet shot past Grim's thigh, tearing his pants.
Grim looked down.
It was only a lacerated wound, but it left a scorched blood mark on his thigh.
Not surprisingly being a Commander was always a high-risk profession; after all, even the weakest Rapture could use their firearms to pierce through human flesh and send them to their deaths with ease.
"The injury is not serious; I can still move."
"Daikon, as a rapture Husk level, basically has nothing else to pay attention to other than aiming and shooting."
"Keep waiting for the right opportunity."
Pfft!
A moment later, Rapture fired another shot into the wall.
Seizing the moment when Rapture was recharging, Grim came out from behind the wall and with a clang, struck Rapture's body with his sword.
Scarlet's sword was very sharp.
With just one strike, Grim cut Rapture in half.
"Buzzing..."
Before his death, this Rapture named Daikon let out a chaotic buzzing sound, as if he was regretting or sighing.
After moving for a while, it stopped moving, revealing the shattered Rapture Core inside.
"Killing Rapture..."
"Did I succeed?"
"Hoo ... Hoo..."
The old Scarlet stared at the breathless Grim, kneeling above Surface, leaning on his sword. He held his straw hat, his face filled with shock.
After living so long,
Scarlet had never seen a human directly kill Rapture, and not even with a gun, but with a sword.
Please be aware that close combat with Rapture requires not only a strong physique but also a very resilient soul.
Ark once tried to develop a melee unit, but among those mass-produced Nikkes, only Scarlet remained. Others had either undergone a mindset change or had long since died at the hands of countless raptures.
No one understood the terror of the Rapture better than Scarlet.
But now, not only did Grim kill Rapture with his own hands, but his mental state was also very stable after the victory.
Scarlet held onto her straw hat and couldn't help whispering, "No wonder Nikke in this Ark thinks of you as their Savior..."
With strong determination and determination to fight on the battlefield, even when going through a very difficult path, you still treat the weak with tolerance. You were destined to be great.
"It's a pity that I'm already a wanderer, and The Ark is not where I live."
"..."
"Don't think too much about this troubling issue anymore. Go and help the Commander to his feet."
Scarlet steps forward and helps Grim rise from the Surface.
After killing Rapture with his own hands for the first time, Grim's arms were still slightly trembling.
Tension, excitement and a surge of adrenaline make him feel a little unfamiliar.
Grim was only able to calm down after Scarlet helped him up: "Scarlet, did I do it?"
Scarlet nodded: "I underestimated you, Commander."
"You guys are indeed different from Ark humans."
"How different?"
"Different in every way."
The old Scarlet drew back her sword, a glimpse of trance flashed in her eyes: "The Ark humans are hiding underground precisely because they are afraid of Rapture. Time passed so quickly, and a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. Today, even the most bloodthirsty and warlike humans only dare to draw a sword against their own or weaker kin; they would never dare to draw a sword against Rapture."
"Since Commander has achieved this, it means that you are completely different from those people."
"I'll send you back to the Ark."
Scarlet took out her sword and clasped Grim's hand tightly.
She escorted Grim back to the elevator entrance, then stopped in front of the elevator, watching him walk into the spacious elevator.
Parting is always sad. The old Scarlet reached out and slightly lowered her straw hat: "before we split up, does the Commander have anything else to say?"
Grim nodded: "one more thing, Scarlet, do you know about Liberation?"
Scarlet frowned: "Liberation..."
"I know, so who told you about this?"
"Hmm... I don't need to say, I might know who he is. After all, he usually kept the Liberation. But if Commander Wants More Liberation, why don't you just tell him what you want to use it for?"
"Shouting Human Rights slogans, inciting riots, making Nikke Lord over humans? Or do you want to resist Liberation and become a warlord, an uncontrollable local Tyrant?"
Grim shook his head.
None of this was his original intention.
If he had to say it, his original intention was simply to use that Liberation to clear Nimph of Marian's mind and Counterattack Squad.
Old Scarlet could probably already guess his thoughts. The mysterious Pilgrim smiled faintly and said: "the fragile relationship between humans and Nikke is precisely maintained thanks to the existence of nymphs."
"If the Commander insists on pursuing that Liberation, you will definitely be sought after by The Ark in the future."
Especially those who occupy high positions because of Nikke's sacrifice will definitely hate you to the bone. They will eat your flesh raw, drink your blood dry, and slander you as an abominable Sinner. Everything you have now may be lost because of it. Even so, do you still have to look for him?
"I must find it, and I must find it," Grim replied firmly.
"The Commander has made his decision."
Then, when my long-lost friend returns from the North, let's meet again. At that time, I will definitely tell you the location of Liberation.
Scarlet held her straw hat by the hand and turned to the side: "Be careful, Commander. After this separation, we may not see each other for several weeks. If you really miss me, please send a message again. I'll miss you here on the Surface, too."
"Be careful, Scarlet."
"Next time we meet, Why don't you teach me more about how to farm?"
Grim waved towards his distant figure.
"The words of a real man, if they are spoken, are irrevocable."
"If the Commander breaks his promise, next time I will definitely make you drink three cups as punishment first."
"Alright, it's time to split up."
Probably did not want his beloved to see his sad expression at parting,
The swordsman put the bottle of wine that had dried into his arms and finally turned around and left without looking back.
.....
Ding!
The elevator is open again.
Once he returns to The Outpost, Grim is blocked at the entrance by tidy.
"Commander, Where Are you going?"
Differs in its usual caution and seriousness,
A well-groomed face shows a slight inexplicable anxiety, and a slight aggressiveness.
He didn't even salute, instead storming forward and tightly gripping Grim's wrist, as if afraid that he would disappear suddenly.
" I just sent Pilgrim back to the Surface, " Grim replied Honestly.
"Is that so?"
"Hoo..."
Hearing this news, Rapi's heart was relieved, but then, he scolded him in a complaining tone: "Commander, you should have handed over these tasks to us. After all, Pilgrim's attitude to the Ark is still ambiguous. If he brought you to Surface with the intention of imprisoning you somewhere, we probably wouldn't be able to save you."
Grim: "is tidy worried about me?"
Neat: "yes, as our Commander, your personal safety is more important than anything else, so please pay more attention to your own safety and don't act rashly alone."
"In the future, if there are special circumstances, please report to the Counterattack Squad in advance so that we can form a team to help you complete some covert operations. Besides..."
"Commander, are you listening?"
"Yes, I want to."
"Commander, I will trust you this time, but next time, please don't make the same mistake."
After being lectured loudly by neat,
Grim couldn't say much, because he was guilty first.
But he also didn't quite understand why, even though he had done outrageous things before, neat's reaction wasn't as strong as today's. Usually, he would just say a few words and then forget about it.
Today, however, he instead lectured her, asked her questions, and even held her wrist tightly, unwilling to let go.
What really happened…
Does Nikke also have a point?
"Later I go to buy brown sugar water at the shopping center."
"Hmm..."
Grim went to the shopping center, first bought two packs of brown sugar water, and then asked the clerk if Yan was at home.
The shopping mall attendant replied " " Yan was busy opening a new store in Ark recently."
"If you want to see him, You Better Call him."
"I understand, I understand."
"Then, what is this?"
Grim looked at the dolls on the shelf.
To her surprise, the dolls looked similar to her.