Mo Chen's heart stirred as he recalled the two figures he had seen atop an abandoned building several kilometers away before arriving at Elysion.
"You mean, Noah?"
The distance had been a bit too far to make out the details clearly, but Mo Chen had seen that unmistakable pink shield. In his memory, aside from Noah, no one else seemed to use such a shield.
Dorothy turned around in surprise, blinking her beautiful eyes.
"Commander, I don't think you've met Noah before. How do you know her name?"
He was momentarily speechless, realizing he had slipped up. He coughed twice and gave a vague excuse.
"I heard about her from someone before, so I remembered."
Dorothy's steps paused. She turned back to him, walked up close, retracted the umbrella in her hand, and tilted her head slightly upward, her captivating eyes locking onto Mo Chen.
"But Noah has never left the Ark, nor has she had any contact with anyone from the Ark. So, sir, who exactly did you hear about her from?"
Her bright eyes, like cherry blossoms in full bloom, now held a half-smile, as if to say, I know you're lying.
Great.
The more he spoke, the more flaws there were.
Mo Chen felt helpless. He couldn't exactly say that he had Noah as a character in his game account.
"Sir, you're always full of surprises. You know so much about Nikkes—it's no wonder people call you the Ark Incubus," Dorothy remarked.
Fortunately, she didn't press the matter any further. She simply gave Mo Chen a deep look, then turned around and continued forward, flashing a playful smile over her shoulder.
"If I didn't know this was your first visit, I'd almost suspect you've been here before."
Mo Chen coughed twice.
Well, technically, he had been here before—though only in the game.
Wait a minute…
How do you know I'm the Ark Incubus?
No, wait.
How do you even know the term "Ark Incubus"?!
"Since you know about Noah, you must also be aware that she was created using cutting-edge technology as a Pilgrim," Dorothy chatted casually as she walked, sharing details that few outsiders knew. "Everything in this place was made by Cecil."
Cecil?
Mo Chen knew that name.
Dorothy continued, her tone slow and deliberate. "Surprising, isn't it? Compared to the Ark, her technology is at least fifty years ahead. This place only exists thanks to her optical camouflage and signal-blocking technology, which made it possible to establish Eden on the surface swarming with Raptures."
Just then, Mo Chen suddenly received an incoming transmission.
He checked the signal.
It was Shifty.
"Finally! Commander, I've been trying to reach you!"
Shifty's voice sounded anxious, as if something urgent had happened.
Mo Chen gave Dorothy an apologetic glance. "Sorry, I need to take this call."
He stepped to the side, lowering his voice.
"What's going on?"
"The signal isn't stable, so I'll keep it short," Shifty spoke hurriedly. "The investigation results from Matis Squad and Cafe Sweety Squad are in."
"Investigation results?"
"Yes. After thorough examination, we discovered that during their mission, they were deliberately misled. The signposts had been tampered with, leading them straight into a trap. That's also the reason they were corrupted."
"Who did it?"
"We can't determine that completely yet, but preliminary findings indicate that it was very likely done by the Exotic Squad."
"The Exotic Squad?"
Mo Chen frowned slightly. He immediately knew who it was.
Crow.
The Exotic Squad was the very unit Crow belonged to.
"Yes," Shifty continued. "During the initial battle, the Exotic Squad didn't engage directly; they were positioned as reserves. However, at some point, they used some unknown technology to infiltrate the squad's communication system and alter the coordinates."
"Through traces left behind during the investigation, we found a possible connection to someone named Sixo. The strange thing is, there's no record of Sixo in any of the Ark's databases."
Sixo?
Mo Chen found the name somewhat familiar.
Wait a minute. Wasn't that the name that appeared in that latest chapter?
A mysterious hacker-like figure working behind the scenes.
Even in the original game, Sixo's true identity remained unknown.
While Sixo's origins were uncertain, according to the story, they were most likely someone who would go to any lengths to achieve their goals. In the original work, Sixo's target had been the Unknown Crystal and the Pilgrims. However, it was unclear what their connection to Crow was.
"Got it."
Mo Chen pondered for a moment, then instructed Shifty to send all available intel on Crow to the forward base. If Crow was detected, she was to be immediately apprehended. Lethal force was authorized if necessary. Attack restrictions would be lifted, and if the situation demanded it, execution was an option.
Crow wasn't an ordinary Nikke—she was a dangerous terrorist. The crimes she had committed were enough to have her executed a hundred times over.
Mercy was not an option.
Turning back, Mo Chen walked over to Dorothy.
"Sorry for the wait."
"It's nothing. You don't need to be so polite. After all, you're a guest here," Dorothy smiled gently, showing no concern at all. She then led Mo Chen through a long corridor, arriving at a high vantage point.
"Now, continuing where we left off—this is the central hub of Eden. From here, you can oversee the entire base."
The first thing that caught his eye was a massive blue sphere in the center of the space, pulsing rhythmically like a beating heart. Surrounding it were several transparent circular structures, seemingly designed to provide energy to the core.
Within these circular structures, the faint outlines of green plants were visible. Through the glass dome above, the sky, clouds, and distant mountains could be seen. Directly below them was a vast circular facility.
"That down there is the Incubator," Dorothy noticed Mo Chen's gaze and smiled as she explained. "Noah and Isabel are currently training inside it."
"The Incubator?"
"Yes. It's similar in concept to the Ark's simulation chambers. However, the Incubator allows for more refined adjustments, generating significantly stronger simulated enemies. The difference may seem subtle, but the effectiveness is akin to the gap between a standard Rapture and a Tyrant-class Rapture."
Mo Chen suddenly thought of the simulation chambers in the game, which were managed by an AI administrator.
A thought struck him—could this mysterious hacker Sixo be similar to the Ark's AI? An insider working from within?
Noticing Dorothy's gaze, Mo Chen refocused, looking down at the structure below. He could faintly sense vibrations coming from within. That must be where Isabelle and Noah were training.
"The difficulty level there isn't low, is it?"
Mo Chen recalled the Overclocked mode in the Simulation Room in the game—its difficulty was several times higher than standard challenges.
If one's combat power wasn't sufficient, entering was nothing short of suicide.