Silence.
“It’s over…”
Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief.
The Ark contact’s voice continued to come through.
“The Ark has now been successfully sealed.
Thank you again, Goddess Squad, you’ve worked hard.”
Dorothy: “Then let’s go too.
Where should we go?”
The man on the other end seemed not to hear Dorothy’s question, speaking to himself.
“The Ark will erect a giant statue of the Goddess of Victory to commemorate your achievements.”
“We will also regard you as true goddesses, creating books and advertisements, actively promoting you within the Ark.
Everyone will admire the Goddess Squad.”
Dorothy: — Dorothy: “What’s your name?”
“According to regulations, I cannot reveal my name.”
Dorothy: “I asked what your name is.”
Her tone was flat.
“—”
“Oswald.”
The man replied.
!!!
All the Nikkes looked at Kai in shock.
This name?
The name of an Ark personnel who appeared in the story of the little girl selling nuclear bombs that the Commander once told?
Dorothy looked at the calm Kai with a complex expression, and the other Nikkes also hesitated to speak.
Dorothy closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down and said: “Alright, Oswald.
I swear here and now, given the chance, you, your family, and your future descendants,”
“Will all be killed by me in the most painful way possible!”
Oswald, however, showed no panic: “How terrifying.”
Dorothy: “You never intended to let us in, did you?”
Oswald: “Yes,’sealed’ means exactly that.”
Dorothy: “For the Ark, losing us is a great loss.”
Oswald: “Science is constantly evolving.
The development of third-generation bodies is nearing completion.”
Dorothy: “The data and experience we have accumulated are far superior to mere performance differences.”
Oswald: “But before long, it will also become outdated data.”
Dorothy: “Oswald.”
“Please speak.”
“Open the door.”
“I can’t open it.
I want to open it, but I can’t.”
“Open the door.”
“No.”
“Open the door.”
“I told you to open the door!” Dorothy exploded.
“If you don’t open the door immediately, I’ll smash the entrance.
Then you’ll all be finished!”
Oswald’s voice remained unchanged: “You can’t do that.”
“No!
I can!
So open the door for me!” Dorothy’s tone grew more intense.
Oswald: “You are noble people.”
“You would not put more people in danger for your own sake.
No, to be precise, none of you can do that.
Because that’s who you are.”
Kai suppressed the urge to interject, ‘What about me?’ Forget it, I’ll do something big later!
Snow White asked: “I have a question for you.”
“Alright.”
Snow White: “Is this your own decision or everyone’s choice.”
Oswald: “It’s everyone’s choice.”
“—Alright.” Snow White lowered her head, her expression unclear.
“I understand.”
Oswald: “Then, I will cut off communication.”
“Wait—wait a minute!
At least, at least let one person in!” Dorothy panicked, her face contorted.
“Let the Commander, the Commander—”
“At least let our Commander enter the Ark!
How can he survive healthily on the Surface?!”
Please!
Even if it’s just the Commander!”
“—”
“Hey!
Grandson, don’t be in such a hurry to hang up the communication!” Kai stepped forward and grabbed Dorothy’s trembling hand.
“Oswald, right?
Although the Nikkes are silly, naive, suffer losses, endure grievances, get tricked, are unlucky, and are suppressed—”
After hearing Kai’s long string of words, the Nikkes were dumbfounded.
Commander, are you praising us or insulting us?
Dorothy frowned, her hand unconsciously tightening its grip, making Kai wince in pain.
He barely managed not to cry out and ruin his commanding presence.
“You still remember me, right?
I am the Commander, the Ark is all—”
Oswald quickly interrupted.
This communication had high-level officials listening in.
“I know!
The rookie Commander who went against the tide.
The Ark has your files and outing records.”
“Doro is awesome!” Kai praised in his heart.
“Can you insects gathered together manage the Ark well?
But I admire that you are indeed smart, digging a big hole underground and burying all of humanity here.
Such a huge tomb, yet named ‘Noah’s Ark,’ is truly magnificent!”
“As long as you curl up in the Ark, you government insects can freely whitewash history.
Future generations of the Ark can remember your great achievements, asking about minor victories, asking about strategic retreats, ultimately annihilating countless enemies, and dominating the Ark!”
“Wait until a thousand years!
Ten thousand years!
After all the Raptures on the Surface starve to death, you insects and rats can dig your way to the Surface!
Humanity will finally win!”
“Cutting off your own arms, scaring away countless Raptures!
I am not qualified to enter such an Ark; I would be suffocated by the bedbugs!”
“—” There was no response from the other side, but the call hadn’t been disconnected yet.
“I’m not saying you high-ranking officials are trash, I mean all of you in the Ark are trash!
You’re willing to abandon such silly Nikkes?
Are you even human?”
“Anyway, I can’t understand why you abandoned these Nikkes.
I wouldn’t do such a idiotic thing even if I thought with my butt.
What are you afraid of?
Afraid of being too strong?
Or afraid of not being able to control the Nikkes?”
“The Nikkes aren’t brave, you are brave!
If I were a Rapture, you would have scared me to death long ago!”
“Look how easily they are fooled, guarding the gate even after being sold!
Why don’t you put some thought into it?
Hiding underground makes you worry-free, right?”
“—” In a secret room within the Ark, the high-ranking officials looked at each other, as if they really were easy to fool.
Could they reconcile?
Then Kai began to send telegrams to the communication robot, leaving the Nikkes stunned.
“Hiss~~ Humans don’t thank Nikkes.” Kai, who was still sending telegrams, had his hand pinched by Dorothy, hurting him.
“Insects!
Go play in the mud yourselves!”
Then he fumbled on the communication robot for a long time but couldn’t find the switch to end the call.
“Dorothy, you close it then.
There’s nothing more to say to them!” Kai let go of Dorothy’s hand and spoke casually.
Dorothy silently turned off the communication.
Originally, having been abandoned by the Ark, the Nikkes were all in despair, but the Commander’s disruption left them all bewildered.
The Nikkes were somewhat happy that the Commander confronted the Ark, but also somewhat unhappy.
Because the words the Commander used to describe them Nikkes weren’t exactly flattering!
So Dorothy’s mood was like a rollercoaster; she wanted to punch the Commander, but also couldn’t bring herself to do it.
However, the Nikkes hadn’t had time to deal with the Commander before they started bickering amongst themselves.
“Let’s leave here first.
How about returning to the temporary outpost, Commander?” Although Snow White had many questions for the Commander, she still felt it was best to leave here first.
Red Hood and Rapunzel both agreed.
The Mass-Produced Nikkes remained silent; they would obey the Commander and the Goddess Squad.
“Eh?” Dorothy still felt angry.
Was it just going to end like this?
What about their sacrificed comrades?
“If we continue to stay here, Raptures will continuously come.
The Ark entrance will be in danger.” Rapunzel also wanted to return to the temporary outpost first to figure things out.
If it’s a Heretic, we might not win.
The Commander hasn’t had experience fighting a Heretic, has he?
Their strength far exceeds that of a typical Lord Rapture.”
Alas!
So you Nikkes are truly adorably foolish.
How many Nikkes does it take to produce one Crow?
Hmm, and Red Ash.
“Then let’s go back first.” Kai also wanted to leave this ominous place.
“Everyone!
What are you talking about?
We’ve been betrayed!” Dorothy said incredulously.
“By the Ark we desperately tried to protect!
And humanity!”
“Commander, you knew all along, didn’t you?
And you kept it from us.”
“Just as you said, you think we’re stupid!
Easily deceived!
Commander, you’ve been deceiving us all along!”
Kai nodded frankly, “Yes, I knew from the beginning.”
He continued: “You are indeed easy to fool!
But I didn’t deceive you; I just didn’t tell you.
You knew my name from the beginning.”
Dorothy fell silent.
The Commander dared to say anything, she dared to ask, and he dared to answer.
“But I am here, with you.
And I will always be here, until I die.” Kai spoke plainly.
“—” All of them were captured.
Then the Nikkes remembered the Commander’s Andersen fairy tales, so the Commander had been preparing them all along?
Since Kai came to this world, Dorothy hadn’t lost anything more.
Well, perhaps she lost her original despair.
Dorothy found that she wasn’t as angry as she had imagined.
Her proud self had just been unable to accept that the Goddess Squad had been abandoned by humanity.
Looking at the indifferent Commander, Dorothy wanted to punch him twice.
She had just swallowed her pride to beg for his entry into the Ark, only for him to turn around and furiously scold all the Ark people, making her look foolish for nothing.
Considering the Commander’s ultimately sentimental words, Dorothy couldn’t bring herself to hit him.
She had no way of dealing with the Commander.
Now everyone was captured; the Mass-Produced Nikkes, needless to say, had long forgotten about the Ark.
The Ark?
Would it worry if they were eroded?
Her Goddess Squad teammates were even worse!
Red Hood was ‘young master this, young master that’ all day; Snow White was a foodie, and Dorothy’s cooking couldn’t compare to the Commander’s, so that was out; Rapunzel, —, the Commander was a male, how could Dorothy compete with a honey trap?
Dorothy suddenly realized she was all alone!
If the Commander just waved his hand, everyone might happily tie her up—Kai?
That’s outrageous!
Dorothy sighed, “Let’s go back.”
Then she casually picked Kai up by the waist and returned the way they came!
With Kai’s stamina, he couldn’t walk back.
Kai, unable to resist, simply gave up.
Ark, you deserve to die!
And you made everyone run around.
“Dorothy, speaking of which, I haven’t paid my respects to Liliweiss yet!
How about we go together first thing tomorrow morning?”
Kai only felt the surrounding scenery rapidly receding.
Everyone behind them was carrying the moved supplies back, also moving incredibly fast, as if it were as easy as carrying a bag of oranges.
He looked up and saw Dorothy’s face.
“Are you unhappy?
What’s there to be angry about with those insects!”
Dorothy, who was still thinking about Kai’s earlier ‘nuclear bomb Dorothy’ fairy tale, was speechless.
She had almost forgotten, and his mention of it made her annoyed again.
“Dorothy, you don’t necessarily have to grow into a rose.
If you wish, be a jasmine, a daisy, a nameless small flower, be ordinary.”
“Living for others is tiring.
Relax, how about a smile?”
Shut up!
Dorothy turned the Commander around.
You go nag them.
What Kai couldn’t see was that Dorothy truly smiled.