Chapter 63: Eunhwa's Past

Mo Chen didn't refuse the Nikke's kind gesture.

"Then I'll accept it. Thank you."

The Nikke smiled brightly as he accepted the small yellow flower, saluted, and ran off.

Looking at the delicate flower in his hand, Mo Chen felt a stir of emotion.

Who said mass-produced Nikkes didn't have a heart?

He carefully placed the tiny flower into his system inventory.

At the same time, he made a quiet decision.

After wandering the area for a while, Mo Chen gathered a decent amount of points. This was just from the vicinity of the outpost—if he ventured to ancient battlefields from decades ago, the points would be even more plentiful.

Returning to his quarters, he headed straight to the bathroom.

The bathroom was empty, the person who had used it earlier having already left.

The faintest hint of a lingering fragrance remained in the air.

"Hm?"

In the corner of the bathroom, Mo Chen noticed something—a single yellow cotton sock.

Forgotten here?

He thought for a moment but couldn't recall anyone wearing such socks.

However, now wasn't the time to ponder over ownership.

Over the past few days, Mo Chen had accumulated a good amount of points. Finally having a moment to himself, he intended to check the system shop and redeem some items.

But before he could, Emma showed up.

"Sorry, but there's nothing fancy to drink here."

Mo Chen poured her a glass of water.

"Thank you."

She accepted the water, her gaze soft as she looked at him. Mo Chen sat back down with a polite smile.

"No need to thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you. Without your help, the outpost might not have made it."

The Rapture force attacking the outpost had exceeded expectations, and there were many high-ranking Raptures among them. Combined with the damage caused by Sin's earlier sabotage, nearly half of the Nikkes at the outpost were unfit for combat.

The timely arrival of the Absolute squad had been crucial in turning the tide.

"Does the Commander always speak so sweetly?" Emma teased, her eyes gleaming mischievously. "No wonder so many Nikkes are willing to follow you to the ends of the earth."

The playful undertone in her voice was unmistakable.

"Now, now, don't make fun of me. I'm not that capable," Mo Chen chuckled. "It's just that we share a common goal and happened to find each other."

"Oh, Commander," Emma said with a light laugh, covering her mouth coyly, "too much humility can turn into arrogance, you know. But I'd say you've earned the right to be a little proud."

Commanding such a significant victory was something many Commanders could only dream of, let alone achieving it with no casualties.

After some lighthearted banter, she shifted to the main topic.

"This visit is about Eunhwa."

"Eunhwa?"

Mo Chen froze mid-sip, glancing up at her.

What's wrong with her now?

"Ever since she saw you last, Eunhwa's been completely out of sorts—silent, withdrawn and hasn't spoken a word," Emma explained, hesitating slightly before continuing. "I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I hope you can help her through this."

It turned out that after her string of over a hundred defeats in their matches, Eunhwa's confidence had been utterly shattered. She'd become reclusive, shutting herself in her room and refusing to see anyone.

Even Emma couldn't get through to her.

Eunhwa was… sulking?

Mo Chen was stunned.

Helping Eunhwa sort this out? That sounded like walking into a hornet's nest.

At this point, she probably wanted to kill him!

If only he'd known this would happen, he wouldn't have taunted her so much.

And the taunts weren't subtle—drawing graffiti in her base, celebrating her PvP defeats in front of her, spamming question marks in the chat… he'd done it all.

Fortunately, it seemed Emma wasn't aware of these antics, or she wouldn't have approached him so calmly.

"I know this might put you in a tough spot," Emma sighed, swirling the water in her glass, "but have you ever heard of Eunhwa's past?"

"Somewhat," Mo Chen replied with a slight nod.

He had played the game for a while, but as a casual player, he hadn't delved deeply into every character's backstory. The game's complex narrative wasn't something he'd fully committed to memory.

"Eunhwa, you see…" Emma paused, as if lost in thought, before continuing, "she was once a Commander."

Eunhwa is now a Nikke of the Elysion's elite team Absolute squad

But in the past, much like Mo Chen, Eunhwa had once been a military academy cadet, training to become a Commander.

During her time at the academy, Eunhwa was diligent and exceptionally hardworking. She graduated at the top of her class, achieving first place. Even after graduation, she maintained her discipline, spending countless nights in the library studying, leading her team to complete group projects, and achieving stellar combat records.

She was determined to contribute to humanity's efforts to reclaim the surface.

But everything changed during her 20th field assessment mission.

The team leader, an experienced Commander, dismissed Eunhwa's cautious warnings as paranoia, mocking her as a fresh academy graduate who didn't understand the realities of the field. He ignored the very real risks she pointed out.

That arrogance led the entire group into a Rapture nest.

Within ten minutes, the Commander and all their Nikkes were dead.

Eunhwa herself was struck by a particle cannon blast and died in the chaos.

By sheer luck, she was discovered by an Elysion rescue team and brought back to the Ark's manufacturing facility, where she was reconstructed as a Nikke.

Since then, Eunhwa carried a deep-seated grudge.

To her, an incompetent and ignorant Commander was far more dangerous than any Rapture.

Hearing this, Mo Chen could piece together the picture.

However, Emma's account seemed to deviate slightly from the lore he remembered.

In the original storyline, Eunhwa's trauma stemmed from arrogant Nikkes on her team ignoring her warnings, leading to their annihilation.

Here, it was the Commander's negligence and hubris that caused the disaster.

Mo Chen mulled over the possibility.

His own presence might have shifted the timeline in subtle but impactful ways.

Emma sighed.

"Honestly, Eunhwa isn't targeting you specifically."

Mo Chen nodded slightly.

"Ignorance isn't the obstacle to survival. Arrogance is."

He noticed Emma's gaze lingering on him, her expression thoughtful. Feeling the weight of her stare, he finally broke the silence.

"What is it?"

Emma's luminous eyes stayed fixed on him before she placed her water cup down and smiled softly.

"I can't help but feel that you don't seem like someone who just graduated from the academy."

"Really? You're not the first to say that," Mo Chen chuckled, brushing off her observation.

After all, he'd survived more than the basics of life, including nine years of mandatory education back on Earth.

"Eunhwa's a proud soul," Emma said earnestly. "Her pride is deeply tied to her self-esteem. Please, if you can, try to talk to her and help her find her way again."

Her tone carried genuine concern.

It was clear to Mo Chen that Emma and Eunhwa shared a strong bond.